thesynergist | NEWSWATCH
SHOW/HIDE
EPA Proposes Partial Ban and Workplace Controls for Solvent 1-Bromopropane
A proposed rule announced on July 31 by EPA would ban some workplace uses of 1-bromopropane (1-BP) and prohibit all but one consumer use of the solvent. The agency is also proposing worker protections for most of the industrial and commercial uses of 1-BP that would be allowed to continue under the rule.
According to EPA, 1-BP is used in cleaning and degreasing operations, spray adhesives, and dry cleaning; as a reactant in the manufacture of other chemical substances; and in insulation for building and construction materials. It’s also used in consumer products like spot cleaners, stain removers, aerosol degreasers, and insulation. Health effects caused by exposure to 1-BP can include skin, lung, and intestinal cancer; liver, kidney, and nervous system damage; and reduced fertility, the agency explains.
Industrial and commercial uses of 1-BP that EPA seeks to prohibit include its use in dry cleaning, spot cleaning, and stain removers; in adhesives and sealants; in coin and scissor cleaners; in automotive care products used as engine degreasers, brake cleaners, and refrigerant flushes; in anti-adhesive agents used for mold cleaning and release products; in functional fluids used as refrigerants or cutting oils; and in arts, crafts, and hobby materials. These uses have “safer alternatives,” the agency explains. The one consumer use that EPA’s proposed rule would allow to continue is its use in insulation because the agency “determined that this use did not contribute to the unreasonable risk to people.”
EPA’s proposal would require a workplace chemical protection program for permitted uses of 1-BP in vapor and aerosol degreasing, electronics, and electronic and metal products. The proposed rule also includes requirements related to some uses that are intended to protect workers from exposure to the solvent through the skin. For example, the proposal would require the use of chemical-resistant gloves for 1-BP’s uses in manufacturing, processing and recycling, and disposal. Non-federal workplaces affected by this provision would be required to implement the use of chemical-resistant gloves within six months from when the rule is finalized, whereas federal agencies and federal contractors would have three years.
Also described in the proposed rule is an existing chemical exposure limit (ECEL) for inhalation exposures to 1-BP of 0.05 ppm (0.25 mg/m3) as an eight-hour time-weighted average. The ECEL is lower than other exposure limits for 1-BP. Current eight-hour TWA exposure limits include the ACGIH Threshold Limit Value, which is set at 0.1 ppm as of 2013, and the Cal/OSHA permissible exposure limit, which is set at 5 ppm. Federal OSHA does not currently have a PEL for 1-BP.
EPA’s proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on Aug. 8. The agency invited manufacturers, processors, laboratories, and other stakeholders to provide feedback, particularly on the feasibility and the effectiveness of the proposed requirements to protect workers, in a public comment period that closed Sept. 23. EPA also hosted a webinar on Aug. 28 to provide an overview of the proposed rule.
Further information can be found in EPA’s press release. Details about opportunities for public and stakeholder engagement are available on EPA’s webpage on risk management for 1-BP.
SHOW/HIDE
CDC Issues Advisory on Parvovirus B19
Data indicate increased activity of human parvovirus B19 in the United States, according to a CDC health advisory released Aug. 13. Daycare workers and teachers have high occupational risk of infection through close contact with children, the advisory states. Those who are not immune or who are pregnant, immunocompromised, or have chronic blood disorders are at greater risk for adverse outcomes. Symptoms include fever, headache, cough, sore throat, rashes, and joint pain.
In June 2024, 10 percent of tests for the virus among patients of all ages indicated positivity, compared to less than three percent during 2022–2024. CDC also notes an increase of parvovirus DNA in laboratory specimens among plasma donors, and clusters of parvovirus B19-associated complications have been identified among pregnant people and those with sickle cell disease.
For more information, refer to the CDC advisory and the agency’s webpage on parvovirus B19.
SHOW/HIDE
OSHA Previews Findings from Inspections Focused on Silica in Engineered Stone
Many workplaces in the engineered stone fabrication and installation industries inspected by OSHA during the last year had not properly conducted exposure assessments for silica, according to a new hazard analysis published by the agency. The document outlines OSHA’s findings from these workplace inspections, which stemmed from an enforcement and compliance initiative launched in September 2023 to help protect workers in stone establishments where their work can expose them to high levels of silica dust. Engineered stone is of particular concern because it can contain more than 90 percent crystalline silica content, far higher than the 10 to 45 percent typical with granite, according to a hazard alert from OSHA and NIOSH.
From the launch of the initiative until July 8, 2024, OSHA conducted 204 targeted inspections in the engineered stone industries—160 inspections of companies in cut stone and stone product manufacturing and 44 of merchant wholesalers of brick, stone, and related construction material—as well as another 42 unprogrammed inspections. OSHA says it issued violations in 149 of these inspections and identified 68 overexposures to respirable crystalline silica. The most common violation was failure to implement written hazard communication programs. Other frequent violations included missing elements of respiratory protection programs and lack of medical examinations for workers wearing respirators. The document also contains examples of issues employers experienced when attempting to control worker exposures to respirable crystalline silica.
Further details can be found in OSHA’s hazard analysis document (PDF).
SHOW/HIDE
NIOSH to Study Fit of Respirators Worn Over Beard Bands
In late July, NIOSH invited respirator manufacturers, NIOSH approval holders, and beard band manufacturers to collaborate to determine how well respirators protect workers with facial hair. The agency is assessing whether workers who secure their facial hair using elastic beard bands can provide clean, smooth sealing surfaces for NIOSH-approved filtering facepiece respirators and particulate-only elastomeric half-mask respirators.
A Federal Register notice explains that OSHA’s respiratory protection standard (29 Code of Federal Regulations 1910.134) prohibits employees from wearing respirators with tight-fitting facepieces if they have facial hair that disrupts the seal between their skin and the respirator facepiece. Without a tight seal between the respirator and the wearer’s face, OSHA-compliant fit testing is not possible. “Organizations, interest groups, and entities representing workers with facial hair who cannot shave because of religious, cultural, medical, or other reasons” have asked NIOSH to research the fit of respirators when wearers use beard bands to improve the seal of their respirators, the notice states. This project will provide data supporting NIOSH and OSHA policy regarding the use of beard bands with respirators. Holders of NIOSH respirator approvals may use the results to request approval for the use of beard bands as part of respirator configurations.
Parties interested in collaborating with NIOSH were required to submit a letter of intent by Sept. 23, 2024. More information on NIOSH’s “Fit Testing of Respirators on Those Wearing Beard Bands” project may be found in the Federal Register notice.
SHOW/HIDE
OSHA to Hold Online Hearing on Emergency Response Proposed Rule
OSHA will host an informal, online public hearing on the agency’s emergency response proposed rule beginning at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time on Nov. 12, 2024. According to OSHA’s notice in the Federal Register, members of the public are invited to testify on any topics, issues, or concerns relating to the proposed rule, which the agency intends to replace the existing fire brigades standard (29 Code of Federal Regulations 1910.156). If adopted, the proposed rule would address the broad range of job hazards faced by modern emergency responders. It would also expand protections to include workers in emergency services other than firefighting.
The notice explains that, if necessary, the hearing will continue from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Eastern time on subsequent weekdays. Those interested in testifying were required to submit a notice of intention to appear by Sept. 27.
More information is available on OSHA’s website.
SHOW/HIDE
OSHA Issues Hazard Alert, Updated Fact Sheet on Avian Influenza
OSHA has issued a new hazard alert (PDF) and revised its fact sheet (PDF) on H5N1, also known as avian influenza or bird flu. The hazard alert addresses avian influenza infections in dairy cattle, first reported in March 2024. Although H5N1 infections have been reported in wild mammals since 2015, the infections in March were the first reported cases of H5N1 causing disease in cattle. A small number of workers exposed to H5N1-infected animals have also become infected themselves, but there is currently no evidence for person-to-person H5N1 transmission.
The hazard alert provides background information on avian influenza and tips for identifying and limiting worker exposures. Workers who handle sick or dead animals and potentially contaminated material are at greatest risk for H5N1 infection, the hazard alert explains. Employers of farm workers who handle livestock, veterinarians, and slaughterhouse workers should take steps to prevent worker exposures and limit risk of infection, such as through training and use of personal protective equipment.
OSHA’s avian influenza fact sheet provides additional information on limiting risks of exposure, recognizing symptoms of avian influenza in humans, wearing PPE in hot environments, and procedures for workers who believe they have been exposed to H5N1. The fact sheet has been updated to refer to H5N1 infections in dairy cattle and risks to workers in dairy or meat processing facilities.
PDFs of the avian influenza documents may be downloaded from OSHA’s hazard alert and fact sheet libraries.
SHOW/HIDE
Vent and Burn of Tank Cars Following Derailment Unnecessary: NTSB
It was not necessary to vent and burn tank cars carrying vinyl chloride monomer following the February 2023 derailment of a Norfolk Southern train near East Palestine, Ohio, the National Transportation Safety Board concludes in a recent investigation report. The derailment involved 38 mixed-freight railcars, including five tank cars carrying vinyl chloride monomer, a compressed liquified flammable gas. Those five cars were not mechanically breached during the derailment, but a fire ignited during the incident exposed four of them to heat and material released from pressure-relief devices. The vinyl chloride monomer in the derailed cars “remained in a stabilized environment…until those tank cars were deliberately breached with explosives,” the report’s abstract explains, and the temperature trends observed at the scene “did not indicate that a polymerization reaction was occurring.” This means the vent-and-burn procedure was not needed to prevent an explosion, NTSB says. The smoke cloud caused by burning the vinyl chloride monomer likely contained soot particles, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrogen chloride, and traces of the toxic gas phosgene.
The local incident commander’s decision to vent and burn the tank cars “was based on incomplete and misleading information provided by Norfolk Southern officials and contractors,” the board’s news release states. Other safety issues identified by NTSB include inadequate training of volunteer first responders and concerns related to written guidance and information about chemical hazards.
For more information, see the full investigation report (PDF) and NTSB’s news release.
SHOW/HIDE
Information on Mold Clean-Up in Tropical Environments Added to Training Resource
A resource intended to provide guidance on mold remediation for workers, volunteers, and homeowners was updated in August to include information on mold clean-up in Puerto Rico and other tropical environments. The training tool, titled “Mold Clean-Up and Treatment Orientation,” was developed by the National Clearinghouse for Worker Safety and Health Training under a contract with the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) Worker Training Program. According to the updated resource, homes in tropical environments are commonly constructed with concrete, and this type of building material requires special attention when it comes to mold remediation. The document describes painted concrete as a “root cause of mold growth” and cautions that mold can and will grow on such surfaces.
The document is available in PowerPoint and PDF formats under the subhead “Mold Remediation Training Tool” on the NIEHS webpage on hurricanes and floods.
SHOW/HIDE
NIOSH Evaluates Maui Wildfire Responders’ Chemical Exposures
In July 2024, NIOSH published a health hazard evaluation (HHE) report analyzing potential chemical exposures among firefighters, ocean safety officers, police officers, Hawaii National Guard servicemembers, and others who responded to wildfires in Maui County in August 2023. The agency evaluated biomarkers of exposure to lead, cadmium, manganese, and selenium, as well as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) in responders’ blood. NIOSH also evaluated biomarkers for chromium, nickel, arsenic, and organophosphate esters (OPEs) in responders’ urine. Data on responders’ demographics, work, and potential exposure characteristics were collected via questionnaires for analysis alongside their biological samples. The HHE report lays out the agency’s findings and recommends controls for limiting first responders’ hazardous chemical exposures during wildfires and debris cleanup.
Beginning Aug. 8, 2023, wildfires on Maui, Hawaii, burned more than 2,200 structures and led President Joe Biden to declare national and public health emergencies. The communities of Kula and Lahaina suffered “catastrophic damage,” according to the HHE report. About 100 people lost their lives to the Lahaina fire.
Maui County firefighters, police officers, and ocean safety officers—members of the island-wide public lifeguard service—along with other Maui Department of Public Works personnel participated in initial response activities, such as fire suppression, structure protection, water rescue, and evacuation. Firefighters, police officers, and Hawaii Air and Army National Guard servicemembers also participated in urban search and rescue efforts in the aftermath of the Lahaina fire.
In late August, the Maui fire chief requested assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Association in evaluating firefighters and ocean safety officers who may have been exposed to hazardous chemicals during response efforts, and FEMA tasked NIOSH with public health surveillance of all Maui County first responders. Hawaii’s National Guard emergency management specialist requested similar assistance from NIOSH in September.
NIOSH’s evaluation found that some responders had markers for exposures to inorganic elements at or above either relevant occupational exposure limits (OELs) or levels found in the general U.S. population. Almost all responders had detectable levels of PFAS, PBDEs, and OPEs. However, the report cautions that most people in the general U.S. population have these chemicals in their bodies. At least one participant had a result above the reference value for five out of 11 PBDE chemicals and four out of eight OPE chemicals.
Analysis of participants’ occupations and exposure markers found that workers categorized as “other Maui County employees” were more likely than other participant subgroups to have chromium levels exceeding the OEL. Police department employees had higher median manganese concentrations, and firefighters had the highest median sum of PFAS concentrations. NIOSH did not find clear patterns for responders’ self-reported exposure times or personal protective equipment use but acknowledged the need for more sophisticated analysis on this topic.
The document can be downloaded as a PDF from the agency’s HHE report library.
SHOW/HIDE
EPA Suspends All Registrations of Pesticide Dacthal, Citing Effects on Fetal Development
On Aug. 6, EPA announced the emergency suspension of all registrations of dimethyl tetrachloroterephthalate, a pesticide also known as DCPA or Dacthal. The sale, distribution, and use of all DCPA products is prohibited as of Aug. 7, when a notice appeared in the Federal Register. According to an agency press release, EPA took this action because the unborn babies of pregnant people who have been exposed to DCPA are at risk for changes in fetal thyroid hormone levels linked to low birth weight, impaired brain development, decreased IQ, and impaired motor skills.
DCPA is registered for use on crops and non-residential turf. An EPA risk assessment concluded that health risks associated with DCPA use and application exist “even when personal protective equipment and engineering controls are used.” Pregnant people who handle DCPA may have exposures four to 20 times greater than what EPA has estimated is safe for unborn babies. EPA found that DCPA levels in treated fields remain unsafe for 25 days or more. Pregnant people who live near areas where DCPA is used may be exposed to the pesticide through spray drift, when it moves through the air to locations other than where it was applied.
“EPA has determined that there is no combination of practicable mitigations under which DCPA use can continue without presenting an imminent hazard,” the emergency suspension notice states.
More information is available in EPA’s notice of emergency suspension and press release.
SHOW/HIDE
National Strategy to Guide Heat Resilience Efforts Through 2030
On Aug. 14, the National Integrated Heat Health Information System (NIHHIS) released its first National Heat Strategy. Through 2030, this document will guide the 29 federal agencies within NIHHIS in building the nation’s resilience to extreme heat. CDC is a lead agency within NIHHIS, and other partner agencies include NIOSH and OSHA. The strategy recognizes workers in hot environments as one of the populations “disproportionately affected by extreme heat.”
Within NIHHIS, CDC’s roles include tracking heat-related illnesses, researching heat-related topics, providing information on heat health and safety, and assisting local health departments’ in preparing for and responding to heat events. NIOSH’s role is to conduct research and make recommendations to prevent work-related heat illnesses and injuries. OSHA is responsible for ensuring employers meet their obligations related to heat illnesses and injuries.
The strategy outlines four broad goals for NIHHIS agency activities. Goal 1, “Communication, Outreach, and Education,” lists workers and employers among the populations for whom NIHHIS should expand opportunities for heat health training. Goal 3, “Solutions,” in part addresses occupational health and safety.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services press release announcing the National Heat Strategy also links to heat-related resources developed by NIHHIS agencies. These include the Building Blocks for a Heat Stress Prevention Training Program (PDF), developed by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Worker Training Program.
A PDF of the National Heat Strategy may be downloaded from the HHS press release.