Biological Monitoring of alcohol and nicotine: implications for prevention at the workplace

Alcohol and nicotine consumption poses a substantial socio-economic problem. In terms of occupational prevention it is essential to discriminate between non-occupational risk factors, e.g. tobacco smoking and alcohol consumption, and occupational risks. In addition, hazardous behavioral patterns of alcohol consumption need to be identified. The recent study includes a cohort of employees of the building-trade (n=998). This is an initial cross-sectional study (time course: 1998 - 2000) designed as a prospective cohort study - to describe cancer risks of the oral cavity, pharynx and larynx. Aim of the study is to evaluate medical history data collection versus biological markers of life-style, e.g. biomarkers of alcohol and nicotine consumption, embedded in occupational medical examinations of prevention. The study results indicate, that collection of medical history data collection can easily and reliably describe nicotine consumption. In contrast, the value of collection of medical history data for the the risk factor alcohol needs to be further substantiated due to previously described dissimulation tendencies. In this context the biological marker CDT offers certain benefits; in addition conventional biomarkers may reveal chronic alcohol effects. With respect to medical history data collection short, efficient and standardized questionnaires are recommended. The new diagnostic strategy presented herein shall be further evaluated in prospective studies to become a routine tool in occupational medical examinations of prevention.