The Food and Drug Administration has advised consumers not to use certain respiratory medications purchased after Sept. 8, 2009 and manufactured by Dey L.P., a subsidiary of Mylan Inc., because the medications might have been part of a shipment being transported on a tractor-trailer stolen in Tampa, Fla., on Sept. 8, 2009.
The Food and Drug Administration is notifying health care professionals of a Class I recall of certain LIFEPAK CR Plus Automated External Defibrillators (AED) manufactured and distributed from July 9, 2008 through August 19, 2008.
Vaccines against three seasonal virus strains are already available and should be used, FDA said. However, they do not protect against the 2009 H1N1 virus. These latest four vaccines are designed to do that.
The drug, which is also sometimes used to combat morning sickness and as an anti-allergic medication to treat hay fever, allergic rhinitis, and other allergic reactions, is available only by prescription in the United States but is available over the counter in the United Kingdom, Canada, Switzerland, Australia, and many other countries.
The serious violations OSHA unearthed related to inadequate process safety management of highly hazardous chemicals, lack of emergency preparedness and response procedures, and poor respiratory protection for workers.
The newly downloadable document addresses methods for controlling silica such as wet cutting during construction operations and using vacuum dust collection systems.
With more participation this year than ever before, more than 100 radio stations in some 20 states are planning to help raise awareness of mesothelioma by playing a Warren Zevon song followed by a 20-second segment about the incurable disease on Saturday, Sept. 26.
The agency has published proposals to identify the group as Substances of Very High Concern because of their carcinogenic, mutagenic, and/or reprotoxic properties and potentially serious effects on human health, or for persistent, bioaccumulative environmental effects. Comments to ECHA are due by Oct. 15.
"Our Coast Guard crews face risks each and every time they respond to a call--including hoax calls and reports of abandoned or adrift vessels," said Cmdr. Phillip Thorne, chief of the response department at Sector Northern New England. "Not only do these cases put responsible mariners in danger, the time and resources expended are a needless waste of money."
The settlement is related to a release at the company’s ammonia and nitric acid manufacturing facility in Deer Island, Ore., on Sept. 29, 2008. EPA alleges that the company failed to notify the appropriate emergency response entities until approximately 11 hours after the release occurred.
Exposure to high levels of xylene and ethylbenzene can cause a variety of human health effects, including harm to the nervous system, fatigue, general weakness, memory loss, and visual problems.
In addition to issuing willful, repeat, and serious citations to the company, OSHA also issued it a notice of failure-to-abate citation relating to its failure to implement a respiratory program, institute a medical surveillance program for workers overexposed to chromium VI, and develop and implement a hazard communication program for workers exposed to caustics and corrosives.
For the first quarter of 2009, the agency's Disability Rights Office received 142 informal complaints raising closed captioning issues but no complaints regarding hearing aid compatibility issues.
The Mayo Clinic Center for Innovation will host "Transform," a collaborative symposium on innovations in health care experience and delivery, Sept. 13–15.
Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and Department of Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, the co-chairs of the Obama Administration's Food Safety Working Group, have unveiled a new consumer Web site today at www.foodsafety.gov. The site is designed to help consumers and families get all the latest information on food safety and food recalls in one convenient place.
Work continues on new approval criteria for various respiratory categories, and the branch chief at NPPTL asks whether users have additional needs that NIOSH could address.
"Workers exposed to occupational hazards requiring head, foot, or eye and face protection will now be provided protection based on a standard that reflects state-of-the-art technology and materials," said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab.
A follow-up OSHA visit found uninspected overhead cranes; uninspected lifting hooks; defective and unmarked lifting slings; unguarded live electrical parts; damaged electrode holders and insulation; incorrectly stored compressed gas cylinders; unmarked and unchecked fire extinguishers; and slipping hazards from an oil spill in a work area.
As a way to head off potential cases of foodborne illness, the Reportable Food Registry is what food industry officials must use to alert FDA quickly when they find their products might sicken or kill people or animals.
“Current rates of health care worker immunizations are appallingly low and must not be tolerated,” said APIC President Christine J. Nutty, RN, MSN, CIC. “It’s time for hospitals to require flu shots--and hold employees accountable for declining the vaccine.”