Occupational and Inhalation Exposures Research Program

National Institute Of Environmental Health Sciences

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

According to National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), fatalities from respiratory diseases and cancers caused by inhalation exposures account for approximately 70% of all occupational disease deaths. Respiratory diseases caused by occupational inhalation exposures include those affecting the large and small airways (such as allergy/asthma and fibrosis), interstitial (fibrotic) lung diseases (such as silicosis/asbestosis), pleural disease, and lung cancers. These adverse respiratory tract effects can be linked to acute or chronic (high- or low-dose) inhalation exposures in a wide variety of workplace settings and range from mild, reversible conditions to progressive, irreversible fatal disorders. Inhalation exposures can also cause adverse health effects in other (non-respiratory) organ systems. Inhalation exposures to toxic compounds tend to be weighted to occupational settings, although the general public may also be exposed to similar hazards via inhalation in the environment. However, inhalation exposures in the workplace tend to be at relatively higher doses compared with chronic, low-dose exposures to the general public. Other potential (non-inhalation) routes of exposure exist in the workplace (e.g., dermal sensitization) and for the general public (e.g., radiation) that can also cause adverse health effects to the respiratory tract and other organ systems. In alignment with NTP goals, the OIE Program will provide trusted science to support decision-making. Results from hazard characterization studies are utilized to ensure risks related to exposures are mitigated. In addition, this program will actively engage stakeholders and subject matter experts, in coordination across the Division of the National Toxicology Program (DNTP) (other programs) and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS), to enhance the goal of developing and applying innovative tools and strategies for addressing occupational/inhalation toxicology. This program will also examine current in-house approaches and processes to enhance our ability to detect translatable toxicological responses more effectively and efficiently. Research supported by the OIE Program will engage numerous aspects of the DNTP Translational Toxicology Pipeline including systematic review (scoping), human exposure assessment, in vitro approaches using human and rodent models, and short- and long-term in vivo approaches, as well as management of multiple processes in parallel to decrease the time required to release information to the public (thereby increasing the efficiency of the pipeline).