Reliability of a semi-quantitative method for dermal exposure assessment (DREAM)

Area of Science:

• Occupational hygiene and toxicology
• Epidemiological exposure assessment

Background:

• Lack of valid and reliable semi-quantitative dermal exposure assessment methods for epidemiological research and occupational hygiene.
• Need for methods applicable to diverse chemical agents and tasks.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the reliability of the Dermal Exposure Assessment Method (DREAM).
• Evaluate inter-observer agreement and the impact of individual observers on exposure estimates.
• Compare agreement in ranking body parts by exposure level.

Main Methods:

• Four studies involving 29 observers (primarily occupational hygienists) performing side-by-side observations.
• Application of DREAM for dermal exposure to liquids, solids, and vapors across different tasks.
• Statistical analysis using intra-class correlation coefficients and linear mixed-effect models.

Main Results:

• Good to excellent inter-observer agreement for total dermal exposure estimates (Intra-class correlation coefficients: 0.68–0.87).
• Individual observers had a relatively small effect on task estimates (maximum multiplier of 2).
• Moderate to good inter-observer agreement for ranking body part exposure (Spearman correlation coefficients: 0.29–0.93).

Conclusions:

• DREAM provides reproducible dermal exposure estimates for a wide range of tasks and exposure types (liquids, solids, vapors).
• DREAM demonstrates good reliability and is a valuable tool for epidemiological research and occupational hygiene practice.
• The method offers a significant advancement in estimating dermal exposure.