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Chicago — People exposed to organic solvents on the job may have a greater risk of developing high blood pressure, according to a recent study of Latino workers.

Washington – Contending that it lacks proper regulatory authority, the Chemical Safety Board on Nov. 14 voted to withdraw its recommendations issued to the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement after its investigation into the April 2010 explosion and fire that killed 11 workers on the Deepwater Horizon oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico.

Washington – Noting that “regulators of high-hazard industries must have an informed and reasoned basis for making their regulatory choices,” a recent report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine states that clarifying design concepts of safety regulations in industries such as transportation, chemical manufacturing, and offshore oil and gas development – and exploring how various circumstances may impact them – can help.

Washington – Two senators are calling on the Environmental Protection Agency to “immediately implement” amendments to the agency’s Risk Management Program rule for chemical facilities.

Washington – The Environmental Protection Agency has cleared a backlog of more than 600 safety reviews of new chemicals, the agency announced Aug. 7.

Washington – The American Chemistry Council recently released updated guidelines on preventive health measures and the use of personal protective equipment for workers exposed to phosgene, a chemical used in manufacturing that is a poisonous gas at room temperature.

Washington – The American Chemistry Council is calling attention to a reanalysis of data linking formaldehyde exposure to leukemia, saying the new findings “call into question the validity” of recent assessments used by regulatory agencies to determine occupational exposure limits.

Torrance, CA – A breakdown in safety management played a major role in an explosion at a refinery in Torrance a little more than two years ago, the Chemical Safety Board stated in its final report released May 3.

Washington – The Environmental Protection Agency on April 18 announced it is extending public comment periods on two proposed rules: one for the toxic chemical trichloroethylene when used as a commercial vapor degreaser, and the other for methylene chloride and N-methylpyrrolidone, also known as NMP, in paint and coating removal.

Washington – OSHA has released three guidance documents intended to help chemical facilities comply with the agency’s Process Safety Management Standard (1910.119).