Exposure Registries

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Exposure registries are new tools for use as part of the public health response to toxic occupational and environmental exposures. These registries can help fill a gap that currently exists in the effective handling of problems following the revelation of an exposure situation. In the past, such a tool was lacking and potentially high-risk groups may not have received needed services. Recent legislation, however, has mandated the establishment of exposure registries. These registries can help provide the basis for a unified response to what historically has been described as a fragmented and ineffective approach to managing high-risk cohorts and assessing the impact of toxic substances. Certain exposure registries are now mandated by law (PL 96–510), and they have a place alongside other disease control and public health tools. Their establishment and use is not without problems, but the gain from them could be substantial. They fill a gap in the current public health response to problems of groups found to be at increased risk of exposure to toxic substances.