From Occupational Medicine to Occupational Health

To introduce the student in the concept of Occupational Health, which is different and broader than Occupational Medicine, giving him/her selected information on the origins and evolutions of the discipline, from its roots in the field of clinical medicine dealing with occupational diseases to a strongly prevention-oriented discipline. To discuss the concept of causal association using selected examples of occupational disease as case study. To introduce the student into the toxicology of metals and solvents, and to discuss the specific problem of pesticides, pointed out specific research objectives. To discuss agriculture as a specific example in which all the main occupational risks known are present. To introduce the theme of the lists of occupational diseases and of the new ILO and WHO ICD classifications. To face the problem of emergency and re-emergency of occupational diseases and of the need of creating specific alert national and supranational systems and tools to detect early signals of known diseases in new forms or new risks arising from new activities.