Table 4.
For the OH round, Spearman correlation coefficients between the group rating (arithmetic mean of the six experts’ ratings) and the subject-specific arithmetic mean of airborne and urinary metal exposures, overall and by plant and type of expert
| Measurement | Type of Expert | Nickel Spearman correlation (95% CI) | Chromium Spearman correlation (95% CI) | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | Plant 1 | Plant 2 | Plant 3 | Overall | Plant 4 | Plant 5 | Plant 6 | ||
| Air | Groupa | −0.37 (−0.56 – −0.14) | 0.70 (0.55 – 0.81) | 0.15 (−0.10 – 0.38) | 0.19 (−0.06 – 0.42) | −0.03 (−0.26 – 0.20) | −0.41 (−0.59 – −0.20) | −0.29 (−0.49 – −0.06) | −0.04 (−0.27 – 0.19) |
| Industrial hygienists | −0.38 (−0.57 – −0.15) | 0.75 (0.62 – 0.84) | 0.38 (0.15 – 0.57) | 0.55 (0.35 – 0.70) | −0.01 (−0.24 – 0.22) | −0.35 (−0.54 – −0.13) | −0.29 (−0.49 – −0.06) | −0.05 (−0.28 – 0.18) | |
| Occupational physicians | −0.30 (−0.51 – −0.06) | 0.62 (0.44 – 0.75) | −0.11 (−0.35 – 0.14) | 0.19 (−0.06 – 0.42) | 0.05 (−0.18 – 0.28) | −0.38 (−0.56 – −0.16) | −0.27 (−0.47 – −0.04) | 0.01 (−0.22 – 0.24) | |
| Urine | Groupa | 0.46 (0.24 – 0.63) | 0.24 (−0.01 – 0.46) | 0.04 (−0.21 – 0.28) | 0.23 (−0.02 – 0.45) | 0.03 (−0.20 – 0.26) | −0.14 (−0.36 – 0.10) | −0.06 (−0.29 – 0.17) | −0.67 (−0.78 – −0.52) |
| Industrial hygienists | 0.46 (0.24 – 0.63) | 0.15 (−0.10 − 0.38) | 0.07 (−0.18 – 0.31) | 0.57 (0.38 – 0.72) | 0.06 (−0.17 – 0.29) | −0.10 (−0.32 – 0.14) | −0.03 (−0.26 – 0.20) | −0.46 (−0.66 – 0.26) | |
| Occupational physicians | 0.43 (0.21 – 0.61) | 0.34 (0.10 – 0.54) | 0.03 (−0.22 – 0.27) | 0.16 (−0.09 – 0.39) | −0.002 (−0.23 – 0.23) | −0.11 (−0.33 – 0.13) | −0.09 (−0.32 – 0.15) | −0.77 (−0.85 – 0.66) | |
CI, confidence intervals based on Fisher's transformation; OH, occupational history.
a
Industrial hygienists + Occupational physicians.