which will be published in fiscal year 2002.
Approximately 90% (N=5,022) of these work-
ers completed their first year follow-up health
interview, and 78% (N=4,358) completed their
second year follow-up health interview. Smaller
percentages of the original cohort completed
their third (66%, N=3,693) and fourth (51%,
N=2,846) follow-up health interviews.
Approximately 9% of the cohort were spe-
cifically trained for remediation work at
Department of Energy hazardous waste sites
Of those completing the first through third
year follow-up interviews, about 60% were
employed as laborers most of the time, and an
additional 10% worked most of the time in other
construction trade jobs. Approximately 9% were
women, 17% were African American, and 9%
Working with hazardous waste
were Hispanic. Among those who completed
the first follow-up year health interview, 29%
Hazardous Waste Worker
worked at least 1 week at a hazardous waste
site. A much smaller percentage of those com-
Surveillance
pleting second and third year follow-up health
In 1993, ATSDR, in collaboration with the
interviews worked at least 1 week at a hazard-
Laborers' Health and Safety Fund of North
ous waste site, 19.1% and 14.8% respectively.
America, established a health interview surveil-
lance system to follow prospectively a cohort of
Data from the follow-up interviews indicated
construction trade workers who had completed
that workers performing hazardous waste site
the initial training course for hazardous waste
remediation consistently reported high blood
workers required by the Occupational Safety
pressure, work-related hearing loss, weakness
and Health Administration. The surveillance
or numbness in the extremities, skin rash, and
project included workers trained at 17 centers
arthritis or joint inflammation more often than
and 5 mobile locations nationwide. The purpose
the cohort as a whole. In addition, these work-
of the surveillance system was to detect trends
ers also tended to more often report neuro-
and clusters in the occurrence of occupational
logical symptoms such as dizziness, irritability,
illnesses and injuries that are associated with
and memory loss, as well as nausea, eye, nose
hazardous waste remediation. Information from
and throat irritation, and tinnitus. Although
the follow-up interviews would be used to guide
increased reporting for some conditions may
intervention actions for disease and injury pre-
partly be an artifact of the medical monitoring
vention.
that is required for all hazardous waste workers,
it seems unlikely that all these conditions and
A cohort of 5,583 workers completed the initial
symptoms can be explained in this fashion.
training course and participated in the baseline
health interviews during the period January 1,
Workers who performed hazardous waste site
1993, through April 12, 1996. ATSDR com-
remediation also reported more injuries due
pleted a report on this data in fiscal year 2001,
to chemical exposures and heat stress than
50 chapter 3
Previous Page
