Another Study Links Nanotubes To Mesothelioma
from NIOSH
In addition to last week's nanotechnology discussion panel in Australia, further news on the topic comes stateside in the form of a new study conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). More

NIOSH Offers New Technical Guidance for Using UV Systems To Help Protect Healthcare Workers from TB Infection Risk
from NIOSH
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) offers new technical guidance for using ultraviolet germicidal irradiation (UVGI) systems to help protect health care workers who may have an occupational risk of tuberculosis (TB) infection. More

CDC Reports Progress in Foodborne Illness Prevention has Reached a Plateau
from CDC
The incidence of the most common foodborne illnesses has changed very little over the past three years, according to a 10-state report released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More

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How Men and Women Cope Differently With Stress Traced To Genetic Differences
from ScienceDaily
Can people's differing reactions to situations of stress be attributed at least in part to genetic differences and do those differences affect men and women in different ways - with the edge seemingly favoring the women? Research conducted at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem would seem to indicate that the answer to both questions is yes. More

Env. Health Advocates to Congress: Protect Us From Chemical Exposure!
from The Post Chronicle
Scientists, physicians, and health advocates sent a letter to a select Senate subcommittee today asking them to protect the public from toxic chemicals and other pollutants that are causing death and disease. More

A Rainy Night (or Day) in Georgia? Beware of Salmonella
from Scientific American
When it rains in Georgia, you may want to buy your peaches in a can. Researchers at the University of Georgia in Athens (UGA) have found that rain ups the risk of salmonella in rivers and streams—and, in turn, in products nourished by and washed in tainted runoff waters. More

The Role of the Family Practitioner in Injury Management
from Concrete Contractor
In a perfect world, every injured worker would be treated by a physician trained in Occupational Medicine, one who understands how to facilitate recovery and expedite return to work. More

EPA Adds Nine Hazardous Waste Sites to Superfund’s National Priorities List / EPA also proposes to add an additional 13 new sites to the NPL
from EPA
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding nine new hazardous waste sites that pose risks to human health and the environment to the National Priorities List of Superfund sites. Also, EPA is proposing to add 13 other sites to the list. Superfund is the federal program that investigates and cleans up the most complex, uncontrolled or abandoned hazardous waste sites in the country. More

Ministry Bans Manual Sandblasting After 40 Deaths
from Today’s Zaman
The Health Ministry announced in a written statement on Saturday that it has forbidden the manual sandblasting of denim fabric, a process that has so far led to hundreds of workers contracting the deadly lung disease silicosis. More

Public Health Workers Lack Guidance for Solving Ethical Dilemmas
from University of Michigan
If avian flu breaks out, how do public health officials decide who gets the antiviral medication? Should a clinic dentist extract the tooth of a patient if it's salvageable but the restoration isn't covered by Medicaid? More

Calif. Workers' Comp Permanent Disability Ratings Not Bound by AMA Guides
from Insurance Journal
The California Workers' Compensation Appeals Board recently ruled on two permanent disability (PD) workers' compensation insurance cases that physicians are not necessarily bound by the American Medical Association's "Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment" portion of the 2005 Schedule for Rating Permanent Disabilities — the implications of which could affect future PD impairment ratings. More

Heat Stress Common Among Metal Fabricating Workers
from The Times of India
For long, working condition of workers in hundreds of forging and metal fabricating units located around Ahmedabad has been under a cloud. But, a recent study by Occupational Medicine Division of National Institute of Occupational Health (NIOH) has not only drawn attention towards severe respiratory tract diseases in workers but also indicated signs of heat stress along with fever in as many as 100 workers who were sampled for tests. More