Health Hazard Evaluation Research Articles

Measuring the economic impact of environmental stressors on health

Abstract Environmental stressors are an important source of burden of disease worldwide. The accurate economic evaluation of health hazards caused by environmental stressors guide the design of more effective and comprehensive public policies. However, guidelines on cost assessment, monetisation and discounting methodologies are scarce. Therefore, several different methodologies are applied in multiple contexts, making comparability difficult. Within BEST-COST, methods for monetising health hazards caused by environmental stressors are identified and described based on a systematic review approach. An electronic search was performed in Medline, Scopus, Web of Science and Econlit, alongside with grey literature and citation and reference tracking identifying all relevant studies. Different methods are identified, such as value of a statistical life (VSL) and value of a life year (VOLY), as well as specificities from data collection to modelling for the economic evaluation. These methods may be categorised based on their approach (market-based or non-market based), perspective of analysis (payer, patient or societal) and health measures. In this presentation, the various key methodologies to assess the economic impact of environmental stressors on health will be introduced and demonstrated. Through these insights, workshop participants will be supported in performing health impact assessments and cost-benefit analyses, which play a pivotal role in informing public policies that impact environment and subsequently health.

Spatiotemporal distribution of PM2.5 and health risk assessment in Kolkata, India: Evaluation of non-carcinogenic health hazards and premature mortality

The State of Global Air Report (2022) says that Kolkata is the second most polluted city worldwide, with continuously high PM2.5 concentrations. This study examines the spatial distribution of PM2.5 and its associated health risks in the region. The yearly average concentrations of PM2.5 were found to consistently surpass the National Ambient Air Quality Standard (NAAQS) levels in India, China, United States of America (USA), and Canada including the prescribed standards of World Health Organization (WHO) and European Union (EU). Additionally, PM2.5 levels exceeded the 24-h NAAQS for a substantial number of days in a year. The study reveals significant correlation between meteorological factors and PM2.5, with temperature playing major role in the distribution of PM2.5. The hazard quotient (HQ) values continuously exceeded the threshold level, indicating severity of air pollution. Long-term exposure to PM2.5 resulted in a significant number of premature deaths, with ischemic heart disease (IHD) being the leading cause in Kolkata. The study indicates that reducing PM2.5 levels has a positive impact on mortality rates and health outcomes. For every unit reduction (1 μg/m3) of PM2.5 concentration, the corresponding decrease in premature mortality by 2.40%. Furthermore, reductions of 5 μg/m3 and 10 μg/m3 were associated with health improvements of 13.85% and 33.40% respectively. Overall, this study provides valuable information to effectively regulate air quality, implement targeted interventions, and protect public health.

Forensic GIS γ-Radiation Mapping and Associated Radiological Health Risk Assessment of the Premier Cities of Sapele, Oghara and Koko; South-South Nigeria

The GIS mapping of the terrestrial γ -radiation levels and evaluation of the radiological health hazard to residents of Sapele, Oghara and Koko cities in Nigeria have been carried out, using a Digilert nuclear radiation survey meter, geographical positioning system (GPS) and arc ArcGIS software. In Sapele (4 zones), the measured average gamma radiation levels ranged from 0.011 ± 0.003 mR h − 1 to 0.014 ± 0.005 mR h − 1 , while in Oghara (5 zones), the average gamma radiation levels ranged from 0.013 ± 0.002 mR h − 1 to 0.026 ± 0.009 mR h − 1 and for Koko(4 zones), the values obtained ranged from 0.018 ± 0.003 mR h − 1 (1.54 ± 0.11 mSvy − 1 ) to 0.023 ± 0.008 mR h − 1 respectively, with overall mean value of 0.017 ± 0.006 mR h − 1 (1.43 ± 0.51 mSvy − 1 ) . The mean absorbed gamma dose rate for three cities of Sapele, Oghara and Koko are 106.50 ± 22.33 nGy h − 1 , 167.28 ± 22.59 nGy h − 1 and 176.80 ± 24.74 η Gyh − 1 respectively. The mean annual effective dose rate (AEDR) for the three cities is 0.13 ± 0.03 mSvy − 1 , 0.20 ± 0.07 mSvy − 1 and 0.22 ± 0.06 mSvy − 1 mSvy − 1 respectively , while the mean excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) values are (0.47, 0.72 and 0.77) x10−3 respectively. The results obtained in the cities indicate that the BIR levels, and corresponding estimated health risk parameters in Koko > Oghara > Sapele. The estimated effective dosage to organs shows that liver receiving the least dose of 0.07mSvy−1 (11%) while testes got the highest dose of 0.12 mSvy−1 (19%). The overall results obtained show that all the thirteen zones’ BIR levels and their estimated risk parameters exceeded their recommended limits for the public and were also higher than reported values in previous studies reviewed. The reported significant elevation of the obtained background ionizing radiation (BIR) values may not necessarily establish any immediate likelihood of radiological health risk, but call for caution on possible accumulative radiation effects in future on the residents of the study area.

Reply to Tomasi et al.: The Role of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Hazard Evaluations in Reducing Ergonomic Injury among Interventional Pulmonologists

Reply to Tomasi <i>et al.</i>: The Role of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Hazard Evaluations in Reducing Ergonomic Injury among Interventional Pulmonologists

The Role of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Hazard Evaluations in Reducing Ergonomic Injury among Interventional Pulmonologists.

The Role of National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Hazard Evaluations in Reducing Ergonomic Injury among Interventional Pulmonologists.

Nitrate contamination in groundwater and its evaluation of non-carcinogenic health hazards from Arjunanadi River basin, south India

Nitrate (NO3-) contamination of groundwater is increasingly getting common in many places across India. Here, we present new data about nitrate pollution and the associated health consequences for infant, children, and adult population by evaluating 94 groundwater samples from the Madurai and Virudhunagar regions within the Arjunanadi River basin, situated at the southern region of India. Nitrate (9–221 mg/L) remained surpassed the WHO's recommended limit (>45 mg/L) in 34% samples. The piper diagram results specified that 75% of the samples fall in Mixed CaMgCl type. The correlation of nitrate results showed that groundwater of the region degraded by agricultural and industrial activities. The Nitrate Pollution Index (NPI) results of samples revealed significant pollution class, n = 18 (19%) and very significant pollution class, n = 26 (28%) in the study region. Its spatial distribution covered an area of 456.3 km2 in the risk zone with more than permissible nitrate. Among the shallow aquifers, about 16% of whole samples were in the high risk and 9% in very high-risk. Similarly, about 6% samples from deep aquifers were also in the category of high risk. The Water Quality Index (WQI) of groundwater samples indicateed 39% as good, 48% as poor and 9% as very poor to unsuitable. The health risk assessment from intake (HQintake) and skin contact (HQdermal) suggested 64%, 45% and 32% of samples with THI >1 pose hazard for infant, children, and adult population, respectively. The health risks and assessing groundwater quality indicated the necessity of regular groundwater quality monitoring for better long-term health management in this region.

Polyethylene Terephthalate Hydrolases in Human Gut Microbiota and Their Implications for Human Health.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), primarily utilized for food and beverage packaging, consistently finds its way into the human gut, thereby exerting adverse effects on human health. PET hydrolases, critical for the degradation of PET, have been predominantly sourced from environmental microbial communities. Given the fact that the human gut harbors a vast and intricate consortium of microorganisms, inquiry into the presence of potential PET hydrolases within the human gut microbiota becomes imperative. In this investigation, we meticulously screened 22,156 homologous sequences that could potentially encode PET hydrolases using the hidden Markov model (HMM) paradigm, drawing from 4984 cultivated genomes of healthy human gut bacteria. Subsequently, we methodically validated the hydrolytic efficacy of five selected candidate PET hydrolases on both PET films and powders composed of micro-plastics (MPs). Notably, our study also unveiled the influence of both diverse PET MP powders and their resultant hydrolysates on the modulation of cytokine expression in macrophages. In summary, our research underscores the ubiquitous prevalence and considerable potential of the human gut microbiota in PET hydrolysis. Furthermore, our study significantly contributes to the holistic evaluation of the potential health hazards posed by PET MPs to human well-being.

Evaluation of Common Health Hazards among Cosmetologists: Focus on Manicurists

Evaluation of Common Health Hazards among Cosmetologists: Focus on Manicurists

Abstract 450: Preclinical development of FTX-001: first in class inhibitor of the long non-coding RNA MALAT1

Abstract Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) have emerging roles in many aspects of biology. In the context of cancer, it has been reported that lncRNAs can act as cancer oncogenes and are altered in various cancer types. Among them, MALAT1 is a lncRNA highly expressed in multiple cancer types and associated with disease progression in patients. MALAT1 is highly upregulated in metastatic lesions of breast cancer patients. Both genetic and pharmacologic inhibition of MALAT1 suppressed tumor epithelial to mesenchymal transition, resulted in the differentiation of breast cancers and had a dramatic impact on tumor metastasis. MALAT1 is a nuclear retained lncRNA, and as such MALAT1 is highly sensitive to RNaseH1-dependant Antisense Oligonucleotide (ASO) degradation, because RNaseH1 is also predominantly localized to the nucleus. Thus, MALAT1 represents an attractive novel therapeutic target uniquely tractable to ASOs with the potential to impact metastatic cancer progression. Here, we describe the identification and characterization of FTX-001 leading to its selection as a clinical drug candidate for the treatment of human cancers. Preclinical pharmacology, tolerability, and toxicity studies conducted in rodents and non-human primates demonstrated the safety and potency of FTX-001. FTX-001 ASO contains constrained ethyl (cEt) chemistry Gen 2.5 and was identified by screening over 2700 ASOs against MALAT1. FTX-001 showed a consistent potent inhibition of MALAT1 RNA expression in human cancer cell lines in vitro as well as in human xenograft tumor models in vivo upon systemic delivery. Good exposure, tissue distribution and tolerability profile were observed in mice, rats and non-human primates (NHP) after repeated subcutaneous (sc) administrations. Genotoxicity studies including the bacterial reverse mutation assay and in vivo micronucleus assays demonstrated that FTX-001 did not cause mutagenic or chromosome alterations at doses up to 2000 mg/kg in mice. Preliminary results from 6-weeks nonclinical toxicity testing in mice (sc administration up to 45mg/kg) and NHP (intravenous administration up to 24mg/kg) revealed no significant adverse events observed during dosing and recovery phases. No major variation of blood markers or blood count were observed. Ongoing histopathological evaluation will complete the health hazard evaluation of FTX-001. Taken together, these results demonstrate the high potency and good preclinical safety profile of FTX-001 which supports the potential to achieve good target engagement (MALAT1 RNA knock down in human tumors) at well tolerated clinical doses in cancer patients. Citation Format: Marie-Aline C. Neveu, Alexey Ravenko, Tae-Won Kim, Xiaolin Luo, Youngsoo Kim, Joanna Schmidt, Robert A. MacLeod. Preclinical development of FTX-001: first in class inhibitor of the long non-coding RNA MALAT1 [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2023; Part 1 (Regular and Invited Abstracts); 2023 Apr 14-19; Orlando, FL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(7_Suppl):Abstract nr 450.

Reduction in the Residues of Penthiopyrad in Processed Edible Vegetables by Various Soaking Treatments and Health Hazard Evaluation in China

Tomato and cucumber are two vital edible vegetables that usually appear in people's daily diet. Penthiopyrad is a new type of amide chiral fungicide, which is often used for disease control of vegetables (including tomato and cucumber) due to its wide bactericidal spectrum, low toxicity, good penetration, and strong internal absorption. Extensive application of penthiopyrad may have caused potential pollution in the ecosystem. Different processing methods can remove pesticide residues from vegetables and protect human health. In this study, the penthiopyrad removal efficiency of soaking and peeling from tomatoes and cucumbers was evaluated under different conditions. Among different soaking methods, heated water soaking and water soaking with additives (NaCl, acetic acid, and surfactant) presented a more effective reduction ability than other treatments. Due to the specific physicochemical properties of tomatoes and cucumbers, the ultrasound enhances the removal rate of soaking for tomato samples and inhibits it for cucumber samples. Peeling can remove approximately 90% of penthiopyrad from contaminated tomato and cucumber samples. Enantioselectivity was found only during tomato sauce storage, which may be related to the complex microbial community. Health risk assessment data suggests that tomatoes and cucumbers are safer for consumers after soaking and peeling. The results may provide consumers with some useful information to choose better household processing methods to remove penthiopyrad residues from tomatoes, cucumbers, and other edible vegetables.

Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Practice of Physicians toward Pharmacovigilance in Public and Private Hospitals in Jordan

Knowledge, attitude, and practice toward pharmacovigilance (PV) among healthcare providers are strongly associated with reporting of adverse drug reactions (ADRs). This study was conducted to evaluate knowledge, attitude, and practice toward pharmacovigilance and to identify barriers for ADR reporting among physicians working at public and private hospitals in Jordan. This study was conducted using an online questionnaire in the Arabic language, designed by the members of the Health Hazard Evaluation Committee of the Jordan Food and Drug Administration (JFDA) between (August 2016 to December 2017). The questionnaire was completed using Google Forms online. A total of 341 physicians completed the questionnaire online. The rate of reporting of ADRs is low among physicians, only 4.7% have reported an ADR. The majority of physicians had never heard the term PV before. Respondents also lacked awareness of the existence of a PV centre in Jordan, and were unaware that monitoring of ADRs is carried out by the JFDA. Although the majority of physicians had never seen the ADR form, many had positive attitudes toward reporting ADRs. According to participant responses, the main barriers to reporting are: 1) not knowing how to report, 2) not knowing the importance of reporting, 3) unavailability of the ADR form, and 4) general time pressure in the work environment. Although there is a low rate of ADR reporting among physicians, doctors have a positive attitude toward PV and are willing to implement ADR reporting in their practices. More education and training sessions are needed in order to raise physician awareness and knowledge of PV, and to enhance ADR reporting.

Bioaccumulation, Biosedimentation, and Health Hazards of Elements in Crayfish, Procambarus clarkii from El-Rahawi Drain and El-Qanatir in the River Nile, Egypt

Elements accumulation in crayfish is proportional to the increase in bioavailability (direct contact) with the surrounding water, sediment, and feeding. Five heavy metals (Cu, Cr, Mn, Ni, and Ag) and lithium (Li) were analyzed in the sediment, water, and crayfish tissues. Elements (heavy metals and lithium) concentrations in sediment, water, and crayfish tissues showed significant differences between the two sampling stations (El-Qanatir and El-Rahawi drain). However, the levels of elements in crayfish tissues were arranged in declining order as hepatopancreas > gills > exoskeleton > muscles for Cu and Cr; hepatopancreas > exoskeleton > gills > muscles for Ni and Ag; and exoskeleton > gills > hepatopancreas > muscles for Li and Mn. The human health hazard evaluation of heavy metals and lithium exposure via edible tissue consumption was assessed for both children and adult consumers. The target hazard quotient THQ values of crayfish edible tissues (less than 1) will not impose any health implications for consumers who ingest edible tissues in sufficient quantities. Furthermore, the hazard index (HI) values reported for children and adult consumers were lower than one, indicating non-carcinogenic and carcinogenic hazards, suggesting that crayfish edible tissues are safe for human ingestion. This evidence also found that Procambarus clarkii could be a good bio-indicator organism for monitoring potentially metals in aquatic systems.

Prevalence of ORL and dermatitis diseases among tanners in Fez-Morocco: Association with risk factors and working sections

In Morocco, the transformation of hides into leather uses many hazardous chemicals such as chromium and sulfide, which have many negative impacts on workers’ health and the environment as well. In this regard, this work has undertaken the evaluation of the occupational health hazards of tanneries′ workers in Fez-Morocco by analyzing different symptoms of dermatitis and Oto-Ryno-Laryngological disorders (ORL). This study was based on cross-sectional descriptive epidemiological surveys, which were conducted in many tanneries of Fez city. Moreover, it concerned 302 workers focusing on a medico-social questionnaire and statistical analyses. The statistical analysis results of the questionnaires showed the prevalence of many diseases, particularly dermatitis (skin lesions: 19.2%; eczema: 26.5%; fungal: 18.2%) and ORL symptoms (stuffy nose: 58.3%; rhinitis: 47.4%; headaches: 30.8%). As well, the results showed a strong correlation between the number of working years, the tanning sectors, the use of protective equipment and the appearance of these diseases, while the results of the self-reported character of the symptoms revealed that the units of unhairing liming and chrome tanning are the most toxic sectors due to many detected cases of ORL and dermatitis over there. Subsequently, these results indicate that tanners are daily exposed to hazardous risks because of the chemical products used. Thus, all responsible authorities must be involved to find urgent solutions to solve the tanners’ life.

Hydrogeochemical characterization, multi-exposure deterministic and probabilistic health hazard evaluation in groundwater in parts of Northern India

This work attempts to identify the latent factors controlling the hydrogeochemistry and assess the groundwater quality and associated health risks in the intermontane valley of Nalagarh in the sub-Himalayan zone in northern India. Analytical results of 64 groundwater samples, 32 each collected during pre monsoon and post monsoon seasons show contrasting results for their major chemical constituents. During pre monsoon period, only 3% of the samples exceed their permissible limits for pH, EC, TH and Mg2+, while during post monsoon period, different parameters, such as TH, Mg2+ and K+, exceed their limits by 9, 16, and 3%, respectively. Gibbs and Piper diagrams reveal that groundwater chemistry is mainly controlled by water-sediment (alluvial) interaction. Geochemical signatures and saturation index (SI) further indicate that the weathering and dissolution of silicate, calcite and dolomite minerals mainly contributed to dominance of Ca2+, Mg2+ and HCO3 - ions in the aquifers. Monte Carlo simulation ascertains non-carcinogenic health risks due to NO3 − and F− in different sub-population groups. Deterministic and probabilistic estimates of these parameters via ingestion and dermal routes confirm their percentage hazard toxicity in the order infants (58.38; 39.62%) >children (15.62; 15.85%) >teens (6.25; 2.73%) >adults (6.25; 1.90%) for pre monsoon. The hazard toxicity for deterministic study implies only on infants (9.38%), whereas, the probabilistic simulation extracted the health risk on infants (6.57%), and children (0.58%) during post monsoon. Minor populations with their lower body weights are more vulnerable to groundwater pollution due to greater consumption of liquid diet. Therefore, treated groundwater is strongly recommended to mitigate health morbidities linked with the non-cancerous risks.

Evaluation of Health Hazard and Governance Performance of Air Pollution: A Case Study of Z City.

Based on the date of the main pollutant discharge and the change of pollutant concentration in Z city, this study performed the statistical analysis of the concentration data in excel. The data covers 3 years from 1 January 2015 to 31 December 2017. An exposure-response relationship model was used established to evaluate the health hazards caused by air pollution and the corresponding economic losses, further analyzing the relationship between air pollution, health hazards, and economic benefits. The results of the study showed that the changes in SO2 and NO2 concentrations in Z City from 2015 to 2017 have a great influence on the mortality rate of the local population, respiratory mortality, the rate of internal medicine of outpatients, and the rate of chronic bronchitis disease. The economic losses between 2015 and 2017 caused by PM10, the primary pollutant in the air, were 3.9 billion, 3.5 billion, and 2.9 billion respectively, accounting for 3.60%, 2.88%, and 2.09% of Z City's GDP, which were enormous. Finally, countermeasures of feasible treatment and in government performance were put forward.

Application of epidemiological methods in health impact assessment

Health impact assessment (HIA) system has been listed in the Outline of the Healthy China 2030 Plan and the Law of Basic Health Care and Health Promotion of the People's Republic of China, however, the technique guideline of HIA needs to be established and improved. This paper summarizes the applications of different epidemiological methods in HIA and focus on the introduction of the application of ecology model of health social determinants as theory basis in the establishment of HIA system along with the introduction of HIA cases in the world. The applications of epidemiological methods in domestic HIA research are limited. Therefore, appropriate applications of epidemiological methods should be strengthened in HIA guideline and system development, especially the applications of big health data, mobile health techniques, systems epidemiology and implementation science, to facilitate data collection and potential health hazard evaluation and surveillance for HIA, establishment and improvement of HIA system and the implementation of Healthy China Strategy.

Evaluation of pollution indices, health hazards and source identification of heavy metal in dust particles and storm trajectory simulation using HYSPLIT model (Case study: Hendijan center dust, southwest of Iran)

Atmospheric dust is one of the most recent environmental pollutions in Iran. This study examines the concentration of heavy metals and the assessment of environmental and human health risk in the dust samples of Hendijan region as one of the most important centers of wind erosion in the southwestern of Iran. ICP-MSS analysis was performed on 18 samples of fine dust to specify the concentration of heavy metals. Studies showed that the highest concentrations of metals in these fine dust samples belong to Cr, Ni, Zn, Cu, As, Pb and Cd, respectively. Examining fine dust's pollution assessment showed that the highest enrichment and geo-accumulation index belong to As, Ni and Cr metals. Environmental risk assessment shows the low environmental risk of these fine dusts. The hazard quotient in children and adults belongs to Cr, As and Ni, respectively. Human health risk assessment also showed that the highest absorption of metals in both children and adults is through ingestion. The non-carcinogenic risk of heavy metals of dust samples in children is about 9 times more than adults. The highest risk of cancer in the adult group belongs to Ni metal and in the group of children belongs to As and Ni metal. PCA analysis showed that As, Cu, Cd, Cr and Ni are of anthropogenic origin and Zn and Pb are of geogenic origin. The source of the dust phenomenon with the HYSPLIT model and the backward method indicates the tracking of this dust mass through Iraq, and its probable origin was assessed in the centers of northern Iraq and southeastern Syria.

Molecular Identification of Infectious Enteropathogens in Faeces of Healthy Horses

Zoogenic faecal contamination of the environment is one of the indices included in the evaluation of ecological threats, health hazards and adverse impacts on various ecosystems. The risks and environmental concerns are associated with the fact that faeces of wild and domesticated animals constitute the largest source of environmental loading of enteropathogens associated with transmission of zoonotic diseases (enteric zoonoses). Although sick animals are more likely to transmit pathogens, healthy ones can also be the carriers and defecate them into the environment. This is of particular importance given the close human-animal interactions and health effects resulting from human and ecological exposures to faecal hazards from companion and farm animals. We have therefore set out to investigate whether healthy equines can carry and defecate human infectious pathogens. For this purpose, we set up a pilot study to examine the faecal DNA of horses using culture-independent molecular diagnostics – fluorescent probe-based quantitative real-time PCR. Our results revealed that among a total of 23 horses, 6 were found to carry Campylobacter jejuni (C. jejuni), and 5 had Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium (S. Typhimurium). Moreover, Enterococcus faecalis (E. faecalis) was found in 14 horses, while 19 were positive for Clostridium perfringens (C. perfringens). Furthermore, the frequently reported protozoan parasites in livestock, Cryptosporidium parvum (C. parvum) and Giardia lamblia (G. lamblia), were discovered in 8 and 7 samples, respectively. This pilot study shed new light on the phenomenon of healthy horses carrying C. jejuni and other human-health-related enteropathogens.

Human health hazard evaluation with reference to chromium (Cr+3 and Cr+6) in groundwater of Bengaluru Metropolitan City, South India

Human health hazard evaluation with reference to chromium (Cr+3 and Cr+6) in groundwater of Bengaluru Metropolitan City, South India

A Strategy for Field Evaluations of Exposures and Respiratory Health of Workers at Small- to Medium-Sized Coffee Facilities.

Coffee production is a global industry with roasteries throughout the world. Workers in this industry are exposed to complex mixtures of gases, dusts, and vapors including carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, coffee dust, allergens, alpha-diketones, and other volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Adverse respiratory health outcomes such as respiratory symptoms, reduced pulmonary function, asthma, and obliterative bronchiolitis can occur among exposed workers. In response to health hazard evaluations requests received from 17 small- to medium-sized coffee facilities across the United States, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conducted investigations during 2016–2017 to understand the burden of respiratory abnormalities, exposure characteristics, relationships between exposures and respiratory effects, and opportunities for exposure mitigation. Full-shift, task-based, and instantaneous personal and area air samples for diacetyl, 2,3-pentanedione and other VOCs were collected, and engineering controls were evaluated. Medical evaluations included questionnaire, spirometry, impulse oscillometry, and fractional exhaled nitric oxide. Exposure and health assessments were conducted using standardized tools and approaches, which enabled pooling data for aggregate analysis. The pooled data provided a larger population to better address the requestors' concern of the effect of exposure to alpha-diketones on the respiratory heath of coffee workers. This paper describes the rationale for the exposure and health assessment strategy, the approach used to achieve the study objectives, and its advantages and limitations.