At a Town Hall meeting held in New York City, Consumer Product Safety Commission Chairman Inez Tenenbaum was joined by parents and consumers to talk toy safety. The discussion centered around new federal safety rules that are in place for toys that will give American consumers greater confidence when they go shopping this holiday season.
For the first time in nearly 40 years, the Environmental Protection Agency is proposing to strengthen the nation's sulfur dioxide (SO2) air quality standard to protect public health.
Sleep apnea is common in individuals who receive a kidney transplant and is associated with increased risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, or stroke, according to a study appearing in an upcoming issue of the Clinical Journal of the American Society Nephrology (CJASN).
Researchers at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology have found that previous influenza infections may provide at least some level of immunity to the H1N1 "swine" flu. "The question we asked was, 'Is the swine flu more like the seasonal flu or like a totally new strain of influenza where there would be no immunity?,'" said Alessandro Sette, Ph.D., an internationally recognized vaccine expert and director of the La Jolla Institute's Center for Infectious Disease. "What we have found is that the swine flu has similarities to the seasonal flu, which appear to provide some level of pre-existing immunity. This suggests that it could make the disease less severe in the general population than originally feared."
OSHA welcomed the Government Accountability Office's (GAO) recent report on the under-reporting of workplace injuries and illnesses and OSHA's audit process. The report identifies a number of factors that may contribute to the inaccuracy of employer injury and illness records, as well as problems with the audits that OSHA conducts to ensure their accuracy.
The revised standard updates references for the provisions addressing piping systems, as well as acetylene generators and filling acetylene cylinders and requires that in-plant transfer, handling, storage, and use of acetylene cylinders comply with Compressed Gas Association Pamphlet G-1-2003, titled Acetylene.
Across the street from the site of OSHA's Dec. 14 meetings in Washington, D.C., John Astad will lead group discussions of OSHA's proposed rulemaking.
OSHA has cited bridge and water tower painter UCL Inc. in Cincinnati with alleged willful, egregious, and serious violations of federal workplace safety and health standards for exposing workers to lead. Proposed fines total $321,000.
This approach is the correct risk management process because data are lacking for the risk potential of individual engineered nanomaterials, but there is some understanding of hazards posed by different groups of nanomaterials, Safe Work Australia said in a new report.
The Food and Drug Administration has notified nearly 30 manufacturers of caffeinated alcoholic beverages that it intends to look into the safety and legality of their products.
The Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) on Nov. 12 delivered to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) a new technical study that recommends guidelines to establish a comprehensive product tracing system to track the movement of food products effectively from farm to point of sale or service.
Chemical Safety Board Chairman John Bresland released a new video safety message on Nov. 12 asking jurisdictions across the country to adopt the ASME Pressure Vessel Code to reduce the number of accidents involving catastrophic pressure vessel failures in process industries.
"This study raises the question: Is there a safe level for BPA exposure, and what is that level? More studies like this, which examine the effect of BPA on humans, are critically needed to help establish prevention strategies and regulatory policies," said lead author De-Kun Li, M.D., Ph.D., of Kaiser Permanente's Division of Research in Oakland, Calif.
The United States Fire Administration (USFA) has issued a special report examining the causes and characteristics of fires in college and university residential buildings that include dormitories, fraternity, and sorority houses.
Damp environments, poorly maintained heating and air conditioning systems, and carpeting may contribute to poor indoor air quality, according to experts at the annual meeting of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in Miami Beach, Fla. Americans spend about 90 percent of their time indoors, where they are repeatedly exposed to indoor allergens and airborne particles that can lead to respiratory symptoms and conditions.
"We're beyond theory and onto execution," said CIDRAP Director Michael T. Osterholm, Ph.D., M.P.H. "The pandemic is here. And we need every business to recognize the impact it can have. It's not too late, but time is of the essence."
EPA said its Region 7 receives more accidental release reports for ammonia than for any other chemical. In addition to releases caused by transportation accidents, human error, and equipment failure, a number have been caused by anhydrous ammonia thefts.
The Food and Drug Administration has announced the publication of the new FDA Food Code, a model code and reference document that provides a scientifically sound technical and legal basis for regulating the retail and food service segment of the food industry. The 2009 FDA Food Code is a key component of the President's overall public-health-focused food safety framework for maintaining a safe food supply.
OSHA has proposed $50,600 in fines against Metro Steel Fabricators Inc., a Brooklyn steel erection contractor, for alleged willful and serious violations of safety standards at a Tuckahoe, N.Y., jobsite.
OSHA has issued commonsense fact sheets that employers and workers can use to promote safety during the current H1N1 influenza outbreak.