This department, Practical Stuff! originated from you, our readers. Many of you have expressed to us that one of the main reasons you read the Journal of Environmental Health is to glean practical and useful information for your everyday work-related activities. In response to your feedback, we

* Trichloroethylene (TCE), a common groundwater contaminant, was found at high levels at an Oregon work site in 1998.

* TCE is a solvent used worldwide for degreasing metal parts.

* TCE has been found as a contaminant in water, soil, air, food products, and animal tissues.

* The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (U.S. EPA) has classified TCE as a possible carcinogen for humans.

* TCE has also been connected to a variety of noncancerous conditions, including anemia and other blood disorders, stroke, urinary tract disorders, liver problems, kidney dysfunction, diabetes, eczema, and skin allergies.

* A convenience sample of thirteen former workers from the Oregon work site was recruited for a series of focus groups.

* Information obtained on plant processes, safely procedures, attitudes regarding medical record access, and opinions about proxy accuracy was subjected to qualitative content analysis.

* In 1998, chemical analysis of the water supply well at the View-Master factory in Beaverton, Oregon, found TCE at levels as high as 1,600 parts per billion, 320 times the drinking water standard established by U.S. EPA.

* The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (ODEQ) estimated that TCE had contaminated the drinking water at the View-Master plant for more than 30 years.

* A feasibility study done by the environmental and occupational epidemiology unit at Oregon State Public Health (EOE-OSPH) included an assessment of mortality in the worker group and found statistically significant increases in deaths from kidney cancer in women (Proportional Mortality Ratio [PMR] = 6.21, p <.01) and two types of digestive cancers in men (PMR = 8.41, p<.05).

* Any epidemiologic study on this cohort must estimate exposure as accurately as possible.

* Without historical measurements of TCE levels in drinking water, classification of exposure must be based on self reports or proxy reports of employment and water ingestion.

* Focus groups were conducted to define the types and ranges of opportunity for exposure to TCE, through plant operations and ingestion of contaminated water from the on-site well.

* The goal of the View-Master focus groups was to obtain information on the following:

--plant processes related to the handling and disposing of chemicals, glues, and solvents, including protective equipment policies and unexpected events;

--the patterns of consumption and the quality of drinking water and other beverages prepared at the plant; and

--participants' attitudes regarding access to personal medical records.

* Participants were also asked about their views regarding the accuracy of information obtained by proxy.

* Information recalled by participants about protective equipment policies and practices varied.

* Some recalled using safety glasses; others did not.

* Some recalled wearing thin gloves; others did not.

* No participants recalled receiving information about chemicals used during the manufacturing process.

* Participants recalled disposing of chemicals in such a way that cows on nearby farms died, after which the factory changed its disposal procedures.

* One employee recalled that 55-gallon drums containing antifreeze (ethylene glycol) were dumped down Fanno Creek, which borders the former work site.

* Several participants recalled poor ventilation.

* One participant reported being removed from a safety committee after identifying safety issues.

* Only one participant recalled hearing about the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

* Several expressed the feeling that safety was compromised for work output.

* Other participants expressed a positive experience.

* Nearly all former employees recalled talking to each other about the "taste of the water being bad," and several thought the "taste got worse over time."

* Other thought the water varied according to work site location.

* Participants confirmed the use of the well for drinking water.

* Participants reported that certain work areas, including injection molding, were particularly hot, and that employees in those areas drank large amounts of water.

* The participants had conflicting information about whether or not employees were allowed access to water at all times.

* When the participants were asked who could best describe accurately their role in the work processes, a majority thought that co-workers would be most able.

* Some did not think that family members could describe what they did at work unless those family members had also worked at View-Master.

* A majority of participants, eight of 13, stated that they would have no problem granting researchers access to their medical records for purposes of a future study.

* The findings regarding the lack of knowledge about the chemicals handled and lack of control over safety were striking.

* Diversity of work processes and practices over the long employment period may explain conflicting information.

* Employees described holding multiple types of jobs at the plant and being moved where they were needed.

* This job-role mobility confirms the importance of using a job or task exposure matrix that includes available information on employment by specific department and date in addition to job title in order to increase the accuracy of exposure estimates.