Asbestos has been found in several brands of children’s crayons and fingerprint kits made in China and sold in the U.S., according to tests commissioned by an environmental group. The findings are detailed in a report being released today by the Environmental Working Group Action Fund. It marks the third time in 15 years that the cancer-causing substance has been detected in crayons or fingerprint toys marketed to children—apparently, due to the use of asbestos-contaminated talc.
Report from the European Trade Union Institute: An important international meeting on toxic products opened in Geneva on 4 May with, as one of the main items on its agenda, the inclusion of chrysotile in the Rotterdam Convention. In spite of the deleterious effects of this form of asbestos, lobbying by producer and importer states has so far enabled this carcinogenic substance to remain outside the purview of this instrument.
OSHA inspectors acting on a complaint found asbestos-related violations at A.M. Castle & Co., a wholesale metal and steel stock distributor in Franklin Park, Illinois.
Kansas City, Missouri, store receives 11 violations
March 23, 2015
A worker alleging the existence of asbestos, mold and hygiene hazards led to an inspection of an Advance Auto Parts store in Kansas City, where OSHA found one repeated and 10 serious safety and health violations with fines of $60,000.
OSHA has filed suit against the Idaho Falls School District, after an employee was fired for questioning whether the timeline of a construction project at a school allowed for the safe removal of asbestos.
A measure currently being considered by lawmakers is coming under fire by occupational safety advocates who say that it would delay compensation for people suffering from mesothelioma and require victims to disclose personal information – such as social security numbers – thus making them vulnerable to identify theft.
Long-term changes seen at relatively low exposure levels
January 9, 2015
People exposed to asbestos from mining in Libby, Mont., show long-term changes in lung imaging and function tests, even with relatively low asbestos exposure, reports a study in the January Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
Greensboro, NC city employees and contractors may have been exposed to asbestos while working toward the demolition of War Memorial Auditorium, according to a recent report in the region’s newspaper, The News & Record.
While renovating an Evanston, Ill. Middle school, workers from six separate companies were exposed to asbestos, lead and electrical hazards, according to OSHA, which inspected the site after receiving a complaint. Staff and students were on summer break during the July 2014 inspection..
Activists from CA, MA, NY, and NJ lauded for standing up for safer workplaces
October 7, 2014
The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (National COSH) says the the winners of its 2014 health and safety awards are “extraordinary people” who are helping to make workplaces safer by empowering workers and building coalitions.