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Epidemiologic Studies

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Appendices
APPENDIX F
INFORMATION REQUIRED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY FOR EPIDEMIOLOGIC AND HEALTH STUDIES (REVISED)

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:

  1. Social Security Number
  2. Name (last, first, middle)
  3. Maiden Name
  4. Other Names
  5. Address (city, state, zip)
  6. Spouse Name (last, first, middle)
  7. Spouse Address (street, city, state)
  8. 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:

  1. Birth Date
  2. Place of Birth
  3. Sex
  4. Race
  5. Education (highest degree)
  6. 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:

  1. Hire Date at Facility
  2. Termination Date at Facility
  3. Reason for Termination
  4. Type of Employee (hourly, salaried, etc.)
  5. Occupation or Job Title (all jobs titles held and associated duties)
  6. Previous Work History
  7. Work Location (building, area)
  8. Reassignments and Work Restrictions
  9. 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:

  1. Employee Physical Examinations
  2. Smoking History
  3. Alcohol/Beverage History
  4. Drug/Medication Use History
  5. Record of Injuries or Accidents Before or During Employment
  6. Record of Exposure to Toxic or Carcinogenic Substances
  7. Record of Sick and other Health-Related Leaves
  8. Return to Work Clearances
  9. Pathological Reports and Lab Results
  10. Diagnostic X-rays (dental, chest, other)
  11. Familial Illness and Mortality History
  12. Employee Disease History, Including Predisposing Conditions
  13. Record of use of Chelation Agents, including DTPA
  14. 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:

  1. Death Certificate
  2. Date of Death
  3. Cause of Death
  4. Place of Death
  5. Payment of a Death Benefit and Date
  6. 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 be retained. Types of data items contained on these records are:

  1. Estimated Whole Body Dose Due to X and Gamma Rays and Associated Dates
  2. Estimated Whole Body Dose Due to Neutrons and Associated Dates
  3. Estimated Whole Body Dose Due to Tritium and Associated Dates
  4. Estimated Total Whole Body Dose and Associated Dates
  5. Individual Dosimeter Types
  6. Partial Body or Skin Doses

Internal Radiation

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

  1. Bioassay Testing, including fecal and urine analysis, for nuclides
  2. Estimated Internal Doses, including nuclides, organ of deposition
  3. 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:

  1. Results of Bioassays, including blood and urine analysis for exposure to chemicals, chemical names, results units, and associated dates
  2. 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:

  1. Inventories of Potentially Health Hazardous Physical Agents (i.e., noise, laser beam, electromagnetic fields, etc.), including associated dates, building, and locations
  2. Survey of Work Areas, including associated dates, types 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

  1. Chemical or Other Processes, including building locations and associated dates
  2. Hiring, Materials Handling & Other Practices
  3. Requirements for Employment in Specific Jobs
  4. Calibration Requirements
  5. Chemical Inventories
  6. Blueprints, Floor Plans, and Engineering Drawings of Building
  7. Inventory Records of Incoming and Outgoing Material
  8. Maintenance Records of Pollution Control Devices such as Dust Collectors, Scrubbers, or Filters

Worker Radiation Monitoring/Protection Programs

  1. Monitoring Program Characteristics
  2. Requirements for Wearing Dosimeters
  3. Dosimeters Type
  4. Dosimeter Manufacture
  5. Dosimeter Processing Procedures
  6. Dosimeter Reading Procedures
  7. Frequency of Reading Dosimeters
  8. Requirements for Use of Protection Equipment
  9. Requirements for Wearing Protection Equipment

Environmental Monitoring

  1. Results of Environmental Monitoring, including radionuclide or chemical information, units, and location
  2. Information on Product Particle Size and Chemical Form at Potential Release Points
  3. Onsite Monitoring or Sampling Locations and Results
  4. Offsite Monitoring or Sampling Locations and Results
  5. Measurements of Effluents from Facility Relief Points, including stack sampler results, water losses, and sump measurements
  6. Reports of Losses of Material from Stacks or Filters
  7. Reports of Unplanned Releases, Incidents, Spills

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