Occupational epidemiology

CT Connecticut Department of Health, Environmental Epidemiology Occupational Health 10 ... 

Data sources regarding the toxicity of chlorine include experimental studies with human volunteers and animals accidentally exposed cohorts of workers, communities, or individuals warfare studies and epidemiologic occupational investigations. Each of these data sources is reviewed below and summarized in... 

Important exogenous factors that contribute to induction of cancer include natural and synthetic chemicals, environmental exposures to ultraviolet and medical radiation, diet and lifestyle, and infectious agents, such as viruses, parasites, and bacteria. Evidence for a causal association between exogenous factors and neoplasia is derived from studies of epidemiology, occupationally common cancers, and animal models. 

Fig. 1. Example of traditional epidemiology occupations most often affected by occupational skin diseases. Three years incidence in Northern Bavaria (Germany) (Diepgen 1996)...

Fig. 2. Example of clinical epidemiology occupations of patients with suspected occupation-related dermatoses (n = 4.397). Evaluation of 28,957 patients patch tested from 1994 to 1996. Unpublished data from the IVDK...

J. C. Contassot and co-workers, "Epidemiological Study of Cancer Morbidity Among Workers Exposed to Hydrazine," poster presented at the XXII International Congress on Occupational Health, in Sydney, AustraUa, Sept.—Oct., 1987. 

Pukkala, E. (1995). Cancer risk by social class and occupation. A survey of 109 000 cancer cases among Finns of working age. Contributions to Epidemiology and Biostatistics, vol. 7, Kargeg Basel. 

Epidemiology operates within the context of public health with a strong emphasis on the prevention of disease through the reduction of factors that may increase the likelihood that an individual or group will suffer a given disease. Implicit in the practice of epidemiology is the need for different disciplines in studying the influence of occupation on human health. 

Epidemiologic data come from many different sources. Acquiring reliable, accurate, and complete data describing occupational health problems is a key concern of the epidemiologist. A primary and continuing problem is the ascertainment of occupational disease. Ascertainment is the identification of diseases that are. in this case, of occupational origin. 

Sever EE, Arbuckle TE, Sweeney A. 1997. Reproductive and developmental effects of occupational pesticide exposure The epidemiologic evidence. Occup Med 12 305-325. 

Klasson-Wehler, E., Kuroki, H., and Athanasiadou, M. et al. (1992). Selective retention of hydroxylated PCBs in blood. In Organohalogen Compounds Vol 10 Toxicology, Epidemiology, Risk Assessment, and Management, Helsinki Finnish Institute of Occupational Health 121-122. 

Baker EL, Letz R, Fidler AT, et al. 1985. A computer-based neurobehavioral evaluation system for occupational and environmental epidemiology Methodology and validation studies. Neurobehav Toxicol Teratol 7 369-377. 

Bipolar disorders have been categorized into bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, and bipolar disorder, not otherwise specified (NOS). Bipolar I disorder is characterized by one or more manic or mixed mood episodes. Bipolar II disorder is characterized by one or more major depressive episodes and at least one hypomanic episode. Hypomania is an abnormally and persistently elevated, expansive, or irritable mood, but not of sufficient severity to cause significant impairment in social or occupational function and does not require hospitalization. Most epidemiologic studies have looked at bipolar disorder of all types (bipolar I and bipolar II), or the bipolar spectrum, which includes all clinical conditions thought to be closely related to bipolar disorder. The lifetime prevalence of bipolar I disorder is estimated to be between 0.3% and 2.4%. The lifetime prevalence of bipolar II disorder ranges from 0.2% to 5%. When including the bipolar spectrum, the lifetime prevalence is between 3% and 6.5%.1... 

Polyalphaolefin Hydraulic Fluids. No human studies for polyalphaolefin hydraulic fluids were located. Polyalphaolefin hydraulic fluids are used in U.S. military aircraft hydraulic systems thus, there is a potential for occupational exposure. Animal studies were insufficient for determining the primary targets of toxicity. Epidemiology studies examining a number of end points would be useful for identifying targets of toxicity. 

NIOSH. 1985a. Fatal accident circumstances and epidemiology (FACE) report Two sanitation employees die in confined space in Kentucky, August 24, 1985. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Division of Safety Research, Morgantown, WV. Report no. FACE-85-44. NTIS publication no. PB91-197848. 

Vanhoome M, de Rouck A, de Bacquer D. 1995. Epidemiological study of eye irritation by hydrogen sulphide and/or carbon disulphide exposure in viscose rayon workers. Ann Occup Hyg 39 307-315. 

There is a growing need to better characterize the health risk related to occupational and environmental exposure to pesticides. Risk characterization is a basic step in the assessment and management of the health risks related to chemicals (Tordoir and Maroni, 1994). Evaluation of exposure, which may be performed through environmental and biological monitoring, is a fundamental component of risk assessment. Biomarkers are useful tools that may be used in risk assessment to confirm exposure or to quantify it by estimating the internal dose. Besides their use in risk assessment, biomarkers also represent a fundamental tool to improve the effectiveness of medical and epidemiological surveillance. 

Davies, J.E., Enos, H.F., Barquet, A., Morgade, C., and Danauskas, J.X. (1979) Developments in toxicology and environmental sciences pesticide monitoring studies. The epidemiologic and toxicologic potential of urinary metabolites, in Toxicology and Occupational Medicine, Deichman, W.B., Ed., pp. 369-380. 

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