Cancer Moving from the “Right to Know” to the “Right to Understand”: Global harmonization of OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard
March 21, 2012 Elizabeth Grossman 3Comment

by Elizabeth Grossman His job, the Metalworkers Alliance of the Philippines union leader told us, was assembling the electronics – the wire- or cable-harnesses – that go into cars. The work involved soldering, using flux, along with epoxies, and various degreasers or solvents. He and his co-workers didn’t know the actual names of the substances […]

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Cancer Lung cancer risk of diesel-exposed workers reconfirmed, kudos to MSHA for addressing hazard 10 years ago
March 5, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 6Comment

The Center for Public integrity’s Jim Morris was the first to report that two long awaited cancer mortality studies of US workers exposed to diesel exhaust finds significantly elevated levels of lung cancer. Researchers with the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) proposed the studies two decades […]

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Cancer What’s taking so long?
February 17, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 1Comment

“What’s taking so long?” might be uttered by a youngster waiting for a parent to assemble a swing set, or an art patron waiting for a conservator to restore a masterpiece. When the wait is finally over and the eager child or art lover see the final product, they realize the time was well spent. […]

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Cancer Asbestos company owners convicted on criminal charges in Italy; but asbestos still lethal and legal in the US
February 16, 2012 The Pump Handle 3Comment

by Elizabeth Grossman What’s being called the first-ever such criminal conviction, an Italian court has returned a guilty verdict against owners of Eternit, the Switzerland-based building materials company. Two weeks ago, W.R. Grace announced its bankruptcy case settlement for the residents of Libby, Montana where the company’s vermiculite plant exposed residents to deadly asbestos fibers […]

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Cancer Beryllium manufacturer and union draft worker safety regulation, ask OSHA to move on it
February 14, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 9Comment

The world’s largest producer and supplier of beryllium and workers exposed to the highly toxic mineral decided not to wait any longer for federal OSHA to draft a proposed worker safety rule on the hazard. Last week, the United Steelworkers International Union and Materion Brush (the only U.S. manufacturer) sent the complete text of a […]

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Cancer Public health topics shine as finalists for investigative reporting prize
February 2, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

Communities affected by contaminated air, water and soil, workers retaliated for complaining about safety issues, and vulnerable groups abused by organizations charged with protecting them, are topics at the heart of public health. This week they are especially recognized by the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy […]

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Cancer Slow progress by OSHA to improve worker health and safety regulations
January 30, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

The Labor Department provided an update on January 20, 2012 to its regulatory agenda, including revised target dates for improved workplace safety and health standards. Several of the rules OSHA now expects to publish in 2012 are regulations the agency previously said would be issued one or two years ago. Missed deadlines, however, are nothing […]

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Cancer Scientists urge White House to intervene in stalled worker safety rule
January 25, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 3Comment

A group of 300 scientists, physicians and public health experts are urging President Obama to direct his Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to complete its review of a proposed Labor Department health standard on the carcinogen crystallline silica. OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) has been reviewing the proposed rule for nearly […]

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Cancer Cost of work-related injury and disease higher than cost for heart disease, cancer
January 20, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 1Comment

Money talks, as the saying goes, and a recently published paper on the annual cost of work-related injuries and illnesses should get policymakers to listen up. The number is staggering: $250 Billion, and it’s a figure on par with health conditions like cancer, coronary heart disease, and diabetes that attract much more attention and research […]

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Cancer Actor Steve McQueen honored posthumously by asbestos disease advocacy group
January 12, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 1Comment

The late Steve McQueen—the King of Cool—will be honored later this year by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) with its “Keep Me in Your Heart” memorial tribute award. McQueen starred in dozens of films including the The Great Escape (1963), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), Bullitt (1968), and Papillon (1973). He died in November […]

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