Synergist - June/July 2009

D.R.E.A.M. Workshop Proceedings
Available on NIOSH Website
Last November, over 175 attendees partici-
pated in the NIOSH Direct-Reading Expo-
sure Assessment Methods (D.R.E.A.M.)
Workshop in Arlington, Va. The purpose of
the 2-day seminar was to garner input from
those involved in the areas of academia,
labor, management, development, manu-
facturing and government regarding the
research needs in the area of direct read-
ing methods for assessing occupational
exposures. The workshop proceedings, in-
cluding a detailed meeting summary and
presentations, are now online at
www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2009-133.

Exposure Assessment Strategies
Symposium at PCIH

A two-day symposium on exposure assessment, “Decision Making Tools in a Changing World,” will be held at PCIH in Vancouver, British Columbia, Oct. 1–2, 2009.

The symposium will provide attendees with tools for making effective decisions on the job.

New regulations such as REACH are impacting businesses and shaping the future. As a result, pressure from stakeholders has motivated many industrial hygienists and their organizations to identify efficient, comprehensive methods for exposure risk assessment and management.

AIHA’s exposure assessment and management strategy provides a foundation for gauging occupational and environmental exposure risks. By developing, integrating and incorporating new tools —such as Bayesian data analysis for control banding, exposure modeling, dermal exposure assessment, and noise analysis— with existing tools, the strategy has empowered industrial hygienists to face new challenges in occupational and environmental exposure risk. Over the past year, AIHA members have made these valuable tools even more user-friendly.

Symposium participants will learn how to apply these practical tools and strategies through a series of real-life exposure scenario workshops. These carefully constructed workshops will utilize videos, basic characterization information, determinants of exposure, and sampling data for inhalation, dermal, and noise exposures. Participants will learn to make sound qualitative and quantitative exposure judgments, gain a better understanding of how they can apply new skills within their organization, and get direct feedback from seasoned experts. The capstone of the symposium will be a facilitated discussion summarizing lessons learned and identifying new opportunities for exposure assessment methodologies in the future.