Lynda

May I say how much I agree with your comment that health surveillance is screening not diagnosing. I have lost count of the number of times that, when visiting a workplace, I have been shown a skin condition and have been asked what this is. What they get is: “It is obviously a skin problem.” whereas what they expected was a diagnosis. Even the dermatologists often have difficulty in determining just what the problem is, as was clear from some of the presentations last week at the Occupational and Environmental Exposure of the Skin to Chemicals conference (OEESC2011) in Toronto. Incidentally, the next OEESC is in 2013 in Amsterdam, so those with an interest in skin should keep an eye open for the website which will be created. This is a four day conference and is arguably the most important one on practical prevention of damage to health due to skin exposure. What I learnt in Toronto was amazing and will be extremely useful, particularly the sessions on skin penetration and systemic effects (e.g. the contribution that skin contact with isocyanates can make to respiratory sensitisation and asthma).

Chris