Category: Workers health

Occupational health professionals key to TSCA protections

~ PRHE

Exposures to industrial chemicals and their health consequences remain a preventable source of occupational disease, with workers suffering more than 190,000 illnesses and 50,000 deaths annually related to chemical exposures, according to the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). However, the occupational health community has not yet fully engaged with implementation of an important … Continue reading Occupational health professionals key to TSCA protections

WHO and ILO finds working long hours one of the largest burdens of disease globally

~ PRHE ~ 1 Comment

People who work more than 55 hours/week are at significantly higher risk of heart disease and stroke than people who work the typical 35-40 hours/week, according to a Joint Estimates by the World Health Organization (WHO) and International Labour Organization (ILO) which evaluated the evidence using the Navigation Guide systematic review method developed by the … Continue reading WHO and ILO finds working long hours one of the largest burdens of disease globally

New study unveils more worker deaths from methylene chloride than previously reported

~ PRHE ~ 1 Comment

Growing up in urban poverty with working-class parents subjected to occupational exposures taught me that where you live and work affects your health. I was raised with the conviction that one should not have to choose between work and health. So, when I learned about the dangers that methylene chloride posed to human health (e.g., … Continue reading New study unveils more worker deaths from methylene chloride than previously reported

Texas ignores dangers of ethylene oxide in flawed report

~ PRHE

In 2016, after careful analysis, and extensive internal and external peer review, and public comment, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) concluded that inhalation of ethylene oxide is “carcinogenic to humans.” Despite no new evidence that would alter EPA’s findings, the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) just finalized a dangerously flawed report claiming that … Continue reading Texas ignores dangers of ethylene oxide in flawed report

TSCA is 4

~ PRHE ~ 1 Comment

Congress amended the law that is supposed to protect people from dangerous chemicals. EPA’s current leadership is exploiting the law’s loopholes and making a mockery of it. Four years ago, Congress passed and President Obama signed legislation to amend the nation's Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that regulates chemicals in commerce, changes that were 40 … Continue reading TSCA is 4

The deadly omission in EPA’s Methylene Chloride rule

~ PRHE ~ 1 Comment

In October 2017, Drew Wynne, 31, succumbed to methylene chloride fumes while removing paint from the floors of his coffee company. This was almost a year after EPA proposed but refused to finalize a rule to ban methylene chloride paint strippers (“2017 rule”) which could have prevented his death. When EPA finalized their rule in … Continue reading The deadly omission in EPA’s Methylene Chloride rule

House investigates EPA’s failures on workers and toxic chemicals

~ PRHE

The House Energy & Commerce sub-committee on Environment and Climate Change is holding a hearing on “Mismanaging Chemical Risks: EPA’s Failure to Protect Workers.” Dr. Tracey Woodruff, Professor and Director at the University of California, San Francisco Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, gave this statement: "The science is clear: workers face disproportionately high … Continue reading House investigates EPA’s failures on workers and toxic chemicals