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Mercedes-Benz is an automotive company that operates worldwide, and that has among its clients government authorities. Many of the countries where it operates have the tradition of giving gifts to solidify business relationships which can open room for bribery. This study aims at assessing the processes that Mercedes-Benz Thailand has in place regarding benefit provision to Thai government authorities, to make sure there are enough controls to prevent corruption. It is concluded that Mercedes-Benz Thailand has in place good controls, but a few points such as additional training on compliance and the creation of guidelines still need to be improved.

AbstractEnvironmental and biological monitoring was carried out in the winter season of 2004 for 30 gasoline station workers (study subjects) and 30 office workers (controls) of Bangalore city, India. Personal air sampling was carried out in the breathing zone of workers using an Anasorb CSC sorbent tube (SKC 226-01) fitted to the low-flow personal samplers (PCXR4 and pocket pump Model No. 210-1002) at a flow rate of 200 ml min−1 during the shift work of 8 h. The benzene content adsorbed in the sorbent tube (SKC 226-01) was desorbed with 1 ml of benzene-free carbon disulfide on a developing vibrator and later analysed by Trace GC fitted with MXT-624 column and flame ionization detector. The mean time weighted average benzene concentration found among study and controls was 1.10±1.08 and 0.070±0.035 mg m−3, respectively. Biological monitoring for benzene exposure was performed by measuring trans,trans muconic acid (t,t-MA) in the end shift urine samples using HPLC-UV technique. End-shift urine samples (1 ml) were adjusted to pH 7–9 with phosphate buffer pH 7.4 passed through the preconditioned Q-SAX anion-exchange cartridge and the (t,t-MA) is extracted with 10% acetic acid and later analysed by HPLC-UV detection The mean t,t-MA found among study and controls were 563.16±281.81 and 266.88±110.65 µg g−1 creatinine. About 50% of the study subjects (15) have higher t,t-MA values than the biological exposure index of the American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienist (ACGIH). Correlation is significant at 5% level (p<0.05) between personal air benzene concentration and urinary t,t-MA in the study group. Based on these findings, the t,t-MA can be used as a biomarker for benzene exposure.

Dikici, Mustafa Fevzi/0000-0001-7445-5882 ; WOS: 000221983100013 ; PubMed: 15215669 ; In 1974, Professor Muzaffer Aksoy established a link to leukemia in humans as a result of occupational exposure to benzene. The aim of this study is to evaluate his epidemiological approach for his investigation on the effects of benzene and to bring attention to the benzene problem in Turkey. Dr. Aksoy observed that a large group of leukemic patients were shoemakers, or they worked in leather manufacturing. In the 1960s, benzene was a popular solvent in the leather industry. Dr. Aksoy conducted a field investigation in Gedikpasa-Istanbul, where the shoemakers worked so that he could draw his key observations from actual environmental conditions. With a gas detector, he found the concentration of benzene in these work places to be 150-210 ppm and up to 650 ppm on rare occasions. He performed an epidemiological study and health education among 28,500 shoe, slipper and handbag workers during the period from 1967 to 1974. He published these data, establishing an association between benzene and leukemia. The incidence of leukemia among the shoe workers was decreased by screening, health education, and legislative actions in Turkey, but it began to increase again because of lack of an occupational health policy and underestimation of the problem. These results suggest the importance of primary prevention of occupational cancers. Dr. Aksoy's epidemiologic approach may highlight the necessity for detailed investigations of the occupational status of patients who need medical aid in order to diagnose the real underlying factor.

El propósito general de este trabajo es dar cuenta de un caso emblemático de violencia política y represión al movimiento obrero argentino de los años 70, reflejando el momento de mayor intensidad en el aniquilamiento de las organizaciones obreras.El interrogante que se intenta dilucidar en el transcurrir de nuestra investigación es el accionar represivo desplegado por las empresas y la cúpula sindical del gremio SMATA1 al interior de la fábrica Mercedes Benz, entre los años 1976 y 1977. A estos fines indagaremos en el rol jugado por las fuerzas represivas del Estado e investigaremos el grado de politización de los trabajadores de la fábrica, la influencia ejercida por las distintas organizaciones políticas de izquierda entre los trabajadores y las formas de lucha adoptadas por los obreros organizados.Como respuesta tentativa señalaremos que, tras el golpe de Estado, el ataque represivo por parte de la dirección de la empresa y la cúpula del SMATA hacia los trabajadores de Mercedes Benz llegó a su máxima expresión, repercutiendo particularmente en su comisión interna.Intentaremos demostrar esta afirmación basándonos en testimonios de activistas que vivenciaron dichos sucesos, siendo trabajadores de la fábrica durante ese periodo.Recibido: 12/10/15 - Aprobado: 14/12/15

El propósito general de este trabajo es dar cuenta de un caso emblemático de violencia política y represión al movimiento obrero argentino de los años 70, reflejando el momento de mayor intensidad en el aniquilamiento de las organizaciones obreras.El interrogante que se intenta dilucidar en el transcurrir de nuestra investigación es el accionar represivo desplegado por las empresas y la cúpula sindical del gremio SMATA1 al interior de la fábrica Mercedes Benz, entre los años 1976 y 1977. A estos fines indagaremos en el rol jugado por las fuerzas represivas del Estado e investigaremos el grado de politización de los trabajadores de la fábrica, la influencia ejercida por las distintas organizaciones políticas de izquierda entre los trabajadores y las formas de lucha adoptadas por los obreros organizados.Como respuesta tentativa señalaremos que, tras el golpe de Estado, el ataque represivo por parte de la dirección de la empresa y la cúpula del SMATA hacia los trabajadores de Mercedes Benz llegó a su máxima expresión, repercutiendo particularmente en su comisión interna.Intentaremos demostrar esta afirmación basándonos en testimonios de activistas que vivenciaron dichos sucesos, siendo trabajadores de la fábrica durante ese periodo.Recibido: 12/10/15 - Aprobado: 14/12/15

© 2013 Macmillan Publishers Limited ; Transient precursor states are often experimentally observed for molecules adsorbing on surfaces. However, such precursor states are typically rather short-lived, quickly yielding to more stable adsorption configurations. Here we employ first-principles calculations to systematically explore the interaction mechanism for benzene derivatives on metal surfaces, enabling us to selectively tune the stability and the barrier between two metastable adsorption states. In particular, in the case of the tetrachloropyrazine molecule, two equally stable adsorption states are identified with a moderate and conceivably reversible barrier between them. We address the feasibility of experimentally detecting the predicted bistable behaviour and discuss its potential usefulness in a molecular switch. ; W.L. and S.N.F. are grateful to the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation. J.C. is a Ramón y Cajal fellow and Newton Alumnus supported by the Spanish Government and The Royal Society. J.C. is grateful for support from the Marie Curie Career Integration Grant (FP7-PEOPLE-2011-CIG NanoWGS). A.T. acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC Starting Grant VDW-CMAT). ; Peer Reviewed

Title and Content Page List of abbreviations X List of tables XI 1\. Introduction 1.1 Theoretical perspective and literature 3 1.1.1 Standardisation and the labour process debate 4 1.2 Aspects of standardisation 7 1.2.1 The trend towards a standardisation of standards 7 1.2.2 De facto and formal standards 8 1.2.3 Standard setters and institutionalisation 9 1.2.4 Globalisation: driving force for the institutionalisation of standards 12 1.2.5 Standardisation and certification systems 13 1.3 Production systems 15 1.3.1 The industrial sociology debate on production systems 17 1.3.2 Production Systems, standardisation and the theory of organisational learning 19 1.3.3 Standardisation between control and learning: Adler and Cole versus Berggren 22 1.4 Research methods and approach 23 1.4.1 Literature and documentary review 23 1.4.2 The case study approach 24 1.4.3 Observational and survey research 26 1.5 Chapter outline 27 2\. From standardised product to standardised quality systems the evolution of standardisation 2.1 Introduction 32 2.2 Germany: the historical roots of quality standards 34 2.3 The USA: interchangeable parts and mass production 38 2.4 The rise of quality management in Japan 44 2.5 Quality management in Germany 48 2.6 The historical rise of standard setting institutions 52 2.6.1 National standards setting bodies (NSBs) 52 2.6.1.1 Deutsches Institut der Normierung (DIN) 53 2.6.1.2 The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) 57 2.6.2 International standards the International Standards Organization (ISO) 59 2.7 The institutionalisation of international standards for quality systems the case of the ISO 9001 series, the VDA 6.X, the QS 9000 and the EFQM model 61 2.7.1 Historical evolution of the ISO 9000 62 2.7.2 ISO 9000 a standardised quality management system 65 2.7.3 The evolution of the ISO Technical standard (TS) 16949 68 2.7.4 VDA 6.X series 69 2.7.5 QS 9000 72 2.7.6 The key differences between the ISO 9000, VDA 6.1 and QS 9000 73 2.7.7 Towards a holistic view of quality from ISO 9000 to the ...

Air pollution in urban areas is a major concern as it negatively affects the health of a large number of people. The purpose of this study was to assess the inhalation health risk for exposure to PM10 and benzene of the populations living in three Italian cities. Data regarding PM10 and benzene daily measured by &ldquo ; traffic&rdquo ; stations and &ldquo ; background&rdquo ; stations in Torino, Perugia, and Lecce during 2014 and 2015 were compared to the limits indicated in the Directive 2008/50/EC. In addition, an inhalation risk analysis for exposure to benzene was performed for adults and children by applying the standard United States Environmental Protection Agency&rsquo ; s (USEPA) methodology. The levels of PM10 detected in Torino exceeded the legal limits in both years with an increased mean concentration > ; 10 µ ; g/m3 comparing with background station. Benzene concentrations never exceeded the legislative target value. The increased cancer risk (ICR) for children exposed to benzene was greater than 1 × ; 10&minus ; 6 only in the city of Torino, while for adults, the ICR was higher than 1 × ; 10&minus ; 6 in all the cities. The results suggest the need for emission reduction policies to preserve human health from continuous and long exposure to air pollutants. A revision of legal limits would also be recommended.

Chemistry Department, Government Arts and Science College, Durg, India School of Studies in Chemistry, Pt. Ravishankar Shukla University, Raipur-492 010, India Manuscript received 3 May 2001, revised 24 September 2001, accepted 28 December 2001 A sensitive spectrophotometric method has been developed for the determination of benzene based on nitration of benzene to 1,3-dinitrobenzene and its subsequent reduction to 1,3-phenylenediamine. The 1,3-phenylenediamine so formed is determined by diazotization-coupling reaction using 1,3,5-trihydroxybenzene as coupling agent. The yellow orange azo dye formed in alkaline medium is measured spectrophotometrically at 415 nm. Beer's law is obeyed at 0.2-2.0 ppm benzene. The molar absorptivity is 3.07 x 104 dm3 mo-1 cm-1• The standard deviation and relative standard deviation are ±0.01 and 1.62%, respectively, for 40 µg of benzene per 25 ml analyzed over 7 days. The method may be used to determine benzene in petrol vapour, coke oven effluent and cigarette smoke.

BackgroundBenzene is a human hematotoxicant and a leukemogen that causes lymphohematopoietic cancers, especially acute myelogenous leukemia. We investigated uptake of benzene in hookah smokers and non-smokers attending hookah social events in naturalistic settings where hookah tobacco was smoked exclusively.MethodsWe quantified S-phenylmercapturic acid (SPMA), a metabolite of benzene, in the urine of 105 hookah smokers and 103 non-smokers. Participants provided spot urine samples the morning of and the morning after attending an indoor hookah-only smoking social event at a hookah lounge or in a private home.ResultsUrinary SPMA levels in hookah smokers increased significantly following a hookah social event (P < 0.001). This increase was 4.2 times higher after hookah lounge events (P < 0.001) and 1.9 times higher after home events (P = 0.003). In non-smokers, urinary SPMA levels increased 2.6 times after hookah lounge events (P = 0.055); however, similar urinary SPMA levels were detected before and after home events, possibly indicating chronic exposure to benzene (P = 0.933).ConclusionsOur data provide the first evidence for uptake of benzene in hookah smokers and non-smokers exposed to hookah tobacco secondhand smoke at social events in private homes compared with their counterparts in hookah lounges. Hookah tobacco smoke is a source of benzene exposure, a risk factor for leukemia.ImpactBecause there is no safe level of exposure to benzene, our results call for interventions to reduce or prevent hookah tobacco use, regulatory actions to limit hookah-related exposure to toxicants including benzene, initiate labeling of hookah-related products, and include hookah smoking in clean indoor air legislation.

Background and Objective: Important organic chemical pollutants in petrochemical complexes include benzene, toluene, xylene, ethyl benzene and n-hexane, and some have the potential to induce blood dyscrasias.The present study was designed to investigate whether skin and respiratory exposure to these pollutants under normal occupational conditions is associated with hematotoxicity. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 419 petrochemical workers as exposed group and staff of governmental departments (101 subjects) were evaluated as referent group. Blood samples were taken and analyzed for white blood cell count, red blood cell count, hemoglobin, hematocrit, mean cell volume of red blood cells, mean corpuscular hemoglobin, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, platelet count and white cell differential. To prevent clotting of the samples CBC vials containing EDTA as an anticoagulant were used. CBC test was performed with a hematology cell counter (Celltac alpha model) manufactured by NIHON KOHDEN Japan. Additionally, level of exposure to important organic chemical pollutants in petrochemical companies was simultaneously measured by another group of researchers and its data were linked with the present study. Results: Average age and length of exposure (employment) were 33.04±6.41 and 7.29±4.18 years for exposed group and 32.31 ±7.72 and 5 ±2.88 years, for referent subjects, respectively. Geometric mean concentration of n-hexane, benzene, toluene, ethyl benzene and xylene, were found to be 2.14, 0.46, 1.35, 3.61 and 1.48 ppm, respectively. In simplistic statistical data analysis, significant differences were noted between the mean values of most blood parameters of both groups but MCV. Furthermore, after controlling for important confounders, the red blood cells, hemoglobin and hematocrit were significantly higher in the exposed groups than in the referent subjects, while the platelet count was lower in the referent group.Atmospheric concentrations of organic solvents were generally lower than their recommened TLV values. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that after adjusting for important confounders significant associations exist between exposure to sub-TLV levels of organic solvents and hematotoxicity. ; سابقه و هدف: آلاینده‌های مهم شیمیایی آلی موجود در مجتمع‌های پتروشیمی شامل بنزن، تولوئن، زایلن، اتیل بنزن و هگزان نرمال بوده و برخی از آن‌ها بالقوه توانایی ایجاد ناهنجارهای خونی را دارند. مطالعه حاضر باهدف پاسخ به این سؤال که آیا مواجهه پوستی و تنفسی کارگران صنایع پتروشیمی با این آلاینده‌ها تحت شرایط معمولی کاری یا پاسخ سمی سیستم خون‌ساز همراه است یا خیر طراحی و اجرا گردید.روش بررسی: در این مطالعه مقطعی کارکنان شاغل در پتروشیمی‌ها (419 نفر) به عنوان گروه دارای مواجهه و کارکنان تعدادی از ادارات دولتی (101 نفر) به عنوان گروه مرجع مورد ارزیابی قرار گرفتند. نمونه خون برای آزمایش شمارش کامل خون شامل شمارش گلبول سفید، شمارش گلبول قرمز، هموگلوبین، هماتوکریت، حجم متوسط سلولی گلبول قرمز، هموگلوبین متوسط سلولی، غلظت متوسط هموگلوبین سلولی، تعداد پلاکت‌ها و آزمایش افتراقی گلبول‌های سفید انجام گرفت. جهت جلوگیری از انعقاد نمونه‌ها از ویال CBC حاوی ماده ضد انعقادی EDTA استفاده گردید و آزمایش‌های شمارش کامل گلبولی با دستگاه سل کانتر هماتولوژی مدل Celltac α ساخت شرکت NIHON KOHDEN ژاپن مورد بررسی قرار گرفتند. همچنین میزان مواجهه افراد با آلاینده‌های مهم شیمیایی آلی در شرکت‌های پتروشیمی همزمان توسط گروه دیگری از محققین اندازه‌گیری و داده‌های آن با نتایج مطالعات بالینی و آزمایشگاهی مطالعه حاضر مرتبط گردید.یافته‌ها: میانگین سن و سابقه کار گروه دارای مواجهه به ترتیب 41/6 ± 04/33 و 18/4 ± 29/7 سال و گروه مرجع 72/7 ±31/32 و 88/2 ± 5 سال بود. میانگین هندسی غلظت هگزان نرمال، بنزن، تولوئن، اتیل بنزن و زایلن به ترتیب 14/2، 46/0، 35/1، 61/3 و 48/1 پی پی‌ام به دست آمد.در آنالیزهای ساده آماری در همه موارد به غیر از حجم متوسط سلولی گلبول قرمز، تفاوت معنی‌داری بین میانگین پارامترها در گروه دارای مواجهه و مرجع وجود داشت، علاوه بر آن پس از کنترل عوامل مخدوش‌کننده مهم، تعداد گلبول قرمز، مقدار هموگلوبین و درصد هماتوکریت به شکل معنی‌داری در گروه مواجهه یافته بیش از گروه مرجع و تعداد پلاکت کمتر از گروه مرجع بود. غلظت حلال‌های آلی در هوا کمتر از TLV بود.نتیجه‌گیری: نتایج این مطالعه حاکی از این واقعیت است که پس از کنترل نقش مخدوش کننده‌ها، ارتباط معنی‌داری بین مواجهه با حلال‌های آلی در غلظت کمتر از TLV و هماتوتوکسیسیتی وجود دارد.

Benzene, a common industrial chemical and a component of gasoline, is radiomimetic and exposure may lead progressively to aplastic anaemia, leukaemia, and multiple myeloma. Although benzene has been shown to cause many types of genetic damage, it has consistently been classified as a non-mutagen in the Ames test, possibly because of the inadequacy of the S9 microsomal activation system. The metabolism of benzene is complex, yielding glucuronide and sulphate conjugates of phenol, quinol, and catechol, L-phenylmercapturic acid, and muconaldehyde and trans, trans-muconic acid by ring scission. Quinol is oxidised to p-benzoquinone, which binds to vital cellular components or undergoes redox cycling to generate oxygen radicals; muconaldehyde, like p-benzoquinone, is toxic through depletion of intracellular glutathione. Exposure to benzene may also induce the microsomal mixed function oxidase, cytochrome P450 IIE1, which is probably responsible for the oxygenation of benzene, but also has a propensity to generate oxygen radicals. The radiomimetic nature of benzene and its ability to induce different sites of neoplasia indicate that formation of oxygen radicals is a major cause of benzene toxicity, which involves multiple mechanisms including synergism between arylating and glutathione-depleting reactive metabolites and oxygen radicals. The occupational exposure limit in the United Kingdom (MEL) and the United States (PEL) was 10 ppm based on the association of benzene exposure with aplastic anaemia, but recently was lowered to 5 ppm and 1 ppm respectively, reflecting a concern for the risk of neoplasia. The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH) has even more recently recommended that, as benzene is considered an A1 carcinogen, the threshold limit value (TLV) should be decreased to 0.1 ppm. Only one study in man, based on nine cases of benzene associated fatal neoplasia, has been considered suitable for risk assessment. Recent re-evaluation of these data indicated that past assessments may ...

11 pags., 6 figs., 2 tabs. -- This article belongs to the Special Issue Electron and Photon Interactions with Bio(Related) Molecules ; Experimental results for the electron impact ionization of benzene, providing double (DDCS) and triple differential cross sections (TDCS) at the incident energy of 90 eV, measured with a multi-particle momentum spectrometer, are reported in this paper. The most intense ionization channel is assigned to the parent ion (C6H6 + ) formation. The DDCS values are presented for three different transferred energies, namely 30, 40 and 50 eV. The present TDCS are given for two fixed values of the ejected electron energy (E2 ), at 5 and 10 eV, and an electron scattering angle (θ1 ) of 10◦ . Different features related to the molecular orbitals of benzene from where the electron is extracted are observed. In addition, a semi-empirical formula to be used as the inelastic angular distribution function in electron transport simulations has been derived from the present DDCS result and compared with other expressions available in the literature. ; F.C. acknowledges the Radiation Biology and Biophysics Doctoral Training Programme (RaBBiT, PD/00193/2012); UCIBIO (UIDB/04378/2020) and together with P.L.V. and A.I.L. the Portuguese National Funding Agency FCT through the Research Grants CEFITEC (UIDB/00068/2020) and PTDC/FISAQM/31281/2017. L.Á. thanks the local CAM government and MICIU, respectively, for their corresponding grants within the "Garantía Juvenil" programmes. ; Peer reviewed

A Nodulisporium species (designated Ti-13) was isolated as an endophyte from Cassia fistula. The fungus produces a spectrum of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that includes ethanol, acetaldehyde and 1,8-cineole as major components. Initial observations of the fungal isolate suggested that reversible attenuation of the organism via removal from the host and successive transfers in pure culture resulted in a 50 % decrease in cineole production unrelated to an overall alteration in fungal growth. A compound (CPM1) was obtained from Betula pendula (silver birch) that increases the production of 1,8-cineole by an attenuated Ti-13 strain to its original level, as measured by a novel bioassay method employing a 1,8-cineole-sensitive fungus (Sclerotinia sclerotiorum). The host plant produces similar compounds possessing this activity. Bioactivity assays with structurally similar compounds such as ferulic acid and gallic acid suggested that the CPM1 does not act as a simple precursor to the biosynthesis of 1,8-cineole. NMR spectroscopy and HPLC-ES-MS indicated that the CPM1 is a para-substituted benzene with alkyl and carboxyl substituents. The VOCs of Ti-13, especially 1,8-cineole, have potential applications in the industrial, fuel and medical fields. ; We acknowledge the financial support of the NSF via a grant to Dr B. Peyton of the MSU Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering and the DoE to G. S. J. N. recognizes the support of the CBS-SURP, which is funded by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. S. R-U-L. was supported in a 1 year stay (2010−2011) at MSU on a BOYSCAST fellowship from the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The camera lucida drawing was kindly done by Dr Jitra Kokaew of the Department of Plant Pathology, Faculty of Agriculture, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, Thailand. Financial support from Endophytics LLC is also acknowledged.

Aims: To estimate exposures to benzene and naphthalene among military personnel working with jet fuel (JP-8) and to determine whether naphthalene might serve as a surrogate for JP-8 in studies of health effects.