|
Sentinel Event Notification System for Occupational Risks (SENSOR)-Pesticides is a U.S. state-based surveillance program that monitors pesticide-related illness and injury. It is administered by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), twelve state health agencies participate. NIOSH provides technical support to all participating states. It also provides funding to some states, in conjunction with the US Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA). Pesticide-related illness is a significant occupational health issue, but it is believed to be underreported. Because of this, NIOSH proposed the SENSOR program to track pesticide poisonings. Because workers in many industries are at risk for pesticide exposure, and public concern exists regarding the use of and exposure to pesticides, government and regulatory authorities experience pressure to monitor health effects associated with them. SENSOR-Pesticides state partners collect case data from several different sources using a standard case definition and set of variables. This information is then forwarded to the program headquarters at NIOSH where it is compiled and put into a national database. Researchers and government officials from the SENSOR-Pesticides program have published research articles that highlight findings from the data and their implications for environmental and occupational pesticide issues. These issues include eradication of invasive species, pesticide poisoning in schools, birth defects, and residential use of total release foggers, or "bug bombs," which are devices that release an insecticide mist. ==Background== Although it is a significant occupational health issue, work-related pesticide poisoning is believed to be underreported.〔 Before the SENSOR program began, state programs that collected reports of occupational diseases did not usually conduct interventions.〔 While over 25 states required reporting of pesticide-related illness, most of them could not compile useful information on incidence or prevalence.〔 In response to these challenges, NIOSH proposed the SENSOR program as a model to track certain occupational conditions, including pesticides.〔〔〔 Pesticide poisoning is an important occupational health issue because pesticides are used in a large number of industries, which puts many different categories of workers at risk. From 1995 to 2001, use in agriculture accounted for at least 70% of conventional pesticide use in the U.S.,〔〔〔〔 and the US EPA estimates that the agricultural sector has had a similar market share of pesticides since 1979.〔 Pesticides are particularly useful in agriculture because they increase crop yields and reduce the need for manual labor. However, this extensive use puts agricultural workers at increased risk for pesticide illnesses.〔〔 Workers in other industries are at risk for exposure as well.〔〔 For example, commercial availability of pesticides in stores puts retail workers at risk for exposure and illness when they handle pesticide products.〔 The ubiquity of pesticides puts emergency responders such as fire-fighters and police officers at risk, because they are often the first responders to emergency events and may be unaware of the presence of a poisoning hazard.〔 The process of aircraft disinsection, in which pesticides are used on inbound international flights for insect and disease control, can also make flight attendants sick.〔〔 The widespread use of pesticides, their release into the environment, and the potential for adverse public health effects due to exposure may raise public concern.〔〔 Some feel that regulatory authorities have an ethical obligation to track the health effects of such chemicals. In the ''Handbook of Pesticide Toxicology'', Calvert ''et al.'' write "()ecause society allows pesticides to be disseminated into the environment, society also incurs the obligation to track the health effects of pesticides."〔 Jay Vroom, president of CropLife America, said in a press release that "...our industry has a moral and ethical obligation...to know how these products impact humans."〔 Surveillance of pesticide-related injuries and illnesses is recommended by the American Medical Association, the Council of State and Territorial Epidemiologists (CSTE),〔 the Pew Environmental Health Commission,〔 and the Government Accountability Office.〔〔〔 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「SENSOR-Pesticides」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
|