Re: RE: Burning Belongings

[Guest guest]

Jeff, I think that you are correct in stating that the truth lies

somewhere in between for most victims. Every case is probably very

different. After 3 years, my symptoms seem to be fading, but there are

times when I also seem to relapse. Maybe that's when wherever I am

there are mold spores spewing out their mycotoxins.

Anyway, I would definitely try the method that you promote before

getting rid of personal possessions that I cherish.

What about computers? Can they withstand the treatment?

Barth

NEW: TOXIC MOLD SURVEY: www.presenting.net/sbs/sbssurvey.html

[Guest guest]

Hi . If you had your computer running at the

time of the treatment the issue is dealt with.

--- Barth <pbarth@...> wrote:

> Jeff, I think that you are correct in stating that

> the truth lies

> somewhere in between for most victims. Every case is

> probably very

> different. After 3 years, my symptoms seem to be

> fading, but there are

> times when I also seem to relapse. Maybe that's when

> wherever I am

> there are mold spores spewing out their mycotoxins.

>

> Anyway, I would definitely try the method that you

> promote before

> getting rid of personal possessions that I cherish.

>

> What about computers? Can they withstand the

> treatment?

>

> Barth

>

> NEW: TOXIC MOLD SURVEY:

> www.presenting.net/sbs/sbssurvey.html

>

>

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Computers & electronics do just fine -- if you're handy, I would

recommend removing the cover to allow for maximum saturation.

We use VERY high concentrations of ozone to do the job -- you can't be

in the house while it is going on (no people, pets, or plants), but we

make sure that the level in the home is back to the outside " background

level " before you re-enter. It takes four to six hours, but can go on

longer for a persistent problem.

Usually we treat the whole home and you just leave belongings out that

you want treated so that they are exposed to the ozone. However, we

can throw them in a Rubbermaid tub to get a super concentration of

ozone, or cover them with a tarp and run a hose under the tarp. If you

don't want the belongings in the house, this could be done in a garage

or other area first.

What the inventor of our technology recommends is that the " old house "

be treated first, then the items you want to keep can be removed more

safely and treated again elsewhere. There's a lot of different ways to

do it.

To give you an idea, a " safe " level of ozone is below 0.04ppm (parts per

million), but you might get up to around 0.07 or more on a smoggy day --

above 0.05 is not good for you at all. Studies have shown that it can

be used as a germicide at levels of 0.28ppm. The FDA allows ozonation

of foods and water at a slightly higher level (3 - 5ppm, I think). We

bring the level up to between 5ppm and 10ppm for four to six hours -- in

order to do this, we wear SCBAs, tyvek, gloves, ear plugs, etc. --

anything less would be a health risk. When we're done, the house is

purged w/ high-output fans -- we monitor the level until it is below

0.04ppm.

The only thing that is a concern is fine art -- ozone is an oxidant and

CAN bleach things, so if you have any oil paintings that are special or

valuable, you'd probably want to get them out of the house and/or find

another way to treat them. Otherwise, clothing, furniture,

electronics, etc. are all OK.

Like I said before -- what happens after the treatment depends on how

sensitized you have become. The toxins will be broken down, but the

by-products might still produce allergic reactions. Still (IMO) it's

worth a try -- if it can't get these things to a point where they don't

bother you then you can at least put them in the garage and sell them

off :-)

Hope this answers most of your questions :-)

Jeff

(a little long-winded today)

________________________________________________________________________

Message: 8

Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 17:52:13 -0400

From: Barth <pbarth@...>

Subject: Re: RE: Burning Belongings

Jeff, I think that you are correct in stating that the truth lies

somewhere in between for most victims. Every case is probably very

different. After 3 years, my symptoms seem to be fading, but there are

times when I also seem to relapse. Maybe that's when wherever I am there

are mold spores spewing out their mycotoxins.

Anyway, I would definitely try the method that you promote before

getting rid of personal possessions that I cherish.

What about computers? Can they withstand the treatment?

Barth

NEW: TOXIC MOLD SURVEY: www.presenting.net/sbs/sbssurvey.html

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Message: 9

Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 23:32:04 -0000

From: " ntmcpresident " <ntmcpresident@...>

Subject: memberships and commissions, ntmc.

We are placing Directors and Board Members in each state for the

National Toxic Mold Coalition and Foundation. We are offering

commission programs for Directors and Board members to earn

commission off each new membership sent in, with their name as the

contact person, and also discounts for members on tshirts and

commissions on t-shirts sold by Directors and Members. As Directors

and Board Members you get many benefits, and free business cards and

flyers for disbursement. We also give awards and gift incentives per

month for the largest new memberships who join under your name

contact.

For every commission you make we donate to the Foundation for Victim

services. So you are not only getting paid but helping other victims

as well. We know that toxic mold is spreading and we know that many

people do not know where and how to find help. This money goes to our

warehouse for food, clothing, furnishings and relocation funds.

I am donating a portion of my own settlements to this cause in the

near future. Several others have said they will do the same. Lets

don't let everyone suffer when we can jointly help, because we hae

been there ourselves and no one helped us. Remember what goes around

comes around. Your good work for other victims will be there for you

next go around if there should every be another time, forbid.

We currently are arranging airflight for our Poster Child Sara Beam

for testing and treatment, through our Foundation " operation rescue " ,

thanks to all of of you who are helping in that effort.To our

gracious pilot who is arranging flight for victims to treatments.

Thanks also to our new disaster team volunteers in each state.

We have physicians who are volunteering for our clinic advisory

counsel in the making. If you are interested in volunteering for a

position or working on a commission basis from your home base,

please contact us. We need also remediation teams and more members

for our disaster teams in each state. If interested in learning more

contact us at ntmcpresident@... If our funding comes through

as we anticipate these will be paid contract jobs. You will always

have your full time jobs, but we are working on the same concept that

physicians provide for third world nations on a constant basis

through many U.S. founded support groups.

Best to all of you.

Carroll-Bower, NTMCPresident and Founder

www.geocities.com/marbme12/NTMC.html

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Message: 10

Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 22:26:42 -0500

From: " Toxic Homes " <mail@...>

Subject: Public Citizen: Is Arbitration Closing the Doors to Justice

for Consumers?

(We are so grateful for this help - Dawn)

Public Citizen

1002 West Avenue

Austin, TX 78701

(512) 477-1155

email: smitty@...

PRESS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: May 14, 2002

For more information, call: Tom " Smitty " @ 512-477-1155 or

512-797-8468

@

512-797-8469 or 512-917-7977

Dawn @

512-288-3999

Is Arbitration Closing the Doors to Justice for Consumers?

New Public Citizen Report Highlights Problems With Arbitration; Citizen

Complaints Will Be Addressed In an Interim Committee Hearing On

Wednesday

Austin, Texas - At a press conference at the State Capitol, consumer

advocates today released a study showing that arbitration, widely billed

as a low-cost alternative to court, is actually far more expensive for

consumers and employees who seek redress for discrimination, fraud and

malpractice. In fact, arbitration costs are so high that many people

drop their complaints because they can't afford to pursue them, Public

Citizen found. The press conference was held in advance of a hearing

that will be held Wednesday before an legislative committee to take

testimony on whether arbitration is hurting or helping consumers.

Mandatory arbitration clauses are increasingly being written into

everything from basic equipment purchase forms to employment contracts.

If consumers use a credit card or cell phone, or have health insurance,

they likely have signed or received a form with fine print prohibiting

them from suing the company and instead requiring them to take disputes

to arbitration. Employees, too, are increasingly finding out too late

that they have given up their right to sue and instead must submit

disputes with their employers to an arbitrator instead of a judge

" Arbitration is a private legal system in which, practically speaking,

no appeals are allowed. Arbitrators tend to favor businesses, and

arbitration awards tend to be much lower than jury verdicts, because

arbitrators often favor companies that will provide them future

business, " said , legislative counsel to Public Citizen

Arbitration was touted as a cheaper, faster, fairer way to resolve

disputes when tort reforms were proposed in the 1980s and 1990s. But

according to a new Public Citizen study, The Costs of Arbitration,

arbitration clauses throw up numerous hurdles that consumers must clear

to obtain redress.

According to the report, the cost of initiating an arbitration case is

almost always higher than the cost of filing a lawsuit. For instance, an

$80,000 consumer claim brought in the Circuit Court of Cook County,

Ill., would cost $221, versus $11,625 at National Arbitration Forum

(NAF), a 5,260 percent difference. The American Arbitration Association

(AAA) would charge the plaintiff up to $6,650, and Judicial Arbitration

and Mediation Services

(JAMS) would charge up to $7,950, amounting to a 3,009 percent and 3,597

percent difference in cost, respectively. In requiring payment of these

high fees up-front, arbitration destroys the benefits of attorney

contingency fee arrangements, which allow plaintiffs to pursue cases

without advancing funds.

Austin-resident Dawn was forced into arbitration when her new

home, built by Weekley Homes, turned out to be a toxic nightmare.

Her new home, came with a leak that caused water to seep between walls

and under hardwood floors. The builder, Weekley Homes, failed

after numerous complaints to remove or dry any of the wet building

materials. This led to the growth and spreading of toxic mold. Because

of serious health problems, 's family had to evacuate the home

after only five weeks of living there. Extensive testing found high

levels of toxic mold in walls, hardwood floors and in all 3 bathrooms.

Additional testing revealed dangerous levels of toxic petroleum based

solvents and other toxic volatile organic compounds in the home. Among

the chemicals found were benzene, decane, heptane, formaldehyde,

methylbenzene, octane, styrene and xylene. The contamination led to

neurological injuries to family members and the death of the family cat.

Because the home purchase contract contained an arbitration clause,

's claims must be arbitrated. If she prevails in the

arbitration, she stands to have tens of thousands of dollars in

arbitrator fees deducted from any award. The arbitrators, chosen from

among builders, contractors and attorneys with ties to the construction

industry, will be sympathetic to the defendant, and may be blackballed

from future work if they rule for us. Meanwhile, 's baby

daughter's injury claims will be heard in court, necessitating duplicate

presentations of evidence about the same events and expert findings.

" We have never found a home buyer who has ever prevailed against a home

builder in an arbitration claim and thus feel like this system is a dead

end street for consumers, " said. " There has to be a fairer

way. Tomorrow's review by this committee is the first step toward giving

Texans a chance to take back their justice system. "

" Congress, the courts and the public have been victims of a

disinformation campaign, portraying arbitration as an inexpensive and

impartial alternative to the public courts, " said Tom " Smitty " ,

director of Public Citizen's Texas office. " Today, we authoritatively

debunk this myth. The grim fact is that for people who are victims of

consumer rip-offs and workplace injustices, arbitration costs much more

than litigation - so much more that it becomes impossible to vindicate

your rights. "

People caught in arbitration's net include home buyers complaining of

shoddy workmanship, employees pursuing discrimination cases, patients

seeking redress for poor care from their HMOs, small business owners in

dispute with franchisers and consumers who are improperly billed.

The report also found that:

* Clauses in contracts lock consumers in to a specific arbitration firm

chosen by the defendant. Companies that want to use arbitration to

prevent consumers and others from asserting their legal rights have no

incentive to arrange low-cost arbitration. Instead, it is to their

advantage to seek out the most expensive providers.

* Arbitration costs will probably always be higher than court costs

because the expenses of a private legal system are so substantial. The

same support personnel that expedite cases at a courthouse, such as file

clerks and court administrators, are also needed to manage arbitration

cases. While it costs the Clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County an

average of $44.20 to administer a case, AAA's administrative cost per

case averages $340.63, about 700 percent more.

* Arbitration saddles claimants with a plethora of extra fees that they

would not be charged had they gone to court. For example, the NAF

charges $75 to issue a subpoena, which is provided for free or at

nominal cost by courts. The NAF also charges fees for discovery requests

($150) and continuances ($100), which are free in court.

" We challenge Corporate America and the arbitration apologists to

rebut this report, " said , who prepared the report. " Show us

your substantiation for the claim that arbitration is cheaper. "

A copy of the report is available online at

http://www.citizen.org/documents/ACF110A.PDF.

###

Public Citizen is a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization based in

Washington, D.C. For more information, please visit www.citizen.org. For

Dawn ' s story see www.Toxichomes.org

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Message: 11

Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 22:06:58 -0400

From: " Barbara Herskovitz " <bherk@...>

Subject: State hygiene lab's backlog stalls cases, insurance claims

http://www.gazetteextra.com/hygienelab051302.html

State hygiene lab's backlog stalls cases, insurance claims

(Published Monday, May 13, 2002 10:24:44 AM CDT)

Associated Press

MADISON, Wis. -- A backlog at Wisconsin's public health laboratory has

slowed down criminal cases and insurance claims statewide.

" We are chronically short-staffed or understaffed, " said Laessig,

director of the Wisconsin Laboratory of Hygiene. " When there is an

extraordinary event such as the anthrax outbreak, it places tremendous

strain on the system. "

The lab sometimes takes four months to complete toxicology tests, said

Liddicoat, the lab's toxicology supervisor. The backlog has

sometimes caused trial delays, Dane County District Attorney

Blanchard said. " The delay we see is on the screens for prescription

drugs, " he said. " The delay for that is somewhat substantial. For our

clocks, that can be a real challenge. "

The hygiene lab tests for everything from water quality and mold mold to

chemicals in the workplace. The 350-employee lab also serves Wisconsin's

county coroners.

Dane County Coroner Stanley said families sometimes must wait for

coroners to declare a cause of death, holding up insurance claims.

" There are all kinds of legal issues that can't be dealt with because

the death certificate is pending, " he said.

The budget repair bill pending in the Legislature would provide

emergency staffing at the lab during a crisis. But that would not

address some of the lab's other challenges, including:

--Police and attorneys are more often seeking blood tests in drunken

driving cases because of a 1997 legal challenge to breath tests,

Liddicoat said.

--Staff chemists are spending more time testifying in court.

--The lab still sees five to 10 anthrax specimens a week, Laessig said.

" We anticipate this will continue. The theory is another anthrax event

will occur, and we expect to be on 24-7 operation again, " he said.

Nationwide, public health labs experienced delays even before testing

increased because of last fall's anthrax scare.

" In general, there are long delays in forensic toxicology tests from

most, if not all, state laboratories, " said Ralph Timperi, director of

the State Laboratory Institute in Massachusetts.

" The general problem is that demand for testing has increased

exponentially as technology has made more and more tools available to

aid both prosecution and defense positions. "

Test methods have become more complex, and attorneys more often use

testing in court, he said.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Message: 12

Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 22:17:53 -0400

From: bherk@...

Subject: Blastomycosis Victim given fund raiser by community

http://portage.scwn.com/display/inn_news/news3.txt

May 13, 2002

Fund-raiser successful for man with lung infection

By Alan Trubow - Daily Register

Wroten has been taught two valuable lessons. During the past few

months, he learned it was important to live every day of his life to the

fullest, because there are no guarantees about tomorrow. Over the

weekend he learned it never hurts to have friends. Over 100 of Wroten's

friends showed up for a pig roast and raffle at Gordo's Bar and Grill in

Portage on Saturday to help raise money for Wroten.

Wroten piled up tens of thousands of dollars in medical bills after he

contracted blastomycosis, a fungal-type lung infection when he was

pulling up carpeting. Wroten said he wasn't wearing a mask and both of

his lungs ended up being covered with mold.

The result?

Thirty-eight days in a drug-induced coma, two collapsed lungs, kidney

failure and having doctors bring him back to life on eight separate

occasions.

" I've never even been sick for a day before this whole experience, "

Wroten said, while shifting his walker and pointing out the metal device

sticking out of the front of his neck, which he says is performing the

functions of a trachea. " I'm used to taking care of myself and my

friends. "

When Wroten needed help, it was Gordo's owner Mark Pape, who answered

the call.

" I came up to him and told him I wanted to put together a fund-raiser

for him, " said Pape, who hoped to raise between $3,000 and $5,000 for

Wroten. " He was a little bit embarrassed by the whole thing, but he said

it was OK. "

The raffle was a huge success as items such as a signed photographs of

professional athletes on and Horning and Brewer

tickets were given away.

Pape did not know how much was raised as of Sunday evening, but Wroten

would probably be happy with any amount.

" I'm just gong to try and make the best of every day because you don't

know what day will be your last, " Wroten said. " And I'd like to let

people know that whenever they are cleaning anything with mold they

should wear a mask. "

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Message: 13

Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 22:35:13 -0400

From: bherk@...

Subject: Central Lafourche High School

http://www.dailycomet.com/c9.html

CL students stay home

By Eloria Newell

Staff Writer

The Lafourche Parish School Board Wednesday in a special meeting closed

Central Lafourche High School today for health reasons.

The newly constructed school received water damage on March 23 during a

weekend event sponsored by the Catholic Diocese of Houma-Thibodaux.

School officials said five students attending the diocese's youth rally

vandalized the school by leaving an emergency eye wash/shower on for

about

two hours. " We have floors on both the first and second floors

damaged,

textbooks and all kinds of equipment, " Superintendent Elmo Broussard

said. " We had standing water from this incident. The closing of the

school is a precaution. We would rather be safe than sorry. "

School Board President Dave DeFelice called the event " unfortunate. "

" It's

just an unfortunate incident that we have to deal with, " DeFelice said.

" It

was just so much water involved. " The board last month declared the

matter

an emergency to speed up the process of making repairs needed for the

next school year.

Broussard said the state of emergency would allow the board to proceed

faster and avoid delays in repairing the new structure. Broussard said

a

mold called Stachybotrys Chartarum has been found in the walls.

" There has been much publicity recently implicating Stachybotrys

Chartarum in health events; however, there has been no scientific

substantiation connected to these allegations. Again, acting in an

abundance of caution,

Environmental Measurements Corp. was instructed to conduct air quality

tests to determine if any molds or spores were airborne. These tests

were done on May 2 and 3 and consisted of air samples taken inside and

outside of Central Lafourche High School, " he said.

Broussard said it's important to note that " there was no airborne sample

that indicted the presence of Stachybotrys Chartarum. "

However, he said the board should take precautions.

" In an overabundance of caution we are taking the necessary steps to

protect the health and well-being of our students and employees at

Central Lafourche High School, " Broussard said. " I have instructed Mr.

(Blaine) Degruise (Central Lafourche's principal) to discontinue using

the rooms impacted by the water for the remainder of the school year and

to secure alternate sites in which to conduct classes. "

Broussard said Wednesday that today's closure was the result of

recommendations by the architects and health officials.

" We have to close the school to begin remediation work on the site, "

said Skipper Holloway, architect with Goossen-Gasaway-Holloway

architectural firm of Thibodaux. " One day is needed to rearrange the

school site to accommodate the closing of the 24 classrooms, four labs,

eight teacher planning rooms and storage areas that were damaged. "

Broussard said Wednesday that today's closure is necessary to ensure the

safety of all.

" While the damage needs to be repaired during the summer, recent

wallboard and air quality samples indicate the health risks are minimal,

we cannot predict the effect on our students and employees in the

future, " the superintendent said.

Officials said the school would be closed for one day only.

Degruise said the school has developed a plan to allow all but two

teachers to have classrooms for the remainder of the school year.

" We have made the adjustments and we believe we can accomplish this, "

Degruise told the board. " We have also talked to the school nurse and

there has been no sharp increase in students reporting to be sick or

absent. We have also not experienced an increase in the teachers and

faculty. "

The superintendent said today will allow the staff to move furniture and

make other plans to resume classes Friday. Broussard said senior events

will remain on schedule.

Floyd Benoit, communications specialist for the School Board, said

athletic practices and other extra-curricular activities at Central

Lafourche High

School have been canceled for today. The Top Scholar Banquet, which is

scheduled for 7 p.m. today at the school's gymnasium, will take place as

planned.

Classes will resume Friday.

Broussard said students at Central Lafourche will make up the day on May

31 and the teacher record day that was scheduled for that day will be

moved to June 1.

Broussard said the board's lawyer will meet with the diocese's officials

today to discuss the matter.

Eloria Newell can be reached at 448-7639 or by e-mail at

eloria.james@....

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Message: 14

Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 23:36:23 -0400

From: bherk@...

Subject: Workplace surveillance best practices posted online

http://www.ohsonline.com/

Workplace surveillance best practices posted online

Anyone who missed last year's three-day workplace surveillance best

practices workshop, hosted by NIOSH's National Occupational Research

Agenda Surveillance Research Methods Team and the Division of

Surveillance, Hazard Evaluations, and Field Studies, has another chance

to get the information that was presented there. NIOSH has posted the

papers presented during the various workshops on its Web site at

http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/sbw.

The workshop presentations include the following topics:

Opening session and invited presentations

Background and goals

Keynote remarks

Workplace Surveillance: Principles and Practices

Changing Nature of the Workforce, Work and Business Organizations

Surveillance Activities at the World Trade Center Disaster Workplace

Surveillance at the World Trade Center Site Tasks for Tomorrow

Opportunities and roles for labor

A Model Approach for Union-based Injury and Illness Tracking People,

Partners, Performance: Incident Surveillance to Change the Electrical

Safety Culture in Construction and Industrial Work Medical Monitoring

Program for Joint Labor-Management Trust Funds Allies in the Fight

Against Silica Fatal Work Injuries Involving Extractive Occupations

Accessing Bureau of Labor Statistics Injury and Illness Data

Occupational Mortality Surveillance of International Union Members

Removing the Blindfolds: Exposing Serious Unidentified Risks in Key

Occupations and Tasks Through Followback Studies in the BLS Annual

Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses Managing workplaces of 50

to 5 million--new issues, new approaches

The Argument for Descriptive Epidemiology Using a Comprehensive Health

Data Surveillance System Instead of Daily or Weekly Injury Reports Cost

Effective Medical Surveillance for Smaller Companies Intervention and

Prevention of Weather-Related Injuries at WPAFB, OH from January 1997

through January 2000 Australian Coal Mining Health Surveillance Programs

A Unique Surveillance Tool for Targeting Power Line Contact

Interventions A Model Medical Surveillance Program for Persons in

Hazardous Waste Operations Maximizing the Use of BLS Methods & Data for

On-going Work Injury & Illness Surveillance Opportunities and roles for

occupational safety and health professionals

USDOE Former Worker Medical Monitoring Program, 2001

Technique and Equipment Pitfalls in Spirometry Testing: Serious Threats

to Your Respiratory Surveillance Program Occupational Medical

Surveillance in the Beryllium Industry The Effectiveness of the

Hands-free Technique in Reducing Operating Room Injuries The Worksteps

Model Occupational Hazards in Eating and Drinking Places An Information

Tool to Assist in the Surveillance of Occupational Diseases Caused by

Chemical and Biological Agents Opportunities and roles for academia

Integrating Workplace Exposure Databases, Epidemiologic Studies, Worker

Notification and Medical Surveillance at a Former Nuclear Weapons

Facility The Vinyl Chloride Surveillance Program: Insights and

Opportunities Modular Questionnaire and Visual Recall Prompts for

Occupational History Data Collection Evidence-based Medical Examinations

for Hazardous Materials Firefighters Best Practices for Reducing Blood

and Body Fluid Exposures in Health Care Workers A Comparison of

Hazard-based Assignment with Administrative Assignment to Medical

Surveillance Programs at a Large Nuclear Weapons Clean-up Site Links

between public health and worksite surveillance of occupational illness,

injuries and hazards

The New York State Occupational Health Clinic Network Database

Laboratory Reporting for Identifying Workplace Pesticide Illness

Surveillance and Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders among Garment

Workers: Obstacles and Practical Solutions

The Link Between Workplace and Public Health Surveillance: Example of a

Web-based Surveillance System for Sharps Injuries Among Health Care

Workers in Massachusetts Workplace Amputations Occupational Fatalities

to Hispanic Workers A Comparison of Data Sources for the Surveillance of

Work-related Carpal Tunnel Syndrome in Massachusetts The Youth

Employment Training Pilot Program Risk management, prevention,

measurement

A Public/Private Partnership Model to Reduce Occupational Dermatitis:

Surveillance, Intervention and Outcomes A System for Rapid Analysis of

Transactional Insurance Data to Identify Trends in Costs of Work-Related

Injuries Surveillance of Occupational Injury Through a Worker's

Compensation Insurance Provider A Balanced Approach to Safety and Health

Measurement: New Tools for Driving Superior Performance National and

state perspectives on workplace surveillance

Surveillance of Occupational Asthma by the Korean Occupational Safety

and Health Agency MIOSHA's Strategic Plan for Reducing Amputations in

Michigan Using Surveillance Data to Develop Training for Small

Businesses in Maine Florida Develops a Workplace Safety and Health

Program Based on Promising Practices of Other State Programs Injures and

Illnesses in the Public Sector Comparing OSHA 18 b States vs. Non-18b

States A Multi-Component Model for Effective Special Topic Surveys: The

Example of the Survey of Respirator Use and Practices Poster session

Analysis of respirable coal dust monitoring programs in Australia The

Ontario Occupational Cancer Research and Surveillance Program Health

Surveillance Policy Following Corporate Merger Using a Corporate Website

to Monitor Health and Safety at a Large Manufacturing Company A

Strategic Approach to Effective Workplace Surveillance Using Incident

Reviews to Identify and Track Workplace Injuries, Exposures and Hazards

at a Large Construction Site Workplace Surveillance of Award Winners

Operational Risk Management Special and encore presentations

World Trade Centers--Personal Perspectives on the Collapse and the

Design and Implementation of a Health Surveillance Program Update on

OSHA Recordkeeping Regulations Breakout session reports

Opportunities and Roles for Labor

Managing Workplaces of 50 to 50 million

Opportunities and Roles for Occupational Safety and Health Professionals

Opportunities and Roles for Academia Links between Public Health and

Worksite Surveillance of Occupational Illness, Injuries and Hazards

National and State Perspectives on Workplace Surveillance Risk

Management, Prevention and Measurement NORA partner report

Managing workplaces of 50 to 50 million

Opportunities and Roles for Labor

Bureau of Labor Statistics

NIOSH

NIOSH is also offering a Workshop CD, containing PowerPoint sideshows,

database demonstrations and other workshop handouts. For ordering

information, go to http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/sbw/order-cd.html.

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

Message: 15

Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 23:38:35 -0400

From: bherk@...

Subject: San Diego to host the American Industrial Hygiene Conference &

Expo June 1-6

California Beckons

San Diego and its expanded convention center host the American

Industrial Hygiene Conference & Expo early next month. by Jerry Laws

Early June in Southern California is an especially appealing prospect.

If 76-degree days with little rain meet with your approval, the June 1-6

run of the 2002 American Industrial Hygiene Conference & Expo in San

Diego will be worth the trip.

This year's AIHce with the theme " OEHS--Powerful Partnerships " meets in

the San Diego Convention Center, which in September 2001 completed a

major expansion nearly doubling its size. The project added 276,000

square feet of exhibit space. (Four months later, the same facility will

be used for the 90th annual National Safety Congress.)

There's a chemical/bioterrorism track this year, hitting a major new

area of employer and government concern, and a fistful of ergonomics

presentations. But organizers of the program haven't forgotten 2001's

other hot-button issues. They have included sessions on asbestos (blamed

for a series of large corporate bankruptcy filings) and mold (blamed for

skyrocketing homeowners' insurance premiums and even school closings in

southern Texas). The full list of sessions offers presentations on

hazardous waste shipping, laboratory safety, respiratory fit testing,

lead, and a host of other important IH issues.

OSHA Administrator L. Henshaw, CIH, is the keynoter on Tuesday,

June 4, but the keynote speaker for the Opening General Session on

Monday, June 3, is less conventional: Ron , founder and director of

The FIGHT Project in Fairhope, Alabama. is a grassroots safety

activist who helps families cope with a serious injury, illness, or a

death on the job. He made workplace safety his life's work after his

son, , died in a grain silo accident in 1993.

Ron recently received a Labor Department appointment to fill a

vacant seat on the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety

and Health (NACOSH). He also will be admitted as an honorary American

Industrial Hygiene Association member at this conference. AIHce's

promotional materials portray his keynote this way: " Discover the

inspirational and admirable results achieved by and The FIGHT

Project to forge productive alliances and recruit volunteers to lobby

Congress, state legislatures, and media contacts. Hear about '

courageous and tenacious efforts to improve workplace health and safety

despite the obstacles of red tape and layers of unresponsive

bureaucracy. "

Co-Sponsors' Major Awards

Ergonomics figures into one of the American Industrial Hygiene

Association's major awards this year. The Alice Hamilton Award,

presented annually to a woman who has made a " definitive, lasting

achievement " in occupational and environmental hygiene, is going to

Barbara S. Webster, PA-C, for " seminal work on the recognition of the

burden of work-related musculoskeletal disorders on American labor, "

according to the association. Other awards by AIHA, a co-sponsor of the

conference, honor safety and health professionals from Mexico and

Australia. The Distinguished Service Award is being given to Dr. Ernest

Mastromatteo for his work as chief of the International Labour Office's

Occupational Safety and Health Branch.

The conference's other sponsor, the American Conference of Governmental

Industrial Hygienists, at press time had not announced the winners of

its big awards. ACGIH is presenting its Meritorious Achievement Award,

Herbert E. Stokinger Award, and J. Bloomfield Award at its annual

meeting on Sunday, June 2; and its Steiger Memorial Award at the

opening session June 3.

Hospitality Tours and Sightseeing

The lineup of hospitality tours for AIHce 2002 includes the famous San

Diego Zoo, a half-day trip to La Jolla, and an all-day excursion June 4

to a seaside town in Mexico. The Mexican border and bustling Tijuana are

only 30 miles south of San Diego, and a light-rail trolley system

operates between downtown San Diego and the border.

Tijuana is a duty-free zone. This, combined with the peso's lowered

value, makes the city " a shopping paradise " for jewelry, pottery,

leather products, and more, according to the San Diego Convention &

Visitors Bureau (www.sandiego.org). If bullfights are more to your

liking, Tijuana has Sunday afternoon events at 4 p.m. in two arenas this

time of year--the Plaza Downtown Bullring and a seaside bullring. Call

Mexicoach for tickets, 619-232-5049.

The Hyatt Regency San Diego and the San Diego Marriott Hotel & Marina

are co-headquarters hotels this year. AIHA's board of directors will be

housed at the Hyatt Regency, ACGIH's board at the Marriott. Committee

events and some meetings will be held at both hotels.

Next year's AIHce takes place May 10-15 in Dallas, Texas. The conference

moves to Atlanta in 2004.

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Message: 16

Date: Tue, 14 May 2002 00:37:17 -0400

From: " Barbara Herskovitz " <bherk@...>

Subject: Possible Explanation For Mysterious Anthrax Deaths

Possible Explanation For Mysterious Anthrax Deaths

By Merritt McKinney

5-13-2

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - A new mathematical model provides a possible

solution to the mystery of how some people in the US were infected with

anthrax last fall despite having no known direct contact with

contaminated mail.

" The anthrax attack on the US postal system last fall revealed a far

greater threat to our society than might have been recognized

previously, " Dr. Glenn F. Webb of Vanderbilt University in Nashville,

Tennessee, told Reuters Health. Webb developed the model along with Dr.

J. Blaser at New York University School of Medicine.

Even though only a handful of anthrax-laced letters are thought to have

been sent, due to " cross-contamination " during the sorting and delivery

process, many more people were exposed to possible inhalational anthrax

infection, according to the Vanderbilt researcher. " Our model

simulations indicated that there were approximately 5,000 such letters

cross-contaminated by the original six contaminated letters, " he said.

" The large numbers of cross-contaminated letters pose a very serious

risk for our entire postal system, " Webb added.

Since last fall, there have been 22 cases of anthrax in the US--11 by

inhalation of anthrax spores and 11 by skin contact with anthrax. The

infected included 11 postal workers and 7 others who were infected by

mail delivered to their work. How the remaining four people, including

two older women who died from inhalational anthrax, came into contact

with anthrax has been uncertain, however.

The model devised by Webb and Blaser tracks the anthrax-laden letters

through the postal system, starting with the mailbox or post office,

moving on to local and regional postal stations, and then back to local

stations before delivery to homes and offices. The researchers

calculated that envelopes could have leaked anthrax while passing

through mail-processing machines in postal stations.

These spores could have then been deposited on or inside other envelopes

passing through the machines. The model estimates that each of the

envelopes, which presumably contained trillions of anthrax spores each,

could have contaminated thousands of other letters. The number of spores

in these cross-contaminated letters would be expected to be much lower,

of course.

In the model, Webb and Blaser estimate that contaminated letters

contained 10 to 10,000 spores each. If so many letters were

contaminated, then why did fewer than two dozen people develop anthrax?

In most cases, the cross-contaminated mail probably contained too few

anthrax spores to make people sick, according to the authors.

In addition, the elderly are much more vulnerable to anthrax infection

than younger people. Webb and Blaser point out that the model does not

prove that the exposure to letters cross-contaminated with anthrax

killed the two elderly women whose anthrax exposure is unknown. Another

explanation, they report in the May 14th issue of the Proceedings of the

National Academy of Sciences, is that the two women inhaled airborne

anthrax spores that blew from the postal facility in Trenton, New

Jersey, where some of the anthrax letters were processed. They note that

on October 9th, winds were blowing from Trenton directly toward the

cities where the women lived, New York City and Oxford, Connecticut.

The model does, however, " provide a framework " for analyzing the

possible spread of anthrax by way of the mail, according to the report.

Based on the model, Webb and Blaser conclude, " The rapid and widespread

usage of antibiotics among postal workers and persons in the immediate

environment of the received original letters probably averted a

substantial number of cases. " To prevent future cases, the mail sorting

and delivery process should be studied to determine ways to prevent

cross-contamination, the authors advise.

An approach worth considering, they note, is the vaccination of postal

workers and other people who handle mail. In the meantime, they

recommend that postal workers undergo regular blood tests to look for

anthrax infections. Blaser told Reuters Health that the problem is not

restricted to the US. Sounding a positive note, however, he added, " The

type of analysis developed should make it easier to track and contain

future events should they occur. "

SOURCE: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences 2002;99:7027-

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Message: 17

Date: Mon, 13 May 2002 21:45:26 -0700 (PDT)

From: tom beardslee <tbeardslee2000@...>

Subject: Re: RE: Burning Belongings

Hi . If you had your computer running at the

time of the treatment the issue is dealt with.

--- Barth <pbarth@...> wrote:

> Jeff, I think that you are correct in stating that

> the truth lies

> somewhere in between for most victims. Every case is

> probably very

> different. After 3 years, my symptoms seem to be

> fading, but there are

> times when I also seem to relapse. Maybe that's when

> wherever I am

> there are mold spores spewing out their mycotoxins.

>

> Anyway, I would definitely try the method that you

> promote before

> getting rid of personal possessions that I cherish.

>

> What about computers? Can they withstand the

> treatment?

>

> Barth

>

> NEW: TOXIC MOLD SURVEY:

> www.presenting.net/sbs/sbssurvey.html

>

>

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