Is There a Link Between Work-Related Diseases and Certain Chemicals?

From the USA.gov Blog:

Is There a Link Between Work-Related Diseases and Certain Chemicals?:
By the Specialized Information Services Division of the National Library of Medicine

Have you ever wondered if there are links between certain hazardous job tasks and work-related diseases? You can find the answer to your questions by using Haz-Map, a database of chemicals, jobs and diseases from the National Library of Medicine.

The database lists 225 work-related diseases and over 4,556 chemical and biological agents. A connection between job tasks and jobs or industries and exposure to certain agents may indicate an increased possibility for workers to be at risk for work-related illnesses.

You can search Haz-Map by chemicals like pesticides, dyes or plastics. Or you can search by types of jobs such as food service or aircraft maintenance. Or by symptoms like rashes or dizziness.

Haz-Map can help you discover:

• If there are adverse effects, such as contact dermatitis, when using disinfectants
• Which diseases are connected to heavy metal poisoning
• Which work-related diseases are caused by certain major job categories
• Which symptoms are linked to certain job categories

Haz-Map has a glossary of the terms used in the database that can help understand what you read. There is also a list of all the references used to create Haz-Map. Those references include the 1997 Standard Occupational Classification (SOC) system for jobs, the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) for industries, and the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-9) for diseases.