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American Academy of Health Physics
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Address contributions for CHP News or "CHP Corner" to: |
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STEVE RIMA, CHP CSP
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GARY KEPHART, CHP CIH
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Recently Charles Roessler, your AAHP President,
was invited to write a guest column for the Academy of Industrial
Hygiene newsletter regarding ties between the health physics and
industrial hygiene professions. His column appeared in the June 2000
issue of The AIH Diplomate which appeared as an insert in the June/July
2000 issue of the American Industrial Hygiene Association publication,
The Synergist. Since many Academy members are not members of the AIHA
and may not have seen Chuck's column, it is reprinted here in its
entirety.
Ties Between Health Physics and Industrial HygieneCharles E. Roessler, Ph.D., MPH, CHP President, American Academy of Health Physics  First
of all, I thank Editor Ettinger for the invitation to submit this
column. This assignment has been a stimulus for formalizing some recent
reflections on the ties between health physics and industrial hygiene in
the 21st century.
Health physics deals with radiation safety in various settings—including
exposure in the workplace, exposure of the general public to radiation
in the general environment and exposure of the patient in diagnostic or
therapeutic procedures. A professional society, the Health Physics
Society (HPS) was founded in 1956. Shortly thereafter, the HPS began
efforts to establish competency standards and examine and certify health
physicists meeting these standards. An independent entity to accomplish
these objectives, the American Board of Health Physics, was incorporated
in 1960. As a further evolution in the 1990s, the American Academy of
Health Physics was formed to provide an organization for Certified
Health Physicists, encourage the highest standards of ethics and
integrity in health physics practice, give CHPs a voice in the selection
of ABHP and support the activities of ABHP. In 1994, the corporate
structures of ABHP and the AAHP were consolidated, with ABHP becoming a
body within the AAHP.
A Strong Connection The
fields of health physics and industrial hygiene have long been
intertwined. Since industrial hygiene and occupational health deal with
the broad spectrum of potentially hazardous agents in the workplace and
health physics deals with radiation in various settings, exposure to
radiation in the workplace represents the intersection of the two. A
review of HPS history indicates the evolution of a professional society
and a certification program could have gone in any of several
directions. At a 1955 health physics conference, Karl Z. Morgan noted
that more health physicists belonged to AIHA than to any other
functional organization. He presented a number of options for forming a
health physics organization, including: a) a section within AIHA, b)
several models of a separate society affiliated with AIHA, c) several
models of a separate society affiliated with other existing societies
and d) several models of an independent society1. Later the attendees at
that conference voted to form an independent professional society2. The
new society continued ties with industrial hygiene; early HPS Board of
Directors rosters included such industrial hygiene personalities as
Edgar G. Barnes, Harry F. Schulte, and Merril Eisenbud.
The
two fields have also been intertwined in my personal experience. My
health physics fellowship curriculum at the University of Rochester in
1955-56 included an industrial hygiene and toxicology course. My
subsequent job was in a group having responsibility for both radiation
protection and the broader aspects of industrial hygiene, and this
prompted me to strengthen my industrial hygiene knowledge. Then my
industrial hygiene fellowship program at the University of Pittsburgh
from 1958-59 included a health physics course. My next job was as a
radiological physicist (health physicist) with the Division of
Industrial Hygiene (later renamed Division of Radiological and
Occupational Health) of the Florida State Board of Health. While my
interests led me to concentrate in the radiation area and seek
certification in health physics, I have maintained my membership in AIHA
and ACGIH as well as HPS. The field of health physics owes much to
industrial hygiene for providing scientific theory, sampling and
measurement techniques and methods for hazardous (radioactive) material
control. For example, aerosols have the same behavior whether or not
they are radioactive, and the techniques developed for controlling,
sampling, characterizing and modeling behavior of aerosols in general
are equally applicable to radioactive materials. Reciprocally, the field
of industrial hygiene has benefitted greatly from the funding provided
for nuclear and radiation research and development.
Administratively,
the health physics and the industrial hygiene units are often in the
same medical or environmental health and safety group where they can
provide mutual support. Through cross-training, limited resources can be
more effective in this time of budget tightening and downsizing. In
addition, individuals who become cross-trained increase their
understanding of their departments' overall challenges, and they
significantly improve their own chances for upward mobility.
Similar Challenges The
coexistence of potential radiation/radioactivity and non-radiological
problems in the same facility is a strong reason for close alliance
between the fields. For example, beryllium, still of concern decades
after being recognized as a hazardous material, has been widely used in
nuclear operations. In another example, decommissioning and remediation
of nuclear facilities and sites may involve a wide variety of hazardous
materials in addition to radioactivity.
Another
contemporary challenge is the management of so-called "mixed waste"
(waste with both radioactive and other hazardous constituents). The
radiation and chemical risk management approaches, born out of different
traditions, differ sharply, and the wastes and their management are
regulated by two different agencies. The solution to mixed waste
management involves treating either the chemical or radiological
component while providing protection from the untreated component, and
then directing the residual to the appropriate waste stream. Along
similar lines, a current topic of discussion is the "harmonizing"
of standards and management for chemicals and radiation. The need for
the cooperation of radiation safety and chemical safety disciplines in
these examples is obvious.
Recently
the question was raised as to whether certification by the ABHP should
constitute evidence of sufficient qualifications for admission to the
ABIH exam3. By extension the reciprocal question could also be raised.
The answer given to this question was: No, while both boards similarly
require strong science backgrounds, the requirements are stated
differently. Neither board would presume to dictate to the other. On the
other hand, this does not preclude future efforts to achieve some form
of reciprocity.
There
is currently visible cross-interest between the two fields. ABIH is
developing an associate industrial hygiene certification for
professionals who primarily function in a single industrial hygiene
rubric area (such as health physics) and thus do not qualify for
comprehensive practice certification. HPS is exerting efforts to enhance
liaison between the health physics and industrial hygiene communities4,
and AAHP and HPS offered continuing education and professional
enrichment courses on industrial hygiene topics at the June 2000
American Radiation Safety Conference and Exposition. Some may see this
as two-way "invasion of turf." I prefer to view this as a
recognition of the interrelationships of the two fields.
The Future My
vision for the 21st century is one of mutual respect and cost-effective
utilization of talent. Health physicists would be expected to recognize
nonradiological hazards as they come upon them, solve the simpler
problems and know when to call in the industrial hygiene expert.
Similarly, industrial hygienists would recognize radiological hazards,
be able to deal with basic radiation protection problems and know when
to call in the radiation expert. This vision has health physicists and
industrial hygienists both contributing to the harmonization of the
approaches to radiation and chemical risks. Another part of the vision
would have the various safety-area certifying bodies addressing
reciprocity questions, working through vehicles such as the Council of
Engineering and Scientific Specialty Boards and the Intersociety
Credentialing Task Force.
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