Welcome to the first issue of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in the year 2001—which some people argue is really the first year of the new millenium. This issue includes the first article in our new series aimed at supporting Continuing Professional Development (CPD). It's easy to spot in the paper Journal because the articles have a distinctive format, including the use of colour. The pages are flashed in the outside margins for rapid access. The overall format is intended to promote ease of reading and clarity of the information. We want you to enjoy these articles as well as being educated by them. In the on-line journal, the overall layout will be the same as in the paper version. In the course of the coming year, we hope to be able to add extra value to the on-line version—for example, by providing direct links to original sources, or to other websites. …