Weekly E-Newsbrief
June 3, 2022
The E-Newsbrief of the National Clearinghouse is a free weekly newsletter focusing on new developments in the world of worker health and safety. Each issue provides summaries of the latest worker health and safety news from newspapers, magazines, journals, government reports, and the Web, along with links to the original documents. Also featured each week are updates from government agencies that handle hazmat and worker safety issues such as DOE, EPA, OSHA and others.
Subscribing to the National Clearinghouse Newsbrief is the best way to stay on top of the worker health and safety news.
- Top Stories
- Calendar Features
- On The Web This Week
- Federal Agency Update
- Awardee Highlights/Online Learning
- Job Openings
- We Want Your Feedback
- Newsbriefs Past Issues
| Top Stories | Back to Top |
Climate Change Impacts on Workers, Communities Addressed at Workshop
During the NIEHS WTP spring 2022 workshop held May 18-19, participants exchanged strategies and best practices for mitigating the impacts of climate change on workers and communities. Experts from universities, labor groups, community-based organizations, and government agencies shared their perspectives during the workshop.
Environmental Factor [Authors: Meredith Hernlund and Kenda Freeman]
Uterine Cancer May Be Added to the List of 9/11-Related Health Issues
The World Trade Center Health Program, a government program that monitors and treats WTC-related health conditions, covers nearly every type of cancer. But a single type has never been added to its list: uterine cancer. That could soon change. Officials have proposed adding uterine cancer to the list of cancers covered by the program, and the rule change is in its final stage.
The Washington Post [Author: Erin Blakemore]
Nuclear Waste Project Near Carlsbad Delayed Again Amid Federal Safety Inquiry
A project to store spent nuclear fuel rods in southeast New Mexico was delayed again after a federal oversight agency was unsatisfied by answers to its questions provided by the proposed facility’s owner. Holtec International proposed to build the facility near the Eddy-Lea county line to temporarily hold the high-level waste from nuclear power reactors across the country.
Carlsbad Current Argus [Author: Adrian Hedden]
Small Nuclear Power Projects May Have Big Waste Problems - Study
A planned new generation of small nuclear reactors will create more waste than conventional reactors. The reactors would create more radioactive waste, per unit of electricity they generate, than conventional reactors by a factor of up to 30 according to a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Reuters [Author: Timothy Gardner]
Gov. Inslee Says White House Must Do More to Avoid Radioactive ‘Calamity’ At Hanford
In a worst-case scenario, environmental cleanup of the Hanford nuclear reservation might not be completed for another 150 years, or possibly never, said Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. He warned the new director of the Office of Management and Budget at the Biden White House that Hanford site budgets need to be far higher to avoid disaster.
Tri-City Herald [Author: Annette Cary]
Energy Department Nuclear Waste Backlog Goes as Far Back as WWII
The U.S. Department of Energy has a backlog of nuclear waste clean-up responsibilities, with material dating back to World War II. But continuing turnover in program leadership means things just aren’t happening. For more, Government Accountability Office natural resources and environmental team Director Nathan Anderson spoke with Tom Temin of the Federal Drive.
Federal News Network [Author: Tom Temin]
Flood Water Contamination Threatens Communities Living Near Chemical Facilities – Can Private Law Protect Them?
When such extreme weather phenomena hit vulnerable chemical facilities, such as those located in low-lying coastal areas, they can result in flood water contamination if a hazardous substance leak occurs. Exposure to toxic floodwaters can have life-threatening health effects on those living near the affected chemical plant.
| Calendar Features | Back to Top |
Emerging Science on Indoor Chemistry: Public Release Webinar
The Committee on Emerging Science on Indoor Chemistry is presenting the release of the consensus study report, Why Indoor Chemistry Matters, on Tuesday, June 7 at 10:00-11:00 a.m. ET. This report identifies gaps in current research and understanding of indoor chemistry and new approaches that can be applied to measure, manage, and limit chemical exposures.
Opioids and the Workplace, Risk Factors and Solutions
NIEHS WTP is hosting a webinar on opioids and the workplace on June 9 at 2:00-3:30 p.m. ET. The presenters will share potential strategies to reduce the negative impact of workplace factors on the opioid crisis and reform punitive policies into supportive ones. These strategies include policy changes at the workplace, community, state, and federal levels.
Film Premiere and Webinar: In Times of Crisis - Stories from the Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf Research Program’s Board on Gulf Education and Engagement and The Policy and Global Affairs Division’s Board on Higher Education and Workforce are pleased to present the In Times of Crisis: Stories from the Gulf of Mexico Film Premiere and Webinar on June 14 at 1:00-3:00 p.m. ET.
Joint AIHA-CPWR Webinar: Addressing Four Major Health-Related Hazards in Construction
CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training and the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) will host a joint webinar on June 14 at 2:00 p.m. ET. The webinar will discuss the recently published AIHA guidance document on four key health hazards in construction.
NHMA COVID-19 Virtual Briefing Series
The National Hispanic Medical Association (NHMA) and its partners held its first virtual briefing on COVID-19 in May of 2020. The NHMA COVID-19 Virtual Briefing Series addresses timely lessons learned by physicians and healthcare providers from the COVID-19 pandemic. The next webinar will be held on June 29 at 7:00 p.m. ET.
| On The Web This Week | Back to Top |
Energy Experts Sound Alarm About U.S. Electric Grid: ‘Not Designed to Withstand the Impacts of Climate Change’
Electricity experts and officials are warning that states may not have enough power to meet demand in the coming months. And many of the nation’s grid operators are also not taking climate change into account in their planning, even as extreme weather becomes more frequent and more severe.
CNN [Author: Rene Marsh]
Largest Wildfire In New Mexico History Linked to Planned Burns
Two fires that merged to create the largest wildfire in New Mexico history have both been traced to planned burns set by U.S. forest managers as preventative measures, federal investigators announced. The findings shift responsibility more squarely toward the U.S. Forest Service.
PBS [Authors: Morgan Lee and Cedar Attanacio]
Block-By-Block Data Shows Pollution’s Stark Toll on People of Color
Finding the most polluted places in the San Francisco Bay area is simple, a new air quality analysis shows: Locate places where mostly Black, Latino, Asian and low-income residents live, and pay them a visit.
The Washington Post [Author: Darryl Fears]
Listen: Carlos Rodriguez-Diaz on Infectious Diseases and Social Justice
Dr. Carlos Rodriguez-Diaz joins the Agents of Change in Environmental Justice podcast to talk about how we can learn from COVID-19 to make our infectious disease responses more effective and equitable.
Energy Secretary: U.S. Offshore Wind Jobs Should Be Union Jobs
The growing offshore wind industry is often touted as a boon for job creation, but who will do the work? The U.S. energy secretary and Danish wind developer Orsted say they want American union workers to build offshore wind farms to dot the U.S. coastlines — the building trades workers who could otherwise be left out of a transition to renewable resources.
Star Tribune [Author: Jennifer McDermott]
‘This Is a Crisis Point’: Job Training Deficit Leaves Critical Jobs Unfilled
For years, the U.S. has spent far less on training its workers and done so much less effectively than most other wealthy nations, which is contributing to the supply chain woes caused by the pandemic.
Politico [Author: Eleanor Mueller]
Now Hiring: The U.S. Needs More Clean Energy Workers
President Biden has called for the U.S. to use 100% clean electricity by 2035. But a labor shortage could slow that plan. Not enough workers are trained to install and maintain solar and wind technology.
| Federal Agency Update | Back to Top |
Biden-Harris Administration Establishes HHS Office of Environmental Justice
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is establishing an Office of Environmental Justice (OEJ) to better protect the health of disadvantaged communities and vulnerable populations on the frontlines of pollution and other environmental health issues. The new office will sit within the Office of Climate Change and Health Equity at HHS.
Workplace Safety and Health: Data and Enforcement Challenges Limit OSHA's Ability to Protect Workers during a Crisis
The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) testified about the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) efforts to protect workers from COVID-19 and its preparedness for a new crisis. OSHA faced challenges implementing both standards and withdrew most of their provisions.
| Awardee Highlights/Online Learning | Back to Top |
GuLF Study Describes Inhalation, Dermal Exposures for All Oil Cleanup Job Roles
In a just-released monograph, NIEHS Gulf Long-term Follow-up (GuLF) Study researchers describe the extraordinary work that went into developing inhalation and dermal exposure estimates for people involved in oil spill response and cleanup after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.
Environmental Factor [Author: Catherine Arnold]
Silicone Wristbands Track Firefighters' Exposures to Harmful Chemicals
Firefighters have a 9 percent higher risk of being diagnosed with cancer and a 14 percent higher risk of dying from the disease than the general adult U.S. population, according to studies by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and other agencies.
Study Finds Young Construction Workers at Risk for Exposure to Carcinogens
According to the study published in the journal Frontiers in Public Health, overall, workers 25 and younger are at increased risk of injury. Canadian Researchers say reasons include lack of training and experience, which may elevate young workers’ risk for occupational exposure to carcinogens.
| Job Openings | Back to Top |
CPR Seeks Climate Justice Policy Fellow
The Center for Progressive Reform (CPR) is seeking a full-time Climate Justice Policy Fellow to help support their various research and advocacy projects in the North Carolina, Delaware River Basin, California, Maryland, Virginia, and Louisiana. The candidate should have a desire to further progressive environmental and economic policies designed to address racial inequities.
SEIU 32BJ Seeks Research Analyst
SEIU 32BJ seeks a Research Analyst with experience in the labor movement or community, racial justice, or immigrant rights organizing to support the Union’s internal and external organizing campaigns. 32BJ is hiring for one position that, depending on experience, will either be a Researcher, Research Analyst, or Research Analyst II.
| We Want Your Feedback | Back to Top |
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