Occupational Illnesses

Washington — Workers who operate underground mining machinery accounted for more than two-thirds of deaths associated with coal workers’ pneumoconiosis during a recent four-year...

Boston — Massachusetts’ first documented case of silicosis in a stone countertop fabrication worker has spurred the state’s Department of Public Health to urge...

Fewer than 1 out of 5 people who are considered at-risk for lung cancer – one of the most common forms of cancer –...

College Station, TX — Disruptions to the biological clock caused by shift work may increase the development and spread of aggressive breast cancer, a...

Washington — Construction workers are 30% more likely than workers in other industries to die from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, results of a recent study...

Phoenix — The Industrial Commission of Arizona has launched a new program intended to recognize employers in the state who “excel in protecting their...

Sacramento, CA — A new California law aimed at curbing cases of silicosis among workers who cut, grind, polish and drill stone countertops is now in effect.

Washington — Should the stone slab industry be protected from “abusive litigation” or should it substitute engineered stone with a product that creates less silica dust?

Washington — Employers can help prevent cases of welder’s anthrax – an often-fatal respiratory illness – by using safe work practices that limit exposure to “harmful metal fumes that might predispose welders” to the condition, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

Washington — Prompted by evaluations that identified “unreasonable risks” to worker health, the Environmental Protection Agency says it will regulate various industrial exposures to five phthalate chemicals used in plastics.