title: Matgéné: a program to develop job-exposure matrices in the general population in France.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Matgéné is a program to develop job-exposure matrices (JEMs) adapted to the general population in France for the period since 1950. The aim is to create retrospective exposure assessment tools for estimating the prevalence of occupational exposure to various agents that can then be correlated to health-related parameters.
  
  
  METHODS
  JEMs were drawn up by a team of six industrial hygienists who based their assessments on available occupational measurement, economic and statistical data, and several thousand job descriptions from epidemiological studies performed in France since 1984. Each JEM is specific to one agent, assessing exposure for a set of homogeneous combinations (occupation × activity × period) according to two occupational classifications (ISCO 1968 and PCS 1994) and one economic activities classification (NAF 2000). The cells of the JEM carry an estimate of the probability and level of exposure. Level is estimated by the duration and intensity of exposure-linked tasks or by description of the tasks when exposure measurement data are lacking for the agent in question. The JEMs were applied to a representative sample of the French population in 2007, and prevalence for each exposure was estimated in various population groups. All documents and data are available on a dedicated website.
  
  
  RESULTS
  By the end of 2010, 18 JEMs have been developed and eight are under development, concerning a variety of chemical agents: organic and mineral dust, mineral fibers, and solvents. By implementation in the French population, exposure prevalences were calculated at different dates and for complete careers, and attributable risk fractions were estimated for certain pathologies. Some of these results were validated by comparison with those of other programs.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Initial Matgéné JEMs results are in agreement with the French and international literature, thus validating the methodology. Exposure estimates precision, however, vary between agents and according to the amount of exposure measurement data available. These JEMs are important epidemiological tools, and improving their quality will require investment in occupational health data harvesting, especially in the case of low-level exposures.
authors.affiliation: Département Santé Travail, Institut de Veille Sanitaire, F-94415 Saint Maurice, France. joelle.fevotte@univ-lyon1.fr
authors.forename: Joëlle
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Févotte
authors.forename: Brigitte
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Dananché
authors.forename: Laurène
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Delabre
authors.forename: Stephane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ducamp
authors.forename: Loïc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Garras
authors.forename: Marie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Houot
authors.forename: Danièle
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Luce
authors.forename: Ewa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Orlowski
authors.forename: Corinne
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Pilorget
authors.forename: Aude
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Lacourt
authors.forename: Patrick
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Brochard
authors.forename: Marcel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Goldberg
authors.forename: Ellen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Imbernon
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational / Q000032:analysis; D001699:Biometry / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D005602:France / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016273:Occupational Exposure / Q000032:analysis* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009790:Occupations / Q000145:classification; D015995:Prevalence; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012189:Retrospective Studies
chemical_list: D000395:Air Pollutants, Occupational