NIOSH Science Blog Posts
Silica Hazards from Engineered Stone Countertops
A new engineered stone countertop product known as “quartz surfacing,” was created in the late 1980s by combining quartz aggregate with resins to create a product for use in home building and home improvement. Manufacturing of this material, including products such as CaesarStone™, Silestone™, Zodiaq™, or Cambria™ is a fast growing industry. First made in Read More >
Posted on by 67 CommentsRespirator Care = Safe to Wear!
Happy Valentine’s Day! And on this most romantic day of the year, what else could you possibly do than show some love … to your respirator. Last year on this day, we blogged about maintaining your relationship with your Self-Contained Breathing Apparatus (SCBA). To continue to spread the love, this year we want to focus Read More >
Posted on by 7 CommentsWorld Cancer Day – Cancer Detectives in the Workplace
Today is World Cancer Day. Around the world, 12.7 million people are diagnosed with cancer every year, and the number is expected to increase due to the growth and aging of the population, as well as reductions in childhood mortality and deaths from infectious diseases in developing countries (ACS 2011). Cancer is the leading cause Read More >
Posted on by 8 CommentsSocial Media at NIOSH – The Year in Review
Last year in January we highlighted the top blogs of the previous year. This year we are taking it one step further to include our top contributions from 2013 across all NIOSH social media channels. It may be news to you that NIOSH is active in some of these areas. If you didn’t know NIOSH was Read More >
Posted on by 155 CommentsPersistent Pain in the Neck! What Resources Help you Prevent MSDs in the Workplace?
Repetitive tasks, awkward postures, twisting and turning, or forceful exertions at work are often associated with musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), such as neck or back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, or tendinitis. These are disorders or injuries that affect muscles, tendons, nerves, discs, ligaments, etc. They remain a leading work-related condition. About 30% of all injuries and Read More >
Posted on by 16 CommentsUsing Workers’ Compensation Records for Safety and Health Research
Workers’ compensation insurance has been established in all states to provide income protection, medical treatment, and rehabilitation for employees who are injured or become ill as a result of work. Workers’ compensation claims and medical treatment records along with other information resources have been used to conduct occupational safety and health research and surveillance and Read More >
Posted on by 68 CommentsWishes for Workers
It’s that time of year again when we find ourselves scrambling to fill the holiday wishes of our loved ones and friends. We would like to invite you to take a minute or two out of this busy season and share your holiday wish for workers. Anything goes. Dream big or share an attainable goal Read More >
Posted on by 9 CommentsControlling Exposures to Workers Who Make or Use Nanomaterials
Background It is difficult to estimate how many workers are involved in this field. By one estimate, there are 400,000 workers worldwide in the field of nanotechnology, with an estimated 150,000 of those in the United States [Roco et al. 2010]. The National Science Foundation has estimated that approximately 6 million workers will be Read More >
Posted on by 5 CommentsWhat’s Next for the NIOSH Manual of Analytical Methods
Many products essential to daily life are produced using chemicals that can endanger human health unless properly controlled. While the end product may be safe for the consumer, the workers who manufacture the product may be occupationally exposed to the chemical ingredients more directly or at higher concentrations than the consumer who uses the Read More >
Posted on by 3 CommentsReducing Worker Exposure to ETS
What better time than during the American Cancer Society’s annual Great American Smokeout, to highlight the benefit of comprehensive smoke-free workplaces on the health of workers. Furnishing a smoke-free work environment has been shown to both reduce exposure to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) among non-smokers, and also to decrease smoking among employees. In Massachusetts, recent Read More >
Posted on by 6 CommentsWomen in Science
“When I grow up, I want to be an industrial hygienist.” Hearing a ten-year-old girl say those words would probably warrant a double take. While there might be some little girls out there dreaming about one day conducting research and working in a laboratory, studies suggest that more often, it’s a ten-year-old boy who will Read More >
Posted on by 14 CommentsConducting Responder Health Research and Biomonitoring During and Following Disasters
When responding to a disaster, emergency workers may face unique health risks from exposures to hazardous chemical and environmental contaminants in forms and circumstances often not seen in other occupations. While the paramount needs to be addressed in a disaster are the protection of people in the disaster zone and the safety and health Read More >
Posted on by 12 CommentsPowerful New Videos Encourage Those Who Qualify to Seek Care through the World Trade Center Health Program
Though the September 11th attacks were over a decade ago, thousands of people who were in the affected areas continue to experience physical and mental health symptoms as a result of their experience in the days, months, and even years following 9/11. They may not recognize that some cancers, a chronic cough, difficulty sleeping, or Read More >
Posted on by 25 CommentsPreventing Deaths in Manure Storage Facilities Through Proper Ventilation
On farms, manure storage facilities are used to store animal waste, which can then be used for fertilizer. Farmers or farm workers may need to enter the facilities to repair or maintain equipment, such as pumps and intake hoses. These confined spaces are often oxygen-deficient atmospheres and can contain toxic and/or explosive gases that create Read More >
Posted on by 8 CommentsHappy N95 Day! A Guide to N95 Resources
Welcome to year two of this NIOSH-approved observance, marking N95 day as an official annual event. (We debated about decorating our offices with N95s – but that seemed a tad wasteful). To those who missed the memo last year, let us update you. Because N95 respirators are so important to the health and safety Read More >
Posted on by 13 CommentsLadder Safety: There’s an App for That
NIOSH recently released its first smart phone application (app) for mobile devices. This free app is aimed at improving extension ladder safety by providing real-time safety information delivered via the latest technology. Falls are a persistent source of injury in many occupations and in home use. Falls are the number one cause of construction-worker fatalities Read More >
Posted on by 45 CommentsFree On-line Violence Prevention Training for Nurses
In 2012, the Healthcare and Social Assistance (HCSA) sector was amongst the largest industry sectors in the U.S. employing an estimated 19.4 million workers (13.5% of the total workforce)[1]. On average, over the last decade, U.S. healthcare workers have accounted for two-thirds of the nonfatal workplace violence injuries in all industries involving days away from Read More >
Posted on by 34 CommentsThe Importance of Occupational Safety and Health: Making for a “Super” Workplace
There’s just something about superhero movie summer releases that gets us here at NIOSH excited about safety. This summer the source of our inspiration came from the Man of Steel© movie. In the film, pre-Superman Clark Kent is working as a commercial fisherman (a hazardous job if you’re not a man of steel). He risks Read More >
Posted on by 29 Comments1-Bromopropane
1-Bromopropane (1-BP), also known as n-propyl bromide (nPB), is an organic solvent used in a number of commercial and industrial applications. 1-BP may be found in products used in vapor and immersion degreasing operations for cleaning metal, plastics, electronic and optical components; in adhesive spray applications; and in dry cleaning operations. 1-BP may also be Read More >
Posted on by 8 CommentsAdvanced Headforms for Evaluating Respirator Fit
Over three million Americans are required to wear respirators in their workplaces. In order to strive for the highest level of protection, ongoing research is essential for learning more about the factors that affect how respirators fit to the face. As part of this pursuit, NIOSH has developed a new robotic manikin headform (called an Read More >
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