National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Japan
The mission of this research division is to elucidate the causes of occupational diseases experimentally and provide scientific evidence and measures for the prevention of the diseases. There are three main study objectives in this division. The first is to investigate the causative factors of occupational diseases that are prevalent among workers and explore how these factors, such as exposure to some specific chemicals, induce health problems. The second is to conduct hazard assessments of industrial chemicals that may be toxic to workers in their workplaces. Individual traits such as gender, age, and genetics are considered in assessments. Moreover, the division attempts to develop new methods and/or models for hazard assessments. The third objective is to establish biomarkers and/or new assays for the evaluation of exposure to chemicals and for adverse health effects in their early stages. Recent research subjects include occupational bladder and bile duct cancers in factories manufacturing or utilizing some chemicals, accelerated silicosis in plants producing fine particles of crystalline silica, beryllium sensitization and chronic beryllium lung disease, and assessment models for percutaneous absorption and genotoxicity of industrial chemicals.
