Epidemiologic Studies

Rala, Iodine-131 & Cesium-137

DATA PERTAINING TO CONTRACTOR ORGANIZATIONS

Any type of materials that will help understand the functional organization of the contractor, or to identify individuals who may have had responsibility for operations within a facility. These types of materials are useful when studying a facility because they enable the researcher to identify key personnel who were involved with certain projects and to contact these persons, when necessary, to help understand the nature of the plant operations and potential exposures that occurred in specific areas of the plant. Examples of records that may meet these needs are:

1. Contractor Organizational Charts
2. Contractor Organizational Histories/Plant Information Packets
3. Mission Statements for Functional Units
4. Contractor Personnel Directories/Telephone Directories
5. Copy of all Position Descriptions and Effective Dates
6. Diaries, Subject Files, and Correspondence of the Facility Director

DATA PERTAINING TO INDIVIDUALS

Identification
Epidemiologic studies of workers require the creation of lists of individuals at each facility who will be included in the study. Therefore, all records containing identifying information for employees at a specific facility are of great value. These records will typically be from personnel or payroll departments and may include the following data:

7. Social Security Number
8. Name (last, first, middle)
9. Maiden Name
10. Other Names
11. Address (city, state, zip)
12. Spouse Name (last, first, middle)
13. Spouse Address
14. Emergency Contact (last, first, middle, relationship)
15. Emergency Contact Address (city, state, zip)
16. Employer Identification Numbers (payroll, annuity, badge, etc.)

Demographic Information
In order to compare the characteristics of the worker population with other groups, it is desirable to know the following information:

17. Birth Date
18. State (or Country) of Birth
19. City of Birth
20. Sex
21. Race
22. Education (highest degree)
23. Marital Status

Work History
Work records indicating the type of jobs performed over specific periods of time are extremely useful. Specific data items are as follows:

24. Hire Date at Facility
25. Termination Date at Facility
26. Reason for Termination
27. Type of Employee (hourly, salaried, etc.)
28. Organization Assignments (building and/or department assignments)
29. Occupation or Job Title (all jobs titles held and associated duties)
30. Previous Work History (list of all previous employers and job titles/duties)
31. Work Location (facility-specific)
32. Military Service (branch of military, dates served, and service number)
33. Health-Related Leaves, Reassignments, Work Restrictions
34. Performance Appraisals

Medical Data
Medical records, records of treatment, incident or accident report, and company health insurance records may be useful for epidemiologic studies. Examples of the information that may be used from these records include:

35. Pre-Employment Periodic or Special Physicals, Including Lab Test Results
36. Smoking History
37. Alcohol/Beverage History
38. Pre/Post Employment Injuries/Accidents
39. Exposure History for Hazardous Materials
40. Sick Leave Records
41. Return to Work Examinations
42. Pathological Reports
43. Family Illness or Mortality History
44. Drug/Medication Use History
45. Diagnostic X-rays (dental, chest, other)
46. Predisposing Diseases
47. Disease History
48. History of use of DTPA for Chelation
49. Incident or Accident Reports
50. Company Health Insurance Records
51. Workers' Compensation Claims
52. Identifying Information that Allows Linkage of Medical Records to Employment Record Data (i.e., name, payroll number, social security number, birth date, etc.) and to Facilities (building name, etc.)

Mortality Data (any type of information concerning death)
Many studies compare death rates in worker populations with rates in other populations. The following data items are useful:

53. Death Certificate
54. Date of Death
55. Cause of Death (including all listed causes and contributory conditions)
56. Place of Death (city, state)
57. Payment of a Death Benefit and Date
58. Vital Status at Last Known Date

External Radiation
External radiation exposure records that pertain to individual workers or to individual areas in a plant must be retained. Types of data items contained on these records are:

59. Estimated Whole Body Dose Due to X and Gamma Rays
60. Estimated Whole Body Dose Due to Neutrons
61. Estimated Whole Body Dose Due to Tritium
62. Estimated Total Whole Body Dose
63. Individual Film Badge Records
64. Individual Thermoluminescent Dosimeter Records
65. Partial Body or Skin Doses
66. Date of Each Known Exposure or Reading
67. Identifying Information that Allows Linkage of the External Radiation Records to Employment Record Data (i.e., name, payroll number, social security number, birth date, etc.) and to Facilities (building name, etc.)

Internal Radiation
Internal radiation exposure records for workers must be retained. Types of data items contained on these records are:

68. Urinalysis Testing for Radionuclides (date, indication of radionuclide, results and units)
69. Portal of Entry (for each radionuclide)
70. Analysis Type (urinalysis, whole body count, fecal analysis, etc.)
71. Whole Body Counting Data
72. Date of Each Known Exposure or Test
73. Any Record Confirming a Deposition
74. Identifying Information that Allows Linkage of the Internal Radiation Records to Employment Record Data (i.e., name, payroll number, social security number, birth date, etc.) and to Facilities (building name, etc.)

Industrial Hygiene
Chemical Exposures Data generated to evaluate occupational exposure levels and to demonstrate compliance with exposure limits should be systematically retained. The types of records of data that should be retained may include:

75. Individual Blood or Urinalysis Records for Specific Chemicals (mercury, lead, etc.)
76. Dates of Exposures
77. Environmental Monitoring Data Relating to Specific Work Locations and Jobs
78. Concentration Readings
79. Sample Type (blood, urinalysis, fecal, breathing zone, general air, etc.)
80. Results of Units (mg/ml, ppm, mg/cubic meter)
81. Monitoring Characteristics (devices, times, control data, frequency, techniques, etc.)
82. Identifying Information that Allows Linkage of the Chemical Exposure Records to Employment Record Data (i.e., name, payroll number, social security number, birth date, etc.) and to Facilities (building name, etc.)

Physical Agents
Data generated to evaluate occupational exposure levels and to demonstrate compliance with exposure limits should be systematically retained. Such data should include:

83. Hazard Inventories of Potentially Health Hazardous Physical Agents (noise, laser light, electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields, etc.)
84. Location and Date of the Inventory
85. Work Place or Area of Survey Results along with Exposure Levels
86. Equipment and Methods Used to Assess Hazard
87. Identifying Information that Allows Linkage of the Exposures to Physical Agents to Employment Records, to Medical Information and to Facilities

DATA PERTAINING TO FACILITIES
Area/Site Monitoring Information (by job category, year, building, etc.)
Other records that relate to the calibration, sensitivity, type, location of the equipment used for personnel monitoring, surveying, air sampling, etc., are quite useful, especially if they can be linked to specific processes, areas, buildings, and personnel. Information describing the general requirements followed by the facility for the provision of various personnel monitoring equipment, examinations, or testing is also desirable. Examples of these types of records include the following:

88. Chemical or Other Processes, by Year and Building
89. Hiring, Materials Handling, and Other Practices
90. Medical Examination Requirements for Employment/or Employment in Specific Jobs
91. Requirements for Wearing Dosimeters
92. Decontamination Data
93. Dosimeter Type
94. Dosimeter Manufacturer
95. Sensitivity of Testing Procedures
96. Dosimeter Processing Procedures
97. Dosimeter Reading Procedures
98. Frequency of Reading Dosimeters
99. Frequency of Analysis
100. Type of Monitoring System
101. Type of Monitoring Test
102. Protection Equipment Requirements
103. Isotopic Information
104. Concentration Reading
105. Location of Reading
106. Duration of Exposure Reading
107. Requirements for Wearing Protection Equipment
108. Monitoring System for Other Substances
109. Sensitivity Procedures
110. Type of Monitoring Procedures Used
111. Toxic Substances--Concentration Readings
112. Location of Toxic Substance Readings
113. Test Frequency
114. Calibration Requirements
115. Chemical Inventories
116. Information on Product Particle Sizes and Chemical Form at Potential Release Points
117. Details of Chemical or Other Processes in a Facility, Past as well as Current, Including Engineering Drawings of Facility
118. Off-Site Monitoring or Sampling Locations and Results
119. Any Measurements of Release Points from the Facility (e.g., stack sampler results, water losses, sump measurements)
120. Inventory Records of Incoming and Outgoing Material
121. Reports of Losses of Material from a Stack
122. Report of Unplanned Releases, Incidents, Spills
123. Maintenance Records of Pollution Control Devices, such as Dust Collectors, Scrubbers, or Filters