Vooronderzoek ten behoeve van het project "Registratie van acute arbeidsintoxicaties" 348708008

Vooronderzoek ten behoeve van het project "Registratie van acute arbeidsintoxicaties"

[ Preliminary study for the sake of the project "Registration of acute occupational intoxications ]

Zutt TSJ, van de Laar RTH, de Vries I, Meulenbelt J

30 p in Dutch 1992

RIVM Rapport 348708008

Toon Nederlands

English Abstract
In the Netherlands there is limited information on the extent and severity of acute occupational intoxications. Also the occupational circumstances leading to exposure often remain unclear. The National Poison Control Centre of the National Institute of Public Health and Environmental Protection in cooperation with the Utrecht University, conducts a project to determine these data more accurately. This study is also initiated to attain a national registration system of acute occupational intoxications. The obtained knowledge on this subject will be used in improving working conditions and education of the workers concerned and encouraging adequate protective measures. For the sake of this project a preliminary investigation was carried out to obtain insight in the availability, extent and nature of data on acute occupational intoxications of the Dutch Employment Medical Advisory Services (EMASs). For this purpose 5 EMASs of large companies and 9 regional EMASs, covering several companies, were examined. It turned out that little is known about the frequency of acute intoxications. One of the main reasons for the low number of registered acute intoxications is that generally only the systemic effects after exposure are considered as an acute intoxication, while local effects are not registered as such. Therefore it is important to hold the same standard definition of acute intoxications. The attitude of the EMASs towards participation in a project for registration of acute occupational intoxications is one of wait-and-see policy. A feasibility study to find out the most suitable way for setting up a national registration system of acute occupational intoxications in which a limited number of EMASs should participate is recommended.

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