[Follow-up after occupational asbestos exposure: terms and devices in foreign]

Area of Science:

• Occupational health
• Public health
• Medical surveillance

Background:

• Asbestos-induced diseases, like cancer, have long latency periods, necessitating continued employee monitoring post-employment.
• France has had a post-employment monitoring system since 1996.
• This article reviews international literature on post-employment monitoring arrangements, focusing on European countries.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review and characterize post-employment medical surveillance programs outside of France.
• To identify common medical protocols used in these programs.
• To compare international approaches to post-occupational monitoring.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of post-employment monitoring arrangements in Germany, Spain, Finland, Italy, Norway, Poland, and Switzerland.
• Analysis of medical protocols, including algorithmic decisions, questionnaires, physical examinations, chest radiography, CT scans, and spirometry.

Main Results:

• Limited national experiences with post-occupational medical surveillance for asbestos-related diseases were identified.
• Medical surveillance protocols typically involve a combination of methods such as questionnaires, imaging, and lung function tests.
• Germany has extensive experience, while many other programs are more recent.

Conclusions:

• Post-occupational medical surveillance for asbestos-related diseases is not widespread and varies significantly.
• Selection methods and examination frequencies differ internationally.
• While the French system can be improved, it is comparable to arrangements in other countries, where they exist.