SAFETY cast

30th ASM - Historical aspects of asbestos and its relation to health

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 09:12:52 -0400

Stephen M. Levin, MD, is Division Chief of the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine. Since his appointment in 1981, he has made extensive contributions in teaching, course design, and administration of the division, scholarly publications, clinical practice and service to the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and Hospital. In 1987, Dr. Levin became the Medical Director of the Mount Sinai Irving J. Selikoff Center for Occupational and Environmental Medicine. His research interests have focused on asbestos-related disease, other occupational lung diseases, and heavy metal toxicity. He has received funding from NIOSH to conduct studies of the health effects of exposure to lead, asbestos, and silica among construction workers in New York City. Dr. Levin has served as a consultant to the New York State, New Jersey, and New York City Departments of Health on the health hazards of environmental pollutants. Dr. Levin was Co-Director of the WTC Worker and Volunteer Medical Screening Program, funded by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. He also served as Principal Investigator and Director of the Data and Coordination Center for the federally funded WTC Medical Monitoring Program that provides repeat examinations for the WTC responder cohort that now numbers over 17,000 examinees. Dr. Levin has recently received funding to assist in the validation of serum biomarkers for Mesothelioma among workers with a history of high exposures to asbestos. In addition, he is working with the EPA to assist in creating a screening and monitoring program in Libby, Montana. Dr. Levin has contributed not only through his excellent lectures to unions and the community, but also through a number of well-known articles. Dr. Levin has served as editor of the peer review journal in health care entitled American Journal of Environmental Medicine. As an editor of this fine journal, he is a nationally and internationally known figure and influential in keeping in touch with the latest in literature, research and clinical practice. Dr. Levin has played an active role at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine as a member of the faculty in the Department of Community and Preventive Medicine. He continues to be a key member of the Workers Compensation Task Force and the 9/11 Worker's Protection Task Force.

The 30th Annual Scientific Day of the New York/New Jersey Education and Research Center will look at progress that has been made in terms of better understanding the impact of occupational safety and health on individuals through specific examples. The impact of asbestos on human health has been enormous; seminal work was done at Mount Sinai that laid the foundation for future studies on the connection between asbestos exposure and malignancy. Lead, a ubiquitous heavy metal, has deleterious effects on human health from the fetus to the elderly worker; the assessment of how lead exposure can be measured has changed dramatically over time. The workforce in the United States has also changed over the past thirty years, and as the baby boomers age and remain the workforce longer, there are new challenges related to threats to the older worker. Great strides have been made over the past thirty years, and there is great potential for future work to ensure greater worker safety and health -- and the vision for how workers can be best protected will be addressed in this conference.

30th ASM - Technologies to help future diagnosis and treatment

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 09:08:53 -0400

Speaker, David Y. Zhang, MD, PhD, received his Medical Degree from Norman Bethune University of Medical Sciences, China and Ph.D. from New York University School of Medicine. He received his clinical training in Occupational and Environmental Medicine as well as Pathology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York. He is an Associate Professor at the Department of Pathology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and served as Director of the Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory. He also has a private practice at Comprehensive Pain Management Center in Flushing, New York. Dr. Zhang is currently conducting several NIH-funded studies on combined Chinese Traditional Medicine and Conventional Western approaches for disease treatment including cancer, arthritis and pain. His laboratory invented several biotechnologies, including DNA Amplification Methods, including RAM and HSAM which has similar amplification power as PCR for clinical diagnosis and research. These technologies have been licensed to biotechnology companies. Dr. Zhang has published in many peer reviewed medical journals, including Cancer Research, Gene, Hepatology, and Human Gene Therapy.

The 30th Annual Scientific Day of the New York/New Jersey Education and Research Center will look at progress that has been made in terms of better understanding the impact of occupational safety and health on individuals through specific examples. The impact of asbestos on human health has been enormous; seminal work was done at Mount Sinai that laid the foundation for future studies on the connection between asbestos exposure and malignancy. Lead, a ubiquitous heavy metal, has deleterious effects on human health from the fetus to the elderly worker; the assessment of how lead exposure can be measured has changed dramatically over time. The workforce in the United States has also changed over the past thirty years, and as the baby boomers age and remain the workforce longer, there are new challenges related to threats to the older worker. Great strides have been made over the past thirty years, and there is great potential for future work to ensure greater worker safety and health -- and the vision for how workers can be best protected will be addressed in this conference.

30th ASM - Historical aspects of lead

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 09:04:35 -0400

Speaker, Jack Caravanos, DrPH, CIH, CSP, serves as professor of Environmental and Occupational Health at Hunter College, School of Health Sciences, NYC, and as an adjunct professor at UMDNJ-RWJMS. Dr. Caravanos has worked extensively in both public and private sectors on the recognition and evaluation of occupational and environmental hazards. In addition to teaching, he developed and implemented numerous hazard communication training programs.

The 30th Annual Scientific Day of the New York/New Jersey Education and Research Center will look at progress that has been made in terms of better understanding the impact of occupational safety and health on individuals through specific examples. The impact of asbestos on human health has been enormous; seminal work was done at Mount Sinai that laid the foundation for future studies on the connection between asbestos exposure and malignancy. Lead, a ubiquitous heavy metal, has deleterious effects on human health from the fetus to the elderly worker; the assessment of how lead exposure can be measured has changed dramatically over time. The workforce in the United States has also changed over the past thirty years, and as the baby boomers age and remain the workforce longer, there are new challenges related to threats to the older worker. Great strides have been made over the past thirty years, and there is great potential for future work to ensure greater worker safety and health -- and the vision for how workers can be best protected will be addressed in this conference.

30th ASM - Future assessment of lead exposure

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 08:59:18 -0400

Speaker, Andrew C. Todd, PhD, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Associate Professor - Community and Preventive Medicine, came to Mount Sinai as Assistant Professor in 1992. He is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the Johns Hopkins University, School of Hygiene and Public Health, where he is presently collaborating on three studies with Drs. B.S. Schwartz, J. Links and W.F. Stewart. He was formerly a Visiting Professor at The University of Maryland (Baltimore), Program in Toxicology, where he worked with Drs. B.A. Fowler, F.E. McNeill and E.K. Silbergeld. Dr. Todd trained at the University of Birmingham, UK, under the supervision of Dr. D.R. Chettle, who is now at McMaster University in Canada. Dr. Todd's Ph.D. thesis title was "The In Vivo measurement of Lead and Platinum in the Kidney" (1989). Principal Investigator of two R01s and co-investigator of several others, Dr. Todd is analyzing data from several hundred human bone lead measurements performed in this laboratory in connection with these studies. His current scientific work covers all aspects of in vivo bone measurements in both national and international arenas. A member of the Institute of Physics, the Institute of Physics and Engineering in Medicine and the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, Dr. Todd has also reviewed for Environmental Research, American Public Health Association, Medical Physics, Journal of the American Medical Association, Environmental Health Perspectives and is a Contributing Editor to the American Journal of Industrial Medicine.

The 30th Annual Scientific Day of the New York/New Jersey Education and Research Center will look at progress that has been made in terms of better understanding the impact of occupational safety and health on individuals through specific examples. The impact of asbestos on human health has been enormous; seminal work was done at Mount Sinai that laid the foundation for future studies on the connection between asbestos exposure and malignancy. Lead, a ubiquitous heavy metal, has deleterious effects on human health from the fetus to the elderly worker; the assessment of how lead exposure can be measured has changed dramatically over time. The workforce in the United States has also changed over the past thirty years, and as the baby boomers age and remain the workforce longer, there are new challenges related to threats to the older worker. Great strides have been made over the past thirty years, and there is great potential for future work to ensure greater worker safety and health -- and the vision for how workers can be best protected will be addressed in this conference.

30th ASM - Future challenges in OSH

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 08:55:03 -0400

Speaker, Christine M. Branche, PhD is the Acting Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH). Previously, she served as the Principal Associate Director of NIOSH. In that capacity, she ensured coordination within the Office of the Director of NIOSH and between the Office of the Director and Institute divisions, laboratories and regional offices. She also represented NIOSH among its stakeholders and customers. Dr. Branche began her career at CDC as an Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer in the U.S. Public Health Service in the Division of Injury Epidemiology and Control. From 1996 to 2007, Dr. Branche was the Director of the Division of Unintentional Injury Prevention (DUIP) in the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control and was responsible for managing the mission of DUIP. She has done extensive work in this field, including work to prevent drowning and injuries related to water recreation, fire, motor vehicles, and sports and recreation.

The 30th Annual Scientific Day of the New York/New Jersey Education and Research Center will look at progress that has been made in terms of better understanding the impact of occupational safety and health on individuals through specific examples. The impact of asbestos on human health has been enormous; seminal work was done at Mount Sinai that laid the foundation for future studies on the connection between asbestos exposure and malignancy. Lead, a ubiquitous heavy metal, has deleterious effects on human health from the fetus to the elderly worker; the assessment of how lead exposure can be measured has changed dramatically over time. The workforce in the United States has also changed over the past thirty years, and as the baby boomers age and remain the workforce longer, there are new challenges related to threats to the older worker. Great strides have been made over the past thirty years, and there is great potential for future work to ensure greater worker safety and health -- and the vision for how workers can be best protected will be addressed in this conference.

30th ASM - Labors perspective - Hope for the future

Fri, 3 Apr 2009 08:40:44 -0400

Speaker, Eric Frumin, MA, is the Director of Occupational Safety and Health for UNITE HERE. He directed the Department for UNITE (the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees) since its founding in 1995, for the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union since 1980, and worked for ACTWU and the Textile Workers Union of America since 1974. He is a leading national trade union spokesperson on issues of job safety, health and disability, including OSHA standardsetting and enforcement, and occupational disease and injury surveillance. His work in UNITE HERE spans the spectrum from basic training of members, stewards and Safety Committee members, to advising national union officers and organizers on collective bargaining, organizing and political strategies and tactics, including UNITE HERE’s new organizing programs in the hotel, food service, industrial laundry and other industries. From 1983 to 2003, he chaired the U. S. Labor Department's Labor Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health Statistics. He was also one of two trade union representatives on the Board of Scientific Counselors for the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (1995-2003), and has advised employers, OSHA, NIOSH and numerous medical organizations on ergonomic hazards. He has helped shape numerous OSHA health standards, such as Formaldehyde (1987), Hazard Communication (1983), and the Cotton Dust Standard (1978) which was upheld by the U. S. Supreme Court in a landmark decision prohibiting OSHA's use of socalled "costbenefit analysis". He is actively participating in OSHA rulemakings on ergonomics and injury/illness records. He has also advised trade unionists and governments in Asia, Africa and Central and South America, and the UN Commission on Sustainable Development, on health, safety and environmental issues.

The 30th Annual Scientific Day of the New York/New Jersey Education and Research Center will look at progress that has been made in terms of better understanding the impact of occupational safety and health on individuals through specific examples. The impact of asbestos on human health has been enormous; seminal work was done at Mount Sinai that laid the foundation for future studies on the connection between asbestos exposure and malignancy. Lead, a ubiquitous heavy metal, has deleterious effects on human health from the fetus to the elderly worker; the assessment of how lead exposure can be measured has changed dramatically over time. The workforce in the United States has also changed over the past thirty years, and as the baby boomers age and remain the workforce longer, there are new challenges related to threats to the older worker. Great strides have been made over the past thirty years, and there is great potential for future work to ensure greater worker safety and health -- and the vision for how workers can be best protected will be addressed in this conference.

Chemical Safety Issues

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 09:02:33 -0500

Mr. Doug Pastore, MS,CIH, is a certified industrial hygienist at L’Oreal USA. He is director of Safety and Research Facilities at L'Oreal's Corporate Research Facility, located in Clark, New Jersey. He has over 15 years experience with various corporate, manufacturing and R&D areas, occupational health and safety, IH, loss control management and chemical emergency response.

This program will discuss chemical safety issues. You will learn how to identify chemicals and where to get further information about chemicals.

How to Effectively Protect Hearing in an Industrial Setting and at Home

Wed, 18 Feb 2009 08:54:53 -0500

Mr. Doug Pastore, MS,CIH, is a certified industrial hygienist at L’Oreal USA. He is director of Safety and Research Facilities at L'Oreal's Corporate Research Facility, located in Clark, New Jersey. He has over 15 years experience with various corporate, manufacturing and R&D areas, occupational health and safety, IH, loss control management and chemical emergency response.

This program will discuss practical information regarding hearing protection. Mr. Pastore discuses how to effectively protect hearing in an industrial setting, as well as practical tips for the home.

Work-related Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Disorders

Wed, 19 Mar 2008 09:00:41 -0400

Dr. George Piligian is an Assistant Clinical Professor at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine. He specializes in occupational and environmental medicine.

This session will explain work-related upper extremity musculoskeletal disorders, who is at risk, how to prevent them, and what treatment is available.

Job Stress and Health

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 10:52:02 -0500

Paul Landsbergis, PhD, MPH, is Associate Professor at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, with appointments in the Departments of Cardiology and Community and Preventive Medicine, and is the first author or co-author of over 50 articles in scientific journals. Dr. Landsbergis is a co-editor of “The Workplace and Cardiovascular Disease”, the first textbook on this subject, and a co-author of a recent comprehensive review of studies on job strain and cardiovascular disease. He was invited by NIOSH to write and publish an extended review of its publication on the “Changing Organization of Work”, and he was the lead author of the first comprehensive review of the health effects of new systems of work organization.

This podcast will focus on job stress and health. You will understand what is meant by job stress, how it is defined, and what types of health problems are associated with job stress. Practical exercises to reduce job stress are also discussed.