histotech mortality
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From: | RSRICHMOND@aol.com |
To: | Histonet@pathology.swmed.edu |
Reply-To: | |
Content-Type: | text/plain; charset="US-ASCII" |
I would strongly suggest NOT collecting anecdotes to find out about possible
chemical risks to histotechnologists. This approach will not yield meaningful
results, and will contribute to needless anxiety, because you'll get
selective reporting (cancer deaths will be reported, heart disease and stroke
deaths often not reported) and statistically meaningless results.
I don't think you can do a worthwhile study without engaging an
epidemiologist - somebody who knows a lot more about doing this kind of study
than I do, anyway.
The simplest way avoid anecdotal bias that I can think of is to find an old
listing of histotechnologists that includes names and either Social Security
Numbers (SSN) or dates of birth. NSH membership rolls, or the histotechs in a
large old laboratory, might provide such a base.
Then search the names through Social Security Death Index (SSDI, available on
the Web) to find the ones who've died. Verify individuals with birth dates or
SSN's.
Order each death certificate through the state authorities for the state (of
the USA) they died in. (I didn't say this was going to be easy.)
When you get all the death certificates, get some expert help on what to do
next!
I think that a "prospective study" will probably be necessary to get any
meaningful information. Identify a large base of histotechs and begin
tracking them, obtaining each death certificate as they die off. (This is a
LONG TERM project!)
A national (USA) study of the health histories of female nurses has been
going on for about twenty years, and has become a real gold mine of
epidemiologic information. I'd suggest that anybody interested in this
problem find out more about this study - for one thing, it'll serve as a
badly needed control group.
Bob Richmond
Samurai Pathologist
Knoxville TN
PS: Very strong agreement with Don Schoonhoven that >>I have found that in
the laboratories that have inadequately trained technicians the reasons can
be placed at the pathologists' door.<< - For starters, why is the Samurai the
only working pathologist who's active on Histonet?
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