The Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) was founded in 1969 by the National Coal Board (NCB) as an independent charity in Edinburgh, UK and retains its charitable purpose and status today.
The early work involved measuring dust exposure by counting the number of particles collected from the air by sampling devices.
These studies showed that dust control sufficient to prevent pneumoconiosis would reduce substantially the risks of impairment of lung function.
In 1971, Dr John MG Davies was recruited from Cambridge University to head a new Pathology Branch at IOM, and to continue his research into asbestos-related diseases.
From 1985 IOM collaborated with the International Agency for Research on Cancer in a major European epidemiological study of the carcinogenicity of mineral wool fibres.
As part of this work IOM helped develop novel methods to estimate retrospectively exposure of workers in the study, ultimately demonstrating that there was no evidence of a carcinogenic effect of these fibres on the lung.
The MRE 113A respirable dust sampler developed for use in our pneumoconiosis research was the first landmark and led to greater insight into the causes of this disease.
The culmination of this work was the development of the IOM inhalable dust sampler, which has become established as the device of choice for measuring the part of an aerosol that penetrates beyond the larynx.
[6] IOM scientists played a key role in defining the internationally agreed size fractions of dust relevant to human lung disease, i.e. inhalable, thoracic and respirable.
IOM scientists are also developing a molded cassette with a 15mm inlet for use as a personal sampling pump to test inhalable dust levels.
[9] Early ergonomics research at IOM, particularly under the direction of Tom Leamon, helped to promote greater safety of coal miners and to increase the cost-effectiveness of production.
For example, IOM scientists helped develop improved powered helmet respirators following research that showed existing devices to be heavy, cumbersome, uncomfortable and intrusive.
In the early 1990s, the IOM became involved in a series of projects in the European Framework Programmes for Research and Technological Development that addressed, amongst other things, the public health effects of air pollution from fossil fuel power plant.
These first steps in quantitative environmental Health Impact Assessment (HIA) led over time to further work, including involvement in the cost-benefit analysis of the European Commission's Clean Air for Europe (CAFE) programme, followed by some ground-breaking work on the use of life table methods to estimate the impacts of air pollution on mortality.
This work demonstrated that although it is likely that most people are exposed to low levels of a wide variety of pesticide compounds it is unlikely that such exposure would have measurable effects on the health of the population.
In 1995 the Soufriere Hills volcano on the Caribbean island of Montserrat erupted, spewing volcanic ash containing large amounts of the crystalline silica mineral cristobalite over the surrounding area.
Environment and health is now a well-established area of the IOM's work, involving chemical monitoring, laboratory analysis, consultancy, literature reviews and collaborative primary research.
It covers exposures to and health effects of a wide range of environmental hazards, including outdoor and indoor air pollution, ionising radiation and electromagnetic fields, dioxins and pesticides.
In the beginning, the main impetus for the work came from Jim Dodgson, who built up occupational hygiene and chemical analysis in Edinburgh and in their regional offices (then in South Wales, the Midlands and Tyne and Wear).
The IOM work for government agencies, universities, the NHS, local authorities, private healthcare providers, large industrial concerns and small businesses, mainly within the UK but there also across the world, from Chile to Kazakhstan, from Zimbabwe to the United States of America and from St Helena to Montserrat.
With UK Government support IOM has established SAFENANO,[13] the most comprehensive free information resource on these issues available today.
[15] On 5 November 2021 the Singapore office became independent of the IOM,[16] operating as the Institute of Ergonomics and Hygiene, with Zephan Chan leading the business forward.