Assessment of the Scientific Basis for Genetic Testing of Railroad Workers with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Details

• Personal Author:
  Lomax G ; Schulte, Paul A.
• Description:
  In 2000, approximately 20 railroad track workers who filed injury reports or compensation claims for carpal tunnel syndrome were tested by their employer for two genetic traits to determine the work relatedness of the condition. The testing involved deletions, variants, or mutations in the genetic coding for peripheral myelin protein (PMP22) and transthyretin (TTR). This article is an assessment of whether there is a scientific basis for such testing. A review of the scientific literature indicated that neither the scientific basis nor the population validity of the PMP22 or TTR tests for carpal tunnel syndrome were adequately established before use on railroad track workers in 2000. Although ethical and legal issues may predominate in this case, the absence of a compelling scientific basis undermines the decision to conduct the tests. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Genetics Musculoskeletal Diseases Musculoskeletal System Occupational Health Railroads Safety
• Keywords:
  Biological-monitoring Carpal-tunnel-syndrome Genetic-factors Injuries Medical-screening Musculoskeletal-system-disorders Railroad-industry Screening-methods Work-capability
• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 5 ; OSHA Region 9
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  EID - Education and Information Division
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  45
• Issue:
  6
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20023241
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Med 2003 Jun; 45(6):592-600
• Contact Point Address:
  P.A. Schulte, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mail Stop-C14, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• Email:
  pas4@cdc.gov
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2003
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:3b86b34efd9a0f8ac0713268250e7f26218d7f00568bd6b6ecbf2d97becd9be1d9f9a79d4f6f3802b97b4cae30247ecfaaa694be875d6b6199f353edaf24e862
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/195775/cdc_195775_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 233.22 KB ]