Industrial Hygiene


ASSE Launches 'Prevention Through Design' Standard Initiative

According to the society, recent studies indicate that approximately 40 percent of work-related fatalities are design related.

EPA: Now Is the Time to Test for Radon

The colorless, odorless, tasteless gas is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States, behind cigarette smoking, the agency notes.

FDA Seizes more than $1M of Food from Nashville Food Processor

At the request of the Food and Drug Administration, U.S. Marshals have seized bulk restaurant food product at Won Feng Trading Company, a food processor and warehouse in Nashville, Tenn. The products are adulterated under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act because they have been held under unsanitary conditions whereby they may have become contaminated with filth. The act uses the term "insanitary" to describe such conditions.

OSHA Roasts Peanut Processor, Citing 41 Violations

"Our inspections, and a worker fatality at the Blakely (Ga.) plant, show the need for management to get serious about the safety and health of its employees," said Robert Vazzi, OSHA's area director in Savannah, Ga.

The combined effects of chemicals that seem safe in isolation but may present health risks when absorbed together were identified by Environment Commissioner Stavros Dimas in June 2009 as a large future challenge.

Multiple Chemicals Concern EU Environment Ministers

Endocrine disruptors may be addressed this year, but comprehensive action on combined chemicals as a whole probably is two years away, according to the EU.

The alternative butter flavoring 2,3-pentanedione causes airway epithelial damage similar to the damage caused by diacetyl, according to NIOSH and NIEHS research.

Diacetyl Substitutes Also Harmful

NIOSH Director Dr. John Howard has informed OSHA's assistant secretary that NIOSH and NIEHS research on the alternative butter flavoring 2,3-pentanedione "suggests that, in rats, 2,3-pentanedione causes airway epithelial damage similar to that produced by diacetyl."

EPA Releases New Mobile Source Emissions Model

As a result of using data collected from millions of cars and trucks gathered since MOBILE6.2 was released in 2004, MOVES2010 provides increased accuracy in emissions inventory results, the agency said.

EPA Tallies ’09 Enforcement Results; Polluters Paid $5 Billion+

The agency has developed a new Web-based tool and interactive map that allows the public to get detailed information by location about the enforcement actions taken at approximately 4,600 facilities.



Integrated Green Construction Code Poised for 2010 Debut

"This will be the first time code officials, owners, and designers will have an integrated regulatory framework to put into practice that meets the goal of greening the construction and design of new and existing buildings," said Code Council CEO Richard P. Weiland.

Achieving conformance with GHS in the United States is expected to be quite cumbersome.

OSHA, GHS, and Your MSDSs and Labels

The clock is ticking. Companies will have three years from promulgation to come into compliance with the final rule and two years to implement training requirements.

AIHA White Paper Outlines Respiratory Research Needs

Are user seal checks necessary to ensure protection? And, if so, when should they be performed? A white paper prepared by the American Industrial Hygiene Association's Respiratory Protection Committee asks these and several other questions to resolve important issues.

Hydraulic Institute Closes '09 Releasing 3 New Standards

The standards are designed for anyone involved in pumps, including users, consultants, contractors, construction firms, manufacturers of pumps, seals, motors, instrumentation, controls, and pump software developers and systems integrators.

The Pandemic and All Hazards Preparedness Act created BARDA within HHS and made it the hub of federal efforts to develop and acquire medical countermeasures to protect the U.S. civilian population against CBRN and naturally occurring threats to public health.

Contracts to Develop Field Tests for Radiation Exposures

The nine contracts worth up to $400 million have been awarded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority and can lead to prototype devices for responders.

Power Company to Spend $93M to Resolve Clean Air Act Violations

The settlement is expected to reduce sulfur dioxide emissions by almost 35,000 tons per year -- the equivalent to the emissions from 500,000 heavy-duty semi trucks, which is more than all the trucks registered in Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Ohio combined.

California Dairy Gives County a Gas Detection System, Settling Case

As part of a settlement, an alleged violator may voluntarily agree to undertake an environmentally beneficial project related to the violation in exchange for mitigation of the penalty to be paid. This company chose to donate a RAE Systems gas monitoring system and 42 radiation pagers.

EPA Studying Outdoor Air Near Schools

The agency's Schools Air Toxics Initiative, which is monitoring the air around 63 schools in 22 states, is checking for several contaminants associated with industrial and mobile sources such as cars, trucks, and airplanes.

Nitric Acid Manufacturer Agrees to $5M Groundwater, Soil Cleanup

As part of a new consent decree, the Arizona-based company said it will continue to remove nitrate and perchlorate from groundwater and perform long-term groundwater monitoring, in addition to paying $.12 million for EPA's past response costs.

Review Articles Explore Nanotechnology Applications in Food Safety

The Institute of Food Technologists released three review articles in the Journal of Food Science that were presented at the IFT Annual Meeting in 2009. The articles provide greater detail on nanotechnology science and its application to food.

Worker's Suffocation in Confined Space Leads to $120,700 Fine

Specifically, the employer did not evaluate permit-required confined space conditions by testing the atmospheric conditions in the boot pit for oxygen and carbon dioxide levels prior to entry, OSHA said.

OSHA Seeks FACOSH Nominations

The committee's 16 members advise the secretary of Labor on all occupational safety and health matters related to federal employees.

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