READ: NIOSH Evaluates Elastomeric Half-Mask Respirators
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READ: NIOSH investigates lead exposure at Ohio police department
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(3 RC) - The Health Hazard Evaluation Program received a request from employees at a police department in Ohio. The request concerned lead exposures in and around the firing range, a history of water intrusion and mold growth on the ceiling tiles in the juvenile office, and lack of ventilation in the property room where illicit drugs were stored. We made two site visits to the police department to evaluate exposures, work conditions, and employee health concerns… (NIOSH HEE, July 2013)
Read MoreREAD: OSHA recommends procedures for workplace safety and health programs
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(3 RC) - Establishing a safety and health program at your job site is one of the most effective ways of protecting your most valuable asset: your workers. Losing workers to injury or illness, even for a short time, can cause significant disruption and cost to you as well as the workers and their families. It can also damage workplace morale, productivity, turnover, and reputation… (OSHA, Oct 2016)
Read MoreREAD: SafeWork Australia Explains Emergency Plans
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(4 RC) - An emergency plan may also be aimed at limiting or managing the effects of consequences on property or the environment. Further, emergencies may occur that are not associated with hazardous chemicals, such as those arising from natural events (e.g. flood or fire). It is advisable that a facility not have multiple plans. A single plan facilitates rapid response and avoids confusion about which plan should be executed in the event of a particular type of emergency.… (Safe Work Australia Mar 2012)
Read MoreREAD: Investigation of IEQ Practices During Renovation Projects
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(.50 RC) - The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has conducted several Health Hazard Evaluations [NIOSH 2019] in workplaces with reported health concerns associated with construction and renovation in occupied buildings. During these evaluations, NIOSH investigators identified issues that could affect indoor environmental quality such as a lack of dust control, the use of high emission building materials…(NIOSH, Jan 2020)
Read MoreREAD: NIOSH investigates officer exposures inside a drug vault
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(4 RC) - In November 2009, NIOSH received an HHE request from a police department in Kentucky. The request concerned possible health effects from working inside a vault used to store drug evidence, including marijuana, cocaine, methamphetamine, and oxycodone. We conducted evaluations in December 2009 and July 2010… (NIOSH, July 2011)
Read MoreREAD: Australia Investigates Biotoxin-related Illnesses
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(.50 RC) - The Australian Government is concerned for those patients who are suffering debilitating symptoms they believe to be associated with exposure to mould and/or biotoxins. At this point in time, further research is required into the link between such symptoms and exposure to mould. The Australian Government acknowledges that there is a need to provide better multidisciplinary care to patients (WHO, Mar 2020)
Read MoreREAD: WHO Summarizes School Environment Policies (Part 2)
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(4 RC) - This report includes a summary of existing policies on providing healthy environments in schools and kindergartens, an overview of environmental risk factors in schools, information on design, methods and results of selected recently conducted exposure assessment surveys and a summary of pupils’ exposures to major environmental factors, such as selected indoor air pollutants, mold and dampness and poor ventilation in classrooms, sanitation and hygiene problems, smoking and the use of various modes of transportation to school… (WHO, Jan 2015)
Read MoreREAD: WHO Summarizes School Environment Policies (part 1)
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(4 RC) - This report includes a summary of existing policies on providing healthy environments in schools and kindergartens, an overview of environmental risk factors in schools, information on design, methods and results of selected recently conducted exposure assessment surveys and a summary of pupils’ exposures to major environmental factors, such as selected indoor air pollutants, mold and dampness and poor ventilation in classrooms, sanitation and hygiene problems, smoking and the use of various modes of transportation to school… (WHO, Jan 2015)
Read MoreREAD: EPA Evaluates Residential Indoor Air
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(4 RC) - Possible exposure pathways associated with this site include inhalation of contaminated indoor air as well as dermal exposure to and incidental ingestion of contaminated soil, sediment, and surface water. The indoor air pathway was selected for evaluation first because of the potential for nearby residents to be exposed to volatile chemicals in their homes throughout the year… (ATSDR, Sept 2014)
Read MoreREAD: EPA Investigates Vapor Intrusion at Elementary School
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(.50 RC) - The U.S. EPA collected six sub-slab samples and six indoor air samples at Holden Elementary School in July 2011. The primary contaminants of concern at the site are components of the petroleum-based product gasoline and include benzene, hexane, and trimethylbenzenes. In addition, chlorofluorocarbon products were identified… (ASTDR, Apr 2012)
Read MoreREAD: Australia Announces Workplace Health & Safety Strategy
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(2 RC) - The Commonwealth, state and territory governments, industry and unions have strategies to support and improve work health and safety. The Australian Strategy has been designed to be sufficiently broad and high-level so that governments, industry, unions and other organizations can undertake activities that assist in meeting the desired outcomes… (National OHS Strategy, Mar 2020)
Read MoreREAD: WHO publishes guidance on indoor chemical sampling
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(4 RC) - Indoor air contains a wide variety of chemical compounds. Some of these compounds, including volatile organic compounds (VOCs), originate mainly from indoor sources such as paints, building products, furnishings, glues, varnishes, and consumer and household products. Other pollutants, such as nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and ozone (O3), are classical pollutants of outdoor air that penetrate indoor environments in different ways in additional to releases from indoor sources… (WHO, Jan 2020)
Read MoreREAD: WI Health Department Investigates Indoor Mercury
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(1 RC) - In response to a request from a health care provider about a patient and husband with elevated mercury levels in blood and urine and related health symptoms, the Wisconsin Division of Public Health investigated for mercury contamination in their west-central Wisconsin house. DPH inspected the house and tested for mercury vapors and found high mercury levels associated with adverse health effects. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cleaned up elemental mercury at the affected house… (ASTDR, July 2009)
Read MoreREAD: Wisconsin evaluates polyurethane on gym floors
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(1 RC) - Milwaukee Public Schools requested assistance from the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, to evaluate potential health concerns associated with mercury-catalyzed polyurethane flooring in the gymnasium of South Division High School, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The intent of this health consultation is to characterize and assess the human health implications of elemental mercury vapor levels in the air of the SDHS gym… (ASTDR, Dec 2010)
Read MoreREAD: CDC Evaluates Indoor Air Sampling Methods
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(2 RC) - A soil gas data screening indicates that 1,4 dioxane is a concern for vapor intrusion in a WI building occupied by workers and children. As 1,4dioxane is highly soluble in water, it is possible that its presence in soil gas samples indicates the leading edge of the groundwater plume may be approaching the building. A complete indoor air investigation of the WI is necessary to evaluate the potential for current exposures… (ASTDR)
Read MoreREAD: Survey of Laws on Cannabis Smoking Indoors
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(1 RC) - Secondhand cannabis smoke, like secondhand tobacco smoke, creates unhealthy indoor air quality. Ventilation and engineering techniques cannot reduce this pollution to healthy levels, and complete smoke-free policies are the only way to provide healthy indoor environments. Even so, multiple state and local governments have begun to allow indoor smoking of cannabis in businesses… (AJPM, Aug 2021)
Read MoreNIOSH investigates a Ronald McDonald House
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4 RCs.
This Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE), conducted by the CDC and NIOSH, investigates a Ronald McDonald house in Durham North Carolina in response to employees experiencing diarrhea, stomach cramps, vomiting, dizziness, weakness, and fatigue.
Read MoreREAD: Malaria Exposure and Transmission Explained
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(3 RC) - Malaria in humans is caused by intraerythrocytic protozoa of the genus Plasmodium. These parasites are transmitted by the bite of an infective female Anopheles species mosquito. The majority of malaria infections in the United States occur among persons who have traveled to regions with ongoing malaria transmission. However, malaria is occasionally acquired by persons who have not traveled out of the country through exposure to infected blood products, congenital transmission, nosocomial exposure, or local mosquito borne transmission.… (CDC, Mar 2021)
Read MoreREAD: CDC Recommends Prophylactic Measures for Plague
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(3 RC) - This report provides CDC recommendations to U.S. health care providers regarding treatment, pre-exposure prophylaxis, and post-exposure prophylaxis of plague. Yersinia pestis, the bacterium that causes plague, leads to naturally occurring disease in the United States and other regions worldwide and is recognized as a potential bioterrorism weapon. A bioweapon attack with Y. pestis could potentially infect thousands, requiring rapid and informed decision making by clinicians and public health agencies.…(CDC MMWR, July 2021)
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