Industrial Hygiene

Respiratory Exposures and Outcomes Among Cannabis Workers

About the Webinar:

Commercial cultivation and processing of cannabis is a new and rapidly growing industry in many US states. Workers in this industry are exposed to a variety of occupational health hazards, however, the nature and intensity of many of these exposures has not been previously characterized. In this webinar, Dr. Simpson will report concentrations of PM and VOCs measured in two indoor cannabis cultivation facilities, and measurements of work-related respiratory symptoms, lung function, and cannabis allergy in workers.

Occupational Exposure and Ventilation Assessment in New York City Nail Salons

About the Webinar:

Nail salons are an important business and employment sector for recent immigrants offering popular services to a diverse range of customers across the United States. However, due to the nature of nail products and services, salon air can be burdened with a mix of low levels of hazardous airborne contaminants. Surveys of nail technicians have commonly found increased work-related symptoms, such as headaches and respiratory irritation, that are consistent with indoor air quality problems. In an effort to improve indoor air quality in nail salons, the...

Indoor Air Quality in Net-Zero Energy Schools

About the Webinar:

An indoor air quality study conducted on a ‘net-zero energy’ school found average indoor temperature, relative humidity, and carbon dioxide levels in several areas were not within IAQ guidelines. Three rooms on the school’s grounds also had radon levels exceeding the action level. This webinar will discuss testing equipment, methodology, and mitigation recommendations.

Exposures to Viruses Among Healthcare Workers

About the Webinar:

This presentation will discuss current research findings about the exposures of healthcare workers to viruses during patient care, with a focus on viruses causing respiratory disease. Learners will also identify implications for infection risk and appropriate personal protective equipment for healthcare settings.

Heat Stress Management in 2020

About the Webinar:

The management of heat stress uses a wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) trigger that was established almost 50 years ago. While this exposure assessment tool remains valid, the surrounding actions to manage a heat stress exposure have evolved, especially over the last 10 years. This webinar is designed to address three issues associated with managing heat stress. The first is exposure assessment. While the standard of practice is a WBGT-based assessment using the NIOSH REL or ACGIH® TLV®, Heat Index has become a common substitute for outdoor exposures and...

IH Pilot Studies: Current Research in Food Truck Exposure and Customized PPE

About the Webinar:

During this webinar, Dr. Oh will present a couple of recent IH pilot studies performed by her IH research group. Cooking emissions can contain harmful contaminants and food truck industry has rapidly expanded in the U. S. in the past years. In the first pilot study, the work environment of this emerging occupation was investigated by evaluating the levels of aldehydes, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and PM2.5 in local food trucks as well as ventilation hood performance. As far as the second study, every year millions of workers in the US have reported eye...

Exposure Assessment for Epidemiology Research: Use of Routine Industrial Monitoring Data

About the Webinar:

This presentation will discuss methods for using routine industrial monitoring data in epidemiology research. We will present how job exposure matrices are designed and used, and how changes to occupational controls affect long term average exposures. Learners will also review the implications of exposure misclassification in epidemiology studies.

Data, Professional Judgment, and Modeling in Occupational Exposure Assessment

About the Webinar:

Exposure underestimates are a professional and ethical issue for Industrial Hygienists. This presentation will discuss the lack of adequate monitoring data for decision-making in industrial hygiene (IH), the over-reliance on professional judgment, and the limitations of professional judgments. Learners will also explore the use of heuristics and mathematical models, and distributed low cost networks for monitoring.

Creative Use of Direct Reading Instruments

About the Webinar:

During this webinar, Dr. Peters will present on the use of direct reading instruments to assess workplace exposures. He will discuss various methods to handle data, such as hazard mapping and analysis of time-series data. The presentation will blend education and literature review.

06/07/2022: Take a Deep Breath! Work-related Aerosol Respiratory Deposition Study

About the webinar:

Aerosol in the workplace has been and continues to be a significant occupational health concern. The inhalation and deposition of aerosol in a worker’s respiratory system can lead to various adverse health effects. This presentation will provide basic information on particle lung deposition, and explore the past, present, and future of aerosol respiratory deposition experiments using human airway replicas.