New Solutions-A Journal of Environmental and Occupational Health Policy最新文献

An ever-increasing number of workplaces are becoming heat-exposed due to rising temperature extremes. However, a comprehensive review of Canadian safety materials available to support workplaces in managing this critical hazard has not previously been conducted. We undertook a review and a content analysis of heat stress materials on safety-based ministry, association, and agency websites in Canada (n = 155) to identify content related to heat stress (n = 595). Each document was qualitatively analyzed using NVivo. The most dominant components identified were heat stress control measures (n = 492, 83%), training and education (n = 414, 70%), workplaces and workers at risk (n = 361, 61%), exposure limits and monitoring practices (n = 344, 58%), and emergency response and reporting (n = 249, 42%). However, the content within these programming components was highly variable. While we found that organizations across Canada provide heat stress content, there was evidence of inconsistencies and considerable gaps in the availability of material and the strategies presented to control the critical risk posed by heat.

This study investigated workforce characteristics, work practices, protective measures, and health symptoms among nail salon workers in New York and New Jersey following the implementation of local exhaust ventilation (LEV) regulations in New York. An online survey conducted from 2022 to 2023 targeted registered nail salons and manicurists in both states (N = 146). The majority of respondents were Asian, primarily Korean (52.1%) and Chinese (26%). In New York, 79% of salons had a mechanical ventilation system, including LEV, while in New Jersey, where no ventilation regulation exists, only 52% of nail salons had mechanical ventilation systems. A substantial proportion of manicurists reported health-related concerns (40.5%) and symptoms related to chemical exposure (67.6%). The study emphasizes the need for continuous and improved illness prevention strategies, including the use of safer products, comprehensive health and safety training, and effective ventilation practices, to better protect nail salon workers.

On February 3, 2023, five train cars containing 887,400 pounds of vinyl chloride, the key building block for polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic, derailed and burned, setting off a major environmental health disaster that sickened area residents and first responders, killed wildlife, and contaminated East Palestine, Ohio and surrounding communities. OxyVinyls is the largest vinyl chloride monomer producer in the United States and the third-largest PVC supplier in the United States. How much of this hazardous chemical is transported every year, and how many people are put at risk? To better understand the magnitude of this hazard, we established the most likely rail routes for shipping of vinyl chloride from two OxyVinyls plants in Texas to four PVC factories in New Jersey, Illinois, and Ontario. We estimate that up to 36 million pounds of vinyl chloride travels on more than 200 rail cars across nearly 2,000 miles of US railways at any given moment. Over a year, an estimated 8,595 rail cars carry approximately 1.5 billion pounds of vinyl chloride from OxyVinyls to these plastics plants. The rail shipment of vinyl chloride to make PVC plastic puts more than three million people at risk. We estimate more than three million people live, and about 670,000 children attend more than 1500 schools, within one mile of the train route between Texas and New Jersey.

Extreme heat and air pollution exposure are leading causes of adverse cardiorespiratory health outcomes. Exposure reduction strategies are often focused at the local level. This study examined critical challenges community leaders face in understanding and sharing environmental exposure and health information. We conducted interviews with 19 community leaders of two urban environmental justice communities in Massachusetts, United States. Using directed content analysis, we examined air quality and heat perceptions, information and data resources, and barriers to understanding and communicating relevant local information. Participants shared concerns about both poor air quality and extreme heat. They also expressed the opinion that exposure risk information about these topics is siloed; heat and air quality data can be hard to access, interpret, and effectively communicate with community members. Solutions recommended by participants included community engagement, open-data portals, and creative science communication. Increasing sustainable collaborations among academic, government, healthcare, and nonprofit sectors is recommended.

California has a significant day laborer population, with about one-third of the total U.S. day laborer population working in the state. Day laborers, characterized by a lack of labor protections, low socioeconomic status, English illiteracy, and irregular immigration status, face numerous challenges regarding work-related injuries and limited access to healthcare. Eighty percent of day laborers are undocumented, and most do not have access to healthcare. Despite recent research growth, little is known about their experiences with work-related injuries and healthcare treatment. Our findings reveal that only 8.4% of day laborers have health insurance, and around 26% have experienced work-related injuries. This paper highlights the challenges faced by this population and emphasizes the importance of understanding their experiences to improve occupational health and safety policy. Additionally, we acknowledge the critical role of worker centers and national efforts in addressing health and safety issues among day laborers.

For many women, house cleaning is an important way to participate in the labor market. In Brazil, there are 2 types of domestic workers: housekeepers have relatively secure employment and house cleaners are day laborers. The aim of this hypothesis-generating study was to describe the sociodemographic, occupational and health profile of a sample of domestic workers in Brazil. House cleaners received lower wages, had longer daily working hours and worked in a larger number of homes each week in comparison to housekeepers. About 51% of the domestic workers in this sample reported the use of pain medication and 34% reported spinal problems. Musculoskeletal symptoms were frequent in the lower back and upper limbs. Forty-seven percent reported high blood pressure. This study highlights the vulnerability of domestic workers, especially house cleaners, regarding workload, salary, and health conditions. Level of education is a contributing factor to this vulnerability.

The controversy over whether repeated head impact (RHI)-a feature of occupations including professional contact sports, military service, firefighting, and logging-can cause the neurodegenerative disease now known as CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) has thrust many positive epidemiologic studies into the spotlight. Various skeptics who dispute that the relationship is strong and causal continue to raise objections to these studies and their interpretation. The arguments these skeptics use remind other observers of many past sagas of "manufactured doubt," particularly the history of attempts to cast doubt on the propensity of tobacco products to cause lung cancer. A recent article in the Journal of Science and Medicine in Sport³ complained that drawing the parallel between RHI and cigarettes is unhelpful, concluding that "the time for politically motivated analogies has now passed." This author disagrees, and explains in detail 2 scientific aspects of risk assessment and management that make the analogy apt and instructive for the future. In particular, I argue that the problem of "manufactured doubt" here is two-fold: it relies on various fallacies of reasoning discussed herein, but more importantly, it seeks to divert and delay the utilitarian imperative-while we grope toward the ever-elusive certainty, there are many low-regret actions we can and should take on the basis of persuasive signals of harm.