Risk Assessment
Monday 6 October 2025, 14.00 – 15.30 Neon
Chairs: Bruce Alexander, Calvin Ge
Advancing occupational health in Poland: New OELs and regulatory updates for hazardous chemicals
Joanna Jurewicz (presenter)
Magdalena Ponicka, Magdalena Ozga, Stella Bujak-Pietrek, Anna Kozajda, Małgorzta Kupczewska-Dobecka
Abstract
Objective: In Poland, the number of chemical substances subject to Maximum Allowable Concentrations is 587. Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) for chemicals are critical to mitigating health risks, especially those related to carcinogens, mutagens, and reproductive toxicants.
Materials and Methods: A key initiative, the multi-annual program, titled “Development of Documentation for Occupational Exposure Limits for 30 Chemicals Harmful to Health, Including Carcinogens,” has played a significant role in shaping the regulatory framework. In 2024 the documentation was developed for OELs for 10 chemicals. New chemicals addressed by the research include: lithium and lithium compounds, integral to electric vehicle battery production; perfluorooctane sulfonic acid (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), found in manufacturing processes like textile treatments; and terephthalic acid, widely used in polyester and plastic production. These substances, previously unregulated in Poland, were prioritized for the establishment of OELs, driven by their prevalence in key industries and their potential health risks. The research also revisited the OELs for six chemicals, including methylhydrazine, lead and its inorganic compounds, and 1,2-dichloropropane, adjusting the values based on the latest scientific evidence and EU regulations.
Results: Significant changes were made to the OELs in 2024: for lead and its inorganic compounds, OELs were reduced following updated EU regulations due to the ongoing health risks associated with lead exposure; for diisocyanates, OELs were revised for the NCO group, broadening the scope from individual diisocyanates to include a wider range of compounds; and for benzydine, a non-zero OEL was established for benzydine and its salts, a major step toward better exposure management.
Conclusion: This work ensures that Poland remains a leader in occupational health protection, particularly in industries handling chemicals with significant health risks. The revised standards will provide better guidance for employers and workers, contributing to the creation of safer work environments.
Exposure-time-response analyses and quantitative cancer risk assessment for protracted exposures
Sylvia Jochems (presenter)
Lützen Portengen, Qing Lan, Nat Rothman, Susan Peters, Roel Vermeulen
Abstract
Background: Quantitative Risk Assessment (QRA) for protracted exposures and cancer risks often relies on cumulative exposure metrics and constant exposure scenarios. However, mounting evidence from epidemiological studies suggests that the exposure-dependent risk may be very different for subjects with the same cumulative exposure due to variations in the duration and intensity of exposure, as well as recency of exposure. This study aims to highlight the significance of incorporating time-related factors into QRA more transparently and demonstrates how recently developed analytical approaches can enhance risk assessment in such contexts.
Methods: We assessed the impact of exposure metrics that account for the recency of exposure on cancer risk, using the established association between benzene exposure and acute myeloid leukemia (AML) as an example. Standard life table methods were applied using cumulative and recency-weighted exposure metrics to estimate excess risks. Dynamic lag models (DMLs) were used to show how empirical data could be used to better inform risk assessment using data from a study on benzene poisoning (BP).
Results: For AML, excess risks varied by exposure metric and target age, with traditional cumulative exposure producing higher excess risk estimates compared to recency-weighted metrics, resulting in lifetime risks ranging from 52 to 98 per 1 million exposed workers. For BP, DMLs showed that risks were primarily driven by exposures within the last 5 to 10 years, and excess risks were similar when using an exposure metric consistent with the one used to derive the risk function.
Conclusions: Our findings highlight the potential for over- or under-estimating risks when ignoring the timing of exposure. Incorporating results from exposure-time-response (ETR) models into QRA may improve the accuracy of risk assessments and better inform regulatory decisions. Even without such data, risk assessments could benefit from a more transparent evaluation of time-related aspects of exposure.
Risk assessment of hepatitis B, C, A in workers exposed to biological risk
Sergio Pili (presenter)
Luigi Isaia Lecca, Alessandro Murru, Ilaria Pilia, Vitalba Milazzo, Marcello Campagna
Abstract
Objective: The spread of biological agents in communities remains a serious public health concern and a significant occupational risk. This retrospective observational study assessed the occupational risk related to hepatotropic viruses HAV, HBV, and HCV in a sample of 628 workers from 15 Italian companies operating in waste collection/hospital cleaning (n=383), healthcare (n=113), and education/care sectors (n=132). The objective was to characterize seroprevalence, vaccination status, biological risk accidents, and identify associated risk factors.
Materials and methods: Data were collected from health records (period 2017-2024) and statistically analysed (Chi-square, T-Student, logistic regression) on a final sample of 431 workers for HBV/HCV and 326 for HAV (waste workers only).
Results: Results indicate an active HBV infection (HBsAg+) prevalence of 2.1% among waste collection/cleaning workers, all unvaccinated males. Past HBV infection was found in 3.02% of the total sample, with a significantly higher prevalence (9.4% of those tested) in the waste collection/cleaning group. Older age was the main risk factor for past HBV infection (OR=1.129), also associated with being born before 1980 and being unvaccinated. Anti-HBV vaccination coverage was low (26.9%), especially in the waste/cleaning group (12.5%). HCV infection overall prevalence was 1.62% (3.1% in the waste/cleaning group), associated with male sex and older age. Among waste workers, HAV seroprevalence was 44.2%, significantly correlated with age and job tenure (p<0.001), with a vaccination coverage of 0.9%. Waste/cleaning workers showed a significantly higher risk of accidents (3.12% vs 0%), especially less experienced ones (≤2 years tenure).
Conclusion: In conclusion, waste collection/cleaning workers have an increased risk for HBV compared to other categories. The HAV prevalence among waste workers, linked to age and tenure, highlights the need for prevention. The effectiveness of HBV vaccination is confirmed (no cases among the vaccinated). Promotion of vaccinations (HBV/HAV), information, risk training, and PPE use are recommended, especially for less experienced waste workers.
Tools to translate occupational exposure to hazardous substances into health risks: a scoping review
Julia van Beekum (presenter)
Gilbert W.M. Wijntjens, Jolanda Willems, Wendy Tijssen-Caan, Karin I. Proper, Frederieke G. Schaafsma
Abstract
Objective: Early detection of health effects due to occupational exposure to hazardous substances is important to prevent irreversible occupational health problems. It is therefore essential that occupational hygienist (OH) and occupational physicians (OP) cooperate efficiently. In practice, collaboration between OHs and OPs is often ineffective or even missing. This scoping review aimed to identify and summarize the tools that are used by occupational health professionals to translate health hazards or health risks due to occupational exposure into health effects, and vice versa.
Material and methods: A scoping review was performed using the Preferred Reporting Items for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-Scr). Four databases (PubMed, Embase (via Ovid), Cochrane Library (Wiley): CDSR, Central and Cinahl (Ebsco)) were searched for scientific peer-reviewed articles in English, Dutch, German or Spanish. Studies were included if they described tools, included hazardous substances and related health effects and targeted occupational health professionals.
Preliminary results: Thirteen tools across 16 articles were identified. The tools included databases (n=4), roadmaps (n=3), mathematical models (n=2), work processes (n=2), information documents (n=1) and guidelines (n=1). Seven tools adopted a hazard-based approach, while eight followed a risk-based approach. Although all tools made a link to health effects, no tools were found that made a direct translation from exposure risk to specific symptoms.
Discussion/conclusion: The outcomes of this scoping review will serve as the foundation for developing a new tool tailored to the needs of occupational professionals. We anticipate that this new tool will assist occupational professionals in translating chemical exposure risks into health effects, contributing to the prevention and treatment of occupational diseases while also encouraging collaboration between OHs and OPs.
Trajectories of occupational exposure to welding fumes and its impact on lung cancer risks: A latent class modelling approach
Benjamin Kendzia (presenter)
Dirk Taeger, Hermann Pohlabeln, Wolfgang Ahrens, Heinz-Erich Wichmann, Karl-Heinz Jöckel, Thomas Brüning,Thomas Behrens
Abstract
Objective: The association between exposure to welding fumes and lung cancer has been extensively studied. The most common exposure metric is the cumulative index of exposure (the product of fume concentration and duration of exposure). Individuals with the same cumulative exposure but different temporal exposure patterns may show different risks. Therefore, there is still a need for research to adequately capture the time-varying intensity of exposure and to identify critical time-windows during which exposure has the strongest impact on lung-cancer risk.
Material and methods: Latent Class Mixed Models (LCMM) simplify heterogeneous lifetime exposure into more homogeneous classes and identify distinct subgroups of individuals, following a similar exposure pattern. We determined latent classes for welding-fume exposure in two German population-based case-control studies (3,498 lung-cancer cases and 3,539 control subjects) and we used these classes to estimate smoking-adjusted OR with 95% CI via logistic regression. Before applying the LCMM function, exposure levels for each welding activity were determined using a measurement-based job-task-exposure-matrix with estimates from 15,473 personal measurements of inhalable fume taken at welding workplaces.
Results: LCMM identified four latent classes of welding-fume exposure as the best solution according to fit and diagnostic criteria. The highest lung-cancer risks were observed for the class in which welding-fume exposure in the past 10 years before the interview/diagnosis was highest (median 450 µg/m3) with an average duration of welding of 30 years (OR=1.71, 95%CI 0.92-3.15). Participants in one other class with long-term high intensity (median up to 1,000 µg/m3 experienced more than 20 years before the interview/diagnosis) also showed higher lung-cancer risks compared to non-exposed men (OR=1.26, 95%CI 0.46-3.49).
Conclusions: The highest relative lung-cancer risks were observed after a recent high exposure to welding fumes. LCMM opens new perspectives of dose-effect relationships and could be employed to complement established methods in occupational epidemiology.
Work-related risk factors of sleep apnea: Evidence from the Korean work, sleep, and health study
Heejoo Ko (presenter)
Jeehee Min, Hye-Eun Lee, Seong-Sik Cho, Mo-Yeol Kang
Abstract
Objectives: Work environment plays a meaningful role in sleep apnea development, although empirical evidence remains limited. This study examined the associations between occupational exposures—including long working hours, shift work, occupational stress, emotional labor, physical or chemical hazards, and ergonomic strain—and sleep apnea among Korean workers.
Material and Methods: Data were obtained from the Korean Work, Sleep, and Health Study (2022–2024), comprising 8,976 unique respondents. Sleep apnea risk was assessed using the Berlin Questionnaire, occupational stress using the Korean Occupational Stress Scale, and emotional labor using the Korean Emotional Labor Scale-11. Physical, chemical, and ergonomic exposures were evaluated using items from the Korean Working Conditions Survey. Generalized estimating equation models were applied with adjustment for sociodemographic factors. Subgroup analyses were stratified by obesity status.
Results: Working >52 hours per week was associated with a higher likelihood of high-risk sleep apnea (OR=1.217, 95% CI: 1.036–1.428), whereas shift work was not. Higher occupational stress was associated with increased odds of high-risk sleep apnea (OR=1.927, 95% CI: 1.755–2.116 for high vs. low stress). High-risk emotional laborers had greater odds of high-risk sleep apnea compared to low-risk emotional laborers (OR=1.743, 95% CI: 1.503–2.021). Exposure to physical or chemical risk factors was associated with higher odds of high-risk sleep apnea (OR=1.370, 95% CI: 1.253–1.498), particularly for noise, high temperatures, solvent vapors, and environmental smoking. Ergonomic risk exposure was also associated (OR=1.357, 95% CI: 1.245–1.479), with motorcycle riding, kneeling or squatting, and repetitive wrist movement showing the strongest associations. These associations were more pronounced among non-obese participants.
Conclusion: This study highlights that occupational factors significantly contribute to sleep apnea risk, framing it as both a personal and workplace health issue. Improving workplace conditions and incorporating occupational history into sleep apnea assessments should be considered in prevention efforts.
This research was supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2022R1F1A1066498).