The Food and Drug Administration is enforcing the flavored cigarette ban provision of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act (Tobacco Control Act) by issuing several warning letters to companies continuing to sell illegal flavored cigarettes to consumers in the United States through their Web sites.
In December 2007, EPA issued a rule requiring reductions in air toxic emissions from auto body shops that use spray application to paint cars or that use paint strippers containing a toxic substance called methylene chloride. Existing shops must comply with the rule by January 2011; new shops have to comply by 180 days after startup.
The reports include online graphs, trend information on enforcement and compliance in each state, and comparative reports. Data such as compliance monitoring activity, violations discovered, enforcement actions taken, and penalties assessed are available.
At a large trade show this week and in national radio advertisements, the British OSH agency is urging renovation contractors and workers to be aware of potential asbestos exposures and the possibility of contracting mesothelioma and other deadly illnesses.
The Center for Chemical Process Safety, a technology alliance of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, has announced a partnership with Phillip Townsend and Associates to establish a program of formal benchmarking in process safety in the chemical, energy, and pharmaceutical industries. Participating companies will compare their process safety programs and performance in an effort to identify best practices and drive process safety improvement across the board.
One out of every three people who died in 2007 in the United States were in the hospital for treatment at the time of their deaths, according to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, for a total cost of about $20 billion.
A joint public meeting will be held from Dec. 9-10 and will focus on improving the system for tracing of food products and ingredients that are causing illness outbreaks or presenting other risks to the health of consumers.
"The new labels will carry more uniform and specific directions on restricting spray drift while giving pesticide applicators clear and workable instructions," said Steve Owens, assistant administrator for EPA's Office of Prevention, Pesticides and Toxic Substances.
Mine operators are urged to follow safety checklists as low barometric pressures and low humidity, coupled with seasonal drying of many areas in underground coal mines, have contributed to the larger number of mine explosions during winter months.
The Food and Drug Administration initiative is aimed at reducing the likelihood of preventable harm from medication use. Additionally, a separate guidance seeks to curb accidental overdoses caused by dosage delivery devices that have unclear dosing instructions.
Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine and the University of California, San Francisco have developed and experimentally tested a technique to predict new target diseases for existing drugs.
Over the past two decades, as recreational use of hot tubs has increased, so has the number of injuries, according to a recent study conducted by the Center for Injury Research and Policy of The Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital. It found that from 1990-2007, the number of unintentional hot tub-related injuries increased by 160 percent, from approximately 2,500 to more than 6,600 injuries per year.
The American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) will host "OSHA's Proposal to Adopt the Globally Harmonized System for Hazard Communication," an intermediate TeleWeb Virtual Seminar on Nov. 19, 2009, from 2-4:30 p.m. ET. Featured speakers are Jennifer Silk and Denese Deeds, CIH.
According to researchers at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, thousands of residents and workers in Libby, Mont., have been exposed to asbestos-contaminated vermiculite ore for nearly a century, which they believe has led to markedly higher rates of lung disease and autoimmune disorders.
First responders who were exposed to caustic dust and toxic pollutants following the 2001 World Trade Center terrorist attacks suffer from asthma at more than twice the rate of the general U.S. population, according to data presented by Mount Sinai School of Medicine researchers at CHEST 2009.
The Food and Drug Administration recently published a guidance document that should help manufacturers develop diagnostic tests for the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus.
OSHA has cited Columbus Steel Castings Co. in Columbus with proposed penalties totaling $102,000 for alleged serious and repeat violations of federal workplace safety and health standards.
The Food and Drug Administration and the Joint Institute for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (JIFSAN) have sent a team of seafood specialists to Bangladesh this week to help train local officials on aquaculture safety and quality control techniques.
The Food and Drug Administration has sent a warning letter to Procter & Gamble notifying the company that its Vicks DayQuil Plus Vitamin C and Vicks Nyquil Plus Vitamin C are illegally marketed combinations of drug ingredients and a dietary ingredient.
With the recent outbreak of H1N1 virus around the globe, there has been increased interest in using respirators to help protect people at work, at home, and while out in public. While most people have seen or used respirators, few people truly appreciate and understand how these apparently simple devices actually work and what is required to use them properly in order to receive the expected protection that they can offer.