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A respiratory protection program is a formal, written workplace plan required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to protect workers from harmful airborne hazards when safe air cannot be achieved through engineering controls. OSHA’s Respiratory...

The Environmental Relative Moldiness Index (ERMI) is a DNA-based analytical tool developed by researchers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in collaboration with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). The index was designed to...

Indirect exposures occur frequently at worksites where different operations are carried out in close proximity. This form of indirect exposure is commonly referred to as bystander exposure. Grandjean and Bach (1986) reviewed the literature on bystander exposures,...

The association between mesothelioma and prior exposure is undisputed. Dodson et al. (2011) cites mesothelioma as a signal tumor for asbestos exposure and typically occurs decades after first exposure to asbestos ​(Dodson, Hammar, & Poye, 2011)​. Welch (2007) also...

The drywall industry began during World War II, when construction projects evolved from building plaster-based walls to building walls using drywall. Before World War II, houses and commercial buildings had walls made of plaster. Building plaster walls required a...

Thermal system insulation is comprised of a variety of different products. These include pipe and block insulation, insulation muds, mastics, and cloth. Pipe and block insulation, containing significant amounts of asbestos, have been used commercially since well...

All fungal species have the potential to cause health effects. Molds produce allergens, irritants, and in some cases, mycotoxins that may cause reactions in humans. The types and severity of symptoms depend, in part, on the types of mold present, the extent of an...

There is no accurate figure for the total number of fungal species that exist.  However, there have been estimates suggesting well over a million different species.  Currently, there are only about 100,000 described fungal species. Some selected fungal...

In the case of asbestos, visible airborne dust represents hazardous concentrations above established occupational exposure limits. Warren Cook stated the following in 1942: “In the case of asbestos dust condition, our evaluation of the exposure should be based on the...