Designing exposure registries for improved tracking of occupational exposure and disease

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: Registries are one strategy for collecting information on occupational exposure and disease in populations. Recently leaders in the Canadian occupational health and safety community have shown an interest in the use of occupational exposure registries. The primary goal of this study was to review a series of Canadian exposure registries to identify their strengths and weaknesses as a tool for tracking occupational exposure and disease in Canada. A secondary goal was to identify the features of an exposure registry needed to specifically contribute to prevention, including the identification of new exposure-disease relationships.METHODS: A documentary review of five exposure registries from Canada was completed. Strengths and limitations of the registries were compared and key considerations for designing new registries were identified. RESULTS:The goals and structure of the exposure registries varied considerably. Most of the reviewed registries had voluntary registration, which presents challenges for the use of the data for either surveillance or epidemiology. It is recommended that eight key issues be addressed when planning new registries: clear registry goal(s), a definition of exposure, data to be collected (and how it will be used), whether enrolment will be mandatory, as well as ethical, privacy and logistical considerations.CONCLUSIONS: When well constructed, an exposure registry can be a valuable tool for surveillance, epidemiology and ultimately the prevention of occupational disease. However, exposure registries also have a number of actual and potential limitations that need to be considered.KEY WORDS: Registries; occupational exposure; exposure registries; surveillance La traduction du résumé se trouve à la fin de l'article.

Bringing Light into Darkness—Comparison of Different Personal Dosimeters for Assessment of Solar Ultraviolet Exposure

“…Such information on the actual exposure of a person can be incorporated into a logistical prevention concept to maximize the compliance of tailored protective measures. This work is intended to better compare studies with different measurement approaches and thus enable the construction of international exposure registries and job exposure matrices (JEM) [4,55]. The goal must be to reduce UV-induced skin diseases worldwide and to show people in general how to deal with solar radiation in a healthy way.…”

“…This is in addition to prevention activities by different stakeholders, legislation on preventive measures, or even limit values based on exposure measurements and the conclusions drawn from them. This makes it possible to determine when and where people are exposed the most and to develop tailor-made prevention strategies for both leisure time and occupational behavior [4].…”

Assessment of Occupational Carcinogenic Risk by Comparing Data from the Italian Register of Occupational Exposures to Carcinogens (SIREP) with the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) Evidence

“…Exposure to occupational carcinogens is a major public health issue, and the monitoring of such exposures is essential for preventing occupational cancer in the workplace [1].…”