title: The role of state public health agencies in national efforts to track workplace hazards and the relevance of state experiences to nanomaterial worker surveillance.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This essay examines the role state public health agencies could play in the surveillance of emerging workplace hazards including nanotechnology.
  
  
  METHODS
  This essay describes existing state occupational health surveillance programs in order to demonstrate their potential applicability, and limitations, in regards to nanomaterial worker surveillance.
  
  
  RESULTS
  State public health agencies have access to information and an ability to put surveillance information to use in ways that complement those of industry, academia, regulatory agencies, and federal partners.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Some state public health agencies have significant experience with occupational health surveillance and are therefore valuable partners in the development and implementation of nanotechnology worker surveillance programs. Including states in emerging hazard surveillance enhances surveillance activities and builds state capacity to help workers.
authors.affiliation: Occupational Health Branch, California Department of Public Health, Richmond, CA 94804, USA. rroisman@cdph.ca.gov
authors.forename: Rachel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Roisman
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Materna
authors.forename: Stella
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Beckman
authors.forename: Elizabeth
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Katz
authors.forename: Dennis
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Shusterman
authors.forename: Robert
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Harrison
mesh_terms: D002140:California; D006801:Humans; D049329:Nanostructures; D036103:Nanotechnology; D016273:Occupational Exposure; D011634:Public Health / Q000379:methods; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D013219:State Government; D017132:Workplace