Industrial Hygiene

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The growing problem of plastic pollution in the environment is receiving an increasing amount of attention (see article in Nature). Small particles of plastics are often referred to as microplastics (plastic particles smaller than 5 mm [1]) and nanoplastics (the nanoscale fraction of plastic particles). Nano- and microplastic particles (NMPPs) can be formed through environmental and mechanical degradation (the top-down mechanism).

Workplace toxins that are inadvertently tracked by employees into their homes serve “as an intriguing example of how occupational conditions can have broader public health consequences,” according to scientists who’ve studied the problem. In Eliminating Take-Home Exposures: Recognizing the Role of Occupational Health and Safety in Broader Community Health, researchers reframe the problem as one arising from unsanitary worker behavior – the current thinking – to a larger issue that needs to be viewed through an ecosocial lens in order to institute effective prevention.

Employers grapple with the coronavirus, flight attendants cheer a proposed comfort animals on planes rule and indoor air quality affects construction workers, too. These were among the top occupational safety and health, environmental health and safety and regulatory stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

ACGIH® announced today that its Board of Directors ratified the 2020 Threshold Limit Values (TLVs®) for Chemical Substances and Physical Agents and Biological Exposure Indices (BEIs®). The Board also approved recommendations for additions to the Notice of Intended Changes (NIC).

The American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists (ACGIH®) has released Industrial Ventilation: A Manual of Recommended Practice for Operation and Maintenance, 2nd Edition (the O&M Manual), one of over 25 titles featured in the ACGIH® Signature Publications Series.

ACGIH®, supported by its renowned Industrial Ventilation Committee, will present a popular continuing education course this spring. Fundamentals in Industrial Ventilation & Practical Applications of Useful Equations will be held March 30April 3, 2020 at the DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Cincinnati-Blue Ash in Cincinnati, Ohio. Register early and save!

Pure Safety Group™ (PSG) is launching the Stronghold® Quick-Switch® Tool Tether System for the prevention of dropped objects during work at height. The system is based on the proprietary Quick-Switch design, the only technology that allows workers to switch tools from one connection point to another in a single motion to provide a level of dropped objects safety unmatched in the industry.

The AIHA has published the second edition of Recognition, Evaluation, and Control of Indoor Mold. This second edition of the book provides health information which is aligned with the current epidemiology and medical information on environmental allergens, updated taxonomy of the fungi and mold remediation guidelines, and the most current and comprehensive discussion on the basic practice of identifying mold damage, the evaluation of the samples that are collected, and the process of remediation.

Environmental cold can affect any worker exposed to cold air temperatures and puts workers at risk of cold stress. As wind speed increases, it causes the cold air temperature to feel even colder, increasing the risk of cold stress to exposed workers, especially those working outdoors, such as recreational workers, snow cleanup crews, construction workers, police officers and firefighters.