Chemical Risk Assessment and Occupational Health: Current Applications, Limitations, and Future Prospects

The contributors provide a rich overview of the strengths and limitations of using risk assessment methods in the occupational health arena.

This book brings together a distinguished group of experts in occupational health and risk assessment who express diverse views on the usefulness of risk assessment in the protection of worker health. Representatives from regulatory agencies, labor, industry, and academia consider both policy and technical issues, providing a rich overview of the strengths and limitations of using risk assessment methods in the occupational health arena.

Both policy and technical issues are explored. Several contributors focus on the policy implications of regulatory agencies' increasing reliance on risk assessment to guide occupational and environmental risk reduction strategies. Others consider specific methodological issues relating to the application of state-of-the-art scientific developments to the evaluation of occupational risks. Chapters are organized to consider specific aspects of the field including current applications of risk assessment methods by federal regulatory agencies; approaches to improving the use of epidemiological data in risk assessment; the use of animal bioassay data to predict occupational risks; potential uses of cutting-edge scientific data on toxicological mechanisms, toxicokinetics, and biomarkers in risk assessment; specific issues including ethics, values, and sociopolitical aspects of the process, and a concluding chapter discussing future directions to the evaluation and regulation of risks to worker health and safety. Given the range of policy and technical issues explored, this collection will be invaluable to professionals as well as academics in the fields of occupational health and environmental risk assessment.

The contributors provide a rich overview of the strengths and limitations of using risk assessment methods in the occupational health arena.

One-liner: A major examination of the strengths and limitations associated with the use of risk assessment in occupational health.

Includes bibliographical references (p. [237]-260) and index.

C. MARK SMITH is a Deputy Director, Office of Research and Standards, Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.DAVID C. CHRISTIANI is Associate Professor of Occupational Medicine, Harvard School of Public Health and Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School.KARL T. KELSEY is Associate Professor of Occupational Medicine and Associate Professor of Radiobiology, Harvard School of Public Health.

Illustrations

Foreword

Preface

Acknowledgments

Quantitative Risk Assessment: A Tool to Be Used Responsibly by J. Donald Millar

Introduction

Risk and the Workplace by C. Mark Smith, Karl T. Kelsey, and David Christiani

Current Applications of Risk Assessment Methods in the Development of Occupational Regulations

Risk Assessment and Occupational Standard Setting by C. Mark Smith, Karl T. Kelsey, and David Christiani

The Role of Qualitative and Quantitative Risk Assessment in the Development of Occupational Health Standards by Lawrence Reed, Leslie Stayner, Heinz Ahlers, and Ralph Zumwalde

The Application of Risk Assessment in the Development of Health Standards by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration by Charles Adkins and Ronald S. Ratney

Risk Assessment in Context: A Case Study of Risk Assessment for the Use of Diesel Powered Equipment in Underground Coal Mines by James L. Weeks

Methods and Strategies for the Use of Epidemiologic Studies in Risk Assessment

Epidemiology and Risk by Richard Monson

Methods for Modeling Epidemiologic Data for Quantitative Risk Assessment by Leslie Stayner and Randy Smith

Epidemiology in Occupational Health Risk Assessment by M. Jane Teta

Issues in Using Human Data in Risk Assessment for Occupational Disease: Non-Cancer Endpoints by Ellen A. Eisen and David H. Wegman

Quantitative Examples of Continuous Exposure Measurement Errors That Bias Risk Estimates Away from the Null by James A. Deddens and Richard W. Hornung

Animal Bioassay Data in the Assessment of Risks to Worker Health

Animal Bioassays and Predictive Toxicology by Garreth M. Green

Setting Priorities among Possible Carcinogenic Hazards in the Workplace by Lois Swirsky Gold, Georganne Backman Garfinkel, and Thomas H. Slone

The Use of Laboratory Animal Carcinogenicity Data in Occupational Risk Assessment by David P. Rall

Assessment of Carcinogenic Risks in the Workplace by Lauren Zeise

Statistical Issues in Developmental Toxicology by Paul J. Catalano and Louise M. Ryan

Use of Scientific Data on Mechanisms of Toxicity, Toxicokinetics, and Biomarkers to Assess Occupational Risks

Mechanistic Toxicology and Risk Assessment by C. Mark Smith

The Use of Scientific Information in the Workplace Standard Setting Process by James D. Wilson

Carcinogen Identification and Occupational Health by Robert J. Moolenaar

The Role of Genomic Analyses in Occupational Cancer Risk Assessment by J. K. Wiencke and K. T. Kelsey

Use of Mechanistic Data in Occupational Health Risk Assessment: The Example of Diesel Particulates by Dale Hattis and Ken Silver

Special Issues in Occupational Risk Assessment: Values, Politics, Ethics, and Uncertainty

Sociopolitical and Economic Aspects of Risk Assessment by Charles Levenstein

Limits of Epidemiological Evidence and Uncertainty Analysis in Occupational Risk Assessment by James M. Robins

Risk Assessment Methodology: Objectivity and the Hired-Gun Assessor by Robert Almeder

Value Judgements and Risk Assessment by Nicholas A. Ashford

Conclusions: Strengths and Limitations of Risk Assessment Approaches to Occupational Health and Recommendations for the Future

Important Issues in Occupational Health Risk Assessment and Risk Management: Comments and Recommendations by C. Mark Smith, Karl T. Kelsey, and David C. Christiani

The Recent Practice of Risk Assessment in the Occupational Environment Incorrectly Discounts Hazards of Chemical Exposures to Workers and the Public Health by Franklin E. Mirer

Risk Assessment in the Occupational Standard Setting Process: Some Thoughts and Perspectives on Problems and Potential Solutions by Gerard F. Egan

Future Directions in Occupational Risk Assessment by Richard W. Niemeier

Future Directions in Reducing Occupational and Environmental Risks: A Warning Against Overreliance on Risk Assessment Approaches by Nicholas A. Ashford

References

Index