Research Initiatives in Exposure Assessment

Details

• Personal Author:
  Harper M
• Description:
  Exposure assessment is an important component of the occupational exposure control strategy,in particular because it is used both to examine problems and confirm solutions. Three initiatives are discussed that are on the cutting-edge of current exposure assessment research: 1) direct-reading, near-real time monitors, 2) sampling and analytical methods of greater sensitivity and 3) models to assess exposure without measurement. Direct-reading, near-real time monitors are coming of age with the development of light-weight batteries, miniaturized detectors and computer chip technologies. They present challenges in use in that the amount of information increases and it is available to the workeras well as hygienist. This challenge is explored in relation to the development of coal-mine dust and diesel exhaust monitors. Exposure guidelines are continually set lower with consequent impact on the ability of standard sampling and analytical methods to make useful measurements. It is now usually necessary to develop both the sampling and analytical portions of the method to meet this challenge. Examples where lower limit values have recently been proposed include wood dust, respirable silica, and beryllium. Asbestos is an example of where a limit value has been frozen at the limits of method capability. Sophisticated analytical methods may be expensive and beyond the reach of many professionals in poorer countries. Models that assess exposures without measurements are becoming popular, but must be validated through testing in well-measured environments. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Biochemistry Biological Factors Chemistry Dust Environmental Monitoring Hazardous Substances Hypersensitivity Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Particulate Matter Safety Vehicle Emissions Workplace

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• Keywords:
  Air Sampling Author Keywords: Exposure Assessment Biochemical-analysis Biohazards Biological-factors Biological-monitoring Biological-systems Biological-transport Cell-biology Cellular-reactions Chemical-hypersensitivity Chemical-reactions Control Banding Direct-reading Instruments Dust-analysis Exhaust-gases Exposure-assessment Exposure-levels Exposure-methods Fumes Occupational-exposure Occupational-hazards Particulate-dust Particulate-sampling-methods Work-environment Threshold Limit Values Workplace-studies

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• ISSN:
  1024-9877
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  OSHA Region 3 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  HELD - Health Effects Laboratory Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  1-17
• Volume:
  17
• Issue:
  1
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20035439
• Citation:
  J Occup Saf Health 2009 Mar; 17(1):1-17
• Contact Point Address:
  Marth Harper, Health Effects Laboratory Division, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, 1095 Willowdale Road, Morgantown, WV 26505
• Email:
  mharper@cdc.gov
• CAS Registry Number:
  Asbestos (CAS RN 1332-21-4) ; Beryllium (CAS RN 7440-41-7) ; Silica (CAS RN 7631-86-9)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2009
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational Safety and Health (Lao Gong an Quan Wei Sheng Yan Jiu Ji Kan)
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:431ad87a16eed997404aa8f2e01ec946c06ebe21a93285b19702279a6737ec390d9645dc95ab6978b1ac6b5b84f814ce8bae011ce15ece357e588631016d0d88
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/187294/cdc_187294_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 2.12 MB ]