Ocean Studies Board Annual Report

The Ocean Studies Board of the National Research Council monitors the status and needs of ocean sciences and assists U.S. government agencies in the development and maintenance of ocean research programs. The major activities of 1988 are reviewed on the following: Navy Review Panel, NOAA Review Panel, CO2 Panel, International Ocean Science Policy Group, Ocean Climate Research Committee, The Continental Margins Workshop Committee, and the Exclusive Economic Zone

Atoll research bulletin.

no.531-542 (2005

Atoll research bulletin.

no.494 (2001

State-of-the-Science Workshop Report: Issues and Approaches in Low-Dose–Response Extrapolation for Environmental Health Risk Assessment

Low-dose extrapolation model selection for evaluating the health effects of environmental pollutants is a key component of the risk assessment process. At a workshop held in Baltimore, Maryland, on 23–24 April 2007, sponsored by U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Johns Hopkins Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute, a multidisciplinary group of experts reviewed the state of the science regarding low-dose extrapolation modeling and its application in environmental health risk assessments. Participants identified discussion topics based on a literature review, which included examples for which human responses to ambient exposures have been extensively characterized for cancer and/or noncancer outcomes. Topics included the need for formalized approaches and criteria to assess the evidence for mode of action (MOA), the use of human versus animal data, the use of MOA information in biologically based models, and the implications of interindividual variability, background disease processes, and background exposures in threshold versus nonthreshold model choice. Participants recommended approaches that differ from current practice for extrapolating high-dose animal data to low-dose human exposures, including categorical approaches for integrating information on MOA, statistical approaches such as model averaging, and inference-based models that explicitly consider uncertainty and interindividual variability

The Personal protective technology program at NIOSH: reviews of research programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Maintaining the health and safety of workers in the United States and globally is accomplished in part by reducing hazardous exposures through the use of personal protective equipment. Personal protective technologies (PPT) include respirators worn by construction workers and miners; protective clothing, respirators, and gloves worn by firefighters and mine rescue workers; and respirators and protective clothing worn by healthcare workers. An estimated 5 million workers are required to wear respirators in 1.3 million U.S. workplaces. For some occupations, such as firefighting, the worker's protective equipment is the only form of protection against life-threatening hazards; for other workers, the PPT is a supplement to ventilation and other environmental, engineering, or administrative hazard controls. In the United States, federal responsibility for civilian worker PPT is integral to the mission of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). This book examines the NIOSH Personal Protective Technology Program (PPT Program) and specifically focuses on the relevance and impact of this program in reducing hazardous exposures and improving worker health and safety.Summary -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Relevance of the NIOSH PPT Program -- 3. Impact of the NIOSH PPT Program -- 4. Emerging issues and research areas in personal protective technology -- 5. Recommendations for PPT program improvement -- Appendix A: Framework for the review of research programs of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health -- Appendix B: Methods: Committee information gathering -- Appendix C: Information Provided by the NIOSH PPT Program -- Appendix D: Biographical sketches of committee membersCommittee to Review the NIOSH Personal Protective Technology Program, Board on Health Sciences Policy, Institute of Medicine and National Research Council of the National Academies.Also available via the World Wide Web.Includes bibliographical references