BACKGROUND: To evaluate a consistent association between jobs in "electric" occupations and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a comprehensive job exposure matrix (JEM) that includes electric shocks and magnetic fields (MF) is needed. METHODS: We used incident electric shocks and electrocutions from two available data sources along with expert judgment to create a JEM that was integrated into an existing MF JEM. The final JEM contained ordinal electric-shock exposure assignments for 501 job titles. RESULTS: Main occupational groups experiencing the electric shocks were precision production, craft, and repair occupations. Specific jobs with the highest proportion of shocks per 100,000 workers were: electrical apprentices (99.7), mechanic and repairer helpers (74.0), hoist and winch operators (63.3), and electrical power installers (52.4). Examples of job titles with low electric-shock exposures were administrative support occupations, data-key entry operators, and waiters and waitresses. CONCLUSIONS: Combining publicly available data with an expert panel is a viable method to construct an electric-shock MF JEM. This JEM will allow an evaluation of association between electric shocks and neurodegenerative diseases.
BACKGROUND: To evaluate a consistent association between jobs in "electric" occupations and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a comprehensive job exposure matrix (JEM) that includes electric shocks and magnetic fields (MF) is needed. METHODS: We used incident electric shocks and electrocutions from two available data sources along with expert judgment to create a JEM that was integrated into an existing MF JEM. The final JEM contained ordinal electric-shock exposure assignments for 501 job titles. RESULTS: Main occupational groups experiencing the electric shocks were precision production, craft, and repair occupations. Specific jobs with the highest proportion of shocks per 100,000 workers were: electrical apprentices (99.7), mechanic and repairer helpers (74.0), hoist and winch operators (63.3), and electrical power installers (52.4). Examples of job titles with low electric-shock exposures were administrative support occupations, data-key entry operators, and waiters and waitresses. CONCLUSIONS: Combining publicly available data with an expert panel is a viable method to construct an electric-shock MF JEM. This JEM will allow an evaluation of association between electric shocks and neurodegenerative diseases.
Authors: Heidi J Fischer; Ximena P Vergara; Michael Yost; Michael Silva; David A Lombardi; Leeka Kheifets Journal: J Expo Sci Environ Epidemiol Date: 2015-05-13 Impact factor: 5.563
Authors: Lucile Migault; Joseph D Bowman; Hans Kromhout; Jordi Figuerola; Isabelle Baldi; Ghislaine Bouvier; Michelle C Turner; Elisabeth Cardis; Javier Vila Journal: Ann Work Expo Health Date: 2019-11-13 Impact factor: 2.179
Authors: Ximena P Vergara; Heidi J Fischer; Michael Yost; Michael Silva; David A Lombardi; Leeka Kheifets Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2015-04-08 Impact factor: 3.390