title: Illness and absenteeism among California highway patrol officers responding to hazardous material spills.
abstract: Highway patrol officers are the primary responders to hazardous material spills in California, yet little is known regarding the health effects resulting from this exposure. A historical cohort study of 993 California highway patrol officers who responded to hazardous material spills in 1984 was conducted. The records of officers who were exposed to acutely toxic chemicals were followed for the subsequent week to determine if they demonstrated more absenteeism or illness compared to officers who were not exposed to toxic chemicals. No significant differences in the frequency of absenteeism or illness was found between the two groups during the week following exposure. No indication was found that exposure to hazardous materials during a highway patrol spill response results in increased absenteeism.
authors.affiliation: New York State College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca.
authors.forename: P B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: English
authors.forename: G M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Shaw
authors.forename: G C
authors.initials: GC
authors.lastname: Windham
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: Neutra
mesh_terms: D000041:Absenteeism; D000063:Accidents, Traffic; D000328:Adult; D002140:California; D005260:Female; D015386:Hazardous Substances / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012926:Social Control, Formal
chemical_list: D015386:Hazardous Substances