CDC Guidance for Businesses and Employers To Plan and Respond to the 2009–2010 Influenza Season

August 19, 2009 11:00 AM ET

CDC is releasing new guidance that recommends actions that non-healthcare employers should take now to decrease the spread of seasonal flu and 2009 H1N1 flu in the workplace and to help maintain business continuity during the 2009–2010 flu season.1The guidance includes additional strategies to use if flu conditions become more severe and some new recommendations regarding when a worker who is ill with influenza may return to work. The guidance in this document may change as additional information about the severity of the 2009-2010 influenza season and the impact of 2009 H1N1 influenza become known. (More...)

Please check http://www.flu.gov/ periodically for updated guidance.

CDC Updates Guidance for Bloodborne Pathogens After Mass-Casualty Events

From Occupational Health & Safety Online

August 8, 2008
Noting that health authorities in Israel and London have reported hepatitis B-infected tissue and bone fragments were found after suicide bombings and could have infected survivors and rescuers, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued new guidance for using immunizations and post-exposure prophylaxis for tetanus and bloodborne pathogens (including HBV, hepatitis C, and HIV) in people wounded in bombings or other mass-casualty events, whether explosions or natural disasters. (More...)

Artificial turf and lead: another agency chimes in

Earlier this year, we had the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issuing a health advisory for certain artificial turf surfaces. Now, the staff of the Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) has concluded that young children are not at risk from exposure to lead in these fields. For those of you into wipe sampling methodology, the CPCS evaluation has some interesting details about the assumptions and limitations of the study underlying their conclusion.

Lead contamination of certain artificial turf surfaces

For those of you who subscribe to the CSHEMA listserv and have time to read it(!), you will recognize this item from a list discussion in April. Whether or not you followed that discussion, it might be worth your while to know some things about the topic in case you are asked...

The CDC has recently issued a health advisory for lead contamination of certain artificial turf surfaces. Some artificial turf made of nylon or nylon/polyethylene blend fibers contains levels of lead that pose a potential public health concern. These are generally older turfs ("AstroTurf").

Tests of artificial turf fields made with only polyethylene fibers showed that these fields contained very low levels of lead. These tend to be newer turfs.

Link to CDC webpage: http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/lead/artificialturf.htm