Hazard Communication


Scrap Metal Co. Settles for $1.6M after Hazwaste Charges

About 62,000 cubic yards of battery casing debris was excavated, treated, and shipped off-site for proper disposal.

FDA Alerts Public of Serious Adverse Event with Psoriasis Drug Raptiva

The Food and Drug Administration has issued a public health advisory concerning three confirmed, and one possible report of progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), a rare brain infection, in patients using the psoriasis drug Raptiva (efalizumab). Three of those patients have died. All four patients were treated with the drug for more than three years. None of the patients were receiving other treatments that suppress the immune system.

Is Injecting Cherry Juice Waste into Deep Disposal Well OK?

After reviewing the request, EPA has tentatively decided that the additional use of the well will not cause significant environmental harm because the waste will remain separated from drinking water sources, but the agency is seeking comments from the public.

CPWR's Assessment Fuels Safety Gains at Vegas Sites

Three reports made public yesterday by The Center for Construction Research and Training cap an extensive training and assessment project at the big CityCenter and Cosmopolitan projects run by Perini Building Co.

Traffic Air Pollution Linked to Repeated Hospital Encounters for Asthma

Air pollution caused by traffic near the home affects asthma severity in children, resulting in repeated hospital encounters, according to a study published this month in Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology, the scientific journal of the American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology.

American Dental Association Lauds 'Meth Mouth' Bill

Dr. John S. Findley, president of the American Dental Association (ADA), applauded Capitol Hill legislators for introducing a federal bill aimed at understanding and treating "meth mouth"--a condition where teeth can become blackened, stained, rotting, and crumbling from methamphetamine use.

ISEA Offers Updated Industrial Head Protection Standard

Key updates contained in this version include optional testing and marking features for high visibility of head protection devices and a detailed protocol for reverse-wearing of hard hats.

White Patients Have Better Surgical Survival in Teaching Hospitals

Elderly patients who undergo surgery at teaching-intensive hospitals have better survival rates than at non-teaching hospitals, but these better survival rates apparently occur in white patients, not black patients, according to a new study that appears in the February issue of the Archives of Surgery.



Tips for Continuing Health Care during a Recession

During these tough economic times, the Institute for Good Medicine and the physician members of the Pennsylvania Medical Society are urging the public to protect their greatest asset--their health.

EPA to Review Bush Rules on Emissions

The EPA said it would reopen the possibility of regulating carbon dioxide emissions from coal-fired power plants, according to the Washington Post.

CPSC Seeks Public Comments on Latest Child Toy Safety Guidance

On Feb. 10, 2009, certain children's toys and child care articles could no longer be sold, offered for sale, manufactured, or imported for sale in the United States if they contain more than 0.1 percent of specified phthalates. The U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York ruled recently that this prohibition applies regardless of when the covered products were made.

OSHA Cites Yacht Company, Proposes More Than $130,000 in Penalties

OSHA has proposed $130,200 in fines against Novis Marine Ltd., a yacht design and fabrication company in Fairport Harbor, for alleged willful, serious, and repeat violations of federal workplace safety standards.

New Studies Show Rates, Risk Factors of Patient Awareness during Anesthesia

How many patients experience unwanted awareness during general anesthesia for surgery? The true rate is low but difficult to determine, while certain factors seem to increase the risk, according to a pair of studies in the February issue of Anesthesia & Analgesia, official journal of the International Anesthesia Research Society (IARS).

NIOSH Issues Medical Screening Guidance for Nano Workers

This interim guidance is not sounding an alarm bell. The agency says scientific and medical evidence remains insufficient to recommend specific screening of workers potentially exposed to engineered nanoparticles.

FDA, International SAE Consortium Release Genetic Data on Adverse Drug Events

The first data offering health care professionals a better look into the genetic basis of certain types of adverse drug events was released recently by the Food and Drug Administration and the International Serious Adverse Event Consortium (SAEC). The data are focused on the genetics associated with drug-induced serious skin rashes, such as Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis, and helps better predict an individual's risk of developing these reactions.

OSHA Letter Addresses Limits of Some Shock-Absorbing Lanyards

If the distance between a lift's work platform and a lower level will be less than the minimum anchor point elevation stipulated by the lanyard's manufacturer, then a different fall-arrest or restraint system must be used.

Petrol Refiners' Settlement Expected to Reduce Harmful Emissions by 7,000 Tons Per Year

Two Wyoming and Kansas petroleum refiners have agreed in separate settlements to spend a total of more than $141 million in new air pollution controls at three refineries in Kansas and Wyoming. The settlements are expected to reduce harmful emissions by 7,000 tons per year.

Study Finds Cognitive Tests May Predict Driving Safety in Alzheimer Sufferers

Doctors may be able to use certain cognitive tests to help determine whether a person with Alzheimer's disease can safely get behind the wheel. The research is published in the Feb. 10, 2009, print issue of Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.

NIOSH Extends Comment Period on Hexavalent Chromium Document

The document provides a review of the available literature and an update of the agency's policies on occupational exposure to the compounds, including an assessment of relevant quantitative risk assessments about exposure to them and appropriate methods for sampling and analysis of the compounds in the workplace.

AIHA Hosts Mold TeleWeb

The American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) will host "Mold: Exploring Sampling, Analysis, and Data Interpretation," an intermediate to advanced TeleWeb Virtual Seminar on Feb. 19, 2009, from 2-4:30 p.m. ET.

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