Occupational health hazards in the interventional laboratory: time for a safer environment.
This document is a consensus statement by the major American societies of physicians who work in the interventional laboratory environment. It reviews available data on the prevalence of occupational health risks and summarizes ongoing epidemiologic studies designed to further elucidate these risks. Its purpose is to affirm that the interventional laboratory poses workplace hazards that must be acknowledged, better understood, and mitigated to the greatest extent possible. Vigorous efforts are advocated to reduce these hazards. Interventional physicians and their professional societies, working together with industry, should strive toward minimizing operator radiation exposure, eliminating the need for personal protective apparel, and ending the orthopedic and ergonomic consequences of the interventional laboratory work environment.
Klein
Lloyd W
LW
Department of Medicine, Rush Medical College, 675 West North Avenue, Suite 202, Melrose Park, IL 60160, USA. lloyd_w_klein@rush.edu
Miller
Donald L
DL
Balter
Stephen
S
Laskey
Warren
W
Haines
David
D
Norbash
Alexander
A
Mauro
Matthew A
MA
Goldstein
James A
JA