A NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation report presented findings of an agency investigation at an engine machining plant where employees were exposed to metalworking fluids, or MWFs. The union representing the employees had requested the evaluation because of concerns that exposure to MWFs had caused respiratory symptoms and dermatitis among workers.

When time is of the essence, after an exposure to a hazardous chemical substance, any delay, even for a few seconds, can result in serious injury. OSHA and ANSI require that emergency showers be located within 10 seconds walking distance from hazardous site location.

Seventeen years out from the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, nearly 10,000 first responders and others who were in the World Trade Center area have been diagnosed with cancer. More than 2,000 deaths have been attributed to 9/11 illnesses. By the end of 2018, many expect that more people will have died from their toxic exposure from 9/11 than were killed on that terrible Tuesday.

At the AIHce 2018 Donald E. Cummings Memorial Award Lecture, Mark Stenzel, CIH, FAIHA, argued that industrial hygienists should place greater emphasis on estimating exposures relative to conducting sampling. Stenzel, an industrial hygiene consultant and the 2018 recipient of AIHA’s Cummings Award for outstanding contributions to the knowledge and practice of industrial hygiene, made his remarks on the final day of AIHce EXP 2018.

The goal behind the digital oilfield is to optimize oilfield operations through the provision and implementation of data and analysis tools. These digital methodologies are becoming more common in logistics and machinery monitoring - areas that can be translated from other industries. The Holy Grail still remains providing real-time, reliable production data.

"We see big opportunities to deploy innovative strategies and technologies to monitor, measure and ultimately prevent emissions," said Matt Kolesar, regulatory manager at ExxonMobil’s XTO Energy affiliate, Since 2017, ExxonMobil has expanded its U.S. methane leak detection program, committed to its first global methane target, supported methane monitoring technology innovation and encouraged EPA to regulate methane emissions at new and existing sources.

After the temporary shutdown of the Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook (IL), La Grange trustees say they will continue to actively participate in efforts to protect public health. The Sterigenics facility in Willowbrook, suspended operations after the Feb. 15 issuance of a seal order from the Illinois EPA. The seal came after the facility’s refusal to voluntarily shut down after the EPA released a report that reflected elevated levels of ethaline-oxide in the surrounding area of the facility.

Justin Miller was 16 when he took his first ride on a recreational off-highway vehicle, or ROV. He came home missing a hand. The powerful 1,100-pound machine tipped over and landed on the Northridge, California, teen, mangling his hand so severely that seven surgeries couldn’t save it. At the time of the accident in 2008, similar reports of gruesome injuries and deaths were piling up at the Consumer Product Safety Commission.

The FDA is to blame for the sharp rise in e-cigarette use among the nation’s youths – and its latest proposal to fix the problem won’t accomplish much. That’s according to the American Lung Association (ALA), which is giving a thumbs-down to the FDA’s “Modifications to Compliance Policy for Certain Deemed Tobacco Products.” ALA president and CEO says the agency’s plan “falls far short” of what is needed to keep e-cigarettes out of the hands of young people.