RESUMO
Clustering of health events in or around industrial facilities sometimes leads to worker and community concerns that plant management or local health professionals must address. We provide an eight-step process to deal with these concerns systematically. We emphasize the use of good scientific practices with managerial oversight for effective worker and community communication. This process is directed to plant management and the local health professional and emphasizes the practical aspects of the investigation.
Assuntos
Exposição Ambiental/prevenção & controle , Doença Ambiental/prevenção & controle , Guias como Assunto , Nível de Saúde , Medicina do Trabalho/organização & administração , Serviços Contratados/organização & administração , Feminino , Humanos , Indústrias/normas , Masculino , Medicina do Trabalho/normas , Técnicas de Planejamento , Estados UnidosRESUMO
A re-designed and simplified respiratory disease questionnaire was self-completed by 245 coke oven workers who previously were interviewed using the Standardized Medical Research Council/National Heart and Lung Institute form. The self-completion survey yielded significantly greater numbers of positive responses to various questions; nearly twice as many men were classified as having chronic bronchitis based on responses to the self-administered questionnaire. The severity of symptoms correlated with various factors such as the worker's smoking history; family history of lung disease, and job history. We suggest that, when compared with an interview using the British Medical Research Council/National Heart and Lung Institute respiratory disease questionnaire, a simplified, self-completion form may serve as a less expensive, more sensitive, and equally uniform and selective epidemiological tool. Self-completion forms deserve the attention and study previously afforded the interview process.
