Occupational Exposure Database Research Articles

Development of a quantitative North and Central European job exposure matrix for wood dust.

Wood dust is an established carcinogen also linked to several non malignant respiratory disorders. A major limitation in research on wood dust and its health effects is the lack of (historical) quantitative estimates of occupational exposure for use in general population-based case-control or cohort studies. The present study aimed to develop a multinational quantitative Job Exposure Matrix (JEM) for wood dust exposure using exposure data from several Northern and Central European countries. For this, an occupational exposure database containing 12653 personal wood dust measurements collected between 1978 and 2007 in Denmark, Finland, France, The Netherlands, Norway, and the United Kingdom (UK) was established. Measurement data were adjusted for differences in inhalable dust sampling efficiency resulting from the use of different dust samplers and analysed using linear mixed effect regression with job codes (ISCO-88) and country treated as random effects. Fixed effects were the year of measurement, the expert assessment of exposure intensity (no, low, and high exposure) for every ISCO-88 job code from an existing wood dust JEM and sampling duration. The results of the models suggest that wood dust exposure has declined annually by approximately 8%. Substantial differences in exposure levels between countries were observed with the highest levels in the United Kingdom and the lowest in Denmark and Norway, albeit with similar job rankings across countries. The jobs with the highest predicted exposure are floor layers and tile setters, wood-products machine operators, and building construction labourers with geometric mean levels for the year 1997 between 1.7 and 1.9 mg/m3. The predicted exposure estimates by the model are compared with the results of wood dust measurement data reported in the literature. The model predicted estimates for full-shift exposures were used to develop a time-dependent quantitative JEM for exposure to wood dust that can be used to estimate exposure for participants of general population studies in Northern European countries on the health effects from occupational exposure to wood dust.

Temporal Trends in Variability of Respirable Dust and Respirable Quartz Concentrations in the European Industrial Minerals Sector.

While between- and within-worker variability have been studied quite extensively, hardly any research is available that examines long-term trends in the variability of occupational exposure. In this first study on trends in occupational exposure variability temporal changes in the variability of respirable dust and respirable quartz concentrations within the European industrial minerals sector were demonstrated. Since 2000 the European Industrial Minerals Association's Dust Monitoring Program (IMA-DMP) has systematically collected respirable dust and respirable quartz measurements. The resulting IMA-DMP occupational exposure database contains at present approximately 40 000 personal full-shift measurements, collected at 177 sites owned by 39 companies, located in 23 European countries. Repeated measurements of workers performing their duties within a specific site-job-campaign combination allowed estimation of within- and between-worker variability in exposure concentrations. Overall day-to-day variability predominated the between-worker variability for both respirable dust concentrations and quartz concentrations. The within-worker variability in concentrations by job was two to three times higher for respirable quartz than for respirable dust. The median between-worker variability in respirable dust concentrations was low and further reduced over time. For quartz concentrations the same phenomenon albeit somewhat less strong was observed. In contrast, for the within-worker variability in concentrations downward and upward temporal trends were apparent for both respirable dust and respirable quartz. The study shows that the (relative) size of temporal variability is large and unpredictable and therefore regular measurement campaigns are needed to ascertain compliance to occupational exposure limit values.

Application of Pattern Mining Methods to Assess Exposures to Multiple Airborne Chemical Agents in Two Large Occupational Exposure Databases from France.

Surveys of the French working population estimate that approximately 15% of all workers may be exposed to at least three different chemical agents, but the most prevalent coexposure situations and their associated health risks remain relatively understudied. To characterize occupational coexposure situations in France, we extracted personal measurement data from COLCHIC and SCOLA, two large administrative occupation exposure databases. We selected 118 chemical agents that had ≥100 measurements with detected concentrations over the period 2010–2019, including 31 carcinogens (IARC groups 1, 2A, and 2B). We grouped measurements by work situations (WS, combination of sector, occupation, task, and year). We characterized the mixtures across WS using frequent itemset mining and association rules mining. The 275,213 measurements extracted came from 32,670 WS and encompassing 4692 unique mixtures. Workers in 32% of all WS were exposed to ≥2 agents (median 3 agents/WS) and 13% of all WS contained ≥2 carcinogens (median 2 carcinogens/WS). The most frequent coexposures were ethylbenzene-xylene (1550 WS), quartz-cristobalite (1417 WS), and toluene-xylene (1305 WS). Prevalent combinations of carcinogens also included hexavalent chromium-lead (368 WS) and benzene-ethylbenzene (314 WS). Wood dust (6% of WS exposed to at least one other agent) and asbestos (8%) had the least amount of WS coexposed with other agents. Tasks with the highest proportions of coexposure to carcinogens include electric arc welding (37% of WS with coexposure), polymerization and distillation (34%), and construction drilling and excavating (34%). Overall, the coexposure to multiple chemical agents, including carcinogens, was highly prevalent in the databases, and should be taken into account when assessing exposure risks in the workplace.

Estimation of Lead Exposure Intensity by Industry Using Nationwide Exposure Databases in Korea.

BackgroundIn a previous study, we estimated exposure prevalence and the number of workers exposed to carcinogens by industry in Korea. The present study aimed to evaluate the optimal exposure intensity indicators of airborne lead exposure by comparing to blood lead measurements for the future development of the carcinogen exposure intensity database.MethodsData concerning airborne lead measurements and blood lead levels were collected from nationwide occupational exposure databases, compiled between 2015 and 2016. Summary statistics, including the arithmetic mean (AM), geometric mean (GM), and 95th percentile level (X95) were calculated by industry both for airborne lead and blood lead measurements. Since many measurements were below the limits of detection (LODs), the simple replacement with half of the LOD and maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) methods were used for statistical analysis. For examining the optimal exposure indicator of airborne lead exposure, blood lead levels were used as reference data for subsequent rank correlation analyses.ResultsA total of 19,637 airborne lead measurements and 32,848 blood lead measurements were used. In general, simple replacement showed a higher correlation than MLE. The results showed that AM and X95 using simple replacement could be used as optimal exposure intensity indicators, while X95 showed better correlations than AM in industries with 20 or more measurements.ConclusionOur results showed that AM or X95 could be potential candidates for exposure intensity indicators in the Korean carcinogen exposure database. Especially, X95 is an optimal indicator where there are enough measurements to compute X95 values.

Development of Korean CARcinogen EXposure: An Initiative of the Occupational Carcinogen Surveillance System in Korea.

ObjectiveTo prevent occupational cancers, carcinogen exposure surveillance systems have been developed in many countries. This study aimed to develop a carcinogen exposure database specific to South Korea.MethodsTwenty known human carcinogens were selected for this study. The International Standard Classification of Industry was used for a classification scheme of industries. Three nationwide occupational exposure databases, the Work Environment Measurement Database, the Special Health Examination Database, and the Work Environment Condition Survey, were used to calculate reference exposure prevalence estimates by carcinogen and industry. Then, 37 professional industrial hygienists with at least 19 years of field experience provided their own exposure prevalence estimates, after reviewing the abovementioned reference estimates derived from three data sources. The median value of the experts’ estimates was used as the final exposure prevalence. Finally, the number of exposed workers was computed by multiplying the final exposure prevalence by the number of workers extracted from the 2010 national census data by carcinogen and industry.ResultsThe exposure prevalence and the number of exposed workers were calculated according to 20 carcinogen and 228 minor industrial groups, assuming year 2010 circumstances. The largest population was exposed to welding fumes (326 822 workers), followed by ultraviolet radiation (238 937 workers), ionizing radiation (168 712 workers), and mineral oil mist (146 798 workers).ConclusionsOur results provide critical data on carcinogen exposure for the prevention of occupational cancers.

Occupational exposure monitoring data collection, storage, and use among state-based and private workers' compensation insurers

ABSTRACTDespite substantial financial and personnel resources being devoted to occupational exposure monitoring (OEM) by employers, workers' compensation insurers, and other organizations, the United States (U.S.) lacks comprehensive occupational exposure databases to use for research and surveillance activities. OEM data are necessary for determining the levels of workers' exposures; compliance with regulations; developing control measures; establishing worker exposure profiles; and improving preventive and responsive exposure surveillance and policy efforts. Workers' compensation insurers as a group may have particular potential for understanding exposures in various industries, especially among small employers. This is the first study to determine how selected state-based and private workers' compensation insurers collect, store, and use OEM data related specifically to air and noise sampling. Of 50 insurers contacted to participate in this study, 28 completed an online survey. All of the responding private and the majority of state-based insurers offered industrial hygiene (IH) services to policyholders and employed 1 to 3 certified industrial hygienists on average. Many, but not all, insurers used standardized forms for data collection, but the data were not commonly stored in centralized databases. Data were most often used to provide recommendations for improvement to policyholders. Although not representative of all insurers, the survey was completed by insurers that cover a substantial number of employers and workers. The 20 participating state-based insurers on average provided 48% of the workers' compensation insurance benefits in their respective states or provinces. These results provide insight into potential next steps for improving the access to and usability of existing data as well as ways researchers can help organizations improve data collection strategies. This effort represents an opportunity for collaboration among insurers, researchers, and others that can help insurers and employers while advancing the exposure assessment field in the U.S.

Appraisal of levels and patterns of occupational exposure to 1,3-butadiene.

Objectives 1,3-butadiene is classified as carcinogenic to human by inhalation and the association with leukemia has been observed in several epidemiological studies. The aim of this study was to evaluate data about occupational exposure levels to 1,3-butadiene in the Italian working force. Methods Airborne concentrations of 1,3-butadiene were extracted from the Italian database on occupational exposure to carcinogens in the period 1996-2015. Descriptive statistics were calculated for exposure-related variables. An analysis through linear mixed model was performed to determine factors influencing the exposure level. The probability of exceeding the exposure limit was predicted using a mixed-effects logistic model. Concurrent exposures with other occupational carcinogens were investigated using the two-step cluster analysis. Results The total number of exposure measurements selected was 23 885, with an overall arithmetic mean of 0.12 mg/m3. The economic sector with the highest number of measurements was manufacturing of chemicals (18 744). The most predictive variables of the exposure level resulted to be the occupational group and its interaction with the measurement year. The highest likelihood of exceeding the exposure limit was found in the manufacture of coke and refined petroleum products. Concurrent exposures were frequently detected, mainly with benzene, acrylonitrile and ethylene dichloride, and three main clusters were identified. Conclusions Exposure to 1,3-butadiene occurs in a wide variety of activity sectors and occupational groups. The use of several statistical analysis methods applied to occupational exposure databases can help to identify exposure situations at high risk for workers' health and better target preventive interventions and research projects.

National Estimates of Exposure to Formaldehyde in Italian Workplaces.

Formaldehyde is classified as human carcinogen and the association with nasopharyngeal cancer has been observed in many epidemiological studies. The aim of this study is to evaluate data about occupational exposure levels to formaldehyde in the Italian working force. Airborne concentrations of formaldehyde were extracted from the Italian database on occupational exposure to carcinogens and refer to the period 1996-2014. Descriptive statistics were calculated for exposure-related variables. The number of workers potentially exposed was estimated for the activity sectors better characterized in the database. An analysis through linear mixed models was performed to determine factors influencing the exposure level. A total of 1610 formaldehyde exposure measurements were selected from the database, having an overall arithmetic mean of 0.12 mg m-3 and a geometric mean of 0.04 mg m-3. The activity sectors with the highest number of measurements were the manufacturing of chemicals and chemicals products (N = 529) in men and the health and social work in women (N = 105). The number of workers potentially exposed in the selected sectors was 49450, and the most predictive independent variables of the exposure level resulted to be the occupational group and the year of measurement. The occupational exposure to formaldehyde occurs in a variety of different sectors, but currently workers at higher risk are those employed in the healthcare sector and in the wood processing industry. Prevention measures have to be targeted to reduce the risk to workers' health, also in a gender perspective. This study confirms the important role of occupational exposure databases as a valuable source of data for the epidemiological assessment of risks in workplaces.

The need to identify occupational exposure to laser radiation in greece

Introduction Optical radiation, part of the non-ionizing spectrum, covers the UV, the IR and the visible regions. The relevant occupational exposure legislation, Directive 2006/25/EC, employs limits and Occupational Health & Safety (OHS) regulations for laser (coherent) and non-coherent artificial optical radiation (AOR). Purpose Although ten years have passed from the release of the aforementioned Directive, poor progress has been made for its practical implementation, mainly regarding the risk assessment by a qualified expert. The Hellenic Ministry of Labor, following a non-coherent AOR survey, in conjunction with the National Technical University of Athens and the Greek Atomic Energy Commission took the initiative to identify the field. Materials and methods Lasers are widespread mainly in health care facilities, industry, cosmetic applications, research and entertainment, but there is no homogenized safety approach countrywide. Selected workplaces have been chosen for evaluation of their OHS applied and for measurement of the appropriate optical quantities. The role of the Laser Safety Officer has been discussed as well. Results Mapping of the extent of laser applications in Greece has been performed together with an initial testing of selected crucial workplaces, as representative pilot studies. Major challenge and objective is the development of dedicated risk assessment checklists and of QA protocols for laser applications, further specified for medical applications. Conclusion The creation of a national occupational exposure database and of approved safety and QA protocols for laser procedures seems reasonable after the collaboration of the involved Authorities. Disclosure Authors disclose that they don’t have any relationship that may bias their presentation.

Level and extent of occupational exposure to formaldehyde in the Italian industrial sectors

Introduction In 2016 formaldehyde was definitely classified in Italy as a human carcinogen, following the European Union classification. The institution, in Italy, of a register of exposed workers to carcinogens in the workplace is mandatory by law. The aim of this study is to summarize data about occupational exposure to formaldehyde in the Italian industry using the information stored in the national occupational exposure database (SIREP) [1]. Methods Data were collected from exposure registries compulsorily notified by firms to the National Workers’ Compensation Authority (INAIL) and refer to 1996-2014 period. Each exposure measurement was characterized by economic activity sector and workforce size of firms; by personal data and occupational features of workers; by year of measurement and level of exposure. A descriptive statistical analysis was carried out on the retrieved information. Results Over 1,600 measurements of formaldehyde airborne concentrations in workplaces were selected from the database of registries in the period 1996-2014. Most exposures occurred in the manufacturing of chemicals and chemicals products (33% of measurements), while the largest part of documentation on exposure levels (40%) came from firms placed in regions of North-West of Italy. Conclusions Starting from the analysis of data registered in the Italian database of occupational exposures to carcinogens, this study outlines the current mean levels of formaldehyde exposure in the workplace, discussing the possible implications for public health policies and surveillance programs.

Historical occupational isocyanate exposure levels in two Canadian provinces

ABSTRACTIsocyanates such as toluene 2, 4-diisocyanate (TDI), methylene bisphenyl isocyanate (MDI), and hexamethylene diisocyanate (HDI) are known sensitizers and exposure to these chemicals can result in isocyanate-induced asthma—the leading cause of occupational asthma. A newly created exposure database was available containing occupational isocyanate measurements spanning 1981–1996 from Ontario and British Columbia (BC)—two of the largest provinces in Canada. The aim was to describe the historical measurements relative to exposure thresholds, ascertain differences in the data between provinces, and identify time trends. Descriptive statistics of the observations were summarized and stratified by isocyanate species and province. Chi-square tests and Student's t-test were performed to determine differences between provinces. To investigate time trends in the odds of a measurement exceeding the limit of detection (LOD) and time-weighted average (TWA), mixed effects logistic regression models were constructed. In total, 6,984 isocyanate measurements were analyzed, the majority of which were below the LOD (79%). Overall, 8.3% of samples were in excess of the 2014 TLV-TWA of 0.005 ppm. Comparing the two provinces, the proportion of samples exceeding the LOD and TLV-TWA was greater in BC for all isocyanate species. Differences in time trends were also observed between provinces—the odds of a sample exceeding the TLV-TWA decreased over time in the case of MDI (Ontario only), TDI (both Ontario and BC), and other isocyanates (BC only). Our finding that a majority of the exposure measurements was below the LOD is similar to that reported by others. Differences between provinces may be due the fact that isocyanates are classified as a designated substance in Ontario and must adhere to specific exposure control regulations. Limitations of the database, such as finite number of variables and measurements available until 1996 only, presents challenges for more in-depth analysis and generalization of results. An argument is made that a Canadian occupational exposure database be maintained to facilitate risk assessments as well as for occupational epidemiology research.

Lead exposure in US worksites: A literature review and development of an occupational lead exposure database from the published literature.

Retrospective exposure assessment of occupational lead exposure in population-based studies requires historical exposure information from many occupations and industries. We reviewed published US exposure monitoring studies to identify lead measurement data. We developed an occupational lead exposure database from the 175 identified papers containing 1,111 sets of lead concentration summary statistics (21% area air, 47% personal air, 32% blood). We also extracted ancillary exposure-related information, including job, industry, task/location, year collected, sampling strategy, control measures in place, and sampling and analytical methods. The measurements were published between 1940 and 2010 and represented 27 2-digit standardized industry classification codes. The majority of the measurements were related to lead-based paint work, joining or cutting metal using heat, primary and secondary metal manufacturing, and lead acid battery manufacturing. This database can be used in future statistical analyses to characterize differences in lead exposure across time, jobs, and industries.

0336 Municipal cartography of asbestos exposure in a Paris’ suburb: an original use of an occupational exposure database

ObjectivesFibrex database can be described as a board giving a correspondence between jobs and quantitative indications of occupational exposure to one or several noxious fibres. The objective of this present...

Assessment of work‐related exposure to polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in Italy

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are generally present in the workplace environment as complex mixtures and often difficult to identify a priori. The aim of this study is to evaluate the level and coverage of occupational exposure to PAHs in Italy. Data were collected from exposure registries of companies with mandatory reporting to the National Workers' Compensation Authority. Statistical analyses were carried out on the retrieved information and the number of workers potentially exposed was estimated for some industrial sectors. Overall 12,849 measurements of exposure levels to individual PAHs were selected from the database of registries in the period 1996-2010. Most exposures occurred in the manufacture of chemicals (N = 5,383, 51%), and the occupational group most frequently measured was chemical-processing-plant operator (N = 3,930, 31%). Measurements were associated to various PAHs, including benzo[a]pyrene, benzo[a]anthracene, benzo[b]fluoranthene, benzo[k]fluoranthene, dibenz[a,h]anthracene, and benzo[j]fluoranthene. Overall, 39,230 workers were estimated as potentially at risk of exposure to PAHs in the selected industrial sectors. This study summarized data recorded in the Italian occupational exposure database and identified specific exposure patterns to PAHs. The systematic recording of occupational exposures is a source of data that allows the recognition, control, and prevention of high-risk situations for workers' health.

Hexavalent Chromium Compounds in the Workplace: Assessing the Extent and Magnitude of Occupational Exposure in Italy

Hexavalent chromium (Cr(VI)) compounds have been classified as carcinogenic to humans. This study evaluates the extent and magnitude of occupational exposures to Cr(VI) in Italy. Data were collected from exposure registries of companies compulsorily notified by the National Workers’ Compensation Authority. Each measurement was characterized by economic activity sector, work force size, worker personal data, job description, year of measurement, and level of exposure. Descriptive statistical analysis was carried out on the retrieved information. The number of workers potentially exposed was estimated for some industrial sectors. A mixed-effects model was adopted to evaluate the association between exposure variables and exposure concentrations. Over 8400 measurements of Cr(VI) exposures were selected from the database of registries for 1996–2009. Most exposures occurred in the manufacture of fabricated metal products (>50%), and the occupational group most frequently measured was metal finishing-, plating- and coating-machine operators (>52%). Measurements were associated with various Cr(VI) compounds, including chromium trioxide, potassium dichromate, sodium dichromate, strontium chromate, and zinc chromate. Cr(VI) exposure has decreased in more recent years, and the fixed-effects (Cr(VI) compound, activity sector, size and location of the facility, job category, and year of measurement of the final statistical model explained more than 70% of the variance in the observed exposure data. This study summarized data recorded in the Italian occupational exposure database and identified specific exposure patterns to Cr(VI). The mean level of exposure to Cr(VI) was 30.41 μg/m3, and 50,118 workers were estimated at exposure risk in the selected industrial sectors. Systematic recording of occupational exposures is a source of data that allows recognition of high risk situations and improvements in exposure assessment for epidemiologic studies.

Development of an Exposure Measurement Database on Five Lung Carcinogens (ExpoSYN) for Quantitative Retrospective Occupational Exposure Assessment

SYNERGY is a large pooled analysis of case-control studies on the joint effects of occupational carcinogens and smoking in the development of lung cancer. A quantitative job-exposure matrix (JEM) will be developed to assign exposures to five major lung carcinogens [asbestos, chromium, nickel, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAH), and respirable crystalline silica (RCS)]. We assembled an exposure database, called ExpoSYN, to enable such a quantitative exposure assessment. Existing exposure databases were identified and European and Canadian research institutes were approached to identify pertinent exposure measurement data. Results of individual air measurements were entered anonymized according to a standardized protocol. The ExpoSYN database currently includes 356 551 measurements from 19 countries. In total, 140 666 personal and 215 885 stationary data points were available. Measurements were distributed over the five agents as follows: RCS (42%), asbestos (20%), chromium (16%), nickel (15%), and PAH (7%). The measurement data cover the time period from 1951 to present. However, only a small portion of measurements (1.4%) were performed prior to 1975. The major contributing countries for personal measurements were Germany (32%), UK (22%), France (14%), and Norway and Canada (both 11%). ExpoSYN is a unique occupational exposure database with measurements from 18 European countries and Canada covering a time period of >50 years. This database will be used to develop a country-, job-, and time period-specific quantitative JEM. This JEM will enable data-driven quantitative exposure assessment in a multinational pooled analysis of community-based lung cancer case-control studies.

Quantitative occupational exposure assessment in community-based studies: the SYNERGY experience

ObjectivesOccupational exposure assessment is one of the major challenges for retrospective community-based epidemiological studies. Having access to workplaces where study subjects spent their working days is basically impossible. Within the...

The Benefits and Challenges of a Voluntary Occupational Exposure Database

This article describes the experience of creating and implementing an occupational exposure database for synthetic vitreous fibers (SVFs). The lessons learned and benefits achieved through this experience may be instructive to government and industry when assessing the need, utility, and design of an occupational exposure database for nanomaterials. This article consists of an empirical account of the issues faced during the construction and maintenance of an occupational exposure database for SVFs. The occupation exposure database for SVF proved to be beneficial and successful but encountered several challenges relating to data consistency, data quality, and other problems. The SVF database provides a good case study to illustrate the potential benefits and challenges of creating and administering an occupational exposure database.

Occupational exposure levels to benzene in Italy: findings from a national database

Benzene is classified as human carcinogen and the association with lymphohaematopoietic cancer has been observed in many occupational epidemiological studies. The aim of this study is to summarize data about occupational exposure levels to benzene in Italy. Airborne concentrations of benzene were selected from the Italian database on occupational exposure to carcinogens in the period 1996-2007. Descriptive statistics were calculated for exposure-related variables. The number of workers potentially exposed was estimated for the industrial sectors better characterized in the database. An analysis through linear mixed model was performed to determine factors affecting the exposure level. The total number of benzene exposure measurements was 15,776, with an overall arithmetic mean of 0.09ppm and a geometric mean of 0.02ppm. Economic sectors with a higher number of measurements (N) were the manufacturing of chemicals (N=10,480) and the petrochemical industry (N=2,652). The number of workers potentially exposed in the selected sectors was 37,137, and the most predictive independent variables of the exposure level were measurement year and job category. Occupational benzene exposure is still widespread in many different industries, and proactive measures are needed to reduce its impact on the workers' health. The potential of occupational exposure databases as a source of data for exposure assessment is confirmed.

Comparison of Formaldehyde Exposure Levels in Two Multi-Industry Occupational Exposure Databanks Using Multimodel Inference

The recent increase in international multicenter epidemiologic studies of occupational hazards and the current development of risk analysis tools based on multinational exposure data provide an incentive to evaluate the extrapolation of exposure data across countries. We compared formaldehyde measurements in the French (COLCHIC) and U.S. (IMIS) occupational exposure databases for 1986–2001 using multimodel inference. In this approach, conclusions are based on a set of plausible models rather than on a single model. Modeled variables included data source, industry, year, and sample type (short-term or long-term). The model set included 72 models corresponding to testing all variables and 5 interactions and estimation of 93 coefficients. As it is impossible to classify non-detects (ND) as short-term or long-term samples, they were removed from IMIS prior to analysis. Respectively, 3143 and 2646 IMIS and COLCHIC data, spread across 28 common industries, were analyzed. The full model explained 21% of the total variability. All fixed effects and the source-industry interaction were shown as strong predictors of exposure. The temporal trend (5% yearly decrease) and difference between short-term and long-term data (short-term greater than long-term by two-fold) were similar across the two databanks. Industry-specific differences between IMIS and COLCHIC were detected only for health-related activities for which COLCHIC levels were higher (∼ four-fold). Sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the impact of excluding NDs from IMIS. They showed initial predicted industry-specific geometric means for IMIS data potentially multiplied by factors from 0.42 to 0.98 (long-term data) and from 0.11 to 1.4 (short-term data) when NDs were included with various distributions across the short-term and long-term categories. The most realistic scenario yielded 0.82 for long-term (18% overestimation) data and 1.05 (5% underestimation) for short-term data. Although tempered by a probable non-detect bias, our analysis showed that both databanks provide a similar multi-industry portrait of formaldehyde exposure despite a potential for very different occupational settings. Our results offer encouraging insight about extrapolation of exposure data across countries.