An experimental design approach to retrospective exposure assessment

Details

• Personal Author:
  Douthit DE ; Feigley CE ; Hayes RB ; Herrick, Robert F. ; Hornung, Richard W. ; Stewart PA ; Utterback, David F. ; Wall, David K.
• Description:
  In an effort to estimate historical exposure to formaldehyde (50000) in a mortality study of embalmers, exposure factors were identified which could be used to predict levels of formaldehyde exposure. Walk through surveys at 14 funeral homes in the Washington, DC area and at the Cincinnati College of Mortuary Science (CCMS) identified three factors as potential determinants of exposure level: degree of ventilation in the embalming room, strength of the embalming solution, and the type of embalming case. Formaldehyde levels in the breathing zone and area samples were measured during 25 autopsies performed in an embalming room at CCMS using three levels of ventilation (low, medium, and high), two strengths of embalming solution (1.25 and 2.5% formaldehyde), and two types of embalming (intact or autopsied body). An analysis of covariance model was used to link measured concentrations to design factors and other covariates. Air exchange rate, case type, and occurrence of a spill were the only factors in the final model. The validity of the model for estimating formaldehyde levels was evaluated based on field samples from three funeral homes and published measurements. The model was found to be acceptable for use in a retrospective case/control epidemiologic study. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Air Pollutants, Occupational Air Pollution, Indoor Environmental Monitoring Formaldehyde Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Safety
• Keywords:
  Air-contamination Air-sampling Author Keywords: Embalmers Epidemiologic Studies Formaldehyde Exposure Formaldehydes Industrial-hygiene NIOSH-Author Occupational-exposure Quantitative Exposure Levels Statistical-analysis

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• ISSN:
  0002-8894
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Maryland ; Massachusetts ; Ohio ; OSHA Region 1 ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 4 ; OSHA Region 5 ; South Carolina ; Washington
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Division:
  DSHEFS - Division of Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  251-256
• Volume:
  57
• Issue:
  3
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:00230231
• Citation:
  Am Ind Hyg Assoc J 1996 Mar; 57(3):251-256
• Contact Point Address:
  Richard W. Hornung, National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, Mailstop R-44, 4676 Columbia Parkway, Cincinnati, OH 45226
• CAS Registry Number:
  Formaldehyde (CAS RN 50-00-0)
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  1996
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Source Full Name:
  American Industrial Hygiene Association Journal
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:c7935409d3366ef99886e19e4aa0ee3ef77d0650c4074c257f6eb59ea407fe0c430512d226a50a56b4050869ca6ce3f1761f797d84fcebf49b783d4ace4cdce9
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/204138/cdc_204138_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 720.45 KB ]