Archive for March 2021
Pfizer’s Newest Vaccine Plant Has Persistent Mold Issues and a History of Recalls
Tampa Bay Times by Sarah Jane Tribble McPherson, KS – Pfizer’s management knew last year there was “a mold issue” at the Kansas facility now slated to produce the drugmaker’s urgently needed COVID-19 vaccine, according to a Food and Drug Administration inspection report. The McPherson, Kansas, facility, which FDA inspectors wrote is the nation’s largest manufacturer of…
Read MoreEPA Evaluation Finds Asbestos Still a Risk
Asbestos.com by Tim Povtak National – The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released Part 1 of its Final Risk Evaluation for Asbestos, reaffirming preliminary findings from March that were roundly criticized for underestimating the dangers of exposure to this toxic mineral. Six ongoing use categories of asbestos were evaluated by the EPA, which found 16 conditions of use that presented unreasonable risk…
Read MoreADAO Condemns EPA for Its Incomplete and Weak Risk Evaluation for Asbestos, Citing It Ignores Public Health Experts and Its Own Science Advisors
Business Wire National – The Asbestos Disease Awareness co-founder Linda Reinstein issued a statement “EPA’s final risk evaluation ignores the numerous recommendations of its own scientific advisors and other independent experts by claiming that these deficiencies will be addressed in a future Part 2 evaluation. Based on this sleight-of-hand maneuver, the Agency has issued a piecemeal and…
Read MoreEPA Publishes First Installment of Controversial Risk Evaluation for Asbestos
Safety and Health Magazine National – Critics of the Environmental Protection Agency are renewing their call for a complete ban on asbestos after the agency’s release of Part 1 of a final risk evaluation that concludes that the substance – a known human carcinogen – presents an unreasonable health risk to workers under certain conditions. Used in chlor-alkali…
Read MoreADAO, EIA and Partners Initiate New Legal Actions Against EPA’s Flawed Final Risk Evaluation for Asbestos
ADAO National – Five public health groups and six leading asbestos scientists asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to review the asbestos risk evaluation issued last month by Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA). These partners also sent EPA a 60-day letter notifying the agency of their intent to file…
Read MoreEPA to Launch a Broader Review of Asbestos Risk This Summer
Bloomberg National – The EPA this summer will launch a court-ordered review of risks arising from old uses of asbestos that still may lead people to inhale the cancer-causing mineral, an agency official said Wednesday. This second, or supplemental, asbestos risk evaluation differs from the one that the Environmental Protection Agency published last month. It will examine all…
Read MoreASTM Developing Nonregulatory Standard for Face Masks
EHS Daily Advisor by Guy Burdick National – ASTM International, a standards-setting organization formerly known as The American Society for Testing and Materials, is developing a new specification for face coverings. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended cloth face coverings for the general public to reduce the number of COVID-19 cases,…
Read MoreThe CDC Updates Construction Covid Checklists for Employers and Employees
CDC National – CDC has developed helpful checklist to share ways employers can protect construction workers and slow the spread of COVID-19, as well as steps employees should take to protect themselves and others. These tool align with What Construction Workers Need to Know about COVID-19. Click here for the full text.
Read MoreThe Center for Construction Research and Training Issued Quick Tips to Increase Ventilation at Indoor Construction Sites Without Operating HVAC Systems
CPWR National – COVID-19 is airborne and spreads faster and further in enclosed areas than outdoors. As temperatures drop, construction work is moving inside, work areas are being enclosed, and temporary warm-up stations are being set up. Since ventilation guidance issued by OSHA,1 the CDC, 2 and other organizations largely focuses on workplaces with working HVAC systems,…
Read MoreThe US May Soon Have Its First Standard for Consumer Face Masks
CNN by Keri Enriquez National – The coronavirus pandemic triggered a sudden intense need for masks that had Americans making masks at home out of T-shirts and bandanas. Hundreds of new and untested products flooded the marketplace with almost no oversight or regulation, making consumer masks the Wild West of personal protection equipment. That is set to…
Read More