Synergist - September 2010

NewsWatch

OEHS NEWS ; GOVERNMENT NEWS ; INDUSTRY NEWS

OSHA Reform Begins Path Through Congress

The House of Representatives Education and Labor Committee approved a bill on July 21 that would significantly reform mine safety regulations and alter parts of the Occupational Safety and Health Act. The full House is expected to vote on the bill, H.R. 5663, by the end of the year.

H.R. 5663 incorporates provisions from the Protecting America’s Workers Act (PAWA) that would apply not only to mines but to all workplaces. The provisions of PAWA in H.R. 5663 include those that strengthen whistleblower protections, change misdemeanor offenses to felony offenses when violations result in worker fatalities, update civil penalties, prevent litigation from delaying the correction of hazards, and provide greater rights for victims and their families.

H.R. 5663 was originally named the Miner Safety and Health Act of 2010. The bill was renamed after the late Senator Robert C. Byrd of West Virginia, the longest serving member of the U.S. Congress, who died in June.

To read the text of H.R. 5663, visit the website of the House Education and Labor Committee at http://edlabor.house.gov.

Shift Work, Indium Listed as Possible Carcinogens

In a report published in June, the American Cancer Society, the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, the National Cancer Institute and NIOSH listed 19 chemicals and shift work as possible causes of cancer in humans. Included in the 19 chemicals is indium phosphide, which is used in the manufacture of microelectronics, including flat-screen TVs.

The following agents, listed in order of their need to be studied, are discussed in the report: • Lead and lead compounds • Indium phosphide • Cobalt with tungsten carbide • Titanium dioxide • Welding fumes • Refractory ceramic fibers • Diesel exhaust

• Carbon black
• Styrene- 7,8-oxide and styrene
• Propylene oxide
• Formaldehyde
• Acetaldehyde
• Dichloromethane, methylene
chloride (DCM)

• Trichloroethylene (TCE)

• Tetrachloroethylene (perc, tetra, PCE)

• Chloroform • Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

• Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP)

• Atrazine
• Shift work
The International Agency for Research on Cancer classifies
all these agents as possible carcinogens. The full report, “Identi-
fication of research needs to resolve the carcinogenicity of
highpriority IARC carcinogens,” can be found at http://mono
graphs.iarc.fr/ENG/Publications/techrep42/index.php.

New Focus on Dangers of “Secondhand Chemo”

An investigation conducted by the Seattle Times and Investigate West, an independent news organization, calls attention to the hazards of occupational exposure to chemotherapy drugs. In a series of articles published in July, reporter Carol Smith tells the stories of four workers, two of whom are now dead, whose cancer may have been caused by occupational exposure to chemotherapy agents.

Two of the workers featured in the series were pharmacists; one was a veterinarian, and one a nurse.

Occupational exposure to chemotherapy drugs usually arises from accidental spills as the agents are being mixed. Smith reports that Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab told Investigate West that OSHA is concerned about the issue but does not have the resources to regulate these exposures.