A Summary of the Workshop "Applying Biomarkers to Occupational Health Practice"

• Published in: Journal of occupational and environmental hygiene Vol. 1; no. 5; pp. D57 - D60
• Main Authors: DeBord, D. Gayle, Savage, Russell E., Drexler, Hans, Freeman, Caroline, Groopman, John, Jayjock, Michael, McDiarmid, Melissa, Morgan, Michael, Santella, Regina, Schulte, Paul, Talaska, Glenn, Tardiff, Robert, Viau, Claude
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Taylor & Francis Group 01.05.2004
• Subjects: Biomarkers - analysis; Education; Hazardous Substances - poisoning; Humans; Occupational Exposure - prevention & control; Occupational Health
• ISSN: 1545-9624; 1545-9632
• DOI: 10.1080/15459620490438848

The workshop was designed to bring together individuals studying worker populations, researchers developing and validating new biomarkers, and occupational health practitioners in order to foster future collaborations and identify research gaps and priorities in the application of biomarkers to occupational health practice. Since air concentrations of occupational toxicants represent only potential exposures and many workplace exposures occur through the dermal route, a primary workshop goal was to improve the understanding of biomarkers and promote their effective application in estimating exposure to occupational hazards. Biomarkers can help determine actual exposures and subsequent effects of those exposures. A second goal was to discuss prevention of occupational illness by utilizing biomarkers of exposure or early effects to determine the need to eliminate or minimize exposure. The workshop targeted multidisciplinary occupational health professionals including: biologists, chemists, toxicologists, industrial hygienists, and epidemiologists. While the first day focused on plenary presentations concerning biomarker development, application, and ethical, legal, and social issues, the second day followed a more traditional workshop model,