Epidemiologic Studies

Los Alamos National Laboratory

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. DOE/Contractor Organizational Charts
2. Contractor Organizational Histories/Plant Information Packets
3. Mission Statements of the Site and Individual Functional Units
4. Contractor Personnel Directories/Telephone Directories
5. Position Descriptions and Associated Dates
6. Correspondence Files of Directors and Managers

DATA PERTAINING TO INDIVIDUALS

Identification of Individual
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
9. Maiden Name
10. Other Names
11. Address/Phone Number
12. Spouse Name
13. Spouse Address
14. 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:

15. Birth Date
16. Place of Birth
17. Sex
18. Race
19. Education (highest degree)
20. 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:

21. Hire Date at Facility
22. Termination Date at Facility
23. Reason for Termination
24. Type of Employee (hourly, salaried, etc.)
25. Occupation or Job Title (all job titles held and associated dates)
26. Previous Work History
27. Work Location (building, area)
28. Reassignments and Work Restrictions
29. Job or Task Descriptions and 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:

30. Employee Physical Examinations
31. Smoking History
32. Alcohol/Beverage History
33. Drug/Medication Use History
34. Record of Injuries or Accidents Before or During Employment
35. Record of Exposure to Toxic or Carcinogenic Substances
36. Record of Sick and other Health-Related Leaves
37. Return to Work Clearances
38. Pathological Reports and Lab Results
39. Diagnostic X-Rays (dental, chest, other)
40. Family Disease and Mortality History
41. Employee Disease History, Including Predisposing Conditions
42. Record of use of Chelation Agents, including DTPA
43. Workers' Compensation Claims

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:

44. Death Certificate
45. Date of Death
46. Cause of Death
47. Place of Death
48. Payment of a Death Benefit and Date
49. Vital Status at Last Known Date

DATA PERTAINING TO INDIVIDUAL EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT

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

50. Estimated Whole Body Dose Due to X-Rays & Gamma Rays and Associated Dates
51. Estimated Whole Body Dose Due to Neutrons and Associated Dates
52. Estimated Whole Body Dose Due to Tritium and Associated Dates
53. Estimated Total Whole Body Dose and Associated Dates
54. Individual Dosimeter Types
55. Partial Body or Skin Doses and Associated Dates

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

56. Bioassay Testing (including fecal and urine analysis) for nuclides
57. Estimated internal doses, including nuclides, organ of deposition
58. Whole Body Counts, including nuclides, type of instrument, results, units, and associated dates

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:

59. Results of Bioassays (including blood and urine analysis) such as exposure to chemicals, chemical names, results units, and associated dates
60. Monitoring Data Relating to Specific Work Locations or Assignments, including monitoring instruments, control data, results, units, and associated dates

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

61. Inventories of Potentially Health Hazardous Physical Agents (noise, laser beam, electromagnetic fields, etc.), including associated dates, building, and locations
62. Survey of Work Areas, including associated dates, kind of monitoring equipment, results, and units

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:

Physical Plant and Operations Records

63. Chemical or Other Processes, including building locations and associated dates
64. Hiring, Materials Handling & Other Practices
65. Requirements for Employment in Specific Jobs
66. Calibration Requirements
67. Chemical Inventories
68. Blueprints, Floor Plans, and Engineering Drawings of Building
69. Inventory Records of Incoming and Outgoing Material
70. Maintenance Records of Pollution Control Devices such as Dust Collectors, Scrubbers, or Filters

Worker Radiation Monitoring/Protection Programs

71. Monitoring Program Characteristics
72. Requirements for Wearing Dosimeters
73. Dosimeters Type
74. Dosimeter Manufacture
75. Dosimeter Processing Procedures
76. Dosimeter Reading Procedures
77. Frequency of Reading Dosimeters
78. Requirements for Use of Protection Equipment
79. Requirements for Wearing Protection Equipment

Environmental Monitoring

80. Results of Environmental Monitoring, including radionuclide or chemical information, units, and location
81. Information on Product Particle Size and Chemical Form at Potential Release Points
82. Onsite Monitoring or Sampling Locations and Results
83. Offsite Monitoring or Sampling Locations and Results
84. Any Measurements of Effluents from Facility Relief Point, including stack sampler results, water losses, and sump measurements
85. Reports of Losses of Material from stack or filters
86. Reports of Unplanned Releases, Incidents, Spills