An assessment of the occupational hazards related to medical lasers

Details

• Personal Author:
  Colvard MD ; Franke JE ; Lacey SE ; Lippert JF ; Lopez R ; Pierce JS
• Description:
  Objective: Occupational hazards associated with medical laser applications remain poorly understood and uncharacterized. Methods: A literature search was performed using PubMed, and all articles relevant to beam and nonbeam medical laser hazards were reviewed. The Rockwell Laser Industries Laser Accident Database was searched for medical laser injuries and abstracted. Results: Eye injuries, skin burns, injuries related to the onset of fires, and electric shock have been reported in relation to medical laser use. It is probable that both acute and chronic health effects have been experienced by medical personnel as the result of exposure to laser generated air contaminants. Conclusions: Because of the clinical benefits they provide, the growth of laser technologies and applications are anticipated to result in an increase in the number and type of medical personnel with future exposure to laser hazards. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Burns Electric Injuries Eye Fires Hazardous Substances Health Care Facilities Workforce And Services Health Personnel Occupational Health Risk Assessment Risk Factors Safety Sense Organs Sense Organs / Injuries Skin

  More +
• Keywords:
  Air-contamination Electrical-shock Exposure-levels Eye-damage Eye-injuries Eyes Fire-hazards Hazards Health-hazards Injuries Lasers Medical-equipment Medical-personnel Risk-factors Skin-exposure

  More +
• ISSN:
  1076-2752
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Illinois ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Volume:
  53
• Issue:
  11
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20045799
• Citation:
  J Occup Environ Med 2011 Nov; 53(11):1302-1309
• Contact Point Address:
  Steven E. Lacey, PhD, CIH, CSP, University of Illinois at Chicago, Division of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences, 2121 W. Taylor St, (MC 922) Chicago, IL 60612
• Email:
  slacey@uic.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2012
• Performing Organization:
  University of Illinois at Chicago
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine
• End Date:
  20290630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:6d2a2a777ef4b41a39031f9d95abba22a0c2cfabc7b45a521c3fff4560760f0ce523ff493beb28e5551bd599b9046efb2e44c4c14ca0efb3d5cddc2ff3c2be0e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/201086/cdc_201086_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 119.61 KB ]