RESEARCH, PRACTICES ON SMOKING AND WORKER HEALTH FOCUS OF JUNE 15-16 NIOSH WORKSHOP

Contact: Fred Blosser (202) 260-8519
May 25, 2000

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) will sponsor a research workshop on June 15-16, 2000, in Washington, D.C., to discuss issues related to smoking and worker health. The workshop will review the state of current knowledge in this area, and identify barriers to improving worker health protection.

The workshop will assemble invited participants from public health, government, academia, labor, and industry. The workshop will be open to the public for observation of presentations and discussions, subject to availability of space.

"Both alone and in combination with workplace exposures, tobacco smoke poses significant health risks to workers," said NIOSH Director Linda Rosenstock, M.D., M.P.H. "In this workshop, we are pleased to join with diverse partners to survey the current scientific data on these risks, discuss existing policies and programs that have been successful in reducing smoking among workers, and identify priorities for further action."

The workshop participants will discuss four issues:

• Why are smoking and attendant ill health so prevalent among certain groups of workers?
• How do tobacco smoke, toxic substances in the workplace, and job-related stressors combine to affect worker health?
• What interventions and policies have been shown to be effective in reducing smoking among workers?
• What gaps exist in current research, policy, and interventions, which impede protection of workers and their families from adverse health effects related to tobacco smoke?

Workshop proceedings will be published as a NIOSH document. Because space is limited, persons interested in attending the workshop as observers must register in advance. For further information on the workshop, contact Marcia Stanton, NIOSH Division of Respiratory Disease Studies, at (304) 285-6339, e-mail ZFC5@cdc.gov.

For further information on NIOSH research pertaining to workplace exposure to tobacco smoke and other occupational health and safety issues, call the NIOSH toll-free information number, 1-800-35-NIOSH (1-800-356-4674) or visit NIOSH on the NIOSH site.