Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene

Occupational Health Research at NIOSH The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the U.S. federal agency that conducts research and makes recommendations for preventing work-related injuries, illnesses, and deaths.1 The work by NIOSH protects the safety and health of the nation’s 155 million workers.2 NIOSH provides the only dedicated federal investment for research needed to prevent the societal cost of work-related fatalities, injuries and illnesses in the United States, estimated in 2007 at $250 billion in medical costs and productivity losses alone.3 NIOSH produces new scientific knowledge and provides practical solutions vital to reducing risks of injury and death in the workplace.1 NIOSH scientists design, conduct, and support targeted research, both inside and outside the institute, and support the training of occupational health and safety professionals to meet increasing needs for a new generation of skilled practitioners. The primary goal of this supplement to Environmental Health Insights is to highlight the diversified occupational health and industrial hygiene research program of NIOSH. A group of nine papers that address important research areas of NIOSH have been selected for inclusion in the supplement. The supplement includes manuscripts that describe experimental studies which examine specific workplace problems as well as papers that review the scientific literature related to emerging issues in occupational health. Thousands of workers are exposed to fumes emitted during welding in the U.S. daily.4 Two papers in the supplement highlight research that has attempted to make the workplace safer by reducing fume emissions and replacing potentially hazardous materials used in welding with safer alternatives. These studies address important NIOSH construction-related research which is specifically focused on reducing welding fume exposures. Work-related musculoskeletal disorders are prevalent across the world and associated with chronic pain and physical disability.5 Another important NIOSH construction-related research goal is to reduce the incidence and severity of workrelated musculoskeletal disorders among construction workers in the U.S. Three papers in the supplement examine the findings from studies that assess the effects of work and occupational strain leading to musculoskeletal disorders. The potential health effects associated with exposure to engineered nanomaterials is a priority research area of NIOSH and has led to the development of the NIOSH Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC). As such, one study described in this supplement evaluates the potential bio-reactivity of silicon nanowires, an emerging engineered nanomaterial that now is commonly used in the technology and manufacturing fields. By using a novel inhalation exposure system, another study examines the potential pulmonary and cardiovascular effects associated with exposure to a material that was used as an Supplement Aims and Scope