2020 vision: The future of the occupational and environmental hygiene profession

Strong and unstoppable technologic, scientific, social, and business trends are already dramatically influencing the industrial hygiene profession. As it moves into the third millennium, change will accelerate at an even faster pace. Hygienists will have little control over events and trends, so they must attempt to respond to them effectively and positively. This paper is a review and analysis of the literature. It identifies several significant trends and their potential impact on occupational and environmental hygiene. The trends include the continuing shift from a manufacturing to information economy, the globalization of manufacturing, the impact of genetic engineering on medicine and agriculture, the growth of world populations and their impact on the environment.