Occupational Exposure Database Research Articles

Finnish occupational exposure databases.

Finnish occupational exposure databases.

Future need for development of occupational exposure databases in Hungary.

The data on the occupational exposure measured by the hygienic network laboratories in Hungary were collected during the last 20 years. The data refer to the air pollutant chemicals and to the biological monitoring. The structure of the database of occupational exposure that has been used in the last decade is intended to be changed according to the guideline of the European Working Group on Exposure Registers in Europe. The current databases on the occupational exposure contain data only related to the substances responsible for air pollution. It would be desirable to complement the database with data from the biological monitoring, which also characterize the occupational exposure. It would then be possible to harmonize two distinct databases, and the risk assessment of the employees would become more thorough. This practice would require close cooperation of several organizations. It is desirable to set minimum requirements against the measurement techniques, thus, giving results that are accepted in the exposure database. It is necessary to encourage the use of direct reading instruments in collecting the exposure data and to complement the requirements of the strategies of data collection and the system of evaluation.

Hydrocarbon solvent exposure data: compilation and analysis of the literature.

An occupational exposure database for hydrocarbon solvent end-use applications was constructed from the published literature. The database provides exposure assessment information for such purposes as regulatory risk assessments, support of industry product stewardship initiatives, and identification of applications in which limited exposure data are available. It is quantitative, documented, and based on credible data. Approximately 350 articles containing quantitative hydrocarbon solvent exposure data were identified using a search of computer databases of published literature. Many articles did not report sufficient details of the exposure data for inclusion in the database (e.g., full-shift exposure or task-based exposure data). Others were excluded because only limited summary statistics were provided, which precluded statistical analysis of the data (e.g., arithmetic mean concentration presented, but no sample number). Following evaluation, 16,880 hydrocarbon solvent exposure measurements from 99 articles were entered into a database for analysis. Methods used to identify and evaluate published solvent exposure data are described along with more detailed analysis of worker exposure to hydrocarbon solvents in three major end-use applications: painting and coating, printing, and adhesives. Solvent exposures were evaluated against current ACGIH threshold limit values (TLVs) and trends were identified. Limited quantitative data are available prior to 1970. In general, reported hydrocarbon solvent exposures decreased fourfold from 1960 to 1998, were below the TLVs applicable to specific hydrocarbon solvents at the time, and on average have been below 40% of the TLV since 1980. The database already has proved valuable; however, the utility of published exposure data could be further improved if authors consistently reported essential data elements and supporting information.

A Bayesian approach to retrospective exposure assessment.

A variety of health effects are caused by chronic, cumulative exposure over time to pollutants. In these cases, to establish dose-response relationships for epidemiological and risk assessment purposes, it is vital to determine the exposures of individuals or cohorts as functions of time. Most existing occupational exposure databases, however, do not contain continuous records of historical exposures to airborne contaminants. These gaps in the historical record may be filled by using the knowledge base that experts and professionals in the field possess. In this article we present a new framework, based on Bayesian probabilistic reasoning, for obtaining estimates of exposure histories for airborne particulates from limited historical measurements, using subjective expert judgment. The framework has great potential applications in instances where there is sparse information or missing data on past exposures. Expert judgment, in the form of inputs to physical models, provides additional knowledge to retrospectively estimate exposure as a function of time from discrete and incomplete measurements. The expert judgments are informed by knowledge of historical plant conditions and work practices, and models describing process-dependent aerosol generation, ventilation, and worker activity patterns. The result will be probability distributions of the exposure of task-groups of workers as a function of time, in the form of a matrix.

Special Report: Data Elements for Occupational Exposure Databases: Guidelines and Recommendations for Airborne Hazards and Noise

Special Report: Data Elements for Occupational Exposure Databases: Guidelines and Recommendations for Airborne Hazards and Noise

Past and Current Approaches to Occupational Exposure Databases in the Private Sector

Abstract Occupational exposure databases provide essential information for industrial hygiene, occupational medicine, epidemiology, regulators, labor, operating management, engineering, and other users. The diverse uses include occupational health program planning, epidemiology research, risk assessment, risk management, and compliance review. For these multiple uses, exposure measurements in the database are often linked with other data, including work histories, job/task descriptions, hazard inventories, engineering and production records, medical records, health status information, and possibly lifestyle factors such as hobbies. Occupational exposure database approaches that consider needs for little information beyond the exposure measurements may not satisfy all the possible users. The objective of this article is a general review of past and current experiences with occupational exposure databases in the private sector. Past purposes for collecting data and the expectations for their future use affe...

Conference on Occupational Exposure Databases: A Report and Look at the Future

Abstract The rationale, goals, and interdisciplinary and multi-institutional character of the Conference on Occupational Exposure Databases are described based on a conceptual framework for thinking about exposure data. The three areas that pose the critical challenges to database developments are discussed: 1) the multiple and changing uses and users of data; 2) the need for better and standardized definitions of the exposure-relevant information which should be collected along with exposure measurements; and 3) the closely related and equally critical coding issues. The concluding section summarizes the principal consensus views and recommendations from the conference and the status of the activities now underway to implement those recommendations. Gómez, M.R.; Rawls, G.: Conference on Occupational Exposure Databases: A Report and Look at the Future. Appl. Occup. Environ. Hyg. 10(4):238–243; 1995.

Province of Ontario Medical Surveillance Database

Abstract The Ministry of Labour (MOL) for the Province of Ontario has developed an occupational exposure database to facilitate implementation of appropriate regulations respecting worker health and safety, and to identify trends in exposures leading to potential problems. The MEdical SUrveillance (MESU) database was designed, written, and implemented by MOL staff. Although initially perceived as a tool to monitor medical surveillance test results, the primary utilization of the database is much more critical to daily operations of MOL's consulting health professional field staff. Data obtained by the consulting health professionals are submitted to MOL's central office, where they are entered into the system by a core group of staff. All data, excepting confidential personal medical information and respective identifiers, are available to MOL's consulting health professionals via on-line computer, in a variety of formats, as needed. Since the primary intent and use of the database is to facilitate MOL personnel function, this objective has been the predominant criterion in designing data input and retrieval. Data are recorded and supplied by MOL hygienists, physicians, nurses, and other consulting professional field staff, and entered into MESU at our central office. Specific forms for transferring the information have been developed, and although they require the recording of a great amount of detail, they have been designed to limit the time demand placed on the consulting health professional field staff. Similarly, the field staff can retrieve any information from the system in a variety of formats, which greatly facilitates performance of daily routine functions. Lubek, B.M.: Province of Ontario Medical Surveillance Database. Appl. Occup. Environ. Hyg. 10(4):251–256; 1995.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health General Industry Occupational Exposure Databases: Their Structure, Capabilities, and Limitations

Abstract The passage of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 resulted in increased concern for the safety and health of workers in the United States. Early in 1971, a Hazard and Disease Task Force, formed by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare, identified a need for more detailed information on the distribution of potential exposures of employees in industries regulated in the Occupational Safety and Health Act to chemical and physical hazards. To address this need, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health conducted two major national surveys as part of its hazard surveillance program. The first, conducted in 1972–1974, was called the National Occupational Hazard Survey. The second, conducted in 1981–1983, was called the National Occupational Exposure Survey. Each survey employed a stratified probability sample, and collected observational data on potential direct workplace exposures and also exposure to tradenamed products. Completed nearly a decade apart, the data...

Workshop on Key Data Needs for an Occupational Exposure Database, Session II

Workshop on Key Data Needs for an Occupational Exposure Database, Session II

Exposure Data Needs in Risk Assessment and Risk Management: Database Information Needs

Abstract This introduction to the Conference on Occupational Exposure Databases reviews the background of exposure-related databases in the occupational, environmental, and radiological health fields and surveys recent developments in this area. It also reviews some of the needs for, problems in the usage of, and opportunities for improvements in, data bank formats and coverage that developing professional interests and emerging technical capabilities provide. It summarizes prior work by others in defining the database issues and needs, and the problems that must be faced and overcome in establishing a comprehensive human exposure data bank for applications such as compliance reporting, exposure identification, analysis of trends, evaluation of exposure controls, epidemiological studies, development and testing of biomarkers of exposure, and coordination with disease surveillance data. It calls for coordinated efforts to establish and maintain a comprehensive exposure data bank. Lippmann, M.: Exposure Data Needs in Risk Assessment and Risk Management: Database Information Needs. Appl. Occup. Environ. Hyg. 10(4):244–250; 1995.

The Environmental Protection Agency's Use of Occupational Exposure Databases for Screening Level Assessments under the Toxic Substances Control Act

Abstract The Chemical Engineering Branch (CEB) of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Office of Pollution Prevention and Toxics is responsible for assessing the potential for occupational exposure and environmental release for both new and existing chemicals under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). The CEB provides roughly 600 screening level assessments of occupational exposure for new and existing chemicals per year in support of TSCA. Screening level assessments are usually developed to identify and eliminate from further analysis (i.e., screen out) those substances of low concern, based on the identified potential hazards and exposures. Monitoring data for the worker activities under typical conditions of exposure are preferred for assessing occupational exposure. However, in our experience, monitoring data are often limited and not readily accessible, and data quality can be questionable. In the absence of monitoring data, other methods of predicting occupational exposure are used. These ...

Role of Exposure Databases in Disease Surveillance and Occupational Epidemiology

Abstract Occupational exposure databases are crucial tools in the field of occupational safety and health, yet researchers often do not realize their full potential. Exposure data can be used in many capacities, including risk assessment, disease surveillance, and evaluation of risk management policies and programs. Exposure data are also extremely useful in occupational epidemiology for discovering causal associations and dose—response relationships. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has used exposure data to target specific worker populations at risk for disease and injury and to target industries for the development of control technology. NIOSH uses its National Occupational Hazard Survey, National Occupational Exposure Survey, and National Occupational Health Survey of Mining, Registry of Toxic Effects of Chemical Substances, and NIOSHTIC bibliographic database, along with various external databases, as sources for exposure data. The assessment of exposure data is essen...

Recommendations for Methods to Code Industry and Job Task in Routinely Collected Exposure Data

This article describes and recommends two coding methods that can improve the capture of exposure-relevant information in large occupational exposure databases. One of the methods can substantially improve the specificity of information captured by industry codes, and the second would improve the capture of information about job tasks in a standardized fashion, a capability almost entirely lacking in occupational health. The methods are not ideally designed for exposure assessment purposes, but their use would represent a substantial improvement over current practices. The methods have been well tested and can be adopted in their current form. Moreover, they are compatible with coding systems already in widespread use for economic, demographic, health, and other data, thus making exposure data coded with them amenable to valuable linkages. Large collections of routine exposure measurements are increasingly common, and the use of these coding methods will help improve the needed coding of precise information about these two critical exposure determinants (industry and task performed), so that exposure databases can be made more amenable to inferential analyses in support of risk assessment and risk management applications.