Introduction
Job-exposure and Job task-exposure matrices to evaluate exposure to disinfectants in U.S. nurses
A job-exposure matrix (JEM) and a job task-exposure matrix (JTEM) have been designed to evaluate occupational exposure to specific disinfectants for several nursing jobs.
Design of the JEM and JTEM
Disinfectant use was assessed by an occupational questionnaire in 9073 US female registered nurses without asthma drawn from the Nurses Health Study II (NHSII; http://www.nurseshealthstudy.org/). The JEM was created based on self-reported frequency of use (1-3, 4-7 days/week) of 7 disinfectants (alcohol, hypochlorite bleach, peroxide bleach, glutaraldehyde, quats, enzymatic cleaners, formaldehyde) and sprays in 8 nursing jobs (emergency room, operating room, intensive care unit, other inpatient nurse, outpatient or community, other hospital nursing, nursing outside hospital and nursing education or administration). The JTEM was designed by combining nursing jobs and disinfection tasks (cleaning surfaces only, cleaning at least instruments, none). Exposure was evaluated in 3 classes (low, medium, high) using product-specific cut-offs defined from the distribution of self-reported exposure per job/task.
A publication describing in detail the development of the JEM and the JTEM is available: Quinot C, Dumas O, Henneberger PK, Varraso R, Wiley AS, Speizer FE, Goldberg M, Zock JP, Camargo CA Jr, Le Moual N. Development of a Job-Task-Exposure Matrix to assess occupational exposure to disinfectants among U.S. nurses. Occup Environ Med 2017;74:130-7.
How to access the JEM and JTEM
JEM and JTEM are available freely by contacting Nicole Le Moual (nicole.lemoual@inserm.fr).
Funding
This work was funded by: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention R01 OH-10359.