The 15th Report on Carcinogens, a congressionally-mandated publication of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services National Toxicology Program (NTP), was released in December and includes eight new substances: the flame-retardant chemical antimony trioxide, chronic infection with the bacterium Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori), and six haloacetic acids found as water disinfection byproducts. With the exception of chronic infection with H. pylori, all of the new substances are listed as “reasonably anticipated to be a human carcinogen.” Chronic infection with H. pylori, which colonizes in the stomach and can cause gastritis and peptic ulcers, is listed as “known to be a human carcinogen.” According to NTP, chronic infection with the bacterium may lead to stomach cancer and a rare type of stomach lymphoma.

Antimony trioxide is a component of flame retardants used in consumer products including plastics and textiles. The highest exposure to the chemical occurs among workers who produce antimony trioxide or use it to make flame retardants. NTP notes that other people may be exposed to antimony trioxide by breathing outdoor air contaminated with the chemical or dust from the wear and tear of products treated with flame retardants.

The six haloacetic acids found as water disinfection byproducts listed in the 15th Report on Carcinogens include bromochloroacetic acid, bromodichloroacetic acid, chlorodibromoacetic acid, dibromoacetic acid, dichloroacetic acid, and tribromoacetic acid. Haloacetic acids “are formed during the disinfection of water from a reaction between the chlorine-based disinfection agents and organic matter in the source water,” NTP explains.

The 15th Report on Carcinogens and related materials can be found on NTP’s website.

A document published this month by NIOSH describes how to implement field-based monitoring for respirable crystalline silica using portable Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The publication is primarily intended for industrial hygienists and allied professionals who have health and safety responsibilities within the mining industry, though NIOSH states that IHs working in other industries may also find it useful. According to the agency, the document is written for users with experience in respirable dust or respirable crystalline silica exposure assessment who do not necessarily have specialized training in analytical techniques. AIHA member Emanuele Cauda, PhD, co-director of the NIOSH Center for Direct Reading and Sensor Technologies, is a coauthor of the new publication.

“When used appropriately, field-based monitoring for [respirable crystalline silica] enables the timely evaluation of workplace exposure to crystalline silica and can be a valuable component of successful RCS control strategies,” the document explains. “The accuracy of results obtained via field-based monitoring are reliant upon field conditions as well as upon the conscientious sampling and analysis by the user.”

The new document includes instructions for setting up the equipment and software required for field-based respirable crystalline silica monitoring; technical details of the monitoring method; quality assurance procedures to ensure consistent data; and examples and case studies related to the use of different types of samplers in conjunction with field-based monitoring. Appendices include links to additional resources, operational checklists for field-based monitoring, and a comparison of FTIR data obtained using different methods or parameters.

“Direct-on-Filter Analysis for Respirable Crystalline Silica Using a Portable FTIR Instrument” is freely available to download as a PDF from the NIOSH website.

The occupational health and safety profession includes many sub-disciplines, including occupational hygienists.  Currently there are no Canadian jurisdictions that legally regulate occupational hygienists. Consequently, anyone can call themselves an occupational hygienist and offer such services, some have the required skills, knowledge, and training to protect workers, others do not, which can put workers at risk.  The new Alberta Society of Health and Safety Professionals (ASHSP) is a provincial society aimed at regulating occupational health and safety professionals in Alberta, including occupational hygienists.   We need Alberta Certified Industrial Hygienists, Registered Occupational Hygienists, Registered Occupational Hygiene Technologists, and anyone with the intention of seeking these professional designations to buy a ASHSP membership and help us make this a reality.  We are tired of talking about “licensing occupational hygienists” in Alberta, it is time for action.  All ASHSP members are invited to the ASHSP Annual General Meeting:

www.ashsp.ca

April 28^th, 2018

1:30 pm – 4:30 pm

University of Alberta, Lister Centre-Aurora Room

Located at 87 Avenue and 116 Street, Edmonton, Alberta

“The University of Alberta has a study on the health effects of welding fumes. The University is presently recruiting professional welders to collect one air and one urine sample for the study. To be eligible the welders have to be male, must have 10 years experience, and have no known health issues. If you know any company that could be interested in participating or if you are an occupational hygienist/health and safety professional for a company employing welders and you are interested, please contact Dr. Bernadette Quemerais by email at  or by phone at 780-492-3240 and they will send you more information about the study.”

Proposed Changes to the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines and Possible Impacts Based on a Case Study of Lead in Drinking Water in the Lower Mainland

By Chris Taylor

In January, Health Canada announced a proposed change to numerous compound standards in the Canadian Drinking Water Guidelines. While there are several items of note, of particular impact may be the proposed changes to the lead standard.

The current standard is an allowable level of 0.01 mg/L taken from a “flushed” sample where the water runs for a set period of time; the proposed standard drops this to 0.005 mg/L for locations such as schools and requires that the sample (in most instances) now be taken from the “static” sample or from the initial draw of the water.

Based on the data we have collected over the years for various clients, this change will be very significant. To illustrate, we reviewed hundreds of samples collected in the lower mainland during 2016 after lead in drinking water in schools became a very public issue.

As a firm, our policy has been to routinely collect static samples along with flushed samples as a means of helping diagnose whether or not potential lead contamination was coming from the municipal water supply, or from within the interior water systems of the building. In this particular area, the municipal water systems reported testing regularly for lead – but only using the flushed collection method (with all reported results being below the current guideline). In reviewing our data, while we did find several schools where lead-containing piping/fixtures were having an impact on delivered water quality, nearly all static samples collected nearest the municipal source were returning results above the existing guideline. Suspecting an issue related to the municipal systems, we were able to collect samples from outdoor hydrants extremely close to the connection points to the municipal systems and again, a very high percentage exceeded the current guideline in the static sample.

Based on this data set, and our experience in other jurisdictions, we know that if all Health Canada did was change the standard by changing from flushed to static samples, let alone cutting the standard in half, essentially all the drinking water in that region would fail the guideline. Based on other, more limited, data that we have collected, this would likely be the case in most municipalities. While it is difficult to debate a standard that is being proposed to better protect children, the logistical impacts of this change, we feel, will be significant and costly. Forewarned is forearmed.

 

Chris Taylor is Regional Practice Leader – OHS for Western Canada for Pinchin Ltd.