Overview of good epidemiologic practices

Article Abstract:

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of disease in human populations. At one time, epidemiologic studies were conducted solely by physicians and public health practitioners for the use of their professional colleagues. The numbers and types of users of the data derived from epidemiologic studies have changed, however, and now include a spectrum of users on the periphery of the health care industry. Increasingly, nonskilled persons are entering into the research arena, producing data that are inadequate, at best, and potentially dangerous, when improperly interpreted and applied. Various federal agencies, cognizant of this problem, have called for improvements and standards, and issued governing procedures. The Environmental Protection Agency issued final rules calling for "good laboratory practice standards" for the Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, Rodenticide Act and the Toxic Substances Control Act. This was recently expanded to include epidemiologic studies, where such studies are intended to identify chemical exposure risks. The Chemical Manufacturers Association (CMA), a professional industrial trade organization, developed the Epidemiology Resource and Information Center to improve industrial epidemiologic programs. The guidelines suggested by the CMA cover: I. organization and personnel; II. facilities, resource commitment and contractors; III. protocol; IV. review and approval; V. study conduct; VI. communication; VII. archiving; VIII. quality assurance. The areas included in each overall category are described. The guidelines are recommendations, rather than directives, and lay the groundwork for cooperative association between the investigator and those supporting the studies. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

Standards, Quality management, Epidemiological research, Cross sectional studies

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Allergy to laboratory animals: a prospective and cross-sectional study

Article Abstract:

The use of small animals in experiments leads to close contact between experimenters and animals. As a consequence, some individuals develop an allergic condition which can have serious career implications. Allergy to laboratory animals (ALA) has not been studied extensively and almost no literature exists concerning the condition. Symptoms of ALA include inflammations of the nose and lining of the eyelids, rashes, and asthma. A study was conducted to determine factors in the work environment that can be correlated with the symptoms. The study was carried out at a large government laboratory facility that employs 450 laboratory workers. Approximately 70 percent of these individuals come in varying degrees of contact with experimental animals. The study used a self-administered questionnaire that included questions about general allergic symptoms. Dust samples were also collected in the animal house and throughout the facility, and the results were correlated with data from the questionnaire. The level of allergic symptoms was found to correlate with the amount of airborne rat urinary protein, and with the level of the worker's general allergic reactivity. The study suggests that monitoring airborne allergens could lead to improvements in air handling equipment, and in reducing the level of ALA within a facility. The study, however, provides no statistically significant measures which could predict animal allergy based on a medical history questionnaire. The study does demonstrate that the individuals whose exposure is greatest are more likely to demonstrate ALA symptoms.

Analysis, Occupational health and safety, Occupational safety and health, Asthma, Allergy, Laboratory animals

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Incidence of chloracne among chemical workers potentially exposed to chlorinated dioxins

Article Abstract:

Chlorinated dioxins are active organic compounds that have been alleged to have important toxic effects on humans. Despite the allegations, the only proven effect of exposure is a pimple-like condition called chloracne. A survey of 2,192 workers involved in the production of chlorinated dioxins or who were exposed to the compound during their work evaluated the history of chloracne. The medical charts of 94.5 percent of cases were available and data were collected as to the degree of exposure, age at diagnosis, job assignment and other pertinent medical facts. The data suggest that for workers who manufactured chlorophenols and derivatives, the development of chloracne was related to the age at which the worker came in contact with dioxin contaminants, and with the worker's overall exposure. Younger employees were generally found to be at greater risk than older ones. This result is similar to the increased rate of chloracne reported in children at the Seveso, Italy explosion which contaminated a large populated rural area with dioxins and which has been extensively studied. The incidence of chloracne was greatest in manufacturing areas that made chlorophenol rather than simply used the products, a finding that supports previous reports. Although there is some suggestion that the rate of chloracne is greatest in fair-skinned individuals, this study was unable to investigate the rate of chloracne in different races or by gender.

Occupational diseases, Dioxin, Dioxins, Acne

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