Ma. Mcdiarmid et al., FOLLOW-UP OF BIOLOGIC MONITORING RESULTS IN CADMIUM WORKERS REMOVED FROM EXPOSURE, American journal of industrial medicine, 32(3), 1997, pp. 261-267
Biological monitoring and exposure monitoring data for employees at a
nickel-cadmium battery production facility were made available to OSHA
for review. Sixteen employees were medically removed from occupationa
l exposures to cadmium due to elevated levels of biological parameters
(CdB, Cdu, B2U). While the biological monitoring parameters for most
workers significantly declined during the 18 months of medical removal
, the biological parameters for only one employee's values returned to
the normal range. Only one worker had frank renal dysfunction, based
on beta-2-microglobulin levels at the time of removal; this dysfunctio
n remained throughout the 17 months of observation after medical remov
al. Significant policy implications of medical removal protection beyo
nd the current 18-month period provided by the cadmium standards exist
and require physician discretion. Mitigating issues which may make it
ethically appropriate to return an employee to work despite elevated
biologic monitoring parameters are also discussed. (C) 1997 Wiley-Liss
, Inc.