Journal article
A graphical tool to evaluate temporal coverage of occupational history by exposure measurements
Occupational and environmental medicine (London, England), v 67(9), pp 636-638
Sep 2010
PMID: 20798029
Featured in Collection : UN Sustainable Development Goals @ Drexel
Abstract
IntroductionIn occupational epidemiology, differences in the temporal coverage of the exposure history by available exposure measurement data may affect the uncertainty of exposure estimates. In the reporting of results of studies, greater attention should be paid to the extent to which exposure assessments require extrapolation outside the timeframe for which exposure measurements are available. We propose a simple graphical method that can be used to visualise the temporal coverage of exposure history with exposure measurements and the extent of temporal extrapolation needed.MethodsWe construct a graph that displays the accumulated work history years for which exposure had to be assessed in each calendar year. Years for which exposure measurements were available are shaded. The proportion of work history years covered by exposure measurements and the proportion of work history years accrued before the first measurements are summarised. When available, the actual number of measurements available in each calendar year is shown.ResultsWe demonstrate the application of the graphical tool in three nested case–control studies that reported on leukaemia in relation to low-level benzene exposures in the petroleum industry. Considerable differences in temporal coverage between the studies were illustrated, which may have resulted in differences in the reliability of the retrospective exposure estimates derived for these studies.ConclusionWe introduce a graphical tool for visualising the temporal coverage by available exposure measurement data in epidemiological studies and encourage others to use similar graphs to derive and share better qualitative insights into the uncertainty in exposure assessment.
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Details
- Title
- A graphical tool to evaluate temporal coverage of occupational history by exposure measurements
- Creators
- Jelle Vlaanderen - Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The NetherlandsWouter Fransman - Business Unit Quality & Safety, TNO Quality of Life, Zeist, The NetherlandsBrian Miller - Institute for Occupational Medicine, Edinburgh, UKIgor Burstyn - Community and Occupational Medicine Program, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, The University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, CanadaDick Heederik - Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The NetherlandsFintan Hurley - Institute for Occupational Medicine, Edinburgh, UKRoel Vermeulen - Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The NetherlandsHans Kromhout - Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
- Publication Details
- Occupational and environmental medicine (London, England), v 67(9), pp 636-638
- Publisher
- British Medical Journal (BMJ)
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Environmental and Occupational Health
- Web of Science ID
- WOS:000281308100012
- Scopus ID
- 2-s2.0-77956641219
- Other Identifier
- 991014877718504721
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- Collaboration types
- Domestic collaboration
- International collaboration
- Web of Science research areas
- Public, Environmental & Occupational Health