R. Lemen - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by R. Lemen

Huanjing yu jiankang zhanwang, Feb 1, 2011

International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, 1998

Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 1997

International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health, 1998

Environnement Risques Sante, 2010

L'amiante est probablement le cancerogene environnemental et professionnel le mieux caracteri... more L'amiante est probablement le cancerogene environnemental et professionnel le mieux caracterise et le plus etudie. Pourtant, certaines incertitudes demeurent, qui empechent une evaluation exacte des risques de cancer du poumon et de mesotheliome, malgre le developpement de modeles statistiques de plus en plus sophistiques.

American journal of industrial medicine, Jan 17, 2016

American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1994

... Article. In memoriam : Joseph K. Wagoner, SD HYG, FACE december 4, 1935-may 30, 1993. Richard... more ... Article. In memoriam : Joseph K. Wagoner, SD HYG, FACE december 4, 1935-may 30, 1993. Richard A. Lemen PhD. Article first published online: 19 JAN 2007. ... How to Cite. Lemen, RA (1994), In memoriam : Joseph K. Wagoner, SD HYG, FACE december 4, 1935-may 30, 1993. ...

American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 1991

Assuming an average latency of 42 years, the authors predict that incidence rates will peak in 20... more Assuming an average latency of 42 years, the authors predict that incidence rates will peak in 2009 and that diagnoses will peak in 2014. However, they caution that ongoing use of chrysotile asbestos (which has been implicated but not conclusively established as a cause of mesothelioma) and the release of asbestos fibers from older buildings during demolition or reno vation may slow the projected decline.

International journal of occupational and environmental health, 2015

Clinical and public health research, education, and medical practice are vulnerable to influence ... more Clinical and public health research, education, and medical practice are vulnerable to influence by corporate interests driven by the for-profit motive. Developments over the last 10 years have shown that transparency and self-reporting of corporate ties do not always mitigate bias. In this article, we provide examples of how sound scientific reasoning and evidence-gathering are undermined through compromised scientific enquiry resulting in misleading science, decision-making, and policy intervention. Various medical disciplines provide reference literature essential for informing public, environmental, and occupational health policy. Published literature impacts clinical and laboratory methods, the validity of respective clinical guidelines, and the development and implementation of public health regulations. Said literature is also used in expert testimony related to resolving tort actions on work-related illnesses and environmental risks. We call for increased sensitivity, full t...

Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, 2011

International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health

This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative... more This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY

International Journal of Occupational Medicine and Environmental Health

International journal of environmental research and public health, Oct 26, 2017

Many developed countries have banned the use of asbestos, but not the United States. There have, ... more Many developed countries have banned the use of asbestos, but not the United States. There have, however, been multiple efforts in the US to establish strict exposure standards, to limit asbestos use, and to seek compensation through the courts for asbestos-injured workers' In consequence of these efforts, asbestos use has declined dramatically, despite the absence of a legally mandated ban. This manuscript presents a historical review of these efforts.

Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health, Part B

Mesothelioma, a rare tumor, is highly correlated with asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma, similar to... more Mesothelioma, a rare tumor, is highly correlated with asbestos exposure. Mesothelioma, similar to all asbestos-related diseases, is dose/intensity dependent to some degree, and studies showed the risk of mesothelioma rises with cumulative exposures. Multiple processes occur in an individual before mesothelioma occurs. The impact of mesothelioma in the United States has been continuous over the last half century, claiming between 2,000 and 3,000 lives each year. Mesothelioma is a preventable tumor that is more frequently reported as associated with asbestos exposure among men than women. However, the rate of asbestos-associated mesothelioma is on the rise among women due to better investigation into their histories of asbestos exposure. It is of interest that investigators detected asbestos-associated cases of mesothelioma in women from nonoccupational sources-that is, bystander, incidental, or take-home exposures. It is postulated that asbestos-associated mesotheliomas, in both men and women, are likely underreported. However, with the implementation of the most recent ICD-10 coding system, the correlation of mesothelioma with asbestos exposure is expected to rise to approximately 80% in the United States. This study examined the demographic and etiological nature of asbestos-related mesothelioma. Questions often arise as to what exposures to asbestos contribute to mesothelioma. In answering this question, it is important to understand both historical as well as current knowledge related to etiology and epidemiology. This study addresses such knowledge, including the role of multiple exposures to asbestos. However, as the potencies of asbestos fiber types have been discussed in detail elsewhere, this topic is not addressed in this article (Aust, Cook,

Scand J Work Environ …, 1982

MEINHARDT TJ, LEMEN RA, CRANDALL MS, YOUNG RJ. Environmental epidemiologic investigation of the s... more MEINHARDT TJ, LEMEN RA, CRANDALL MS, YOUNG RJ. Environmental epidemiologic investigation of the styrene-butadiene rubber industry: Mortality patterns with ciiscussion of the hematopoietic and lymphatic malign;lncies. Scand j work environ .health 8 (1982) 250-259. A retrospective cohort mortality study and an industrial hygiene assessment were undertaken in two styrene-butadiene rubber producing facilities in eastern Texas. Occupational histo!Y records were available from 1943 at plant A and from 1950 at plant B to the study cutoff date of 31 March 1976. With a two-sided test statistic, no statistically significant excesses in total or cause-specific mortality were observed for the overall worker population of either plant. However, the plant A study group demonstrated a nonsignificant statistical excess [standardized mortality ratio (SMR) of 203] for the cause-specific category of leukemia and aleukemia. Additional analyses were performed on a subgroup consisting of all white males with at least six months of employment at plant A between the beginning of 1943 and the end of 1945, a time which coincided with process and operational changes. An SMR of 278, also not statistically significant, was demonstrated for the leukemia and aleukemia cause-specific category. Due to the relative modest study population sizes, the power of this study to detect statistically significant excesses in leukemias or other malignancies of the hematopoietic and lymphatic tissues is not very large unless one is interested in 'substantial excesses, such as those that would correspond to a fourfold increase in risk.

IARC scientific publications, 1992

We have performed a quantitative assessment of the risk of lung cancer from exposure to cadmium b... more We have performed a quantitative assessment of the risk of lung cancer from exposure to cadmium based on a retrospective cohort mortality study of cadmium-exposed workers. The findings were analysed using a life-table analysis to estimate standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), and various functional forms of Poisson and Cox proportionate hazards models to examine dose-response relationships. An excess mortality from lung cancer was observed for the entire cohort (SMR = 149,95% CI = 95-222). Lung cancer mortality was significantly elevated among non-hispanic workers, among those in the highest cadmium-exposure group, and among workers with 20 or more years since first exposure. A statistically significant dose-response relationship was evident in nearly all of the regression analyses. Based on our analyses, the lifetime excess lung cancer risk at the current OSHA standard for cadmium fumes of 100 micrograms/m3 is approximately 50-111 lung cancer deaths per 1000 workers exposed to cadm...

Archives of Environmental Health: An International Journal, 1985

A retrospective cohort mortality study of phosphate fertilizer production workers was undertaken ... more A retrospective cohort mortality study of phosphate fertilizer production workers was undertaken to determine whether this group is at increased risk of dying from any cause, particularly from lung cancer. A total of 3,199 workers who had ever been employed at one facility were included in this investigation. These workers were followed for vital status ascertainment from their first date of employment up to December 1, 1977, or the date of death, whichever occurred first. Overall, no statistically significant elevations in cause-specific mortality were observed for the entire study population. However, when the analysis was stratified by duration of employment, and length of follow-up, a statistically significant (P less than .05) excess in lung cancer mortality was observed among workers with more than 10 yr of employment and follow-up (standardized mortality ratio = 411). Because of the small number of deaths involved, and because we had prior knowledge of a lung cancer cluster at this plant, we believe that these findings should be viewed as suggestive, and that other investigations in plants with similar exposures are needed to clarify whether an occupationally related lung cancer excess truly exists.

Annals of Epidemiology, 1992

We performed a quantitative assessment of the risk of lung cancer from exposure to cadmium based ... more We performed a quantitative assessment of the risk of lung cancer from exposure to cadmium based on a retrospective cohort mortality study of cadmium-exposed workers. The study population consisted of white male workers who were employed for at least 6 months at a cadmium smelter between January 1, 1940, and December 31, 1969, and who were first employed at the facility on or after January 1, 1926. The study findings were analyzed using a modified life-table analysis to estimate standardized mortality ratios (SMRs), and various functional forms (i.e., exponential, power, additive relative rate, and linear) of Poisson and Cox proportional hazards models to examine the dose-response relationship. Estimates of working lifetime risk (45 years) were developed using an approach that corrects for competing causes of death. An excess in mortality from lung cancer was observed for the entire cohort (SMR = 149, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 95, 222). Mortality from lung cancer was greatest among non-Hispanic workers (SMR = 211, 95% CI = 131, 323), among workers in the highest cadmium exposure group (SMR = 272, 95% CI = 123, 513), and among workers with 20 or more years since the first exposure (SMR = 161, 95% CI = 100, 248). A statistically significant dose-response relationship was evident in nearly all of the regression models evaluated. Based on our analyses, the lifetime excess lung cancer risk at the current Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard for cadmium fumes of 100 micrograms/m3 is approximately 50 to 111 lung cancer deaths per 1000 workers exposed to cadmium for 45 years.

American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2004

Asbestos has been incorporated into friction products since the early 1900s. Epidemiological stud... more Asbestos has been incorporated into friction products since the early 1900s. Epidemiological studies have been equivocal in their analysis of the incidence of disease among mechanics servicing brakes. Decomposition of asbestos occurs during the normal usage of the brake due to thermal decomposition into forsterite, although not all asbestos is so converted. Short fibers, below 5 mm in length, are also found in brake products. Several facts are discussed including the toxicity of the remaining asbestos fibers, short asbestos fibers, and the health implications of exposure to forsterite. Control methodologies, when used appropriately, have reduced exposure to asbestos during brake servicing, but have not been able to entirely eliminate exposure to asbestos, thus bring into question the controlled use of asbestos for friction product such as brakes. Even the so called ''controlled'' use of asbestos containing brakes poses a health risk to workers, users, and their families.

American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 2003