-n- 
PreefffpToyrnent Examinations - The purposes of preemployment examinations 
are (1) to establish a worker's health status prior to the start of work; (2) 
to provide baseline data for possible epidemiologic studies; (3) to Identify 
conditions which may place a worker at heightened risk of work>re1ated 
Illness; and (4) to obtain data on such risk factors as tobacco, alcohol, and 
drug consunption. Fitness for employment in biotechnology must be established 
on an individual basis for each potential worker with any underlying medical 
condition. Among the conditions which may place a worker at heightened risk 
18 
of acquiring occupational illness in biotechnology are the following: 
- conditions which impair the non-specific defenses against infection 
(chronic skin, respiratory tract, and bowel disease); 
- impaired immune competence; 
- immunosuppression (caused, for example, by steroids, radiation therapy, 
alkylating agents, or antimetabolites}; 
- long-term treatment with antibiotics; 
- cancer; 
- other chronic illnesses, such as chronic kidney disease, diabetes 
mellitus, or the collagen diseases;. 
The collection and storage of frozen serum samples has become a widely 
accepted practice in the biotechnology industry. A serimi sample is generally 
taken from each worker at the start of employment and, in some instances, 
periodically thereafter.^® Such samples should be retained for at least the 
duration of a worker's active employment in biotechnology. Serology programs 
will be most cost-effective when they either assess specifically the 
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