OSHA announced on August 6, 2015 a proposed new standard that would lower workplace exposure to beryllium, a heavy metal that can cause lung disease. The proposal would apply to an estimated 35,000 workers covered by OSHA.
Silicosis is a potentially fatal but preventable occupational lung disease caused by inhaling respirable particles containing crystalline silicon dioxide (silica). Quartz, a type of crystalline silica, is the second most abundant mineral in the earth’s crust and workers across a wide range of occupations and industries are exposed to silica-containing dusts.
A 43-year-old high-school custodian started having breathing problems he associated with using a bathroom disinfectant and a floor stripper. When he was away from the chemicals for a few months, his breathing problems improved.
The American Petroleum Institute (API) is using a major new television, radio, print, and online advertising campaign to urge the Obama administration to keep the current ozone standards rather than implementing new ones.
Asthma is a major public health issue, affecting nearly 23 million people and disproportionally affecting low-income and minority communities. The economic impact of asthma amounts to more than $56 billion per year from direct medical costs and indirect costs, such as missed school and work days.
A 20-year study finds that millennial children in Southern California breathe easier than ones who came of age in the ‘90s, for a reason as clear as the air in Los Angeles today.
Study may help employers target efforts to lower health costs
February 12, 2015
Asthma, back pain, and congestive heart failure are among the conditions showing reductions in health care costs in one large employer's disease management (DM) program, reports a study in the February Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, official publication of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (ACOEM).
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.
EPA has announced the funding of eight grants which will be awarded to U.S.-based organizations as a way of promoting public health through the reduction the exposure to indoor pollutants such as radon, as well as other environmental factors in homes, schools, offices and public buildings that may trigger lung diseases like asthma.