Ziembicki Stephanie, Kirkham Tracy L, Demers Paul A, Arrandale Victoria H
Occupational Cancer Research Centre, Ontario Health, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
J Occup Environ Hyg. 2024 Nov;21(11):795-804. doi: 10.1080/15459624.2024.2400227. Epub 2024 Oct 3.
A job-exposure matrix (JEM) is a tool that can estimate diesel engine exhaust (DEE) exposures. JEMs based on expert judgment or measurement data are limited by the information available at the time of development. Over time, more information about hazardous exposures is understood through additional measurements and peer-reviewed publications. This study presents a systematic approach to updating an existing DEE JEM using published data to better reflect current scientific knowledge. The literature was searched for occupational exposure studies that measured DEE as elemental carbon (EC) between January 2010 and May 2022. Four-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) 2002 and National Occupational Classification-Statistics (NOC-S) 2006 codes were assigned to each identified subgroup within the studies. EC exposures were categorized as low (0-10 µg/m), moderate (10-20 µg/m), or high (>20 µg/m). Weighted arithmetic means were calculated for each industry-occupation intersection (IOI) identified in the literature. These means were used to adjust, or retain, the existing exposure level within the JEM cells using a decision tree based on the number of studies, workplace locations, and pooled sample size of the weighted mean. Concordance was measured between the updated JEM (Diesel Exhaust in Canada JEM (DEC-JEM)), the previous (existing) JEM, and the Canadian Job-Exposure Matrix (CANJEM). Thirty-seven studies were identified from the published literature reporting on 53 unique IOIs (20 NAICS and 34 NOC-S codes), including occupations in the mining, construction, and transportation industries. Exposure levels for 66% of identified IOIs increased, most in construction and mining. After the decision tree's results were expanded to the full DEC-JEM, the exposure level of 486 IOIs (12.5% of DEC-JEM) and 286,710 workers (15.8% of DEE-exposed workers) increased. There was a significant correlation between qualitative exposure levels in the updated DEC-JEM and CANJEM (Kendall's τ = 0.364, < 0.001). This study describes a systematic approach to updating an existing JEM to incorporate new scientific knowledge. The updated DEC-JEM better reflects existing exposure knowledge in several industries, particularly construction. Future analyses include investigating its use as an exposure assessment tool in disease surveillance.
工作暴露矩阵（JEM）是一种可用于估算柴油机尾气（DEE）暴露情况的工具。基于专家判断或测量数据的JEM受到开发时可用信息的限制。随着时间的推移，通过更多的测量和同行评审出版物，人们对有害暴露有了更多了解。本研究提出了一种系统方法，利用已发表的数据更新现有的DEE JEM，以更好地反映当前的科学知识。检索了2010年1月至2022年5月期间将DEE作为元素碳（EC）进行测量的职业暴露研究文献。为研究中确定的每个亚组分配了四位数字的北美行业分类系统（NAICS）2002代码和国家职业分类统计（NOC-S）2006代码。EC暴露被分为低（0-10µg/m）、中（10-20µg/m）或高（>20µg/m）。计算了文献中确定的每个行业-职业交叉点（IOI）的加权算术平均值。这些平均值用于根据研究数量、工作场所位置和加权平均值的合并样本量，通过决策树来调整或保留JEM单元格内的现有暴露水平。对更新后的JEM（加拿大柴油机尾气JEM（DEC-JEM））、之前的（现有的）JEM和加拿大工作暴露矩阵（CANJEM）之间的一致性进行了测量。从已发表的文献中确定了37项研究，报告了53个独特的IOI（20个NAICS和34个NOC-S代码），包括采矿、建筑和运输行业的职业。66%的已确定IOI的暴露水平有所提高，其中建筑和采矿业提高最多。在将决策树的结果扩展到完整的DEC-JEM后，486个IOI（占DEC-JEM的12.5%）和286,710名工人（占DEE暴露工人的15.8%）的暴露水平有所提高。更新后的DEC-JEM中的定性暴露水平与CANJEM之间存在显著相关性（肯德尔τ=0.364，<0.001）。本研究描述了一种更新现有JEM以纳入新科学知识的系统方法。更新后的DEC-JEM更好地反映了几个行业，特别是建筑业的现有暴露知识。未来的分析包括研究其作为疾病监测中暴露评估工具的用途。
