Operating Engineers and the OSHA Silica Standard: A Survey of Union Trainers

Enclosed cabs with filtration systems, an engineering control preferred in the hierarchy of controls, may reduce heavy equipment operators’ silica exposure during demolition, grading, and excavation. We surveyed operating engineer trainers about silica training, familiarity with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) silica standard, and cab filtration systems. A voluntary and anonymous online survey was e-mailed to 437 trainers in January 2018. The response rate was 22.9 percent (n = 100). Most trainers (84 percent) covered health risks and silica exposure prevention in their courses. Of these, 59 percent discussed cab filtration as an engineering control. Trainers identified possible barriers to the use of cab filtration systems and a need for education to increase use, and raised concerns about other exposures associated with heavy equipment use. Education about selection, use, and maintenance of cab filtration systems to control silica exposure is needed. Engineering improvements to heavy equipment should address cab filtration, noise, heat, and vibration.

Performing a United States Pharmacopeia Chapter <800> Compliant Assessment of Risk

United States Pharmacopeia Chapter <800>, which became effective on December 1, 2019, addresses handling of hazardous drugs in facilities that make compounded preparations. The Chapter includes minimum facility, engineering controls, personal protective equipment, and other requirements under which all hazardous drugs must be handled. For certain hazardous drugs, an assessment of risk may be performed to determine alternative containment strategies or work practices. This article addresses the legal enforceability of Unites States Pharmacopeia Chapter <800>, how to determine whether a drug is eligible for an assessment of risk, and details important considerations when performing assessments of risk.

Ensuring Healthcare Worker Safety When Handling Hazardous Drugs

Hazardous drugs (HDs) are chemicals that demonstrate one or more of the following characteristics: carcinogenicity, genotoxicity, teratogenicity, reproductive toxicity, or organ toxicity. In addition, newer drugs with a structural or toxicity profile that mimics an agent known to be hazardous by one of the aforementioned criteria also should be treated as such. Any HD-handling activity can result in exposure for healthcare workers, as documented in a multitude of case reports and studies throughout the medical literature. Exposure to HDs has been associated with acute symptoms (e.g., nasal sores, hair loss, skin rash), adverse reproductive outcomes (e.g., infertility, miscarriage), genetic changes (e.g., chromosomal aberrations, sister-chromatid exchanges), and an increased occurrence of cancer.

[Rubber granules on synthetic turf pitches: safe or not safe for children?]

Rubber granules from old car tyres used in synthetic turf pitches contain a significant number of carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting chemicals. In 2017 the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) and the European Chemical Agency (ECHA) concluded that the risks for children are negligible. However, their reports contain some scientific inaccuracies and omissions which may have led them to underestimate the risks for children. It is therefore premature to conclude that it is safe for children to play on synthetic turf pitches with rubber granules. It is now primarily up to the parents to decide whether or not playing sports is acceptable in these circumstances. The Dutch government should, in accordance with ECHA recommendations, advise parents that their children ought to avoid hand-and-mouth contact with these granules as much as possible.

Use of toxicant sensitivity distributions (TSD) for development of exposure guidelines for risk to human health from benzene

This technique for setting guideline values differs from that currently used by regulatory agencies throughout the world. Data for benzene were evaluated from epidemiological studies on human populations (29 studies). Exposure durations were evaluated in terms of Long Term Exposure (LTE) and Lifetime Exposure. All data was reported as Lowest Observed Adverse Effect Levels (LOAEL) and converted into exposure doses using Average Daily Dose (ADD) and Lifetime Average Daily Dose (LADD). These values were plotted as a Toxicant Sensitivity Distribution (TSD) which was the cumulative probability of LOAEL-ADD and LOAEL-LADD. From the TSD plots, linear regression equations gave correlation coefficients (R²) ranging from 0.69 to 0.97 indicating normal distributions. Guideline Values (GVs) for LTE (8hr/day) and Lifetime (24hr/70yrs) exposure to benzene were calculated using data from human epidemiological studies as 5% level of cumulative probability (CP) of LOAEL-ADD and LOAEL-LADD from the cumulative probability distributions (CPD). The derived guideline values from the human epidemiological studies were 92 μg/kg/day for LTE and 3.4 μg/kg/day for lifetime exposure. GV for LTE is appropriate for occupational exposure and GV derived for lifetime exposure appropriate for the general population. The guideline value for occupational exposure limit was below all the guideline values developed by regulatory agencies. But the general population guideline is within the range of values formulated by European Union, ATSDR, EPAQS, USEPA and OEHHA for air quality for the general population. This is an alternative method which eliminates the application of safety factors and other sources of errors in deriving guideline values for benzene.

How to Develop and Maintain a Hazardous Drug List

United States Pharmacopeia Chapter <800>, concerned with the handling of hazardous drugs in healthcare settings, requires that any entity handling such drugs maintain a hazardous drug list. While this list must include any drug found on the latest NIOSH List of Antineoplastic and Other Hazardous Drugs in Healthcare Settings, entities are expected to include other drugs and substances of concern. This article provides guidance on the creation and maintenance of such a list.

Randomized Controlled Trial of an Intervention to Improve Nurses' Hazardous Drug Handling

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate whether a web-based educational intervention improved personal protective equipment (PPE) use among oncology nurses who handle hazardous drugs.

SAMPLE & SETTING

From 2015 to 2017, the authors partnered with 12 ambulatory oncology settings in the United States to enroll 396 nurses, 257 of whom completed baseline and primary endpoint surveys.

METHODS & VARIABLES

In a cluster randomized controlled trial, 136 nurses in control settings received a one-hour educational module on PPE use with quarterly reminders, and 121 nurses in treatment settings received the control intervention plus tailored messages to address perceived barriers and quarterly data gathered on hazardous drug spills across all study settings. The primary outcome was nurse-reported PPE use.

RESULTS

Control and intervention sites had suboptimal PPE use before and after the intervention. No significant differences were observed in PPE use knowledge or perceived barriers. Participants reported high satisfaction with the study experience.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING

Hazardous drug exposure confers notable health risks to healthcare workers. To improve hazardous drug handling, occupational healthcare workers, health systems, and professional organizations should consider coordinated efforts to implement policy and practice changes.

Incorporating regulatory guideline values in analysis of epidemiology data

Fundamental to regulatory guidelines is to identify chemicals that are implicated with adverse human health effects and inform public health risk assessors about "acceptable ranges" of such environmental exposures (e.g., from consumer products and pesticides). The process is made more difficult when accounting for complex human exposures to multiple environmental chemicals. Herein we propose a new class of nonlinear statistical models for human data that incorporate and evaluate regulatory guideline values into analyses of health effects of exposure to chemical mixtures using so-called 'desirability functions' (DFs). The DFs are incorporated into nonlinear regression models to allow for the simultaneous estimation of points of departure for risk assessment of combinations of individual substances that are parts of chemical mixtures detected in humans. These are, in contrast to published so-called biomonitoring equivalent (BE) values and human biomonitoring (HBM) values that link regulatory guideline values from in vivo studies of single chemicals to internal concentrations monitored in humans. We illustrate the strategy through the analysis of prenatal concentrations of mixtures of 11 chemicals with suspected endocrine disrupting properties and two health effects: birth weight and language delay at 2.5 years. The strategy allows for the creation of a Mixture Desirability Function i.e., MDF, which is a uni-dimensional construct of the set of single chemical DFs; thus, it focuses the resulting inference to a single dimension for a more powerful one degree-of-freedom test of significance. Based on the application of this new method we conclude that the guideline values need to be lower than those for single chemicals when the chemicals are observed in combination to achieve a similar level of protection as was aimed for the individual chemicals. The proposed modeling may thus suggest data-driven uncertainty factors for single chemical risk assessment that takes environmental mixtures into account.

The unsteady state and inertia of chemical regulation under the US Toxic Substances Control Act

After 40 years, the 1976 US Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) was revised under the Frank R. Lautenberg Chemical Safety for the 21st Century Act. Its original goals of protecting the public from hazardous chemicals were hindered by complex and cumbersome administrative burdens, data limitations, vulnerabilities in risk assessments, and recurring corporate lawsuits. As a result, countless chemicals were entered into commercial use without toxicological information. Few chemicals of the many identified as potential public health threats were regulated or banned. This paper explores the factors that have worked against a comprehensive and rational policy for regulating toxic chemicals and discusses whether the TSCA revisions offer greater public protection against existing and new chemicals.

Acute water quality criteria for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, pesticides, plastic additives, and 4-Nonylphenol in seawater

Probabilistic environmental quality criteria for Naphthalene (Nap), Phenanthrene (Phe), Fluoranthene (Flu), Pyrene (Pyr), Triclosan (TCS), Tributyltin (TBT), Chlorpyrifos (CPY), Diuron (DUR), γ-Hexaclorocyclohexane (γ-HCH), Bisphenol A (BPA) and 4-Nonylphenol (4-NP) were derived from acute toxicity data using saltwater species representative of marine ecosystems, including algae, mollusks, crustaceans, echinoderms and chordates. Preferably, data concerns sublethal endpoints and early life stages from bioassays conducted in our laboratory, but the data set was completed with a broad literature survey. The Water Quality Criteria (WQC) obtained for TBT (7.1·10^-3 μg L^-1) and CPY (6.6· 10^-3 μg L^-1) were orders of magnitude lower than those obtained for PAHs (ranging from 3.75 to 45.2 μg L^-1), BPA (27.7 μg L^-1), TCS (8.66 μg L^-1) and 4-NP (1.52 μg L^-1). Critical values for DUR and HCH were 0.1 and 0.057 μg L^-1 respectively. Within this context, non-selective toxicants could be quantitatively defined as those showing a maximum variability in toxicity thresholds (TT) of 3 orders of magnitude across the whole range of marine diversity, and a cumulative distribution of the TT fitting to a single log-logistic curve, while for selective toxicants variability was consistently found to span 5 orders of magnitude and the TT distribution showed a bimodal pattern. For the latter, protective WQC must be derived taking into account the SSD of the sensitive taxa only.

Hazardous Drugs: Legislative and Regulatory Efforts to Improve Safe Handling

Several organizations have safety guidelines regarding handling of hazardous drugs. That said, only Washington and California have enforceable laws that regulate these practices. This article shares the experiences of three states-Washington, Michigan, and North Carolina-in advancing legislative and regulatory efforts. It also offers guidance to nurses seeking to improve the way hazardous drugs are handled and how and where to begin.

Health Risk Assessment of Dietary Cadmium Intake: Do Current Guidelines Indicate How Much is Safe?

BACKGROUND

Cadmium (Cd), a food-chain contaminant, is a significant health hazard. The kidney is one of the primary sites of injury after chronic Cd exposure. Kidney-based risk assessment establishes the urinary Cd threshold at 5.24 μg/g creatinine, and tolerable dietary intake of Cd at 62 μg/day per 70-kg person. However, cohort studies show that dietary Cd intake below a threshold limit and that tolerable levels may increase the risk of death from cancer, cardiovascular disease, and Alzheimer's disease.

OBJECTIVE

We evaluated if the current tolerable dietary Cd intake guideline and urinary Cd threshold limit provide sufficient health protection.

DISCUSSION

Staple foods constitute 40-60% of total dietary Cd intake by average consumers. Diets high in shellfish, crustaceans, mollusks, spinach, and offal add to dietary Cd sources. Modeling studies predict the current tolerable dietary intake corresponding to urinary Cd of 0.70-1.85 μg/g creatinine in men and 0.95-3.07 μg/g creatinine in women. Urinary Cd levels of < 1 μg/g creatinine were associated with progressive kidney dysfunction and peripheral vascular disease. A urinary Cd of 0.37 μg/g creatinine was associated with breast cancer, whereas dietary Cd of 16-31.5 μg/day was associated with 25-94% increase in risk of estrogen receptor-positive breast cancer.

CONCLUSION

Modeling shows that dietary intake levels for Cd exceed the levels associated with kidney damage and many other adverse outcomes. Thus, the threshold level of urinary Cd should be re-evaluated. A more restrictive dietary intake guideline would afford enhanced health protection from this pervasive toxic metal. Citation: Satarug S, Vesey DA, Gobe GC. 2017. Health risk assessment of dietary cadmium intake: do current guidelines indicate how much is safe? Environ Health Perspect 125:284-288; http://dx.doi.org/10.1289/EHP108.

A comparative evaluation of five hazard screening tools

An increasing number of hazard assessment tools and approaches are being used in the marketplace as a means to differentiate products and ingredients with lower versus higher hazards or to certify what some call greener chemical ingredients in consumer products. Some leading retailers have established policies for product manufacturers and their suppliers to disclose chemical ingredients and their related hazard characteristics often specifying what tools to use. To date, no data exists that show a tool's reliability to provide consistent, credible screening-level hazard scores that can inform greener product selection. We conducted a small pilot study to understand and compare the hazard scoring of several hazard screening tools to determine if hazard and toxicity profiles for chemicals differ. Seven chemicals were selected that represent both natural and man-made chemistries as well as a range of toxicological activity. We conducted the assessments according to each tool provider's guidelines, which included factors such as endpoints, weighting preferences, sources of information, and treatment of data gaps. The results indicate the tools varied in the level of discrimination seen in the scores for these 7 chemicals and that tool classifications of the same chemical varied widely between the tools, ranging from little or no hazard or toxicity to very high hazard or toxicity. The results also highlight the need for transparency in describing the basis for the tool's hazard scores and suggest possible enhancements. Based on this pilot study, tools should not be generalized to fit all situations because their evaluations are context-specific. Before choosing a tool or approach, it is critical that the assessment rationale be clearly defined and matches the selected tool or approach. Integr Environ Assess Manag 2017;13:139-154. © 2016 The Authors. Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. on behalf of SETAC.

Transparency of chemical risk assessment data under REACH

The REACH regulation requires EU manufacturers and importers of substances to register information on the hazard and risk of their substances with the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA). Risk management of the substances is based on the provided information. It is known that conclusions on hazard and risk are influenced by expert judgements as well as potential conflict of interests. Thus, it is important that hazard and risk assessments are transparent and can be evaluated by a third party. The aim of this study is to scrutinize the transparency, i.e. the accessibility and comprehensibility, of information on substances registered under REACH. Data on repeated dose toxicity and hazard assessment conclusions were extracted for 60 substances from the REACH registration database available on the ECHA website. The data were compiled in a database for systematically evaluating the transparency of information related to the conclusions on hazard or risk. In addition, chemical safety reports (CSR) were requested from ECHA for five substances. The transparency of information on the hazard and risk of substances was found to be limited for several reasons. First, certain information was removed due to confidentiality and certain fields were not published because they could contain confidential information although the information had not been claimed confidential. Also, the extent to which registrants reported information varied, and the presentation of some data and certain terminology required further clarification. In addition, the data source for the majority of the key and supporting studies could not be identified due to confidentiality. Since registrants are only required to summarise studies, it cannot be verified whether all relevant information from non-public industry reports have been reported. Lastly, certain information related to the hazard and risk assessment were only reported in the CSR which is only available upon request; a time-consuming and work-intensive process. As information on registered chemicals is currently provided to the public, it is difficult to follow steps that are undertaken in the hazard and risk assessment. This limits the possibility for a third party to evaluate the assessment.

Surface wipe sampling for antineoplastic (chemotherapy) and other hazardous drug residue in healthcare settings: Methodology and recommendations

Surface wipe sampling for various hazardous agents has been employed in many occupational settings over the years for various reasons such as evaluation of potential dermal exposure and health risk, source determination, quality or cleanliness, compliance, and others. Wipe sampling for surface residue of antineoplastic and other hazardous drugs in healthcare settings is currently the method of choice to determine surface contamination of the workplace with these drugs. The purpose of this article is to review published studies of wipe sampling for antineoplastic and other hazardous drugs, to summarize the methods in use by various organizations and researchers, and to provide some basic guidance for conducting surface wipe sampling for these drugs in healthcare settings.  Recommendations on wipe sampling methodology from several government agencies and organizations were reviewed. Published reports on wipe sampling for hazardous drugs in numerous studies were also examined. The critical elements of a wipe sampling program and related limitations were reviewed and summarized.  Recommendations and guidance are presented concerning the purposes of wipe sampling for antineoplastic and other hazardous drugs in the healthcare setting, technical factors and variables, sampling strategy, materials required, and limitations. The reporting and interpretation of wipe sample results is also discussed.  It is recommended that all healthcare settings where antineoplastic and other hazardous drugs are handled consider wipe sampling as part of a comprehensive hazardous drug "safe handling" program. Although no standards exist for acceptable or allowable surface concentrations for these drugs in the healthcare setting, wipe sampling may be used as a method to characterize potential occupational dermal exposure risk and to evaluate the effectiveness of implemented controls and the overall safety program. A comprehensive safe-handling program for antineoplastic drugs may utilize wipe sampling as a screening tool to evaluate environmental contamination and strive to reduce contamination levels as much as possible, using the industrial hygiene hierarchy of controls.

New Power for “Old Europe”

The European Union's growing political clout is leading to new paradigms of environmental and health regulation. The E.U. is putting teeth behind new guidelines governing the toxicity of chemicals in consumer products, cosmetics, and automobiles that are forcing American companies to reconsider longstanding production practices. While U.S. government oversight over environmental and health concerns is being weakened, the E.U.'s strengthened governance over these and other arenas is rapidly, through the leverage of international trade, setting the stage for a new global standard. Europe's new standards present a historic choice to U.S. manufacturers: either conform to the E.U.'s preemptive screening for toxicity, or risk sacrificing the 450-million strong European market. The author explores the American response, and how the United States is slipping to the lower rungs of a double standard for protecting the health of citizens.

[Actual problem of methodology and development of evidence-based health risk assessment associated with chemical exposure]

Paramount problems of the development of the assessment of population health risks associated with the chemical exposure in Russia are considered on the ground of critical analysis of reports devoted to methodological issues of the risk assessment and guidelines published since 2010. Causes of the lack in progress of risk assessment are discussed. The information of executed research revealed the significant retardation number of Russian publications devoted to the evidence-based health risk assessment compare to worldwide trend. The analysis of publications according to evidence-based health risk assessment in Russia in 1998 - 2012 demonstrated methodical problems to be leading to the underestimation of the real risk to population’s health. There are demonstrated directions in the renewal of methodology and practice of hygienic standardization on the basis of the risk assessment. The comparative analysis of values of uncertainty factors (modifying factors, conversion factors) used for extrapolation and accepted in different countries and organizations was made. The system of extrapolation coefficients of DNEL (Derive No-Effect Level) is presented. The leading principles of modern toxicology and risk assessment based on strict scientific proofs are showed. Criteria of evidence-based toxicology and risk assessment are presented.Among actual problems which demand their decision there are considered: the assessment of combined action in regulatory toxicology; expansion of spheres of the application of health risk assessment methodology; the improvement ofpreparation and certification of experts in the field of health risk assessment; need of check of dispersion models and their replacement by more modern models; the improvement of exposure assessment with taking into account the international requirements; the assessment of regional exposure factors; expansion of atmospheric air monitoring in all the large cities of Russia.

Breast Cancer and Occupation: The Need for Action: APHA Policy Statement Number 20146, Issued November 18, 2014

Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer among women in the United States and other countries, making it a major public health concern. Despite significant scientific evidence about its known or suspected causes, research and prevention measures to identify and eliminate occupational and other environmental hazards and risk factors for breast cancer remain largely overlooked. As a result, hazards continue unabated for women generally, especially those who work outside the home. The science linking breast cancer and occupation in particular is growing. Researchers have identified commonly used chemicals that induce breast tumors in test animals. Animal studies link chemicals that mimic reproductive hormones to elevated breast cancer rates. Other animal and human studies link chemical exposures to increased breast cancer rates, including two recent investigations focused on occupational hazards. But the latter are the exception. Studies that attempt to identify and characterize workplace agents linked to breast cancer, as well as intervention studies focusing on the use of less toxic processes and substances, are limited. In what might be construed as a case of gender and social class bias, many research and funding agencies have ignored or downplayed the role of occupational studies despite their relevance to prevention efforts. Action required starts with making a national priority of promoting and supporting research on occupational and other environmental causes of breast cancer. Other public health actions include hazard surveillance and primary prevention activities such as reductions in the use of toxic materials, informed substitution, and green chemistry efforts. The original document is accessible at the APHA website, http://www.apha.org/policies-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-statements/policy-database/2015/01/07/14/55/breast-cancer-and-occupation.

Comparison of methods used to calculate typical threshold values for potentially toxic elements in soil

The environmental quality of land can be assessed by calculating relevant threshold values, which differentiate between concentrations of elements resulting from geogenic and diffuse anthropogenic sources and concentrations generated by point sources of elements. A simple process allowing the calculation of these typical threshold values (TTVs) was applied across a region of highly complex geology (Northern Ireland) to six elements of interest; arsenic, chromium, copper, lead, nickel and vanadium. Three methods for identifying domains (areas where a readily identifiable factor can be shown to control the concentration of an element) were used: k-means cluster analysis, boxplots and empirical cumulative distribution functions (ECDF). The ECDF method was most efficient at determining areas of both elevated and reduced concentrations and was used to identify domains in this investigation. Two statistical methods for calculating normal background concentrations (NBCs) and upper limits of geochemical baseline variation (ULBLs), currently used in conjunction with legislative regimes in the UK and Finland respectively, were applied within each domain. The NBC methodology was constructed to run within a specific legislative framework, and its use on this soil geochemical data set was influenced by the presence of skewed distributions and outliers. In contrast, the ULBL methodology was found to calculate more appropriate TTVs that were generally more conservative than the NBCs. TTVs indicate what a "typical" concentration of an element would be within a defined geographical area and should be considered alongside the risk that each of the elements pose in these areas to determine potential risk to receptors.

[Study on feasible emission control level of air pollutions for cement industry ]

The revised National Emission Standard of Air Pollutions for Cement Industry has been issued, which will be effective for the new enterprises and the existing enterprises on Mar. 1st, 2014 and July 1st, 2015, respectively. In the process of revision, the key technical issues on determination of standard limits was how to determine the feasible emission control level of air pollutions. Feasible emission control requirements were put forward, according to air pollutants emission, technologies, environmental management requirements and foreign standards, etc. The main contents of the revised standard include expanding the scope of application, increasing the pollutants, improving the particulate and NO emissions control level, and increasing special emission limits applied to key areas of air pollutants. The standard will become the gripper of pollution prevention, total emission reduction, structural adjustment and optimization of the layout, and will promote scientific and technical progression for the cement industry.

Discriminating toxicant classes by mode of action: 4. Baseline and excess toxicity

Functional similarity of chemicals combines toxicological knowledge (which toxicity pathways can happen in which species under which exposure conditions) with chemical expertise (which parts of the chemical structures and physico-chemical properties are involved in which interactions) to discriminate between baseline and excess toxicants. The objective is to identify as many baseline toxicants as possible because their acute fish toxicities can be predicted with sufficient accuracy from their log Kow. Established tools like structural alerts are used to indicate modes of action (MOAs) that are typical causes of excess toxicity. Verhaar classifications are supplemented with additional chemical attributes and physico-chemical property thresholds to cover a larger range of compounds within the baseline toxicity domain. Our approach is precautionary to avoid false negatives with a sensitivity of 96.3%. It classifies 57.1% of the compounds of the EPA Fathead Minnow Acute Toxicity Database (EPAFHM) as baseline toxicants and suggests that more than 50% of acute fish toxicity testing could be replaced by reliable QSAR predictions. Furthermore, functional similarity can support the MOA classification of chemicals in different species. Toxicity profiles with fish, Daphnia and algae reveal specific targets for the compounds and, particularly for chemicals with multiple MOA, identify the most sensitive species.

Identification of chemical hazards for terrestrial plants in the regulatory context: comparison of OECD and ISO guidelines

Standardized test protocols are used in the regulatory context for identifying the hazardous properties of chemicals, wastes, and contaminated materials. This paper compares the relevance of two guidelines measuring effects on terrestrial plants, the OECD TG 208 and the ISO TG 22030 and presents the scientific basis for a recent decision of the European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) under the European chemicals regulation REACH. If there are no specific phytotoxicity alerts, both guidelines are considered suitable for assessing long-term hazards, providing that a sufficient number of species is included in the OECD protocol, the recommended minimum number is six, which offer a reasonably broad selection of species to account for interspecies sensitivity. The proposed methodology, based on a combination of probabilistic assessments using Monte Carlo analysis, can be adapted for supporting similar decisions under specific regulatory processes; for example, for assessing contaminated soils or pesticides' applications.

2013 environmental health legislation

The NEHA Government Affairs program has a long and productive association with the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL). The organizations have worked together on any number of legislative and policy areas that directly impact the environmental health profession. One of the keys to the successes of the NEHA/NCSL collaboration has been the recognition of the fact that often some of the most significant legislation and policy initiatives related to environmental public health occur in state legislatures. The states have, in a very real sense, been the innovators in developing new programs and practices. In recognition of this fact, we have asked NCSL to provide occasional overviews of state environmental public health legislative activity, covering topics that are of the most pressing public concern. Doug Farquhar, program director for NCSI's Environmental Health Program, has worked with NCSL since 1990. Mr. Farquhar directs development, management, and research for the Environmental Health Program. These projects encompass consultation and policy analysis of state and federal policies and statutes, regulations, and programs regarding environmental and related topics for state legislatures and administrative programs. Amy Ellis is a law clerk for NCSL within the Environment, Energy, and Transportation Group. As a law clerk she has researched a wide variety of environmental health policies. She is expected to obtain her JD from the University of Colorado Law School in 2015.

Development of Permissible Exposure Limits: The California Experience

The California OSHA Airborne Contaminant Advisory Committee reviewed several hundred substances and recommended occupational exposure limits with the intent of worker and employer protection. The model used offers important benefits. First, by allowing open meetings, the process was transparent, and input could be offered by concerned stakeholders. Second, the process was data-driven and, therefore, less susceptible to bias and error. Third, by incorporating members with backgrounds in toxicology, epidemiology, risk assessment, occupational medicine, and industrial hygiene, the process fostered a thorough and diverse assessment of substances.

Banning Asbestos in Asia: Campaigns and Strategies by the Asian Network for the Rights of Occupational Accident Victims (ANROAV)

China, India, Indonesia, and Thailand are among the largest consumers of asbestos. Because markets in the West are dwindling, asbestos is heavily promoted in Asia. In spite of widespread usage, asbestos-related diseases are surprisingly few and reported cases of mesothelioma are rare in Asia except in Japan, Korea, and Singapore. The problem lies in diagnosis. Most of the asbestos-related diseases are not diagnosed in Asia and thus do not appear in government statistics. This deadly substance is killing workers. Unless drastic action is taken to stop its use, Asian workers as well as the general population will pay a heavy price.

Characterization of PCBs from computers and mobile phones, and the proposal of newly developed materials for substitution of gold, lead and arsenic

In this paper, we have analyzed parts of printed circuit board (PCB) and liquid crystal display (LCD) screens of mobile phones and computers, quantitative and qualitative chemical compositions of individual components, and complete PCBs were determined. Differential thermal analysis (DTA) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) methods were used to determine the temperatures of phase transformations, whereas qualitative and quantitative compositions of the samples were determined by X-ray fluorescence spectrometry (XRF), inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES), and scanning electron microscopy (SEM)-energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry (EDS) analyses. The microstructure of samples was studied by optical microscopy. Based on results of the analysis, a procedure for recycling PCBs is proposed. The emphasis was on the effects that can be achieved in the recycling process by extraction of some parts before the melting process. In addition, newly developed materials can be an adequate substitute for some of the dangerous and harmful materials, such as lead and arsenic are proposed, which is in accordance with the European Union (EU) Restriction of the use of certain hazardous substances (RoHS) directive as well as some alternative materials for use in the electronics industry instead of gold and gold alloys.

[Assessment of the relationship of properties of chemical compounds and their toxicity to a unified hygienic standardization for chemicals]

The connection of thermodynamic properties and parameters of toxicity of chemical substances was determined. Obtained data are used for the evaluation of toxicity and hygienic rate setting of chemical compounds. The relationship between enthalpy and toxicity of chemical compounds has been established. Orthogonal planning of the experiment was carried out in the course of the investigations. Equation of unified hygienic rate setting in combined, complex, conjunct influence on the organism is presented. Prospects of determination of toxicity and methodology of unified hygienic rate setting in combined, complex, conjunct influence on the organism are presented

[Effect analysis on the two total load control methods for poisonous heavy metals]

Firstly it should be made clear that implementation of source total load control for the first type of pollutants is necessary for environmental pollution control legislation and economic structure regulation. This kind of surveillance method has been more practical to be implemented since the Manual of the Industry Discharge Coefficient of First National Pollution Sources Investigation was published. The source total load control and water environment total load control are independent of each other and none of them is redundant, on the other side they can be complementary to each other. In the present, some local planning managers are blurring and confusing the contents and styles of the two surveillance methods. They just use the water total load control to manage all the pollutants, and source total load control is discarded, which results in the loss of control for the first type of pollutants especially for the drinking water source surveillance. There is a big difference between the water quality standards and the water environmental background concentration values for the first type of pollutants in the Environmental quality standard for surface water (GB 3838-88), which means that there are problems such as "relaxing the pollutant discharge permit" and "risk induced by valence state change". Taking an enterprise with 10t electrolytic lead production capacity as an example, there is a big difference between the allowable lead discharged loads by the two total load surveillance methods. In summary, it will bring a lot of harmful effects if the water total load control is implemented for the two types of pollutants, so the source total load control and water environmental total load control should be implemented strictly at the same time.

A review of filovirus work and facilities at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory Porton Down

Porton Down houses two separate sites capable of conducting high containment research on ACDP (Advisory Committee on Dangerous Pathogens) Hazard Group 4 agents: the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) and the Health Protection Agency (HPA), and filovirus research has been performed at Porton Down since the first Marburg virus disease outbreak in 1967. All work is conducted within primary containment either within cabinet lines (for in vitro work) or large rigid half-suit isolators (for in vivo work). There are extensive aerobiological facilities at high containment and the use of these facilities will be reported. Research at Dstl is primarily focused on assessing and quantifying the hazard, and testing the efficacy of medical countermeasures against filoviruses. Fundamental research directed to the study and understanding of the infectious and pathogenic nature of the filoviruses, particularly in aerosols, will be reported.

Human health effects of residual carbon nanotubes and traditional water treatment chemicals in drinking water

The volume of industrial and domestic wastewater is increasing significantly year by year with the change in the lifestyle based on mass consumption and mass disposal brought about by the dramatic development of economies and industries. Therefore, effective advanced wastewater treatment is required because wastewater contains a variety of constituents such as particles, organic materials, and emulsion depending on the resource. However, residual chemicals that remain during the treatment of wastewaters form a variety of known and unknown by-products through reactions between the chemicals and some pollutants. Chronic exposure to these by-products or residual chemicals through the ingestion of drinking water, inhalation and dermal contact during regular indoor activities (e.g., showering, bathing, cooking) may pose cancer and non-cancer risks to human health. For example, residual aluminium salts in treated water may cause Alzheimer's disease (AD). As for carbon nanotubes (CNTs), despite their potential impacts on human health and the environment having been receiving more and more attention in the recent past, existing information on the toxicity of CNTs in drinking water is limited with many open questions. Furthermore, though general topics on the human health impacts of traditional water treatment chemicals have been studied, no comparative analysis has been done. Therefore, a qualitative comparison of the human health effects of both residual CNTs and traditional water treatment chemicals is given in this paper. In addition, it is also important to cover and compare the human health effects of CNTs to those of traditional water treatment chemicals together in one review because they are both used for water treatment and purification.

Follow-up actions from positive results of in vitro genetic toxicity testing

Appropriate follow-up actions and decisions are needed when evaluating and interpreting clear positive results obtained in the in vitro assays used in the initial genotoxicity screening battery (i.e., the battery of tests generally required by regulatory authorities) to assist in overall risk-based decision making concerning the potential effects of human exposure to the agent under test. Over the past few years, the International Life Sciences Institute (ILSI) Health and Environmental Sciences Institute (HESI) Project Committee on the Relevance and Follow-up of Positive Results in In Vitro Genetic Toxicity (IVGT) Testing developed a decision process flow chart to be applied in case of clear positive results in vitro. It provides for a variety of different possibilities and allows flexibility in choosing follow-up action(s), depending on the results obtained in the initial battery of assays and available information. The intent of the Review Subgroup was not to provide a prescriptive testing strategy, but rather to reinforce the concept of weighing the totality of the evidence. The Review Subgroup of the IVGT committee highlighted the importance of properly analyzing the existing data, and considering potential confounding factors (e.g., possible interactions with the test systems, presence of impurities, irrelevant metabolism), and chemical modes of action when analyzing and interpreting positive results in the in vitro genotoxicity assays and determining appropriate follow-up testing. The Review Subgroup also examined the characteristics, strengths, and limitations of each of the existing in vitro and in vivo genotoxicity assays to determine their usefulness in any follow-up testing.

European experience in chemicals management: integrating science into policy

The European Union (EU) adopted the first legislation on chemicals management in 1967 with the Dangerous Substances Directive (DSD). Over time the underlying concepts evolved: from hazard identification over risk assessment to safety assessment. In 1981 a premarketing notification scheme was introduced. Approximately 10 years later a risk assessment program started for existing substances following a data collection and prioritization exercise. Integration of science into EU chemicals legislation occurred via several technical committees managed by the European Chemicals Bureau (ECB) and resulted in the Technical Guidance Document on Risk Assessment (TGD), which harmonized the risk assessment methodology. The TGD was revised several times to adapt to scientific developments. The revision process, and the risk assessments for new and existing substances, led to scientific research on chemical risk assessment and thus increased in complexity. The new EU chemicals policy REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and Restriction of CHemicals) builds on previous experiences and aims to further enhance health and safety. REACH places the burden of proof for chemical safety on industry focusing on managing risks. REACH formalizes the precautionary principle. Furthermore, it underlines a continued scientific underpinning in its implementation, also via stakeholder involvement, and a focus on aligning with international fora.

Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS) in the marine environment: prioritizing HNS that pose major risk in a European context

Increases in the maritime transportation of Hazardous and Noxious Substances (HNS), alongside the need for an effective response to HNS spills have led environmental managers and the scientific community to focus attention on HNS spill preparedness and responsiveness. In the context of the ARCOPOL project, a weight-of-evidence approach was developed aimed at prioritizing HNS that pose major environmental risks to European waters. This approach takes into consideration the occurrence probability of HNS spills in European Atlantic waters and the severity of exposure associated with their physico-chemical properties and toxicity to marine organisms. Additionally, a screening analysis of the toxicological information available for the prioritization of HNS was performed. Here we discuss the need for a prioritization methodology to select HNS that are likely to cause severe marine environmental effects as an essential step towards the establishment of a more effective preparedness and response to HNS incidents.

[Safe usage of chemicals in European Union countries]

New legal provisions have changed the rules of production, import and use of chemicals in the European Union Member States. Chemical substances present on the common market are covered by registration duty. Manufacturers and importers of substances are obliged to ensure that the risk posed by a given substance is adequately controlled on each stage. Information on substances is to be transferred both downstream and upstream in a supply chain. Substances of very high concern are the subject of authorisation procedure and will be gradually replaced by their safer equivalents. Information on substances of very high concern is transferred to downstream users and consumers. The European Chemicals Agency (ECHA) and Member States Competent Authorities have been established. National Helpdesks on REACH are operating in Member States, giving help to enterprises and other stakeholders.

Addressing Eeuropean environmental legislation

Medical device companies need to meet European requirements designed to protect the environment.The deadlines for some of the requirements have already passed. This article discusses a European Regulation and two Directives, and a means for meeting environmental requirements in an effective manner.

Reforming state-level chemicals management policies in the United States: status, challenges, and opportunities

During the last several years there has been increasing public concern about chemicals in everyday products. Scientific studies are increasingly revealing the build-up of some substances in ecosystems and in our bodies and new findings are linking exposures to hazardous chemicals to a range of adverse human health effects. Despite these trends, there has been little federal initiative in the United States on reforming chemicals management policies for well over two decades, even though a variety of analyses have identified significant gaps in the regulatory structure. As has historically been the case, states are beginning to fill the holes in federal leadership. This article explores this emerging state leadership and establishes a vision for and elements of policies to reduce hazardous chemicals in the products we buy and the places we go. It examines international efforts to reform chemicals management policies, such as the European REACH legislation and corporate leadership in advancing safer products. Finally, it outlines specific challenges states face in developing integrated, comprehensive chemicals management policies. We conclude that while there are plenty of challenges to implementation of chemicals policy reforms, it is a propitious time for states to become leaders in policy innovation that can help achieve safer production systems and products for future generations. This article is part of a Lowell Center for Sustainable Production report entitled "Options for State Chemicals Policy Reform" that provides in-depth analysis of the pros and cons of policy options to address a range of aspects of state-level chemicals policy reform. The article has been edited slightly for use in New Solutions. The report has been widely distributed to policy-makers, advocates, and others across the United States.