A Semi-Quantitative Job Exposure Matrix for Dust Exposures in Swedish Soft Tissue Paper Mills

Details

• Personal Author:
  Andersson E ; Andersson M ; Lohman S ; Neitzel RL ; Sällsten G ; Torén, Kjell
• Description:
  Background: Total paper dust exposure has been associated with respiratory problems among workers in the soft tissue paper industry. However, a comprehensive job exposure matrix (JEM) has not been developed for application to this industry. Our study was intended to address this need and to support further studies of mortality and morbidity in a cohort of Swedish workers from this industry. Methods: We evaluated four participating soft tissue paper mills in Sweden. We combined information on process and equipment status from the mills with knowledge of the mills obtained through research efforts and paper dust measurements made at all four mills to develop a semi-quantitative JEM with seven dust exposure levels. The JEM was targeted at workers enrolled into a soft tissue paper mill cohort and working any time between 1960 and 2009. Results: The JEM includes a total of 14421 cells, with each cell corresponding to the exposure for a job title, department, or work location for a one-year period. Exposure levels in the JEM were estimated to decline at three of the four mills from 1971 to 2009, but overexposures (ie, exceedances of the relevant occupational exposure limits) remained common at the end of the period. Conclusions: The JEM results highlight the need for ongoing exposure control efforts in the soft tissue paper industry, and will inform ongoing epidemiological studies of the health effects of exposure to paper dust in Sweden. It is freely available for use by other researchers. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Cohort Studies Dust Epidemiology Occupational Exposure Occupational Health Paper Safety
• Keywords:
  Author Keywords: Airborne Dust Cohort Studies Dust Exposure Exposure Assessment Industrial Exposures JEM Job Exposure Matrix Occupational Epidemiology Occupational Exposure Paper Mills
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  Michigan ; OSHA Region 5
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  359-367
• Volume:
  63
• Issue:
  4
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20059132
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2020 Apr; 63(4):359-367
• Contact Point Address:
  Richard L. Neitzel, Department of Environmental Health Sciences, University of Michigan, 1415 Washington Heights, 6611DSPH I, Ann Arbor, MI 48109
• Email:
  rneitzel@umich.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2020
• Performing Organization:
  University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20050701
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20280630
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:78a44e29818a99081ed092726efff74b0c63afc5e854f4617c30174d0679ec1f67ed73721de8c552b9b009d76025bc1d018c8f6db4df5af442018ee699b1df0e
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/223443/cdc_223443_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 877.38 KB ]