Categories: Exposure
April 9th, 2009 11:40 am ET -
Ray Wells, PhD
- Of new-onset asthma cases in adults, 15–23% are work-related asthma [American Thoracic Society 2004]
- The highest percentage of work-related asthma occurred among operators, fabricators, and laborers (32.9%) [Worker Health Chartbook 2004]
- Between 35 and 60 million of the 89 million indoor environment workers have building-related symptoms of eye, nose, and throat irritations or headache and fatigue [Mendell 2002]
The points above very briefly highlight some of the issues related to indoor environmental quality. It has been estimated that indoor environmental quality-related health issues cost businesses in the range of $20–70 billion annually due to lost productivity, decreased performance, and sick absences. Some of these health effects include respiratory issues that could fall under the classification of work-related asthma. Work-related asthma is a subset of occupational lung disease which can be further subdivided into occupational asthma, which can be caused by exposure to a sensitizer or irritant at work, and work-exacerbated asthma, which is when pre-existing asthma becomes worse due to exposures at work.
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Categories: Nanotechnology
March 30th, 2009 9:36 am ET -
Vladimir V. Murashov, PhD
Determining whether a material or substance poses an occupational health risk depends on knowing not only the potential toxic characteristics of the material, but also the characteristics of exposure. To what concentrations are workers exposed, for how long, and in what ways? In research to answer the question of whether nanomaterials pose work-related health risks, exposure assessment is particularly vital. Because of the relative newness of nanotechnology, very little exposure data have been reported in the scientific literature. At this stage, measuring or determining risk becomes a little like trying to solve a mystery when major clues are missing. Scientists and engineers face this challenge even as the market for nanotechnology grows, and along with it, an increasing demand from diverse parties for guidance to underpin its responsible development.
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Categories: Nanotechnology
March 19th, 2009 10:24 am ET -
Vincent Castranova, PhD, Ann Hubbs, PhD, Dale Porter, PhD, and Robert Mercer, PhD
Multi-walled carbon nanotubes, known as MWCNTs for short, are a type of engineered nanomaterial that shows promise for various applications. These include the potential for creating stronger, more durable building materials; improving cancer therapies; creating more efficient means of energy generation, storage, and transmission; and speeding computer processes. However, as with other types of engineered nanomaterials, the potential occupational health implications of MWNCTs are not well understood at this emergent stage of the technology. A broad group of health and safety practitioners and business observers have agreed that research is vital for determining if MWCNTs pose a health risk for workers engaged in their production and industrial use, and for informing the responsible development of this technology. There is general agreement that this issue must be approached in a proactive manner with good research in order for society to benefit from the many promises this new class of materials has to offer.
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Categories: Engineering Control, Exposure, Small Business, women
March 10th, 2009 3:25 pm ET -
Administrator
Approximately 365,000 people are employed in nail salons and other personal care services in the United States. The workforce is largely female (75%) with the industry employing a large number of minority workers (46%) specifically Asian immigrants (38%). These workers generally perform manicures over a workstation—or “nail table”—with the client’s hands resting on the table as they work. The nail table is, therefore, directly below the nail technicians’ breathing zone. Downdraft vented nail tables (VNTs) are modified to vent potential dust or chemical exposures away from the breathing zone before they cross it, thus theoretically reducing potential exposures.
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is undertaking a unique research project to examine the effectiveness of different VNTs in removing potential exposures from the work area.
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