Abstract
The New York State Heavy Metals Registry is a legislatively mandated program through which clinical laboratories, physicians, and health facilities report state residents 18 years of age and older with elevated levels of lead, mercury, arsenic, or cadmium in blood or urine. From 1982-86, the current employer was determined for 95.9 percent of 3,309 cases. Occupational exposures in 328 companies accounted for 82.8 percent of cases. The majority of companies were reported for lead (247 companies, 75.3 percent of total) or mercury (47 companies, 14.3 percent of total). Of the 247 companies reported to the Registry for lead, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspected 18 of 98 companies (18.4 percent) in the manufacturing sector, but only one of 149 companies (0.6 percent) outside the manufacturing sector. We conclude that the Registry effectively detects companies with heavy metals exposures, and is an especially useful adjunct to OSHA inspections outside the manufacturing sector.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Froines J. R., Dellenbaugh C. A., Wegman D. H. Occupational health surveillance: a means to identify work-related risks. Am J Public Health. 1986 Sep;76(9):1089–1096. doi: 10.2105/ajph.76.9.1089. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Millar J. D. Medical screening and biological monitoring for the effects of exposure in the workplace. Screening and monitoring: tools for prevention. J Occup Med. 1986 Aug;28(8):544–546. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Seligman P. J., Halperin W. E., Mullan R. J., Frazier T. M. Occupational lead poisoning in Ohio: surveillance using workers' compensation data. Am J Public Health. 1986 Nov;76(11):1299–1302. doi: 10.2105/ajph.76.11.1299. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Sundin D. S., Pedersen D. H., Frazier T. M. Occupational hazard and health surveillance. Am J Public Health. 1986 Sep;76(9):1083–1084. doi: 10.2105/ajph.76.9.1083. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Wegman D. H., Froines J. R. Surveillance needs for occupational health. Am J Public Health. 1985 Nov;75(11):1259–1261. doi: 10.2105/ajph.75.11.1259. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]