Workers who manufacture microwave popcorn for ConAgra and Pop Weaver will soon be able to breathe easier, since both companies have announced that they will stop using diacetyl to flavor their popcorn. Other workers â including those who make flavorings, baked goods, and other companiesâ microwave popcorn â may still be exposed to the artificial butter flavoring chemical.
Other occupational health and safety news this week includes:
Â
Salt Lake Tribune: At a Senate Subcommittee hearing, Mine Safety and Health Administration Director Richard Stickler testified that MSHA did not know about a March rockburst at the Crandall Canyon mine. Efforts to rescue six trapped miners officially ended on Friday, 25 days after the Crandall Canyon mine collapse.
New York Times: Decontamination barriers erected in the Deutsche Bank building to contain World Trade Center dust probably contributed to the disastrous fire that claimed two firefighters lives.
Rocky Mountain News: The U.S. nuclear weapons program has sickened 36,500 Americans and killed more than 4,000.
The Telegraph (Calcutta, India): Managers of tea estates seem uninterested in their workersâ health, even though many have tuberculosis.
House Committee on Education and Labor: Representative George Miller has launched an interactive map showing approximately 10% of the deaths that have occurred in U.S. workplaces in 2007.
Nice use of new media by the Miller camp- they’ve been doing a pretty good job since he got more power; I dont think google map is the best engine out there for mapping(the map just doesnt really humanize it IMO), but I also havent found any opensource ones(I did some research earlier in the year on them)- If his map data comes from an XML file he should make it public so people can program additional site widgets and of the such so we dont end up with double-entry; I do wonder where he got the few he selected tho?
Also dont forget saturday there’s a 9/11 workers event in NYC; this issue should be central to the political discourse and it’s largely been ignored(remember, with this highly volatile issue we’ll get more sympathizes allies and activists)
http://nycclc.unionactive.com/Document1.pdf
In case The Pump Handle crowd hasn’t heard it enough: bravo and congrats, and thank you for being on top of the diacetyl story from the beginning. I hope you all are taking the credit you deserve.