Occupational Immunotoxicology

Details

• Personal Author:
  Anderson, Stacey E. ; Meade BJ
• Description:
  The importance of occupational health and medicine was recognized by the early 1900s. Alice Hamilton was a leading expert in the field of occupational health and a pioneer in the field of toxicology, studying occupational illnesses and the dangerous effects of industrial metals and chemical compounds on the human body. In 1908, she was appointed by the governor of Illinois to the newly formed Illinois Commission on Occupational Diseases, the first such investigative body in the United States. For the next decade she investigated a range of issues for a variety of state and federal health committees. She focused her explorations on occupational toxic disorders, examining the effects of substances such as aniline dyes, carbon monoxide, mercury, tetraethyl lead, radium, benzene, carbon disulfide, and hydrogen sulfide gases. She pioneered occupational epidemiology and industrial hygiene in the United States. Her findings were scientifically persuasive and influenced sweeping health reforms, changing laws and general practice to improve the health of workers. Individuals working in a variety of occupational industries and sectors are potentially exposed to biological, chemical, and hazardous agents with the skin and the lung being the two most common sites of exposure. Approximately 82,000 chemicals are registered for industrial use with an estimated additional 2000 new chemicals being introduced annually (GAO, 2005). The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimate that more than 13 million workers in the United States have the potential for exposure. Occupational exposures can result in numerous diseases and can adversely affect an individual's health and capacity to perform at work resulting in significant economic losses including decreased productivity, medical expenses, and loss of work due to illness, with associated costs estimated to exceed $1 billion annually in the United States alone (Moscato and Rampulla, 2003; Mancini et al., 2008; Cashman et al., 2012). Occupational immune diseases are some of the most common illnesses that affect workers in the United States. Occupational exposures can cause inflammation, allergy, respiratory disease, autoimmunity, or other immune modulation following exposure in the work environment. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) and the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) have a primary emphasis to protect workers from toxic chemical exposures. Employees, union officials, or employers can ask NIOSH through their Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program to investigate potential health hazards present at their place of work. NIOSH can provide assistance by assessing exposure and employee health. Based on their findings, NIOSH will recommend ways to reduce hazards and prevent work-related illness. The evaluation is done at no cost to the employees, union official, or employers. NIOSH is also involved in basic science research related to hazard identification, methods development, and understanding the mechanisms of occupational exposure induced immune disease. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Asbestos Asthma Asthma, Occupational Coal Coal Mining Dermatitis Hazardous Substances Immune System Inorganic Chemicals Lung Lung Diseases Mining Neoplasms Occupational Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Respiratory System Respiratory Tract Diseases Safety Skin Skin Diseases Toxicology

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• Keywords:
  Asbestosis Autoimmune Diseases Beryllium Disease Black Lung Disease Bronchiolitis Chemical Hazards Chronic Inflammation Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis COPD Employee Exposure Exposure Assessment Hazardous Materials Hypersensitivity Pneumonitis Immune Reaction Immune System Disorders Immunological Tests Immunology Immunotoxins Lung Disease Mesothelioma Occupational Diseases Occupational Exposure Occupational Hazards Occupational Health Pulmonary System Disorders Recommendations Recommended Exposure Limits Regulations RELs Respiratory System Disorders Risk Assessment Skin Diseases Skin Disorders Toxic Materials

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• ISBN:
  9780081006016
• Publisher:
  Elsevier
• Document Type:
  Text
• Genre:
  Book
• 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
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20050763
• Citation:
  Comprehensive toxicology, third edition. McQueen CA, ed. Oxford, UK: Elsevier, 2017 Dec; :542-558
• Contact Point Address:
  SE Anderson, The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Morgantown, WV, United States
• CAS Registry Number:
  Asbestos (CAS RN 1332-21-4) ; Beryllium (CAS RN 7440-41-7) ; Quartz (SiO2) (CAS RN 14808-60-7)
• Editor(s):
  McQueen CA
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2018
• Peer Reviewed:
  False
• Source Full Name:
  Comprehensive toxicology, third edition
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:8c954b6208d69df05df2c3426a650a2a924ac2d2b745178fd49ef3b245940c258f2e7d3308271c824725a3d6060831c19f3774754686a22a05ebc573074f8e20
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/210986/cdc_210986_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 400.00 KB ]