open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com

Volume 6 Number 12 April 2009 

 NIOSH eNews Web page To subscribe, click here

From the Director's Desk

From Here to the Infinitesimal: NIOSH and

Nanotechnology

NIOSH Science Blog Highlights NIOSH

Leadership in Nanotechnology Research

Vice President Biden Highlights NIOSH Fire

Fighter Program

National Work Zone Awareness Week: Drive to

Survive—Our Future is Riding on It

Registration Extended: Symposium on

Radiology of the Pneumoconioses

Partners Wanted for New NIOSH Research

Project!

Have NIOSH WorkLife Updates Sent Straight to

Your Inbox

NIOSH Employee Receives CDC Employee of

the Month Recognition

Kimberly Reeves Receives Award for

Workplace Diversity

Diversity at NIOSH Morgantown

MSDs in the Transportation, Warehousing, and

Utilities NORA Program Sector

New Health Hazard Evaluation Report Now

Available

New Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation Reports

Draft Alert Docket Comments Posted

r2p

NIOSH Seeks Partners

NORA

NORA Liaison Committee Public

Meeting Announced for June

News From Our Partners

Crossing Guards At Risk for

Traffic Hazards of Moving Ag

Equipment on Rural Roadways

New Communication

Products

New NIOSH Document

Addresses Crane Operators to

Prevent Electrocution

Got germs? Zap ’em the High

Tech Way!

Call for Abstracts

Upcoming Conferences

Word of the Month
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com

Crossing Guards At Risk for

Traumatic Injuries

WorkLife

 From the Director's Desk

 --Christine M. Branche, Ph.D., Acting Director, NIOSH

 April eNews 2009

You know the saying, “Good things come in small packages.” The old adage seems to apply to

nanotechnology, where many technological advances are altering the size and application of many things.

Researchers, however, are trying to determine whether those good things also come with unintended strings

attached that could have a negative impact on human and environmental health, including worker health and

safety. Nanotechnology is the manipulation of matter on a near-atomic scale to produce structures,

materials, and devices that have new or unique properties; nanoparticles are a subset of these new materials

that have at least one dimension less than 100 nanometers.

Research in this area is growing rapidly worldwide. It has the ability to transform materials science used in

many industries and will have numerous, potentially revolutionary, applications in areas ranging from

medicine to manufacturing. The National Science Foundation estimates that nanotechnology will have a $1

trillion impact on the global economy by 2015 and will employ two million workers, one million of whom may

be in the United States.

As with any new technology, the earliest and most extensive exposures to hazards are likely to occur in the

workplace. In 2004, NIOSH created its Nanotechnology Research Center (NTRC), a strategic internal group of

researchers from diverse disciplines whose mission is to provide national and international leadership in

investigating the implications and potential applications of nanomaterials in workplace safety and health.

The NTRC is striving to achieve its mission by engaging in a comprehensive research effort to fill gaps in the

scientific knowledge and understanding of engineered nanomaterials. Efforts include determining whether

exposure to these materials poses occupational hazards to workers; conducting research and making

recommendations on effective methods to manage nanomaterials safely; promoting healthy workplaces

through interventions, recommendations, and capacity building; and enhancing global workplace safety and

health through national and international collaborations.

Recent NIOSH activities, research findings, and accomplishments in the area of nanotechnology include

Releasing preliminary findings from an animal study on whether multi-walled carbon nanotubes
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com

(MWCNT) pose health risks similar to those from asbestos exposure. The findings offer significant new

evidence of MWCNT appearing to behave like durable fibers in that they migrate to the pleura (tissue

that surrounds the lungs) and provide additional justification for further research. Findings were

presented at the Society of Toxicology conference in March to begin the process of addressing this

important research question.

Publishing a series of articles that describe ways to sharpen the focus on workplace safety and health

in nanotechnology and provide a framework for occupational risk management of engineered

nanoparticles. The articles were developed in collaboration with key external partners and published in

the Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health and the Journal of Occupational and

Environmental Hygiene.

Publishing interim guidance on medical screening and hazard surveillance for workers potentially

exposed to engineered nanoparticles, Current Intelligence Bulletin 60: Interim Guidance for Medical

Screening and Hazard Surveillance for Workers Potentially Exposed to Engineered Nanoparticles

(DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2009-116), February 2009.

Updating Approaches to Safe Nanotechnology: Managing the Health and Safety Concerns Associated

with Engineered Nanomaterials (DHHS (NIOSH) Publication No. 2009-125), March 2009. This

document has received global recognition for its scientific contribution to identifying and addressing

key risk management issues in the field of nanotechnology, including recent citation by the U.S.

Environmental Protection Agency and the International Organization for Standardization. 

Conducting worksite assessments among leaders in the nanotechnology industry. NIOSH is

partnering with companies who manufacture, produce, and distribute nanomaterials to better

understand potential workplace exposure during these processes. 

Cosponsoring a “Human and Environmental Exposure Assessment” workshop with the U.S. National

Nanotechnology Initiative (NNI) to stimulate and advance research on the critical issues of health,

safety, and the environment in nanotechnology.
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com

NIOSH and NNI recently

cosponsored a workshop on

exposure assessment. As NIOSH

moves forward with research in this

area, we would like to hear what you

think are the critical needs in

exposure assessment for

nanomaterials in the workplace.

Visit the NIOSH Science Blog to

comment

(http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/blog/

Publishing considerations needed in designing sound epidemiological studies of workers possibly

exposed to engineered nanoparticles in the manufacturing and commercial use of nanomaterials. The

article was developed in collaboration with Emory University and published online, ahead of print,

February 21 in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

Over the past five years, NIOSH has made great strides in advancing the scientific knowledge of

nanomaterials. We have found that these materials, which have novel characteristics unlike larger particles,

may present new challenges to understanding, predicting, and managing potential health risks to workers.

Still, many knowledge gaps remain to be filled before we fully understand whether new safeguards are needed

in the workplace to ensure safe handling of nanomaterials.

Through strategic planning, research, partnering with others, and making information widely available, NIOSH

is working in parallel with the development and implementation of nanotechnology and will be better able to

anticipate challenges and provide sound scientific recommendations to prevent work-related illness and

injury.

In moving forward, NIOSH is focusing its primary research efforts in developing more definitive exposure

measurement techniques; actively investigating risk management methods, controls, and recommended

exposure limit strategies; identifying exposure groups; providing targeted guidance; and establishing

international collaborations to harmonize exposure methods and data interpretation. NIOSH remains

committed to conducting exemplary research to inform actions for safe and healthy workplaces for all

nanotechnology workers. NIOSH will continue to provide world leadership in research, guidance, partnership

development, and emerging issues in nanotechnology.

If you wish to partner with NIOSH to advance the understanding of

workplace exposure to engineered nanoparticles and protect the

health and safety of workers, please contact NIOSH. 

If your company would like to participate in the NIOSH worksite

assessment (field investigation) program, contact Chuck Geraci

(CGeraci@cdc.gov); for partnership opportunities in nanotoxicology,

contact Vince Castranova (VCastranova@cdc.gov).

For more information about NIOSH research in the area of

nanotechnology, visit http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/nanotech/.
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com

(http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/blog/

nsb033009_nanoexpwrkshp.html).

 NIOSH Science Blog Highlights NIOSH Leadership in Nanotechnology 

 Research

Two new entries to the NIOSH Science Blog highlight NIOSH's leadership in research on the occupational

health and safety implications of nanotechnology. The March 19 entry highlights new preliminary findings

from NIOSH lab research which provide first-ever data in a key area of scientific evidence that will be needed

for determining if multi-walled carbon nanotubes pose asbestos-like health risks for workers

(http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/blog/nsb031909_mwcnt.html). The March 30 entry discusses a February 2009

national workshop on assessing human and environmental exposures to nanomaterials, cosponsored by

NIOSH and the U.S. Nanoscale Science, Engineering, and Technology Subcommittee

(http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/blog/nsb033009_nanoexpwrkshp.html).

 Vice President Biden Highlights NIOSH Fire Fighter Program

Vice President Joe Biden highlighted a NIOSH contribution to fire fighter safety on March 16 in a presentation

to the International Association of Fire Fighters 2009 Legislative Conference: "I read another study, the

National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, which I referenced to you last time I spoke to you, that

identified—and I want the public to hear this—the lack of staffing is the key cause of fire fighter fatality"

(http://www.whitehouse.gov/the_press_office/Remarks-by-the-Vice-President-to-the-International-Associationof-Firefighters-at-their-2009-Legislative-Conference/). Ensuring that adequate staffing is provided for fighting a

fire is one of 10 categories of recommendations most frequently made in reports from NIOSH's Fire Fighter

Fatality Investigation and Prevention Program (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2009-100/).

 National Work Zone Awareness Week: Drive to Survive-Our Future is 

 Riding on It

The tenth annual National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is April 6–10, 2009, with the theme “Drive

to Survive—Our Future is Riding on It.” The national kickoff on April 7 is near the Boundary Channel

Humpback Bridge Replacement Project (George Washington Memorial Parkway & I-395). Roadway work

zones are hazardous for motorists and workers. By slowing down, obeying posted speed limits, and

exercising caution when driving through work zones, motorists make work zones safer for everyone. For more

information on NWZAW, go to http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/wz/outreach/wz_awareness.htm or on NIOSH
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com

work zone safety research go to http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/topics/highwayworkzones.

 Registration Extended: Symposium on Radiology of the 

 Pneumoconioses

Registration has been extended through April 23 for the Symposium on Radiology of the Pneumoconioses

which will be held April 24–27 near Washington, D.C. in Chantilly, Virginia. On-site registration will also be

accepted, space permitting. The Symposium, co-sponsored by the American College of Radiology and

NIOSH, offers a unique opportunity for hands-on training in use of the International Labour Office (ILO) system

for classification of radiographs of the pneumoconioses. It is an excellent opportunity to prepare for or to take

the NIOSH B Reader certification and recertification examinations that are normally offered only in

Morgantown, West Virginia. For more information or to register, go to

http://www.acr.org/SecondaryMainMenuCategories/MeetingsandEvents/Featured

Categories/acr_meetings/Pneumoconiosis042409.aspx.

 Partners Wanted for New NIOSH Research Project!

NIOSH researchers want to hear from manufacturers of nail salon work tables that are vented to reduce

attendants' occupational exposures to chemical vapors and dusts from nail treatments. Nail salons are

staffed by a predominantly female and minority workforce. More details appear in the March 10 NIOSH

Science Blog (http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/blog/nsb031009_nails.html).

 Have NIOSH WorkLife Updates Sent Straight to Your Inbox

The NIOSH WorkLife Initiative has launched its first electronic WorkLife newsletter. The newsletter provides

information about new developments in research and practice, includes updates from our Centers for

Excellence, and serves as a focal point for the many other activities taking place in connection with the

WorkLife Initiative. To view the newsletter and/or to subscribe, go to

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/worklife/newsletter/.

 NIOSH Employee Receives CDC Employee of the Month Recognition

Zaida Burgos, Committee Management Specialist in the NIOSH Office of Compensation Analysis & Support

(OCAS), was selected as the CDC's Employee of the Month for March 2009. Zaida was recognized for her
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com

(OCAS), was selected as the CDC's Employee of the Month for March 2009. Zaida was recognized for her

commitment to support the work of the OCAS Advisory Board on Radiation and Worker Health. By effectively

managing both complex and essential, routine tasks, Zaida immediately made a noticeable impact among

the board and its staff members.

 Kimberly Reeves Receives Award for Workplace Diversity 

On March 25, Kimberly (Kim) Reeves, Public Health Analyst for DSHEFS, was awarded NIOSH’s Dr. Marvin

D. Mills Award for Workplace Diversity in a ceremony at the Alice Hamilton Laboratory in Cincinnati, Ohio.

Ms. Reeves works tirelessly to improve the recruitment, hiring, promotion, and retention of a diverse

workforce. Her efforts encourage the growth and development of diversity within DSHEFS and within the

Agency overall. She continually works diligently to enhance integrity and fairness in all interactions that affect

Division staff.

 Diversity at NIOSH Morgantown

Diversity enriches research. In this photograph, NIOSH employees and fellows from five countries collaborate

on advanced research in NIOSH's Health Effects Laboratory Division in Morgantown, West Virginia, to

develop new and better ways to identify and measure occupational allegens. Detlef Schmechel (Germany),

Tinashe Ruwona (Zimbabwe), and Erika Janotka (Slovakia) produce monoclonal antibodies which are used to

measure allergen levels in different samples. Francoise Blachere (USA) and Ajay Nayak (India) work on

identifying allergens in fungi and markers of fungal exposure.

Photo by Kimberly Clough Thomas

 MSDs in the Transportation, Warehousing, and Utilities NORA Program 

 Sector
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com

The rate of musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) across all U.S. private industry decreased

from 49.6 per 10,000 in 2003 to 38.6 in 2006. The Transportation and Warehousing (NAICS

48–49) sector rates were consistently higher by more than two-fold, with very high rates

reported by employers for two subsectors: Air Transportation (NAICS 481), with a rate

more than five times greater than the U.S. private industry rate; and Couriers and

Messengers (NAICS 492), with a rate more than 3.6 times greater than the U.S. private

industry rate. The graph showing this data is available at

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/enews/enewsv6n12chart.html.

 New Health Hazard Evaluation Report Now Available

The NIOSH Health Hazard Evaluation (HHE) Program evaluated potential chemical exposures at a metal

furniture manufacturing facility. Investigators recommended that the facility use powder paints that do not

contain 1,3,5-triglycidyl isocyanurate and welding wire that does not contain manganese. It was also

recommended that spot cooling fans and exhaust fans be installed in the paint booth room to control heat

stress and exhaust fans be installed in the welding area to remove welding fumes. Employees were

instructed to notify their supervisor about any work-related health problems.

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2007-0199-3075.pdf.

 New Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation Reports

NIOSH recently released the following Fire Fighter Fatality Investigation Reports:

Volunteer fire fighter dies while performing exterior fire suppression at a large machine shed fire

—Illinois (F2008-20) http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200820.html

Volunteer deputy fire chief dies when struck by motorized water monitor that "launched" off

aerial ladder truck—Pennsylvania (F2008-12)

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200812.html

Fire fighter suffers fatal heart attack at fire at his residence—Florida (F2002-22)

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200222.html

Engineer suffers fatal heart attack at scene of residential fire—Michigan (F2008-15)

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200815.html
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com

Fire fighter-emergency medical technician suffers sudden cardiac death during overhaul—New

York (F2008-13) http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/fire/reports/face200813.html

 Draft Alert Docket Comments Posted

On March 20, NIOSH posted a docket of public comments received from a December 2008 notice asking for

comment on a draft NIOSH Alert. The Alert will provide findings and recommendations for preventing the

deaths of fire fighters when fighting fires in unoccupied structures. Between 1998 and 2007, 72 fire fighters

died during such operations. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docket/nioshdocket0141.html

 Public Comment Wanted!

NIOSH Seeks Input on Childhood Agricultural Injury Prevention Initiative

The most recent annual statistics reviewed by NIOSH revealed that 27,600 youths suffered injuries on farms.

To assess ongoing needs for research to prevent these injuries, NIOSH invites comments on the NIOSH

Childhood Agricultural Injury Prevention Initiative, originally established in 1996. What progress has been

made since 1996? What needs, as suggested by the injury statistics, remain to be met? Deadline for

comments is May 15. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/145/

NIOSH Seeks Comments for Draft Personal Protective Technology Implementation Plan

Public comment on this plan will help ensure that NIOSH has identified stakeholder needs for new research

on respirators and other types of personal protective equipment in the 21st century workplace and has

designed an effective research plan to meet those needs. Deadline for comments is April 20, 2009. 

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/146/

 R2p corner

NIOSH Seeks Partners
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com

To better improve safety and protect workers, NIOSH developed the JamAlert system which

automatically terminates power to a machine when a jam is detected and initiates a system that prevents the

machine from being turned back on before the jam is cleared. This technology was granted a patent (US

7,493,854) on February 24, 2009. The newly developed JamAlert could be adapted to machinery that is prone

to jamming and/or requires a secondary level of lock-out control. NIOSH is interested in identifying partners to

further test and move the technology into the workplace. To learn more about this partnering opportunity

contact John Powers (Jpowers@cdc.gov).

 NORA

NORA Liaison Committee Public Meeting Announced for June

The next NORA Liaison Committee meeting, Partnerships to Advance the National Occupational

Research Agenda, will be held June 17, 2009, in Washington, DC. Attendees can also participate

online. Representatives of organizations with a national scope (employers, unions, professional associations,

and others) learn about the progress of NORA and identify possible partnerships with each other or with

NIOSH. Details on the meeting have been posted at http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2009/E9-4318.htm. For

more information or to preregister to attend in person or online, contact the NORA Coordinator

noracoordinator@cdc.gov.

 News from Our Partners

Crossing Guards At Risk for Traumatic Injuries

A common but inconspicuous occupation, the school crossing guard, was the

subject of a New Jersey hazard alert and educational outreach after NIOSH-funded

researchers investigated a work-related fatality under the Fatality Assessment and

Control Evaluation (FACE) Program. NJ FACE researchers developed a hazard

alert (http://www.nj.gov/health/surv/documents/njcrossing_guards.pdf) for school

crossing guards, and a survey was sent to crossing guards’ police department

employers as part of an occupational health surveillance intervention project to

prevent worksite injuries and raise awareness of the hazards associated with this

occupation. A final report on this project can be found at:

http://www.nj.gov/health/surv/documents/xguardsrpt.pdf.
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com

Traffic Hazards of Moving Ag Equipment on Rural Roadways

Agricultural Equipment on Public Roads presents current and future issues

associated with traffic hazards related to the movement of agricultural equipment on rural roadways.

Released by the United States Department of Agriculture’s North Central Education/Extension Research

Activity Committee 197 on Agricultural Safety and Health Research and Extension (NCERA-197), this

document contains research recommendations to address these issues and is available at

http://www.csrees.usda.gov/about/white_papers/pdfs/ag_equipment.pdf. For more information, contact Dr.

Dennis Murphy, Chair of the NCERA 197 Committee, at (814) 865-7157 or djm13@psu.edu.

 New Communication Products

New NIOSH Document Addresses Crane Operators to Prevent Electrocution

On March 3, NIOSH issued technical findings from research evaluating two alarm systems, called "proximity

warning devices," for preventing crane operators' risk of electrocution from the unintended contact of cranes

with overhead power lines. Contacts between cranes and energized power lines account for 20 percent of

work-related electrocutions. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/mining/pubs/pubreference/outputid3068.htm

Got germs? Zap ’em the High Tech Way!

New NIOSH document offers new, research-based guidelines for healthcare facilities on the use of UV light to

kill tuberculosis bacteria as part of strategic systems to protect employees from risk of work-related infection.

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2009-105/

To see other new NIOSH communication products, including documents and new and updated topic pages,

go to the NIOSH “What’s New” page. http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/whatsnew/.

Call for Abstracts

Colloquium of the ISSA International Section for Research on Prevention—Deadline April 14, 2009

October 15–16, 2009, Dresden, Germany. Request for papers.

http://www.dguv.de/bgag/de/veranstaltungen/weitere/ivss-kolloquium/index.jsp
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com

2009 National Environmental Public Health Conference, Healthy People in a Healthy Environment

—Deadline May 8, 2009

October 26-28, 2009, Atlanta GA. Call for abstracts. 

http://www.team-psa.com/2009nephc/main.asp

Upcoming Conferences

A comprehensive list of upcoming conferences can be found at http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/exhibits.html.

 Word of the Month

WorkLife: WorkLife at NIOSH refers to the NIOSH WorkLife Initiative. This Initiative kicked off in 2004 and

seeks to better understand and promote the kinds of work environments, programs, and policies that result in

healthier, more productive workers with reduced disease and injury and lower healthcare needs and costs. It

is based on a foundational commitment to workplaces free of recognized hazards and the idea that better

work-based health policies and programs can help to sustain and improve the health and wellbeing of

workers.

NIOSH eNews on the Web: www.cdc.gov/niosh/enews/

NIOSH eNews is Brought to You By:

Acting Director Christine M. Branche, Ph.D.

Editor in Chief Max Lum

Story Editor Tanya Headley

Copy Editor Cathy Rotunda

Story Editor Emeritus Tara Hartley

Public Affairs Officer Fred Blosser

Technical Lead Glenn Doyle

Technical Support Joseph Cauley

Please send your comments and suggestions to us at

nioshenews@cdc.gov.
open in browser PRO version Are you a developer? Try out the HTML to PDF API pdfcrowd.com

To unsubscribe to this newsletter click here, OR send an email to

LISTSERV@LISTSERV.CDC.GOV with SIGNOFF NIOSHeNews in the body of

the message.

This newsletter is published monthly via email by the National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health to inform members of the public health

community as well as interested members of the general public of Institute

related news, new publications, and updates on existing programs and

initiatives.

NIOSH Home | NIOSH Search | Site Index | Topic List | Contact Us