PROBE study : a sentinel surveillance system to monitor exposure of Belgian employees to hazardous chemicals: a feasibility study

Abstract: Objective: To test the feasibility of collecting reliable and representative data on exposure of Belgian employees to a selection of hazardous chemicals by using a sentinel surveillance method. Method: In PROBE (Hazardous chemical Products Register for Occupational use in Belgium), 47 occupational physicians were recruited as a sentinel network. Employees answered a web-based survey assessing their past week exposure to 22 chemicals. Results: 47% employees were exposed to at least one chemical. The most frequently reported exposures was to diesel exhaust (14%). The exposed employees... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Pauwels, Sara
Swinnen, Celien
Temmerman, Anne-Marie
Ronsmans, Steven
Rusu, Dorina
De Schryver, Antoon
Braeckman, Lutgart
Godderis, Lode
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2020
Schlagwörter: Human medicine
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-26527535
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
Powered By: BASE
Link(s) : https://hdl.handle.net/10067/1750690151162165141

Abstract: Objective: To test the feasibility of collecting reliable and representative data on exposure of Belgian employees to a selection of hazardous chemicals by using a sentinel surveillance method. Method: In PROBE (Hazardous chemical Products Register for Occupational use in Belgium), 47 occupational physicians were recruited as a sentinel network. Employees answered a web-based survey assessing their past week exposure to 22 chemicals. Results: 47% employees were exposed to at least one chemical. The most frequently reported exposures was to diesel exhaust (14%). The exposed employees were mostly older men, with most exposed during production and manufacturing, and working in smaller companies. For diesel exhaust, wood dust, and crystalline silica, 54%, 32%, and 20% of the exposed employees, did not use collective/personal protective equipment. Conclusion: Sentinel surveillance is a feasible method for obtaining high-quality data on the exposure of Belgian employees to hazardous chemicals.