Specific Job-Exposure Records to Assess in Routine Present Carcinogenic Risks

Job exposure matrices (JEM) have been commonly used in occupational epidemiology since the early 1980’ [1]. A large number of JEM have been described, some designated for population based studies, others designated for use in specific industries such as electronic utilities, paint manufacturing or hard metals and still others for study specific chemicals. But only few could be used for all commercial and industrial sectors and moreover only by trained and skill professionals. The general principle of JEM is based on the construction of a database that associates jobs (the rows of the matrix) with data about exposures to various risks [2]. JEM applicable to the general working population are usually constructed by using mainly the expertise of specialists. These JEM give a range of work features which are specific of particular occupations. JEM are particularly valuable when a subject’s recall for job activity or location, exceeds his ability to recall information relevant to different occupational exposures.