Tuesday, October 21, 2003

Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health (elcosh) web site http://www.cdc.gov/elcosh/index.html or www.elcosh.org The Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health was developed by the Center to Protect Workers' Rights (CPWR) with support from grant CCU317202 from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). The contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of NIOSH. Source: IWS Documented News Service, School of Industrial & Labor Relations, Cornell University   1:33:12 PM    comment []

REACHing for chemical safety California could lead nation on reducing workplace exposures San Francisco Chronicle http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2003/10/21/EDGB22EFL71.DTL&;type=printable Michael P. Wilson, James E. Cone October 21, 2003   The 25-year-old auto mechanic did not think the solvent he was using to clean brakes and other auto parts could be dangerous. After all, it was used every day by mechanics in his shop. Gradually, however, his hands and feet began to lose sensation and motor function. He started dropping his tools unexpectedly.... Along with several other public health scientists, we worked to track down the cause of neurological disease among workers in the automotive-repair industry. Unfortunately, the conditions we witnessed, and the disabled mechanics we interviewed, were far from unique.... We have no health or environmental data on 43 percent of the 2,800 chemicals that are produced or imported in the United States at the rate of more than 1 million tons per year. Reasonably complete health data exist on only 7 percent of these high production chemicals. In total volume, more than 90 percent of chemicals in commerce today were introduced under the assumption that they were "safe," yet that assumption has been left largely unquestioned.... A more logical approach to chemicals regulation is under consideration in the European Union. The REACH initiative, or Registration, Evaluation and Authorization of Chemicals, is intended to address both workplace exposures and environmental pollution in the European Union. On Oct. 22, EU officials are visiting UC BERKELEY to discuss progress on the REACH initiative, which culminates more than five years of debate among EU countries. Under REACH, chemical manufacturers and importers would be required to gather and report the quantity, uses and potential health effects of approximately 30,000 chemicals. About 1,400 of these chemicals are known or suspected to be carcinogens, reproductive toxicants, persist in the environment or to accumulate in body tissues. The initiative would subject these 1,400 chemicals to an authorization review similar to that used in the regulation of pharmaceuticals. Approval of any use that could result in human exposures would be predicated on a thorough assessment of safety considerations and alternative products.... The European Union delegation, which includes representatives of the European Commission, will visit UC BERKELEY on Oct. 22.....   Source: UC Berkeley in the News 12:26:46 PM    comment []

Copyright 2003 Lincoln Cushing