Occupational Diseases: NIOSH Instructional Module

摘要

The objective of the educational module is to familiarize engineering faculty and students with some basic principles underlying the development of occupational diseases. The self-contained instructional module can be studied separately or as a component of an upper-level engineering course. The courses appropriate for the information contained in the work include occupational health and safety courses as well as laboratory design courses. In addition, the instructional module could serve as a suitable addition to a survey course on pollution control. The module contains a qualitative, conceptual model describing the interaction of a worker with an environment containing potentially harmful inputs. Additionally, dose (the amount of the hazardous agent received by the worker) is considered the driving force for the physiological, biochemical, or biomechanical responses. The potential outcomes of the exposure, as well as the roles of the body defense mechanisms and means of elimination of harmful agents, are discussed. Some implications of development of occupational disease as interpreted with the aid of the model include: effect of differences in human susceptibility, aspects of medical intervention and surveillance, and rational approaches to setting of safe standards of occupational exposure.