Abstract
Epidemiologic studies conducted at hazardous waste sites present a number of methodologic difficulties in addition to those generally associated with observational studies in human populations (Marsh and Caplan, 1987). First, the populations studied are relatively small, making the identification of rare outcomes, such as cancer, difficult. Second, the latent period required for many clinical outcomes to be expressed may be long and the duration of residence for many members of the population inadequate for disease expression. Migration into and out of the study area may make precise ascertainment of duration of exposure difficult. Third, there may be a lack of specificity for many potential outcomes. Fourth, confounding bias exerted by other exposures (e.g., smoking, alcohol consumption, occupational exposures to chemicals) may make it difficult to determine whether associations detected are related to exposure to the waste site.
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Reif, J.S., Ramsdell, H.S., DuTeau, N.M., Anger, W.K., Tsongas, T.A. (1993). The Use of Biomarkers in the Evaluation of Exposure and Health at a Hazardous Waste Site. In: Travis, C.C. (eds) Use of Biomarkers in Assessing Health and Environmental Impacts of Chemical Pollutants. NATO ASI Series, vol 250. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-2052-2_21
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