Is Acetaminophen a Carcinogen?

California’s Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has selected Acetaminophen for the CIC’s review for possible listing under Proposition 65.  OEHHA is initiating the development of hazard identification materials on this chemical. 

 

OEHHA is giving the public an opportunity to provide information relevant to the assessment of the evidence of carcinogenicity for acetaminophen.  Relevant information includes: 

 

Acetaminophen was selected using the procedure described in a 2004 document entitled: “Process for Prioritizing Chemicals for Consideration under Proposition 65 by the State’s Qualified Experts.”  This document is available on the Internet at

https://oehha.ca.gov/media/downloads/proposition-65/document/finalpriordoc.pdf.

 

OEHHA selected this chemical from those prioritized by the CIC in 2011.  For details, see: https://oehha.ca.gov/proposition-65/transcript-comment-presentation/meeting-synopsis-and-slide-presentations-carcinogen. 

 

Hazard identification materials for acetaminophen will be presented at a future meeting of the Carcinogen Identification Committee (CIC) for consideration of listing under Proposition 65. 

 

Hazard identification materials are made available to the public for comment prior to the CIC’s consideration of the chemical for possible listing.  The availability of hazard identification materials will be announced in the California Regulatory Notice Register and on OEHHA’s website.  Public comments received on these materials are sent to the CIC for its consideration prior to the meeting at which the chemical will be considered for listing.  OEHHA announces the time, date, location, and agenda of CIC meetings in the California Regulatory Notice Register and on its website. 

 

You can submit relevant information responsive to this request in electronic form at https://oehha.ca.gov/comments.

 

 

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The recall expansion involves lithium-ion batteries for HP commercial notebook computers and mobile workstations were sold to businesses and other organizations. The batteries were shipped with or sold as accessories for HP ProBooks (64x G2 and G3 series, 65x G2 and G3 series, 4xx G4 series), HPx360 (310 G2), HP Pavilion x360 11inch Notebook PC, HP 11 Notebook PC, HP ZBook (17 G3, and Studio G3) mobile workstations. The batteries were also sold as accessories or replacement batteries for the HP ZBook Studio G4 mobile workstation, HP ProBook 4xx G5 series, HP ENVY 15, HP Mobile Thin Clients (mt21, mt22, and mt31), or for any of the products listed above.

 

If you think that you might have one of the recalled models, you should immediately visit www.HP.com/go/batteryprogram2018 to see if your battery is included in the recall and for instructions on how to enable “Battery Safety Mode” if your battery is included in the recall. The website provides instructions on how to initiate the validation utility to check their battery and what to download if their battery is included in the recall. These batteries are not customer-replaceable. HP will provide free battery replacement services by an authorized technician.  

HP has received eight new reports of battery packs in the U.S. overheating, melting, or charring, including one report of minor injury and two reports of property damage totaling $1,100.

The computers were sold by HP and authorized dealers nationwide and online at www.hp.com. The batteries were shipped in notebook computers and mobile workstations sold from December 2015 through April 2018 for between $300 and $4,000 and were also sold separately between December 2015 and December 2018 for between $50 and $90.

 

 

OSHA has requested input from the regulated community as the Agency considers rulemaking to update the powered industrial trucks standards for general, maritime, and construction industries. The standards became effective in 1971, and were based on industry consensus standards from 1969. Since then, national consensus standards have been updated several times.

 

OSHA is requesting information on: the types, age, and usage of powered industrial trucks; maintenance and retrofitting; how to regulate older powered industrial trucks; types of accidents and injuries associated with operating these machines; costs and benefits of retrofitting the machines with safety features; and other components of a safety program.  OSHA will use the information received in response to this request to determine what action, if any, it may take to reduce regulatory burdens and create jobs while improving worker safety.

 

Comments must be submitted on or before June 10, 2019. Comments and materials may be submitted electronically at http://www.regulations.gov, the Federal e-Rulemaking Portal, or by facsimile or mail. See the Federal Register notice for submission details.

 

Powered industrial trucks include forklifts, fork trucks, tractors, platform lift trucks, motorized hand trucks, and other specialized industrial trucks powered by an electrical motor or an internal combustion engine. 

 

 

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) has advised consumers and retailers not to eat, serve, or sell recalled Butterball brand ground turkey, which is linked to a multistate outbreak of Salmonella Schwarzengrund infections.

 

 

Most people infected with Salmonella develop diarrhea, fever, and stomach cramps 12-72 hours after eating contaminated food. The illness usually lasts 4 to 7 days, and most people recover without treatment.

 

 

Effective March 8, 2019, California’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) added Bevacizumab (CAS No. 216974-75-3) to the list of chemicals known to the state to cause reproductive toxicity (developmental and female endpoints) for purposes of Proposition 65.  The listing of bevacizumab is based on a formal requirement by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that the chemical be identified or labeled as causing reproductive toxicity.

 

 

OSHA has cited U.S. Battery Manufacturing Co. for exposing employees to lead, unguarded machinery, and other safety hazards at its facility in Augusta, Georgia. The company faces penalties of $115,594.

 

OSHA cited the manufacturer for exposing employees to lead exceeding the permissible exposure limit, and arsenic above the action level, and failing to record on OSHA’s 300 log that the company medically removed the employees from exposure. The company also failed to conduct training, implement a medical surveillance program, and properly guard equipment.

 

“Elevated lead levels can cause debilitating and permanent health issues,” said OSHA Atlanta-East Area Director William Fulcher. “OSHA’s lead standard requires employers to minimize workers’ exposure by using measures including engineering controls, safe work practices, and providing protective clothing and equipment.”

 

The investigation was initiated under OSHA’s Regional Emphasis Program on Lead.

 

 

OSHA cited Nemak USA Inc. – based in Sheboygan, Wisconsin – for exposing workers to metalworking fluids used on aluminum after three employees were diagnosed with occupational hypersensitivity pneumonitis, a debilitating lung disease. The company faces penalties of $26,520 for two serious health violations, the maximum penalty allowed by law.

 

OSHA initiated an inspection at the company’s automotive aluminum castings manufacturing facility in August 2018 after receiving a medical referral. OSHA cited the company for failing to protect the employees from exposure to airborne metalworking fluids during machining operations, and failing to evaluate respiratory hazards.

 

“Employers using these materials in their production must ensure that good hygiene practices are followed, and fluids are properly managed to protect employees from potential lung damage,” said Appleton Area Office Director Robert Bonack.   

 

 

OSHA has cited Brinker Florida Inc. – operator of a Chili's Grill and Bar restaurant in Doral, Florida – for exposing employees to burns, falls, and other hazards. OSHA inspected the restaurant after an employee suffered burns when falling from an unguarded platform into a hot water bath. The company faces proposed penalties totaling $62,513.

 

OSHA cited the company - based in Coppell, Texas - for failing to maintain copies of required safety data sheets for hazardous chemicals used in the restaurant; provide information and training on the chemicals; provide appropriate eye and face protection; and lacking suitable facilities for quick drenching or flushing of the eyes for employees using hazardous chemicals. The company also failed to ensure inspections of portable ladders before each use or shift. 

 

"Employers are legally required to identify and eliminate recognizable hazards from their workplace," said OSHA Fort Lauderdale Area Director Condell Eastmond. "Maintaining equipment and ensuring approved protective devices are used can significantly reduce the chance of serious injury to employees." 

 

 

The Washington Department of Labor and Industry adopted rules for occupational exposure to respirable silica on March 20, 2018 under chapter 296-840 WAC. The rules were adopted in response to the OSHA 2016 final rules for respirable crystalline silica and included requirements for medical surveillance.

 

This rulemaking adds two non-mandatory appendices to chapter 296-840 WAC. The non-mandatory appendices are medical resources to aid physicians and other licensed health care professionals (PLHCPs) regarding compliance with the medical surveillance provisions of the rule. The first, a medical surveillance guideline, is included in Appendix B. The second, a Tuberculosis Screening Tool designed as an adjunct to the clinical evaluation, is included in Appendix C.

 

The appendices were adopted February 5, 2019 with an effective date of March 8, 2019.