Reading Room

Exposure to paint strippers containing methylene chloride remains a severe health concern for workers. The Second Circuit Court of Appeals recently refused to extend the United States Environmental Protection [EPA] agency's regulations to cover methylene chloride in the commercial setting.

Alice in Wonderland has drawn attention to the consequences of occupational exposure. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has been quick to remind us of the Mad Hatter and mercury exposures.

A New Jersey Court of Appeals upheld an award for total disability workers' compensation benefits.  The injured worker suffered from bilateral carpal tunnel injuries. The 61-year-old punch press operator was deemed unable to work due to the repetitive motion injury.

NJ Governor Patrick Murphy signed legislation enacting sweeping measures to provide workers’ compensation benefits to essential workers who contract coronavirus [COVID-19] and provides dependency benefits to their survivors. 

Litigation is advancing against the distributors and resellers of paint strippers containing methylene chloride and NMP. The lawsuits were filed for damages resulting from the alleged exposure, illness and death of users of the products.

A pending case in California may have significant impact on potential workers’ compensation claims throughout the country.

  The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited AJR Landscaping Inc. – based in Cresskill, New Jersey – for exposing employees to carbon monoxide (CO) after two workers succumbed to the toxic gas.

 Weather forecasters have warned that the Eastern US will be subject of a major climate change over the next few days

 This flu season has been epidemic. It has severely affected the occupational health network and created challenges not foreseen by the crafters of the 1911 workers’ compensation act(s). 

The International  Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), which is part of the World Health Organization (WHO) classified diesel engine exhaust as carcinogenic to humans (Group 1), based on sufficient evidence that exposure is associated with an increased risk for lung cancer.