ABSTRACT
Occupational hygiene grew out of the recognition of the more insidious effects of repeated exposure to chemicals or other hazards in the workplace. Occupational hygiene data are an essential part of the toxicological appraisal of industrial substances and are utilised both in epidemiology and in setting of exposure standards. Historical exposure measurements are usually difficult to reconstruct due to insufficient data, incomplete work histories, and changes in manufacturing processes, control technology, and industrial hygiene measurement techniques. Assessment and control of toxic substances in the workplace is one of the main roles of the occupational hygiene profession. Analysis of tissue or body fluids is employed to measure toxic chemicals in the body or to assess biochemical changes which might provide the early signs of toxic damage. These two different objectives may be termed ‘biological exposure monitoring’ and ‘biological effect monitoring’.
