Defense dollars and tinnitus R&D

Tinnitus is a condition that afflicts about 12% of adults aged 55 to 65. Other younger adults, US combat service veterans are also affected. According to a recent Scientific American article, the U.S. Department of Defense has commissioned a firm to address the problem by developing the concept for a small delivery device inserted near the membrane-covered window separating the middle ear from the inner ear. Once there, the device would utilize embedded micro-wireless to allow controlled  release of a drug into the cochlea. When the device has used up its supply of drugs, it would dissolve.

The project is in the very early stages and years away from any clinical testing.

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=tinnitus-treatment 

Lessons from Delaware's fire prevention programs

A new study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy finds that fire and life safety programs in Delaware offer a strategic, comprehensive and coordinated approach to fire prevention. The report, published in the November issue of the Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, offers recommendations to states and localities across the country looking to improve their fire and life safety activities. (more...)

http://gazette.jhu.edu/2012/03/05/delaware-offers-lessons-for-fire-prevention-programs-nationwide/

Study suggests on-site rescue personnel needed

Many employers are mistakenly relying upon public fire departments to rescue workers from confined spaces, such as water and sewer pipes, manholes and tunnels, according to an analysis by University of California, Berkeley, health researchers of hundreds of deaths in the United States over 13 years.

Since fire crews need time to evaluate the hazards at a specific site, companies should instead have rescue personnel stationed at the entrance of potentially dangerous confined spaces who can pull workers out more quickly in an emergency, the study concludes.

http://newscenter.berkeley.edu/2012/02/13/confined-spaces/

[Added note: Study published in Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, available to AIHA members].

Canadian asbestos study criticized

A major 40-year study on asbestos safety completed by a group of scientists at McGill University is flawed, lacks transparency and contains manipulated data says Dr. David Egilman, a professor at Brown University, health activist and longtime industry critic. (.....more)

http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/story/2012/02/01/asbestos-study-mcgill.html

Drake Hall update

Inspection of Drake Hall following the January 29th fire that forced the evacuation of all residents has revealed that damage repair will take 2-3 months. Consequently, all Drake Hall residents will need to relocate for the remainder of the spring semester. UW-La Crosse hopes to see Drake Hall ready for re-occupancy in early June.

As of Monday morning, 132 Drake Hall residents had officially checked out of their rooms. Many other rooms are cleared of possessions except for a few items, and not officially cleared for checked out. Students have accepted housing assignments in other residence halls, the Western Residence Hall and Viterbo University. Others have moved to apartments, hotels or will commute from home.

Further updates from UW-La Crosse are here.

Felony Charges Sought in UCLA Lab Assistant Death

Jan 26, 2012 1:33 PM, By Laura Walter 

From http://ehstoday.com/

The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office has filed felony charges against the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA) and chemistry professor Dr. Patrick Harran in connection to the January 2009 death of a university lab research associate. 

On Dec. 29, 2008, 23-year-old Sheri Sangji sustained fatal second- and third-degree burns while working a lab research associate at the University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). According to a 2009 Cal/OSHA report, Sangji was working to transfer a t-Butyllithium, a highly reactive liquid reagent, when her syringe plunger became separated from the barrel. The reacting chemical spilled onto Sangji and caught fire, leaving her with burns over 43 percent of body. She died 18 days later.   (More...)

Dorm fire: Drake Hall, UW-La Crosse

Early Sunday morning a fire broke out in a basement lounge of Drake Hall at UW-La Crosse. Building residents were roused by the fire alarm, and all residents were successfully evacuated. Residents have been temporarily relocated until Drake Hall has been deemed safe for habitation.

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