In 1970, the OSH Act was promulgated with the intent focus “to assure so far as possible every working man and woman in the Nation safe and healthful working conditions” (29 U.S. Code 671). The question of how to accomplish that goal has been the subject of discussions throughout the SH&E community long before the act was passed. Over the years, practitioners and researchers have suggested that...

The standard method for determining diesel particulate matter (DPM) exposures in underground metal/nonmetal mines provides the average exposure concentration for an entire working shift, and it can take weeks to obtain results. This approach is problematic because, although it reports that an overexposure has occurred, it fails to provide critical information about cause or prevention. Converse...

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has a partnership relationship with the asphalt paving and roofing industries and their associated unions. Our partners saw in the EHP Focus article “Paving Paradise: The Peril of Impervious Surfaces” (Frazer 2005) the statement on page A459: “Asphalt is one concern, as it contains coal tar pitch, a recognized human carcinogen .....

NIOSH has embarked on a project to update its exposure sampling strategies manual. The current NIOSH strategy has a number of limitations. This is an opportunity to develop a robust and comprehensive exposure assessment strategy. Some of the key features of such a strategy are outlined. The importance of accurate professional judgment and exposure modeling is discussed. Bayesian statistics offe...

The 2009 H1N1 pandemic emphasized a need to evaluate zoonotic transmission of influenza A in swine production. Airborne influenza A virus has been detected in swine facilities during an outbreak. However, the personal exposure of veterinarians treating infected swine has not been characterized. Two personal bioaerosol samplers, the NIOSH bioaerosol sampler and the personal high-flow inhalable s...

BACKGROUND Many countries are experiencing an aging workforce with women workers making up a growing proportion. Workplaces often require employees to complete lifting tasks that require the ability of the hand to grasp an implement (coupling). The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has developed an equation for manual lifting tasks hoping to minimize the potential fo...

PURPOSE Beryllium's classification as a carcinogen is based on limited human data that show inconsistent associations with lung cancer. Therefore, a thorough examination of those data is warranted. We reanalyzed data from the largest study of occupational beryllium exposure, conducted by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). METHODS Data had been analyzed using str...

Respiratory diseases from occupational exposures have a major adverse effect on worker health, with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) estimating that deaths from work-related respiratory disease and malignancies account for about 70% of all occupational disease mortality. NIOSH has a range of research activities in the Respiratory Diseases Research Program (RDRP)...

In 1981, NIOSH began investigating the potential reproductive health effects resulting from exposures to a class of organic solvents known generically as glycol ethers (GE). This research was begun as a result of the NIOSH criteria document development program which revealed little data available on the health effects of glycol ether exposure. Toxicologic research was begun by NIOSH and other r...