title: Have we overlooked important cohorts for follow-up studies? Report of the Chemical Industry Institute of Toxicology Conference of World War II-era Industrial Health Specialists.
abstract: During the World War II era large segments of the industrial work force suffered heavy exposure to toxic materials. Often there followed episodes of acute toxic illness, which may have been precursors of other effects, as yet unidentified. Yet adequate follow-up studies to document the subsequent health history of these populations have not been undertaken. Such studies should be initiated while knowledgeable persons and necessary records may still be found. Existing epidemiologic data bases, constructed after considerable effort, must be preserved in an archive for the benefit of future researchers. It is essential to identify and characterize important present-day cohorts now, although their experiences of interest to scientists may not occur for many years.
mesh_terms: D002617:Chemical Industry; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D009784:Occupational Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology*; D014116:Toxicology; D014481:United States