Problems associated with the characterization of occupational hazards based on the effect of a single agent or the additive effects of several agents were addressed. The authors supported an approach that considered all hazards to which workers are exposed as a combined risk, rather than estimating risk associated with multiple exposures by adding the adverse effects of individual agents. Several examples were presented supporting the authors' view. A study by NIOSH demonstrated that the additive approach was accurate in predicting adverse developmental outcomes resulting from exposure to chemical and physical agents in only about 50% of the cases. Actual risks were overestimated using this approach in 25% of the cases and underestimated, some dramatically, in the other 25%. In addition, studies have indicated a markedly increased risk of developmental disorders for combined exposures to radiofrequency radiation and 2-methoxyethanol (109864) compared with the risk for exposure to either agent alone. Similar increased risks for hearing loss in humans exposed to both organic solvents and noise have been reported. The authors recommend that risk assessments take into account the interactive effects of combined chemical and physical agent exposures.
Links with this icon indicate that you are leaving the CDC website.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) cannot attest to the accuracy of a non-federal website.
Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website.
You will be subject to the destination website's privacy policy when you follow the link.
CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website.
For more information on CDC's web notification policies, see Website Disclaimers.
CDC.gov Privacy Settings
We take your privacy seriously. You can review and change the way we collect information below.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
Cookies used to make website functionality more relevant to you. These cookies perform functions like remembering presentation options or choices and, in some cases, delivery of web content that based on self-identified area of interests.
Cookies used to track the effectiveness of CDC public health campaigns through clickthrough data.
Cookies used to enable you to share pages and content that you find interesting on CDC.gov through third party social networking and other websites. These cookies may also be used for advertising purposes by these third parties.
Thank you for taking the time to confirm your preferences. If you need to go back and make any changes, you can always do so by going to our Privacy Policy page.