Occupational Diseases

Gardeners More Likely to Get Parkinson's

Fri, 08 Jun 2007 20:30:46 -0700

Researchers caution that gardeners drastically increase their risk for developing Parkinson's disease by using pesticides. The brain damage caused by pesticides is comparable to that suffered by boxers who suffer concussions. Dr. Finlay Dick, one of the lead researchers in the study, says that further research likely will be able to identify which pesticides are most dangerous; substitutes for these substances may be able to be implemented.

Gardeners "More Likely to Get Parkinson's"

Researchers Focus on Liver Cancer Cases

Thu, 07 Jun 2007 20:54:24 -0700

A new study led by researchers at Texas A&M and Texas Tech universities will question why liver cancer rates in Bexar County, Texas are the highest in the state. The three zip codes showing the highest liver cancer rates are 78207, 78228, and 78237. Researchers hope to get as many researchers as possible to participate in the study. Researchers hope to discover if the increased disease rates are caused by occupational toxins or by environmental toxins.

Researchers to Focus on Cases of Liver Cancer on West Side

WHO Urges All Countries to Ban Smoking

Wed, 06 Jun 2007 21:25:02 -0700

The World Health Organization is recommending that all countries institute a 100 percent ban on smoking in indoor public places. WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said in a statement that "many countries have already taken action. I urge all countries that have not yet done so to take this immediate and important step to protect the health of all by passing laws requiring all indoor workplaces and public places to be 100 percent smoke-free."

WHO Urges All Countries To Ban Smoking

Radiation and Radioactive Exposures May Harm Railroad Workers

Tue, 05 Jun 2007 22:00:14 -0700

The cancer developed by railroad workers may be a consequence of their having been exposed to nuclear materials. Railroad engineers, conductors, and railroad track maintenance workers all may have been exposed to enough radioactive materials to have caused adverse health effects.

Radiation and Radioactive Exposures May Have Impacted Railroad Workers

Miners Suffer Health Effects Seeking Marble

Mon, 04 Jun 2007 23:50:26 -0700

Makrana marble is recognized as being one of the most beautiful types of marble in the world. However, the miners who work to crave it suffer severe health effects. Rana Sengupta from the Mine Labor Protection Campaign in Rajasthan says that "the working conditions for the people in these quarries are extremely dangerous."

Miners Paying a Heavy Price for Famed Marble

Rexnord to Pay $40,000 in Safety Violations

Fri, 01 Jun 2007 15:18:07 -0700

The parent company of Falk Corporation will pay $40,000 in fines to correct violations of safety regulations after an explosion at the company in December that killed three workers and injured four dozen others. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has said that Rexnord Industries did not adequately maintain an anti-corrosion system on an underground propane pipe at the plant. Investigations into the explosion have revealed that two leaks in a pipe caused propane to accumulate and ignite in a large storage building.

Rexnord to Pay $40,000 in Safety Violations After Falk Blast

Confidentiality Deal Restricted Professors

Thu, 31 May 2007 14:53:05 -0700

Three University of Cincinnati professors knew about a lung disease that affects people who work with artificial flavorings more than ten years ago. However, they were not permitted to alert other workers at the plant about the potential health dangers they faced because of a confidentiality deal. Between 1995 to 1997, the breathing of 300 production workers at the Tastemaker plant was monitored, Six workers were identified to have an occupational disease known as bronchiolitis obliterans.

Confidentiality Deal Restricted Professors

Cancer is World's Biggest Health Problem

Wed, 30 May 2007 14:29:31 -0700

A recent report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare says that cancer and cardiovascular disease are the leading causes of death in the country. John Goss from the AIHW's Economics and Health Services Group says that the study indicates that 'Cancer has overtaken cardiovascular disease as the leading cause of burden, largely because of Australia's success in reducing the burden of cardiovascular disease. Cardiovascular disease burden rates dropped by 35% in the 10 years prior to 2003. Burden of disease analysis goes beyond the mortality impact of a disease, as it also looks at the impact of illness and disability. This non-fatal burden (the amount of healthy life years lost due to disability from disease and injury) made up 51% of the total."

Cancer Causes the Biggest Burden

Whitman Will Testify About 9/11 Issues

Tue, 29 May 2007 13:49:39 -0700

Christie Whitman, the former Environmental Protection Agency administrator, will testify before Congress about the handling of air quality and health issues after the September 11, 2001 attacks. Whitman's attorney says that she was not able to testify at a subcommittee hearing because of a pending federal lawsuit against the federal government for having said that air was safe to breathe in downtown Manhattan in the days following the attacks.

Whitman to Testify on 9/11 Health Issues

Family of Pennsylvania Worker Files Complaint

Mon, 28 May 2007 13:28:58 -0700

Barbara Clarke's family has filed a complaint on her behalf, saying that Clarke was exposed to asbestos when she worked as a production worker, machinist, and engineering draftsman from 1961-1995. The defendants named by the lawsuit include Bondex, Cooper Industries, Ford Motor Company, General Electric, General Motors, John Crane, Kelly Moore Paint, and Thyssenkrupp AG. The lawsuit papers say that Clarke was diagnosed with mesothelioma on January 26, 2005 and died on May 25, 2005.

Family of Pennsylvania Worker Files Asbestos Complaint

China Miners Risk Deadly Disease

Fri, 25 May 2007 13:01:15 -0700

Officials say that black lung disease accounts for three-quarters of all occupational disease in China. About 17 miners are killed daily in China's coal mines, although many labor groups believe the statistic should be higher. China's coal mines are the most dangerous in the world.

China Miners Risk Deadly Disease

Asbestos Worries in Roosevelt Schools

Thu, 24 May 2007 12:35:37 -0700

Parents at Roosevelt schools in Texas are worried that their children could have been exposed to asbestos during renovation work at the school. Parents ask why asbestos removal occurred when children still were in school; school lets out in several weeks for summer vacation. Roy Turner, RISD Facilities Manager, responded to those concerns: "It's a couple weeks but it's two weeks we'd lose with the contractor that's ready to get started in there."

Asbestos Concerns at Roosevelt Schools

Work-Related Asthma is Fastest Growing Occupational Disease

Wed, 23 May 2007 11:44:31 -0700

In the United Kingdom, work-related asthma is the most rapidly growing occupational disease. Workers miss 18 million workdays annually as a result of asthma-related sick days. It is believed that between 1,500 and 3,000 people develop occupational asthma each year. Nearly all cases of occupational asthma can be avoided.

Widow Wins Large Asbestos Settlement

Tue, 22 May 2007 00:50:25 -0700

The widow of an asbestos insulation worker who ended up contracting asbestos as a result of his exposure has received almost £50,000 in damages. Arthur Wolverson, 64, died in April 2005 from mesothelioma. He had worked for LR Burrows & Co. in Landport Road, Monmore Green, Wolverhampton between 1959 and 1962. Wolverson was one of thousands of workers who removed crumbling asbestos from boilers and pipes and mixed new paste from powder to replace it.

Widow gets £50k over asbestos

Was Giuliani to Blame for 9/11 Toxin Exposure?

Mon, 21 May 2007 00:25:39 -0700

News reports are questioning Rudy Giuliani's response to 9/11. The New York Times says that Giuliani failed to enforce federal regulations that required Ground Zero workers to wear respirators and, as a result, "more than 2,000 New York City firefighters have been treated for serious respiratory problems."

Poor 9/11 Decisions Raise Serious Questions about Rudy's Leadership Credentials