One dose of vaccine may be effective to protect infants and children and reduce transmission of the H1N1 virus, according to a study in JAMA, which was published online on Dec, 21, 2009, because of its public health implications. The study will appear in the Jan. 6 print edition of the journal.
Pediatric researchers have identified a novel gene involved in childhood asthma, in one of the largest gene studies to date of the common respiratory disease. Because the gene, called DENND1B, affects cells and signaling molecules thought to be instrumental in the immune system overreaction that occurs in asthma, the discovery may have singled out an important target for new treatments.
Are you getting the highest levels of respiratory protection that are currently available today?
The H1N1 pandemic was 2009's biggest safety and health story, but OSHA also grabbed the spotlight last year with a blockbuster $87 million fine. For all of the attention paid to tower crane safety, combustible dusts, crumbling infrastructure, and a jobless recovery, the biggest story of 2000-2009 was Sept. 11, 2001.
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.
As families look for ways to save money in tough economic times, there is an increased risk of carbon monoxide (CO) poisonings and fire deaths associated with the use of alternative heating and power sources. The Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging consumers to check all home heating systems from fireplaces to furnaces, including any back-up power systems.
The Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Lamartek Inc., dba Dive Rite of, Lake City, Fla., announced a voluntary recall of Dive Rite Wings.
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.
The American Lung Association says its smoking cessation program, Freedom From Smoking (www.ffsonline.org), and similar programs can succeed. Six other tips from ALA can help with this New Year's resolution.
OSHA has cited the company with three willful, four repeat, 19 serious, and one other-than-serious safety violations, as well as five serious and two other-than-serious health violations.
Dr. William Schaffner, president-elect of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, expressed optimism Wednesday that the seasonal flu vaccination rate for U.S. health workers will be higher than in 2008. The peak months for seasonal flu are right around the corner.
The department has more than 200 of the units deployed at 102 firehouses and is encouraging all firefighters to obtain level A or B technician certification.
The May 12 meeting at a hotel near Baltimore and Washington will bring experts together to seek solutions to a problem that may afflict as many as 28 percent of commercial drivers. An indication of the federal interest in this issue is the fact NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman will deliver a May 11 keynote speech.
"Few Americans are aware of lead's deadly effects or the fact that lead taken home on clothing and work tools can infect an entire family," said OSHA Area Director Richard Gilgrist in Cincinnati.
People can survive cardiac arrest if they receive only chest compressions during attempts to revive them--as advised by the current American Heart Association guidelines--but they cannot survive without access to oxygen sometime during the resuscitation effort, research suggests.
There are no products registered by EPA for use in residential settings that will disinfect or sterilize the air or a room by fogging. Claims for disinfecting carpeting, drapes, and other porous surfaces are also false, the agency says.
According to OSHA, workers at the site lacked proper respirators and protective clothing and had not been informed of the presence of asbestos at the site, and the employer failed to determine the asbestos exposure level and establish a regulated work area for asbestos removal and handling.
The new system will display the risk of extreme heat stress and time to flashover (the point when all combustible materials in a room simultaneously erupt in flames) on the incident commander's screen, along with the firefighters' locations and vital signs.
Joe Main, the assistant secretary now in charge at MSHA, will unveil a “comprehensive” strategy Dec. 3 at the National Mine Health and Safety Academy, the agency announced.
The alert reminds underground mine personnel that the chambers' oxygen systems must be protected against damage when the chambers are moved, or dangerous conditions could result during an actual emergency.