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Volume 4 Number 8 December 2006
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As
we look ahead to 2007, I encourage you to watch upcoming issues of NIOSH
eNews for new information on the WorkLife Initiative. We anticipate much
activity on WorkLife in coming months, in laying the groundwork for a major
conference on September 10-11, 2007, in Washington, D.C.
A
few words by way of background: In Fall 2004, NIOSH and more than 50
co-sponsors and supporters held a national symposium called “Steps to a
Healthier U.S. Workforce.” We and our partners proposed that the time
has come to explore the integration of health protection and health promotion
in the workplace.
Numerous
case studies and anecdotal reports have suggested that a comprehensive
approach to occupational health makes sense for the 21st Century workplace.
However, most efforts have not been evaluated in a rigorous, scientific way.
Absent that level of scientific review, we do not know if or to what extent
we can generalize from the limited experience available to us.
Participants
at the 2004 symposium strongly encouraged NIOSH to lead a robust effort to
address those questions. There is a particular need, they suggested, for
strong research to develop and evaluate integrated work-based health
interventions, for partnerships to engage diverse stakeholders in identifying
and promoting effective practices, and for wide dissemination of information.
Since
then, we have worked to incorporate those recommendations into our program
activities and program planning. A notable development in this regard was our
2005 request for applications to fund new, university-based Centers for
Excellence to Promote a Healthier Workforce. Two centers – one at the
University of Massachusetts at Lowell and the other at the University of Iowa
– were funded earlier this year, as we announced in last month’s
edition of NIOSH eNews. We look forward to working with our partners in the
coming months to plan a stimulating, productive exchange at the September
2007 conference.
More
information on the background of the WorkLife Initiative, as well as names
and e-mail addresses of NIOSH contacts, can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/worklife.
Please mark September 10-11, 2007, on your calendar. Watch for more
information in the next few months, and please consider ways to take part in
this historic initiative.
As we post our last edition of
NIOSH eNews
for 2006, I want to thank you for your interest in our activities and
accomplishments. I am gratified that NIOSH contributed in many significant
ways this year to our shared goal of preventing work-related injuries,
illnesses, and deaths. Further challenges await us in the New Year, and I
look forward to your continued enthusiasm in helping us to address them.
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International Nanotechnology
Conference Underway
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 NIOSH, the University of Cincinnati and other partners
will cosponsor the “International Conference on Nanotechnology,
Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety: Research to Practice”
on December 4-7 in Cincinnati, Ohio. Participants will share the latest findings,
interim recommendations, and practices for managing the occupational and
environmental health and safety implications of nanomaterials along the
life-cycle of those products. Additionally, the conference will explore
nanotechnology’s potential as a new tool for detecting, preventing and
treating work-related illnesses. Further information on the conference is
available at http://www.uc.edu/noehs.
More information on NIOSH research and interim recommendations on occupational
safety and health implications and applications of nanotechnology is
available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech.
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NIOSH Begins Study of Construction
Worker Falls and Close Calls
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 NIOSH, the
Center to Protect Workers’ Rights (CPWR) and the District Council of
Northern New Jersey of the International Association of Bridge, Structural,
Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers are collaborating to improve the
prevention of falls and close calls in construction. Falls are the number one
cause of fatal injuries in construction. Apprentices and journeymen will
evaluate two training tools to promote hazard recognition on job sites.
Discussions with journeymen ironworkers who have experience with falls and
close calls will be used to identify and eliminate working conditions that
may contribute to close calls and falls. Contact Ted Scharf at TScharf@xxxxxxx for more information on
this research project. NIOSH resources on construction safety are available
at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/injury/traumastruct.html.
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NIOSH Inactivates Draft Document
on World Trade Center Postmortem Exam Guidelines
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Based on independent scientific
reviews, NIOSH will no longer develop the archived draft document,
“Standardized Postmortem Examination Guidelines for Individuals Dying
After Environmental Exposures Related to the Collapse of the World Trade
Center on September 11, 2001.” NIOSH will instead pursue other avenues
for documenting long-term health effects from exposure to air contaminants
from the WTC disaster. From our evaluation of the independent reviews, it
appears that other avenues are more likely to achieve our goal, and that of
our partners, of reducing uncertainties in assessing WTC health effects.
NIOSH thanks the reviewers and will respond as suggested. A link to the
archived draft document and external scientific reviews is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/wtc/WTC_examguidel-draft.html.
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 NIOSH begins testing prototype for rapid detection of anthrax
vaccination status in the field
NIOSH researchers and their colleagues recently
established a device capable of rapidly assessing an individual’s
anthrax vaccination status with high sensitivity (Clinical and Vaccine Immunology,
13:541-546, 2006). This device, an anthrax lateral flow immunoassay, works
similar to a home pregnancy test using blood from a fingerprick. NIOSH
researchers will soon initiate beta testing of the serological lateral flow
prototype under a new Memorandum of Understanding with the Naval Institute
for Dental and Biomedical Research. Contact Raymond Biagini at RBiagini@xxxxxxx for more
information.
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 NORA Town Hall meeting in Puerto Rico
NIOSH has eagerly embraced the opportunity to hold an
additional NORA Town Hall meeting, this time in Puerto Rico. It will be part
of the “11th Annual Federal Safety & Health Congress, Expo &
Emergency Management Conference” sponsored by the federal Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the local Puerto Rico Federal
Safety & Health Council. The Town Hall session will be December 6.
Participants are encouraged to speak for five minutes about a significant
occupational safety and health issue affecting their geographic region, industry
or area of expertise. Simultaneous English or Spanish translations will be
provided. As with the previous Town Hall meetings, transcripts will be
prepared and the information will be entered into the database of comments
for consideration by the NORA Sector Councils and others when setting
priorities for research. This information will be posted to the NORA Web site
at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/nora/townhall.
More information about the conference is available at http://www.puertoricosafety.org/main.htm.
As always, contact the NORA Coordinator at NORACoordinator@xxxxxxx for more
information.
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 Diversity in NIOSH
The NIOSH Diversity Steering Council (DSC) met for their annual face-to-face
meeting in Morgantown, West Virginia on October 10-12 to set the roadmap for
the future of diversity at NIOSH. Committee members plan on releasing an
annual report on The State of Diversity at NIOSH. During the meeting, the
council heard presentations by NIOSH employees on two aspects of diversity,
personal and technological: Dr. William Wallace on his childhood experience
with polio and the government’s hiring practices in regards to disabled
persons, and Captain James Spahr on designing safety equipment for use by a
diverse population. To learn more about NIOSH’s diversity effort,
visit: http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/pgms/diversity/.
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Captain Mike Gressel with his award from the U.S.
Public Health Service.
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Division of Applied
Research and Technology (DART)
NIOSH researcher Mike Gressel, a captain in the Commissioned Corps of the
U.S. Public Health Service, recently received an Outstanding Unit Citation
and commemorative plaque signed by the U.S. Surgeon General for his emergency
response efforts related to the December 2004 earthquake and tsunami in the
Indian Ocean. Captain Gressel deployed to Indonesia as a member of a
six-person hospital assessment team from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention (CDC). The team’s mission was to assess the capacities
of the remaining hospitals in Banda Ache, one of the areas worst hit by both
the earthquake and tsunami. Captain Gressel and another engineer on the team
evaluated nearly 90 buildings for structural integrity and functionality. The
team’s assessment findings were presented to the Indonesian Ministry of
Health and helped prioritize healthcare resources sent to the affected
regions.
Division of
Respiratory Disease Studies (DRDS)
On October 22 to 28, 2006, Dr. Edward Petsonk and Anita Wolfe of NIOSH and
Dr. Jack Parker of West Virginia University traveled to Santiago, Chile to
collaborate with the Chilean Public Health Institute in completing a Training
Workshop on Radiographic Classification of Pneumoconiosis.
This activity is part of the International Labor Organization (ILO), World
Health Organization, and Pan American Health Organization “Americas
Initiative to Eliminate Silicosis.” Twenty-four Chilean physicians
attended the five-day Workshop, which included small group practical teaching
sessions as well as formal lectures covering legal issues, screening,
recognition, pathology, management, quality assurance, surveillance, and
prevention of various occupational dust diseases. In addition to the NIOSH
personnel, the Workshop faculty included professionals from the Chilean
Institute of Public Health and several Chilean Hospitals. After completion of
the training program, the workshop attendees underwent both a Chilean and a NIOSH
examination for competency in accurately classifying radiographs of pneumoconiosis using the ILO International Classification
system.
Division of Safety
Research (DSR)
Virginia Lutz from the NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and
Prevention Program recently participated in a radio pod cast which focused on
the use of seat belts by fire fighters, sharing findings from NIOSH
investigations of fire fighter deaths involving motor vehicles. The pod cast,
moderated by Burton Clark of the U.S. Fire Administration, Department of
Homeland Security, brought attention to the large portion of the fire service
who do not wear their seat belt when riding in an emergency vehicle. The
radio pod cast noted the importance of fire departments having and enforcing
policies for seat belt use, and ensuring that all fire service vehicles have
functioning seat belts. The pod cast also explored barriers to seat belt use,
including issues of fit and culture. You can listen to the pod cast at http://dynamic.firehouse.com/broadcast.
More information on the NIOSH Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation and
Prevention Program can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire.
 Education and
Information Division (EID)
A new “School Chemistry Laboratory Safety Guide” developed by
NIOSH and federal agency partners is available on the NIOSH web page. The guide
provides high school teachers and students with useful and practical safety
information to prevent injuries in school chemistry laboratories. NIOSH’s
partners were the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the Environmental
Protection Agency. Other stakeholders included the chemical industry, unions,
teachers, and State and Federal OSHA. The safety guide can be accessed at the
NIOSH Web site at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2007-107.
Health Effects
Laboratory Division (HELD)
NIOSH researchers Robert Mercer, Rebecca Chapman, Tracy Hulderman and Petia Simeonova
along with colleagues Mukesh Summan, Gordon Warren, and Nico Van Rooijen have
been acknowledged by the American Journal of Physiology for their manuscript
“Macrophages and skeletal muscle regeneration: a clodronate-containing
liposome depletion study.” The journal’s Editor-in-Chief credits
the article as being one of the most frequently read in the June 2006 issue
(volume 290, issue 6, pages R1488-95). The article abstract can be accessed
at http://ajpregu.physiology.org/cgi/content/short/00465.2005v1.
 National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (NPPTL)
During October 2006, the NPPTL Technology Evaluation Branch issued a total of
26 respirator approvals; two denials and three applications were withdrawn by
the manufacturer. Of the 26 approvals, 19 were for modifications of products
that had been previously approved and seven were for new products. Approval
was denied for two products, one new and one modification. One new and two
modifications were withdrawn. Twenty-seven applications for extensions of
approval and 21 applications for new approvals were received.
The
Engineering Evaluation team conducted two quality assurance manual audits to
evaluate the quality assurance process and manufacturing practices. One
product audit was initiated. The Certified Product Investigation Process
completed two evaluations of previously certified products.
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Lori Matthews and Ted Teske with their winning
poster.
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Spokane Research Laboratory (SRL)
Lori Matthews and Ted Teske received the top award for their poster
presentation at the American Evaluation Association’s (AEA) annual
conference held in Portland, OR, November 1-4, 2006. The AEA is regarded as
one of the most prestigious international professional associations in the
area of program evaluation. The title of the presentation was
“Effective Safety Training in Mining: Examining the Transferability of
Mixed-Methods Evaluation Research.” The poster featured the
mixed-methods evaluation results of the two most recent training videos
created by SRL. It also emphasized the transferability of both the training
video production process and the evaluation methods used.
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Liberty Mutual
Research Institute announces senior research openings.
Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety is seeking
highly qualified applicants for three director-level, research leadership
positions. Applications are currently being accepted, and positions are open
until filled. For more information, or to apply, visit http://www.libertymutual.com/researchinstitute
under What's New
or email researchinstitute@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx.
Mark your calendars:
Important paper and poster submission deadlines.
Just a reminder of several upcoming paper and poster submission deadlines for
occupational safety and health related conferences.
- American Academy of
Emergency Medicine 13th Annual Scientific Assembly
March 12-14, 2007, Las
Vegas, Nevada
Call for Papers deadline is December
8, 2006.
http://www.aaem.org
- Americas’
Fire and Security Expo 2007
July 24-26, 2007, Miami
Beach, Florida
Call for Papers deadline is December
15, 2006
http://www.americasfireandsecurity.com
- National Safety Council 2007
Congress and Expo
October 12-19, 2007, Chicago, Illinois
Call for Papers deadline is January
12, 2007
http://www.nsc.org
- Association of Occupational
Health Professionals 2007 National Conference
September 26-29, 2007, Savannah, Georgia
Call for Posters deadline is February
15, 2007
http://www.aohp.org
- European Respiratory Society
Annual Congress 2007
September 15-19, 2007, Stockholm, Sweden
Call for Papers deadline is February
22, 2007
http://www.ersnet.org
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NIOSH
releases five new Health Hazard Evaluation Reports.
Transportation,
Warehousing, and Utilities Sector
- Evaluation
of cancer occurrence in the transportation, warehousing, and utilities
sector. NIOSH investigators
responded to a management request to determine if there was an excess of
cancer cases among current and former workers at a power plant. The
concern arose because of contamination of a power plant's potable water
with hydrazine, which was used as an anti-corrosive additive in the
boilers. Using state cancer registry data, NIOSH investigators
calculated cancer rates among current and former employees and compared
them to rates in the surrounding communities. No significant excess of
lung, colon, or all cancers combined among workers potentially exposed
to hydrazine was found. The full report is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2003-0097-3018.pdf.
- Evaluation
of noise exposure in the transportation, warehousing, and utilities
sector. NIOSH investigators
responded to a management request to determine if a risk for hearing
loss was posed by noise from conveyor belts and baggage inspection
equipment in the checked baggage screening areas of an international
airport. Of the 13 employees monitored, one had a noise dose exceeding
the NIOSH recommended exposure limit, but none had exposures above the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration permissible exposure
limit. A spectral analysis of noise levels revealed a high-pitched noise
that was not loud enough to pose a risk for work-related hearing loss,
but was irritating to the employees. NIOSH investigators recommended
further evaluation of noise exposures followed by development of a
hearing conservation program, if needed, and engineering controls to
reduce specific noise exposures. The full report is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2005-0197-3010.pdf.
- Evaluation of diesel exposure
in the transportation, warehousing, and utilities sector.
NIOSH investigators responded to a joint union/management request to
assess equipment-generated diesel exhaust during move/load/unload
operations at four marine terminals. NIOSH investigators collected air
samples for diesel exhaust, carbon monoxide, and total particulate;
interviewed employees; and reviewed illness and injury records. Although
most diesel exposures were not above recommended exposures limits,
exposure levels and employee symptoms indicated that a potential health
hazard existed for workers in certain job titles. NIOSH investigators
recommended work practice changes and engineering approaches to reduce
exposures. The full report is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2003-0246-3013.pdf.
Manufacturing Sector
- Evaluation
of silver iodide exposure in the manufacturing sector.
NIOSH investigators responded to a management request to assess exposure
to silver iodide during the manufacturing of cloud-seeding flares.
Concerns were raised by the occurrence of thyroid disease in several
employees. Silver iodide exposures levels were less than 0.4 mg/m3;
occupational exposure limits have not been developed for silver iodide.
Exposures to aluminum, magnesium, and strontium were well below
occupational exposure limits. Based on their review of employees'
medical records NIOSH investigators concluded that diagnosed medical
conditions were not related to workplace exposures. The full report is
available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2004-0239-3014.pdf.
- Evaluation
of styrene and other process-related exposures in the manufacturing
sector. NIOSH investigators
responded to an employee request concerning potential long-term effects
from exposure to smoke and chemicals generated while manufacturing
polystyrene and cutting polyethylene sheeting and expandable polystyrene
foam. NIOSH investigators conducted area and personal breathing zone air
sampling. All sample results were below applicable occupational exposure
limits. The full report is available at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2005-0243-3016.pdf.
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Call for Papers
issued for the following conferences.
- "2007 Johnson
Conference: Workplace Aerosol Sampling to Meet ISO Size-Selective
Criteria"
Abstracts will be accepted until December 15, 2006. The conference will
be held July 16-20, 2007 in Burlington, VT and is sponsored by ASTM
International. More information on the Call for Abstracts is available
by contacting Martin Harper, Conference Chairman, at MHarper@xxxxxxx. Additional
information on the conference can be found at http://www.astm.org under Symposia and
Workshops.
- “Occupational and
Environmental Exposures of Skin to Chemicals”
Abstracts will be accepted until February 17, 2007. The conference will
be held June 17-20, 2007 in Golden, Colorado and is cosponsored by NIOSH
and the Colorado School of Mines. Scientists will exchange information
on the science, knowledge gaps, challenges and policy opportunities
related to exposures of the skin to chemicals with special emphasis on
improved prevention of local and systemic injury and disease. More
information on the conference can be found at http://www.mines.edu/outreach/cont_ed/oeesc.
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Pneumoconiosis is the term for
a class of respiratory diseases caused by the inhalation of dust. Lung damage
can occur due to the body’s reaction to dust particles which have
settled in the lung. The pneumoconioses include the major fibrotic lung
diseases such as asbestosis, coal workers’ pneumoconiosis, and
silicosis, as well as less common diseases such as siderosis and berylliosis.
More information on pneumoconiosis can be found on the NIOSH topic page, http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/pneumoconioses.
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NIOSH eNews on the Web:
www.cdc.gov/niosh/enews/
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NIOSH eNews is Brought to
You By:
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John Howard, M.D.
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Editor in Chief
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Max Lum
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Story Editor
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Tara Hartley
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Public Affairs Officer
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Fred Blosser
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Technical Lead
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Glenn Doyle
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Technical Support
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Joseph Cauley
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Please send
your comments and suggestions to us at nioshenews@xxxxxxx.
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