Occupational physicians and environmental medicine

Journal Article · Mon Mar 01 04:00:00 EST 1993 · JOM, Journal of Occupational Medicine; (United States)

OSTI ID:6652635

Ducatman, A M ^[1]

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1. West Virginia Univ. School of Medicine, Morgantown (United States)

Physicians who practice environmental medicine seek to identify and to prevent patient and population exposures that cause adverse human health outcomes. Epidemiologic, toxicologic, clinical, and public health skills essential to this enterprise are indistinguishable from those of the occupational physician. Several important controversies illustrate the essential role of occupational physicians in environmental health science and policy, including environmental asbestos, dioxin, electromagnetic fields, and carcinogenicity testing. Our continuing involvement in environmental issues is predicted by three conditions, each unlikely to change. The human remains the animal of greatest interest; the natural experiment will have been performed (however unwittingly); and the work site will continue to provide that first and clearest setting for measuring the outcome. Therefore, residency training must be expanded so that future occupational and environmental physicians will recognize their fundamental role in environmental health. The results of our industry cross factory walls with ease. So must our efforts.

• OSTI ID: 6652635
• Journal Information: JOM, Journal of Occupational Medicine; (United States), Journal Name: JOM, Journal of Occupational Medicine; (United States) Vol. 35:3; ISSN JJOMDZ; ISSN 0096-1736
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

550600* -- Medicine
552000 -- Public Health
62 RADIOLOGY AND NUCLEAR MEDICINE
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS
ANIMALS
ASBESTOS
BIOLOGICAL EFFECTS
BIOLOGICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
CARCINOGENS
DIOXIN
DISEASES
EDUCATION
ELECTROMAGNETIC FIELDS
ENVIRONMENTAL EXPOSURE
HEALTH SERVICES
HETEROCYCLIC COMPOUNDS
HUMAN POPULATIONS
INJURIES
MAMMALS
MAN
MEDICAL PERSONNEL
MEDICINE
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
ORGANIC COMPOUNDS
ORGANIC OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
PERSONNEL
POPULATIONS
PRIMATES
PUBLIC HEALTH
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION INJURIES
SAFETY
SOCIAL SERVICES
TRAINING
VERTEBRATES