AIHA | Protecting Worker Health www.aiha.org
DECEMBER 2019
CONTENTS
CONTRIBUTORS
JOHN MARTINELLI, FEATURE AUTHOR
John Martinelli, CAC, CDPH I/A, CHCPEW, is a principal consultant and the healthcare practice leader for Forensic Analytical Consulting Services.
N. CODY SCHAAL, FEATURE AUTHOR
N. Cody Schaal, PhD, CIH, CSP, LCDR, MSC, USN, is a member of the Naval Medical Research Unit-Dayton at Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio.  
LORRAINE SEDLAK,  FEATURE AUTHOR
Lorraine Sedlak, CIH, CSP, FAIHA, is director of ESH&S at ITT Control & Connect Technologies in Irvine, Calif.
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The Synergist's mission is to provide AIHA members with news and information about the occupational and environmental health and safety fields and the industrial hygiene profession. The Synergist focuses on industry trends and news, government and regulatory activities, key issues facing the profession, appropriate technical information and news on association events and activities.
The Synergist's objective is to present information that is newsworthy and of general interest in industrial hygiene. Opinions, claims, conclusions, and positions expressed in this publication are the authors' or persons' quoted and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors, AIHA, or The Synergist.


THE OTHER HYGIENISTS
OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY IN THE DENTAL INDUSTRY
Dentists and dental personnel face unique occupational exposures, including bacteria, viruses, dusts, gases, radiation, and other respiratory hazards. In addition, many dental offices are small employers that may be exempt from some OSHA requirements. What does all this mean for dental workers when it comes to workplace hazards?

BY JOHN MARTINELLI, DAVID BRINKERHOFF, AND MICHELLE ROSALES
»
OTOTOXICANTS AND HEARING IMPAIRMENT
THE CHALLENGE FOR OCCUPATIONAL HYGIENE
Noise has traditionally been considered the primary risk factor for hearing loss. However, recent evidence suggests that exposures to chemicals commonly found in industrial environments may affect hearing alone or in combination with noise exposure. 

BY N. CODY SCHAAL
»
SEALING THE DEAL
THE ROLE OF THE EHS PROFESSIONAL DURING AN ACQUISITION
Your company has decided that its financial performance supports “inorganic growth,” or making an acquisition. But the board of directors is concerned about environmental, health, and safety sustainability and the need to avoid assuming unknown EHS liabilities. As the EHS professional, you will play a key role in this process.    
  
BY LORRAINE SEDLAK, THOMAS E. CASE, AND ALIZABETH ARAMOWICZ SMITH
»
FINGER ON THE PULSE
PULSATION, PRECISION, AND SILICA: THE "NEW ASBESTOS"
Sponsored by Casella
Just as perceptions of asbestos shifted as its impacts on health came to light, we are now seeing a similar shift regarding a substance that many are hailing as “the next asbestos”—crystalline silica.    
  
BY TIM TURNEY
»
The Other Hygienists
Occupational Health and Safety in the Dental Industry