NIOSH/Katrina, GAO/lack of proper advice IAQ, Waxman/NTP conflicts of interests

[Guest guest]

Now let me get this straight. Noise is the biggest health concern in New

Orleans?

The " scientific " conclusions being promoted by NIOSH and other government

agencies regarding environmental illness after exposure to various toxins and

toxicants, goes beyond ridiculous. How is this lunacy able to be carried out

by those in control of the dissemination of misinformation? And why is no one

stopping this?

1. _http://www.cdc.http://wwwhttp://www.chttp://wwwhttp://wwwhtt_

(http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/hhe/reports/pdfs/2005-0369-3034.pdf)

US Department of Health & Human Services (US DHHS)

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)

National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH)

Health Hazard Evaluation Report 2005-0369-3034

Hurricane Katrina Response, May 2007

" Except for a limited number of noise exposure samples above the NIOSH

recommended exposure limit and carbon monoxide levels above the NIOSH ceiling

limit, environmental sampling for a variety of substances including asbestos,

metals and dust did not reveal levels above recognized occupational exposure

limits....

On August 29, 2005, Hurricane Katrina struck coastal areas in Alabama,

Florida, Louisiana, and Mississippi, causing numerous deaths, massive

infrastructure damage, and flooding. The two hardest hit areas were along the

Gulf Coast

of Louisiana and Mississippi. The State of Louisiana and the City of New

Orleans invited the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to assist

with the rebuilding of the city’s public health system. Between September 11,

2005, and October 29, 2005, investigators from CDC’s National Institute for

Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) were deployed to New Orleans and Baton

Rouge. Their main objectives were to assist Federal, state, and local agencies

in addressing occupational safety and health issues, to perform health and

injury surveillance and exposure assessments among workers, to perform outreach

to vulnerable workers, and to develop and disseminate occupational health

information. Three teams of personnel responded to numerous requests for

assistance in evaluating exposures to mold, chemicals, biological agents,

floodwaters, dust and dried flood sediment, flood debris, and noise. "

2. _http://www.gao.http://www.gao.http://www.ghtt_

(http://www.gao.gov/highlights/d071091high.pdf)

EPA’s Most Recent Test and Clean Program Raises Concerns That Need to Be

Addressed to Better Prepare for Indoor Contamination Following Disasters

While EPA has acted upon lessons learned following this disaster, some

concerns remain about its preparedness to respond to indoor contamination

following future disasters. Specifically, EPA has not developed protocols on how

and

when to collect data to determine the extent of indoor contamination, one of

the concerns raised by panel members.

3. _http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20070829105732.pdf_

(http://oversight.house.gov/documents/20070829105732.pdf)

REPORT OF THE BOARD OF SCIENTIFIC COUNSELORS WORKING GROUP

FOR THE REVIEW OF THE NATIONAL TOXICOLOGY PROGRAM CONTRACTS

FOR CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

The potential for COI, whether personal COI or OCI, is a growing concern as

the

federal government (hereafter referred to as the government) outsources more

technical, advisory and oversight services to private companies. Work that

was

previously the responsibility of the government is now being performed by

contractors. Additionally, contractors have also taken over the business of

preparing and analyzing technical reports for many government agencies on

public health policy here and abroad.

Although the potential for COI is increasing exponentially, there is no

uniform

government-wide policy on how best to identify, evaluate, and mitigate any

potential COI nor are there federal standard clauses prescribed for use in

solicitations and contracts. The tools available to the government to

address either type of COI are limited predominantly to Government

Accountability Office (GAO) decisions and the following regulations, all of

which

have their own limitations:

Unequal Access to Information – In this instance a firm has access to

nonpublic information as part of its performance of a government contract,

and

that information may provide the firm a competitive advantage in a later

competition for a government contract (FAR subpart 9.505-4). The concern here

is limited to the risk of the firm gaining a competitive advantage; there is

no issue

of bias.

Biased Ground Rules – In this instance a firm, as part of its performance of

a

government contract, has in some sense set the ground rules for another

government contract by writing the statement of work or the specifications.

The

primary concern is that the firm could skew the competition, whether

intentionally

or not, in favor of itself (FAR subparts 9.505-1 and 9.505-2). Another

concern

would be that the firm could have an unfair advantage in the competition for

those requirements because of its knowledge of the agency’s future

requirements.

Sharon Kramer

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[Guest guest]

> Now let me get this straight. Noise is the biggest health concern in

New

> Orleans?

>

>I read that. pretty strange thing to say. are they refering to the

noise of rebuilding? or what? high amouts of toxin exposure can make

you noise sensative. maybe thats what their talking about.not, but I

bet theres plenty of people having that effect.

[Guest guest]

I dont know, seems like most of them have been brainwashed and probably

dont really realize that their environment is whats makeing/keeping

them ill. a lot of them right now probably think their depression/post

stress disorder is still bad because of the event instead of what they

are breathing or have breathed. I wonder how many have chemical

sensativity and dont know it? just walking around sick all the time.

even those who redid their homes. how many homes weren't remediated

right and their still exposed. I read it was a bad area for mold

problems before katrina so you know it's srill got to be bad around

there. seems like if most of them had a clue they wouldn't still be

there. maybe thats why all the doctors are leaveing. look at the crime

problem, is that happening in part because of their exposure effecting

their moods? I think so.

--- In , LiveSimply <quackadillian@...>

wrote:

>

> Maybe its the 'noise' of many people (rightfully) getting angry at

them?

>

>

>