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Environmental Protection

Harvard Study Sees Increase in Urinary BPA

A new study from Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) researchers found that participants who drank for a week from polycarbonate bottles, the popular, hard-plastic drinking bottles and baby bottles, showed a two-thirds increase in their urine of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA).

Exposure to BPA, used in the manufacture of polycarbonate and other plastics, has been shown to interfere with reproductive development in animals and has been linked with cardiovascular disease and diabetes in humans.

The study is the first to show that drinking from polycarbonate bottles increased the level of urinary BPA, and thus suggests that drinking containers made with BPA release the chemical into the liquid that people drink in sufficient amounts to increase the level of BPA excreted in human urine.

The study appears on the Web site of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives and is freely available at http://www.ehponline.org/members/2009/0900604/0900604.pdf. In addition to polycarbonate bottles, which are refillable and a popular container among students, campers and others and are also used as baby bottles, BPA is also found in dentistry composites and sealants and in the lining of aluminum food and beverage cans. (In bottles, polycarbonate can be identified by the recycling number 7.) Numerous studies have shown that it acts as an endocrine-disruptor in animals, including early onset of sexual maturation, altered development and tissue organization of the mammary gland, and decreased sperm production in offspring. It may be most harmful in the stages of early development.

"We found that drinking cold liquids from polycarbonate bottles for just one week increased urinary BPA levels by more than two-thirds. If you heat those bottles, as is the case with baby bottles, we would expect the levels to be considerably higher. This would be of concern since infants may be particularly susceptible to BPA's endocrine-disrupting potential," said Karin B. Michels, associate professor of epidemiology at HSPH and Harvard Medical School and senior author of the study.

The researchers, led by first author Jenny Carwile, a doctoral student in the department of epidemiology at HSPH, and Michels, recruited Harvard College students for the study in April 2008. The 77 participants began the study with a seven-day "washout" phase in which they drank all cold beverages from stainless steel bottles in order to minimize BPA exposure. Participants provided urine samples during the washout period. They were then given two polycarbonate bottles and asked to drink all cold beverages from the bottles during the next week; urine samples were also provided during that time.

The results showed that the participants' urinary BPA concentrations increased 69 percent after drinking from the polycarbonate bottles. (The study authors noted that BPA concentrations in the college population were similar to those reported for the U.S. general population.) Previous studies had found that BPA could leach from polycarbonate bottles into their contents; this study is the first to show a corresponding increase in urinary BPA concentrations in humans.

National Fire Protection Association (NFPA)

Online Access to all NFPA Codes and Standards

As part of the National Fire Protection Association's commitment to enhancing public safety through the adoption and enforcement of key ANSI codes and standards, NFPA is making all of its codes and standards available for review online by the public. "On-demand review of NFPA's consensus documents conveniently places important safety information on the desktops of traditional users as well as others who have a keen interest," said NFPA President James M. Shannon. "NFPA is committed to serving the public's increasing interest in technical information, and online access to these key codes is a valuable resource." Access NFPA's codes and standards online, then either select the appropriate document range or scroll to the specific code/standard, click Preview this Document at the bottom of the page under Additional Information, and finally Open (again, near the bottom) the specific document. NFPA 306, for example, is now able online by clicking on the link and then Previewing.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)

Revised Draft Document for Public Review and Comment, "Asbestos Fibers and Other Elongaced Mineral Particles: State of the Science and Roadmap for Research" NIOSH Docket Number 099-A

Asbestos has been a highly visible issue in public health for over three decades and abundant information is in the scientific literature. However, in part because of the complexity in the mineralogy, the scientific literature has various inconsistencies and inconclusive evidence which have led to uncertainties in identifying and applying the term asbestos for health and regulatory purposes. This has prompted NIOSH to convene a workgroup to investigate this matter. NIOSH is currently considering the scientific research needs to reduce the uncertainties in the science used to develop worker protection policies for asbestos fibers and other elongated mineral particles (EMPs). Subsequently, it is expected that the products of this research will influence how NIOSH views occupational exposure to various minerals when there is a potential for inhalational exposure to EMPs. This document is intended as one step in the process. NIOSH intends to pursue partnerships with other Federal Agencies and other stakeholders to help focus the scope of the research that can contribute to the scientific understanding of asbestos fibers and other EMPs, to fund and conduct the research activities, and to develop and disseminate educational materials describing results from the EMP research and their implications for occupational and public health policies and practices. <more>

Revocation of all Respirator Certificates of Approval Issued to Bei Bei Safety Company, Ltd. (BBE) Effective July 1, 2009

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has revoked the following certificates of approval issued to Bei Bei Safety Company, Ltd. (BBE):

TC-84A-4390 TC-84A-4525
TC-84A-4391 TC-84A-4560
TC-84A-4392 TC-84A-4562
TC-84A-4520

As of July 1, 2009, no Bei Bei Safety Company Ltd. (BBE) respirator model can be listed as NIOSH approved.

Revocation also means that respirators bearing NIOSH approval numbers TC-84A-4390, TC-84A-4391, TC-84A-4392, TC-84A-4520, TC-84A-4525, TC-84A-4560, and TC-84A-4562 can no longer be manufactured, assembled, sold, or distributed.

NIOSH has revoked these approvals in accordance with the authority granted in Title 42, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 84.43(c) (42 CFR
84) which states "The Institute reserves the right to revoke, for cause, any certificate of approval where it is found that the applicant's quality control test methods, equipment, or records do not ensure effective quality control over the respirator for which approval was issued" and the authority granted in 42 CFR Part 84.34 which states "The Institute reserves the right to revoke, for cause, any certificate of approval issued pursuant to the provisions of this part. Such causes include, but are not limited to, misuse of approval labels and markings, misleading advertising, and failure to maintain or cause to be maintained the quality control requirements of the certificate of approval."

National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health

Telephone 412-386-4000
Fax 412-386-4051
E-mail npptl@cdc.gov
On the Web http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npptl/

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

OSHA Initiates Rulemaking on Combustible Dust Hazards

Any combustible material (and some materials normally considered noncombustible) can burn rapidly when in a finely divided form. If such a dust is suspended in air in the right concentration, it can become explosive. The force from such an explosion can cause employee deaths, injuries, and destruction of entire buildings. Such incidents have killed scores of employees and injured hundreds over the past few decades.

Materials that may form combustible dust include metals (such as aluminum and magnesium), wood, coal, plastics, biosolids, sugar, paper, soap, dried blood, and certain textiles. In many accidents, employers and employees were unaware that a hazard even existed.

A combustible dust explosion hazard may exist in a variety of industries, including: food (e.g., candy, sugar, spice, starch, flour, feed), grain, tobacco, plastics, wood, paper, pulp, rubber, furniture, textiles, pesticides, pharmaceuticals, dyes, coal, metals (e.g., aluminum, chromium, iron, magnesium, and zinc), and fossil fuel power generation.

OSHA Publishes Proposed Rule on PPE and Training Standards

OSHA announced in the Aug. 19 Federal Register that it is accepting public comments on a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on personal protective equipment (PPE) and training standards. The proposal clarifies that when an OSHA standard requires an employer to provide PPE or training to employees, the employer must do so for each employee subject to the requirement, and that each employee not protected may be considered a violation for penalty purposes. For more information on the proposal and details on how to submit comments, refer to the Federal Register notice. Comments will be accepted until Sept. 18.

OSHA Reminds Employers and Employees About the Safe Use of Quick Coupling Devices

OSHA's Chicago Region, the Chicagoland Construction Safety Council, and the Underground Contractors Association (a participant in OSHA's Strategic Partnership Program), have joined forces to remind employers and employees about the hazards of using quick coupling devices and possible solutions to avoiding those hazards. Quick couplers allow operators of hydraulic excavators to change buckets or other attachments without leaving the excavator's cab. Unfortunately, the unexpected release of excavator buckets from quick coupling devices has resulted in injuries and deaths. OSHA's Safety and Health Information Bulletin entitled Hazards of Inadequately Securing Hydraulic Excavator Buckets When Using Quick Coupling Devices outlines specific methods for employers and employees to address the hazards and prevent further accidents.

Occupational Safety and Health

Revised Shipyard Guidance Document Addresses PPE Payment, CrVI Levels

OSHA has revised its Shipyard Industry Standards guidance document, which provides employers and workers with an overview of all safety and health standards associated with the shipyard industry. The revisions specifically address fire protection in shipyard employment, contamination issues related to Hexavalent Chromium, and employer payment for personal protective equipment.

The standard's Fire Protection in Shipyard Employment subpart includes sections on implementing a fire safety plan, fire watches, and fire response. The section dealing with payment for PPE advises employers of their obligation to provide PPE for workers at no cost to them. Hexavalent chromium has been added to the list of air contaminants whose concentrations should not exceed stated exposure levels.

"The Maritime Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health recommended that OSHA update and republish the shipyard and longshoring industry digests," said acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab. "The revised document is now up-to-date with current standards and will continue to serve as another resource for protecting the safety and health of shipyard workers."

Shipyard Industry Standards revises the existing Shipyard Industry Digest and incorporates new shipyard employment requirements that have been developed and finalized since the booklet was last published in 1998. It lists the guidelines for safety and health programs in the industry and incorporates topics such as management commitment; employee participation; hazard identification, assessment, and control; and program evaluation.

CSB Issues Final Report on Allied Terminals Fertilizer Tank Collapse

In a final report issued on May 27 into the November 2008 fertilizer tank collapse at Allied Terminals in Chesapeake, Va., the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) recommended that the Commonwealth of Virginia regulate or authorize local jurisdictions to regulate the design, construction, maintenance, and inspection of large fertilizer storage tanks located on the Elizabeth River.

On Nov. 12, 2008, an aboveground storage tank catastrophically failed, releasing two million gallons of liquid urea ammonium nitrate (UAN) fertilizer and seriously injuring two workers. The release overtopped a containment dike and flooded sections of a nearby residential neighborhood, requiring remediation of the soil. At least 200,000 gallons of spilled fertilizer could not be accounted for, and some reached the nearby Elizabeth River, which flows into the Chesapeake Bay.

"By recommending regulation of similar storage tanks located on the Elizabeth River, we hope to protect not only communities and workers but also the vitality of the Chesapeake watershed," said William Wark, CSB member.

CSB investigators found that the tank involved in the accident--referred to as Tank 201--had undergone welding work. Contractors removed the vertical riveted seams and replaced them with horizontal welded plates with the intent of strengthening the joints. Similar work was done to three other tanks at the facility.

"The CSB's investigation found that the welding performed on the tanks did not conform with recommended industry practices," said Supervisory Investigator Robert Hall. "Additionally, the company did not ensure that post welding inspections were conducted prior to refilling the tank to its maximum capacity."

The report noted that the Environmental Protection Agency regulates the safety of petroleum storage tanks, but liquid fertilizer and other non-petroleum tanks are regulated by individual states. Virginia is one of 33 states that do not currently have regulations for liquid fertilizer tanks, CSB said.

In addition to calling for state action to regulate storage tanks, CSB urged the EPA to revise and reissue a safety bulletin on liquid fertilizer tank hazards and asked The Fertilizer Institute (TFI), a trade association, to urge member companies to require appropriate inspections of tanks used to store liquid fertilizer at terminal facilities.

In December 2008, the board issued an urgent recommendation calling on Allied Terminals to take immediate action to reduce the risk of a catastrophic failure of three tanks located at its facility--one about 250 feet from the South Hill Neighborhood. CSB also recommended that Allied Terminals select an independent engineering firm to evaluate the specified tanks and within 30 days provide a report prepared by the independent tank engineering firm to the City of Chesapeake. The independent report resulted in Allied Terminals significantly reducing the maximum liquid levels of the remaining tanks.

The CSB investigation identified sixteen other tank failures at nine facilities in other states between 1995 and 2008. These sixteen failures resulted in one death, four hospitalizations, one community evacuation, and two releases into waterways.

Sea Power Ambassador

America faces a security crisis. The fleet of the U.S. Navy has dropped from 594 ships in 1987 to 279 ships today. This represents the smallest Navy in our Nation's history since 1917. For 12 years, the Nation has been ordering just six new ships a year, on average. This is the lowest rate of naval ship production since 1932, and if continued, our Navy will shrink to a fleet of 180 ships. While the Navy's fleet is on a dive course, the need for a larger and more capable fleet is more imperative now than at any other time in our history. <more>

Surface Combatant Program in Limbo

There has been an ongoing debate within the Navy this year regarding the future of its surface combatant program. On July 22nd the Navy recommended ending the DDG-1000 multi-mission surface combatant program after only two ships and restarting the production line of the DDG-51 class destroyer. On August 18th, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England and Secretary of the Navy Donald Winter reversed that decision and announced that the Navy will procure a third DDG-1000 as recommended in the FY 2009 budget request. <more>

Piracy Underscores Importance of U.S. Navy's Role in America's Maritime Security

On May 5th, the USNS Lewis and Clark, a U.S. Navy combat logistics force ship, was fired upon by pirates off the coast of Eastern Somalia. The ship took evasive action and was successful in eluding its attackers. While the incident was one of a growing number of pirate attacks in this region of the world, the attack on a U.S. military vessel shows that piracy poses a serious threat to U.S. national and economic security.

According to the Department of Defense and Department of Transportation, more than 33,000 vessels travel annually through the Gulf of Aden, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the Suez Canal to the Indian Ocean. In the first quarter of 2009, 102 incidents of piracy were reported, which is more than double the number of attacks that occurred during the same period in 2008. The most dramatic of these was the attack on the Maersk Alabama on April 8th, where Captain Richard Phillips was held hostage at gunpoint in a lifeboat by pirates. The intervention by the Navy destroyer USS Bainbridge and Navy SEALS ultimately led to the safe return of Captain Phillips.

Support America's Continued Access to the Sea

In a May 5th hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Chairman Carl Levin (D-MI) commented on the important role the U.S. Navy plays in protecting U.S.-flagged commercial ships and in patrolling the area off the coast of Somalia in support of an international coalition. In a question directed to Vice Admiral James Winnefeld, Director for Strategic Plans and Policy of the Joints Chiefs of Staff, Senator Joe Lieberman (I-CT) expressed his concern that the added responsibility of responding to pirate attacks is placing added stress to America's already overextended and undersized Navy. The Admiral acknowledged that the U.S. Navy is undertaking fewer missions than it otherwise would in order to respond to the growing pirate threat.

Take Action In Support of America's Sea Services

Given the limited military resources available to fully protect commercial shipping in the waters off the coast of Somalia, some government and private sector officials have advocated that shipping companies hire armed private security personnel to protect their vessels. Ship owners and operators have argued that a military response remains the most immediate solution to the problem. During a May 5th hearing before the Senate Commerce Surface Transportation and Merchant Marine Infrastructure, Safety and Security Subcommittee, Philip Shapiro, President and CEO of Liberty Maritime Corporation, whose ship the Liberty Sun was attacked by pirates just two days after Captain Phillips was rescued, explained, "our ships need protection now...not six or nine months from now...we will need either naval vessel escorts or government security teams for U.S.-flag vessels on high risk transits." As Captain Phillips testified during the same hearing, "unlike most nations of the world, the United States has the capability to protect its vessels and their crews from piracy... it is the responsibility of our government to protect U.S.-flagged vessels, which are by definition, an extension of the United States..."

As the United States and other nations combat piracy, the United States must acknowledge that the U.S. Navy plays a critical role in protecting the sea lanes of commerce. However, the Navy numbers only 283 ships, which is the smallest naval fleet since 1917. When is the country going to make reinvestment in our Navy a national priority?