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Info page for book:   Monitoring the Worker for Exposure and Disease
Info page for book:   Monitoring the Worker for Exposure and Disease
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Monitoring the Worker for Exposure and Disease

Scientific, Legal, and Ethical Considerations in the Use of Biomarkers

Nicholas A. Ashford, Christine J. Spadafor, Dale B. Hattis, and Charles C. Caldart

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Human monitoring as a supplement to or replacement for environmental monitoring of toxic substances in the workplace has become an increasingly important issue within the last decade, leading to Congressional hearings, governmental studies, and scientific conferences around the world. Just as the purposes for undertaking human monitoring are diverse and sometimes conflicting, so too are the concerns—medical, legal, and ethical—such testing has generated.

The authors begin by providing precise characterizations of the types of monitoring now in use and a clear account of the legal basis for OSHA...

Human monitoring as a supplement to or replacement for environmental monitoring of toxic substances in the workplace has become an increasingly important issue within the last decade, leading to Congressional hearings, governmental studies, and scientific conferences around the world. Just as the purposes for undertaking human monitoring are diverse and sometimes conflicting, so too are the concerns—medical, legal, and ethical—such testing has generated.

The authors begin by providing precise characterizations of the types of monitoring now in use and a clear account of the legal basis for OSHA monitoring requirements. They then turn to scientific and technical concerns that have evolved around monitoring, including the frequency and timing of examinations, human variability, and the distinctions that exist between high-risk and sensitive groups. Specific legal and ethical problems of conducting monitoring tests on workers are then covered in full, including the consequences for the worker of medical removal from the workplace, the conflict between human monitoring and personal privacy, access to medical records, and the use and possible misuse of test results.

The volume concludes with policy recommendations for the use of human monitoring, recommendations for the use of human monitoring, recommendations that would achieve the goal of reducing occupational disease and injury while remaining within the bounds of a supportable ethical framework.

Reviews

Reviews

Highly recommended for people working in the field of occupational health. Its 'state of the art' descriptions of methods used in monitoring exposures, diseases, and early signs of pathology are very informative.

About

Book Details

Publication Date
Status
Available
Trim Size
5.875
x
9
Pages
240
ISBN
9780801839894
Table of Contents

About the Authors
Introduction
Part I. Definitions and Legal Authority
Chapter 1. Overview and Definitions: Monitoring, Surveillance, and Screening
Chapter 2. Legal Authority for Human Monitoring
Part II

About the Authors
Introduction
Part I. Definitions and Legal Authority
Chapter 1. Overview and Definitions: Monitoring, Surveillance, and Screening
Chapter 2. Legal Authority for Human Monitoring
Part II. Scientific and Technical Concerns
Chapter 3. Medical Surveillance
Chapter 4. Genetic Monitoring
Chapter 5. Biological Monitoring
Chapter 6. Genetic and Other Sensitivity Screening
Chapter 7. The Frequency and Timing of Examinations
Part III. The Health Implications of Removing Workers on the Basis of Human Monitoring Tests
Chapter 8. Human Variability and High-Risk Groups
Chapter 9. Consequences to the Worker of Medical Removal
Part IV. Legal and Ethical Considerations
Chapter 10. Limitations on the Authority to Require Human Monitoring
Chapter 11. The USe of Monitoring Results
Chapter 12. Policy and Ethical Considerations
Notes
Index

Author Bios
Featured Contributor

Nicholas A. Ashford, J.D.

Nicholas A. Ashford is associate professor of technology and policy at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of Crisis in the Workplace and co-author of Technology, Law and the Working Environment.
Featured Contributor

Dale B. Hattis

Dale B. Hattis is a principal research associate for Technology, Policy, and Industrial Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Featured Contributor

Charles C. Caldart

Charles C. Caldart is a research associate at the Center for Technology, Policy, and Industrial Development, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.