| Abstract |
A general method is outlined for assembling and evaluating medical and environmental data to assist in deciding whether a disease condition is of occupational origin. Data are given for 15 specific disease-producing agents: antimony, arsenic, asbestos, benzene, beryllium, carbon monoxide, chromic acid, coke oven emissions, cotton dust, lead (inorganic), nitrogen dioxide, noise, silica, sulfur dioxide, and toluene diisocyanate. Detailed considerations are included covering medical, personal, family and occupational histories, clinical evaluation, signs and symptoms of occupational diseases, laboratory tests, epidemiological data, industrial hygiene sampling and evaluation data, and established standards for exposure to occupational disease-producing agents. Also included are a discussion of aggravation of pre-existing conditions and legal ramifications thereof; guidelines for assessing the qualifications of medical and industrial hygiene personnel who may present testimony; normal values for various biological tests and variables; sample questionnaires for evaluating respiratory symptoms; a listing of occupations with possible exposure to the 15 agents. |
