Respiratory


DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano

$1.5 Billion Sought for Flu Response; First U.S. Death Reported

DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano and other federal officials Tuesday said they're confident federal and state agencies have a sufficient antiviral stockpile to meet the U.S. demand. Early today, CDC confirmed a 23-month-old child in Texas has died.

a worker wears a protective mask covering her nose and mouth

IFMA Foundation Offers Pandemic Readiness Manual

Though written with avian flu in mind, the guidebook will help workplaces prepare for the swine flu already affecting several countries. The organization is making it available free.

Lack of Dust Masks, 33 Other Violations Found at Rubber Products Plant

Inspectors identified other hazards including locked exits, obstructed exit access, and an unmarked exit; lack of welding screens and personal protective equipment for welders; untrained forklift operators; excess carbon monoxide levels from forklifts; and numerous electrical safety deficiencies including exposed live electrical parts.

Richard Besser, M.D., Acting Director, CDC

CDC: Avoid Non-Essential Travel to Mexico

The agency's acting director, Dr. Richard Besser, said the travel advisory will be issued this afternoon. But "it's quite premature" to advise restricting travel to the United States, he added.

FDA Findings Contribute Insights into Avian Flu Virus

An in-depth analysis of blood from patients recovering from the H5N1 avian influenza virus has provided important insights into how to combat the potentially lethal virus.

Bayer CropScience Hearing Today As Pressure Mounts

CSB Chairman John Bresland warned this week that extensive secrecy claims like the one made in this case, which involves an August 2008 explosion at Institute, W.Va., could compromise CSB's effectiveness as a safety agency.

Prosecution Almost Over in Libby Asbestos Trial

Sooner than expected, with about half of the listed prosecution witnesses not called to testify, the prosecutors in the federal court jury trial in Missoula, Mont., will rest its case early this week, according to reporters covering it. The company and five former managers are charged with conspiring to conceal evidence of the dangers of asbestos contamination in the Libby community from the dust produced by a vermiculite mine.

EPA: Take Care to Know Your Air

Air quality standards have become more stringent, and, according to EPA, air pollution levels have declined. Still, ground-level ozone and particle matter can pose serious health problems, which is why the index is important.



Manganas Case Still Alive as Rogers Nominated for OSHRC Chair

Three items alleging the employer failed to provide guardrails on painters' scaffolds are now back for an administrative law judge's consideration. They've been litigated for years.

New NIH R&D Opportunity Targets Environmental Exposures

The "Grand Opportunities" program, highlighted this week by the National Institutes of Health, will invest about $200 million in large-scale research projects to boost public health, health care delivery, and biomedical R&D.

Union Pacifics logo

Union Pacific, Dow Cite Major Rail Safety Gains

Their report on progress toward achieving eight major goals by 2017 shows how the industry as a whole is improving the safety of toxic inhalation hazard and flammable chemical shipments by rail.

map depicting the layout of the Sago Mine in West Virginia

NIOSH Will Measure Atmospheres of Sealed Areas

The agency yesterday asked coal mine companies to offer help in the research, which will examine methane accumulation in sealed areas like the one that exploded in the Sago Mine, depicted here, in January 2006.

Invista Agrees to Largest-Ever EPA Audit Policy Settlement

The company disclosed more than 680 violations of water, air, hazardous waste, emergency planning and preparedness, and pesticide regulations to EPA after auditing 12 facilities it acquired from DuPont in 2004.

Chemical Manufacturer Hit with Penalties after Forcing Residential Evacuation

The company has been fined $121,500 for violations associated with process safety management, hazardous waste operations, and emergency response, including the company's failure to identify all of the causal factors of the incident during the investigation. The chemical release resulted in the evacuation of residents living within a three-mile radius of the facility.

Safety Marketing Group Presents Top Awards

SMG's Preferred Supplier of the Year, Jon Cal Murray Distributor of the Year, and Rich Harper Commitment to Excellence Supplier and Distributor Award winners were announced April 9 at the organization's annual conference in Tampa, Fla.

Per-Employee PPE Rule Before Kentucky Standards Board May 5

A measure to adopt the Dec. 12, 2008, OSHA final rule is on the board's agenda for its May 4 meeting in Louisville.

an illustration of human lungs

COPD Underlying Cause in 5 Percent of U.S. 2005 Deaths: CDC

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease was the underlying cause of death for 718,077 people 25 and older in 2000-2005, with annual deaths rising from 116,494 in 2000 to 126,005 in 2005, according to the study published in JAMA.

AIHA Backs Combustible Dust Bill

The American Industrial Hygiene Association's president, Lindsay Booher, wrote a letter April 2 to the chairman of the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee expressing support for HR 849.

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