A job-exposure matrix (JEM) and a job task-exposure matrix (JTEM) have been designed to evaluate occupational exposure to specific disinfectants for several nursing jobs.
Design of the JEM and JTEM:
Disinfectant use was assessed by an occupational questionnaire in 9073 US female registered nurses without asthma, who were drawn from the Nurses’ Health Study II ( http://www.nurseshealthstudy.org/ ). This study is based at the Channing Division of Network Medicine, at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, MA. The JEM was created based on self-reported frequency of use (1–3, 4–7 days/week) of 7 disinfectants (alcohol, hypochlorite bleach, peroxide bleach, glutaraldehyde, quats, enzymatic cleaners, formal