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Biomedical subjects

R F Spengler

Publications and source records attributed to R F Spengler.

24 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMedDate not supplied

Assessment of reproductive disorders and birth defects in communities near hazardous chemical sites. I. Birth defects and developmental disorders.

Members of the workgroup on birth defects and developmental disorders discussed methods to assess structural anomalies, genetic changes and mutations, fetal and infant mortality, functional deficits, and impaired fetal and neonatal growth. Tier 1 assessments for all five adverse reproductive outcomes consist of questionnaires and reviews of medical records rather than laboratory testing of biologic specimens. The work-group members noted a role for neurodevelopmental testing and for limited genetic studies, such as karyotyping in Tier 2 assessments. Emerging methodologies to identify chromosomal aberrations, DNA adducts, and repair inhibition were reserved for Tier 3.

Adult↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Harmonizing human health studies in the Great Lakes.

Epidemiological studies of exposed human populations can provide valuable evidence of human health effects. Information has been sparse on human health effects associated with consumption of contaminated Great Lakes fish. As part of its Great Lakes Human Health Effects Research Program, the Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) has funded ten projects. Of these studies, eight are epidemiologic investigations of human exposure and potential health effects from consumption of contaminated fish. To strengthen and to enhance the findings and comparability across the health studies, ATSDR has initiated several activities. These activities include harmonizing questionnaires, analytical protocols, human health end points, and contaminants tested. Also included is the establishment of a quality assurance and quality control (QA/QC) program and tissue bank. These activities will allow ATSDR to enhance exposure assessment in the Great Lakes basin. In addition, these research activities allow ATSDR to evaluate and to interpret data across all the projects, including a basin-wide health risk analysis on exposure, levels of contaminants or body burden, and the potential for human health effects from exposure to Great Lakes contaminants.

Cohort Studies↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An evaluation of the Vermont worksite smoking law.

In view of the fact that the impact of statewide smoking laws on private worksite policies and the smoking behavior of employees has not been evaluated, two cross-sectional surveys were performed in Vermont to measure compliance with such a law: a random-digit telephone survey of employees and a subsequent mail survey of their employers. Employers were not aware that one of their employees had been surveyed. Roughly half (56 percent) of the employees and 66.5 percent of their employers described policies that are in compliance. Among all employers who described policies in compliance with the law, 68.1 percent of their employees also described compliant policies. Among all employees who described non-compliant policies, 48.8 percent had employers who described compliant policies. Overall, employees and employers agreed on how their policies stood with respect to compliance in 67.6 percent of cases. The prevalence and amount of smoking at work declined after the institution of the law but so did the prevalence and amount of smoking at home. Changes toward more restrictive policies were associated with reductions in cigarette consumption at work, but not with quitting. The study suggests that a large fraction of worksite smoking policies may not comply with a statewide worksite smoking law. The proportion of companies complying with such a law may be overestimated if information on compliance is obtained only from employers.

Cross-Sectional Studies↗