NIOSH testimony on cancer and respiratory diseases before the Subcommittee on Labor Standards, House Committee on Education and Labor by R. F. Coene, April 9, 1981
Testimony concerned the efforts of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in the area of cancer and respiratory disease. The number of recognized occupational carcinogenic substances was long and continued to grow. The effort to identify these hazardous elements in the workplace was complex as many of the agents work in concert with others. The long latency period of cancer in the human body has prevented us from knowing the real prevalence of workrelated cases of the disease. Very high levels of production of many of these toxic chemicals have only occurred since the 1960s. Workers are also at risk of contracting a wide variety of nonmalignant occupational diseases and disorders such as respiratory disease. Inhalation was by far the most important route of industrial substances entry into the worker's body. Such inhalation could result in irritation, inflammation, allergic reactions, edema, emphysema, fibrosis, or cancer. The most important nonmalignant occupational respiratory diseases included coal worker's pneumoconiosis, asbestosis, byssinosis, and silicosis. Offending agents include cotton dust, coal dust, asbestos fibers, and silica dust. Recent epidemiologic studies suggestive of a relationship between occupation and cancer were listed.
- Research Organization:
- National Inst. for Occupational Safety and Health, Cincinnati, OH (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 7129234
- Report Number(s):
- PB-90-194465/XAB
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
Similar Records
NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) testimony on cotton dust before the House Committee on Education and Labor, Subcommittee on Labor Standards, by James A. Merchant, May 16, 1979
NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) testimony on coal mine health research before the Subcommittee on Labor Standards, House Committee on Education and Labor, by Edward J. Baier, June 29, 1977
Related Subjects
016000* -- Coal
Lignite
& Peat-- Health & Safety
560300 -- Chemicals Metabolism & Toxicology
63 RADIATION, THERMAL, AND OTHER ENVIRON. POLLUTANT EFFECTS ON LIVING ORGS. AND BIOL. MAT.
ASBESTOS
CARCINOGENS
DISEASES
DUSTS
EPIDEMIOLOGY
GOVERNMENT POLICIES
INDUSTRIAL MEDICINE
INHALATION
INTAKE
MATERIALS
MEDICINE
NATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
NEOPLASMS
NIOSH
OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES
OCCUPATIONAL EXPOSURE
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY
RESPIRATORY SYSTEM DISEASES
RISK ASSESSMENT
SAFETY
STANDARDS
TOXIC MATERIALS
TOXICITY
US ORGANIZATIONS