February 2009

Occupational Health Hazards in the Interventional Laboratory: Time for a Safer Environment — download consensus statement (PDF, 95K)

Lloyd W. Klein, Donald L. Miller, Stephen Balter, Warren Laskey, David Haines, Alexander Norbash, Matthew A. Mauro, James A. Goldstein, members of the Joint Inter-Society Task Force on Occupational Hazards in the Interventional Laboratory

This document is a consensus statement by the major American societies of physicians who work in a laboratory environment. It reviews available data on the prevalence of occupational health risks and summarizes ongoing epidemiologic studies designed to further elucidate these risks.

Its purpose is to affirm that the laboratory poses workplace hazards that must be better understood and mitigated. Efforts are advocated to reduce these hazards: to minimize operator radiation exposure, eliminate the need for personal protective apparel, and end the orthopedic and ergonomic consequences of the laboratory work environment.

Download consensus statement (PDF, 95K)