Direct-Reading Instrument Input Sought by July 31
NIOSH seeks input from stakeholders by July 31 for a Direct Reading Exposure Assessment Methods (D.R.E.A.M.) workshop that it will conduct in Washington, D.C., on Nov. 13-14, 2008. Direct-reading instruments yield on-site measurements of workers' exposure to gases, vapors, aerosols, surface contamination, musculoskeletal disorders, and radiation, making them highly valuable IH instruments; the workshop has been planned to discuss how new technologies can improve the instruments and the analytical techniques, according to Christopher Coffey, Ph.D., chief of the Laboratory Research Branch in NIOSH's Division of Respiratory Disease Studies and the workshop's coordinator.
The workshop (visit www.team-psa.com/dream2008 for more information) will gather stakeholders' feedback on research needs in direct-reading methods for assessing occupational exposures. The general session will include state-of-the-art presentations touching on validation, data handling, and interpretation, with six concurrent breakout sessions to follow that are divided by hazard, including aerosols, gases/vapors, ergonomics (including vibration, lighting, and heat stress), noise, ionizing radiation, and surface sampling/biomonitoring.
More information on direct-reading methods is available at www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/drm/.