OPERAS: Unlocking the vaults of occupational exposure and health data – a case for automatic job coding.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) will be applied to develop an expert system, which mimics human experts, for the process of coding occupational histories. The tool to be developed will improve the efficiency and feasibility of incorporating occupational risk factors into large-scale epidemiological studies substantially progressing the field of occupational health.

• prof. dr. E.L. (Egon) van den Broek
• prof. dr. ir. R.C.H. (Roel) Vermeulen
• Mathijs Langezaal MSc

The Exposome Project for Health and Occupational Research (EPHOR) will lay the groundwork for evidence-based and cost-effective prevention for improving health at work, by developing a working life exposome toolbox. This toolbox can be used by scientists, occupational health practitioners, and policy makers. The consortium consists of 19 exposure, health, and data scientists and technology partners from 12 different countries. Together we will advance occupational health science in a unique way to reduce the burden of disease.

• prof. dr. ir. R.C.H. (Roel) Vermeulen
• drs. I.E. (Inka) Pieterson
• dr. L. (Lützen) Portengen
• dr. J.J. (Jelle) Vlaanderen
• dr. C.B. (Calvin) Ge
• T.W.J. (Tara) van der Grinten MSc
• W. (Wenxin) Wan MSc

The Network on the Coordination and Harmonisation of European Occupational Cohorts (OMEGA-NET) project aims to create a network to optimize and integrate occupational, industrial, and population cohorts at the European level. OMEGA-NET will advance the collaboration of existing cohorts, with extensive contemporary information on employment and occupational exposures; the coordination and harmonization of occupational exposure assessment efforts; and the facilitation of an integrated research strategy for occupational health in Europe. The work will provide a foundation for an enhanced evidence base for the identification of health risks and gains related to occupation and employment to foster safe and healthy preventive strategies and policies.

• prof. dr. ir. R.C.H. (Roel) Vermeulen

The objective of Euro-MOTOR is to discover new causative and disease-modifying pathways to pave the way for novel therapies for ALS.

• prof. dr. ir. R.C.H. (Roel) Vermeulen

The SYNERGY project -a pooled analysis of case-control studies on the joint effects of occupational carcinogens in the development of lung cancer- began in January 2007. The aim of SYNERGY is to study joint effects of occupational lung carcinogens and smoking. As of December 2011, data from 14 case-control studies conducted by renowned research groups in Europe and North America have been pooled. As of December 2011, the SYNERGY project had collected individual lifetime data on occupations and smoking history for >17 700 lung cancer cases and >21 800 control subjects.

The unique aspect of the SYNERGY project is its innovative strategy for assessing occupational exposures. The project currently focuses on exposure to asbestos, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), nickel, chromium and respirable crystalline silica. Quantitative exposure measurements are being collected from large national or industry-specific exposure databases in Europe and Canada. The SYN-JEM, a job-exposure matrix based on these measurements, has now been linked to the epidemiological data.

The SYNERGY project is funded by the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV), and is coordinated by the International Agency for Research on Cancer(IARC), the Institute for Prevention and Occupational Medicine of the DGUV, Institute of the Ruhr-University Bochum (IPA) and the Institute for Risk Assessment Sciences at Utrecht University (IRAS)

• prof. dr. ir. J. (Hans) Kromhout
• prof. dr. ir. R.C.H. (Roel) Vermeulen

Op 1 januari 2006 is in Nederland een landelijk onderzoek gestart; de 'Prospectieve ALS studie Nederland (PAN)'. Deze studie onderzoekt de risicofactoren voor het ontstaan het beloop van ALS, PLS en PSMA. Wereldwijd is de PAN studie het grootste onderzoek bij mensen met deze ziekten. Op 1 februari 2011 is de PAN ook onderdeel geworden van het Europese project Euro-MOTOR. Dit heeft er voor gezorgd dat het onderzoek ook wordt uitgevoerd in Italië en Ierland. Hiermee is de kracht van het onderzoek vergroot. 

• prof. dr. ir. R.C.H. (Roel) Vermeulen