Two employees of thee Potsdam Civic Center recently died of cancer, and their co-workers are concerned about the safety of their workplace. In May 2009, senior clerk Sharon. M. LaDuke died of mesothelioma. In June, tax collector Linda M. Powers died of ovarian cancer.
Since Ms. LaDuke died, the air inside the civic center has been tested three times by Atlantic Testing Laboratories. There is still asbestos insulation present in the civic center, surrounding pipes and in the tiles of the courtroom ceiling, but the presence of undisturbed asbestos does not present a health risk. Only when the asbestos materials are disturbed or break down, releasing asbestos into the air, does the presence of old asbestos materials present a serious risk. The first air tests came back with a “non-detection” level, meaning that no airborne asbestos fibers were detected in the air. Results of the June 24 air tests have not yet been released.
A representative from the New York State Department of Labor, Clifford R. Donaldson, stopped by on July 3 to address the concerns of civic center employees who are worried about their own health. He advised the workers to monitor their own health carefully and talk to their doctors if they have any concerns. He also urged workers to become well informed about symptoms they should be watching for and be aggressive about their own health care.
Source
Monday, September 28, 2009
Monday, September 14, 2009
William “Bill” R. Davis, Prominent Physician, RCC Norco Mentor, dies
William “Bill” Randolph Davis, a retired physician who served as the first Chief of Allergy-Immunology at Jerry L. Pettis Memorial Veterans Hospital in Loma Linda, California from 1980 to 1998, has died. He was 74.
Davis who was diagnosed with a mesothelioma, the signature tumor for asbestos exposure, in 2005 died at his home in Diamond Bar surrounded by his wife Dr. Brenda Davis, president of Riverside Community College District Norco Campus, family and friends.
In 1968 Dr. Davis retired with the rank of Major from the Army Medical Corps. As a Board Certified Pediatrician he established the first satellite Well Baby Clinic in his office for the City of Baltimore, Maryland. In 1977 he was the first African-American to complete a post doctoral fellowship in Allergy-Immunology at the University of Southern California and became Board Certified in Allergy-Immunology.
In his capacity at Pettis Memorial Veteran’s Hospital, Davis provided care to many veterans in the Inland Empire.
“Bill was a trailblazer for the forward progression of African-Americans in medicine. He loved military medicine,” said Dr. Davis. “He was extremely intelligent and witty. You could wake him up at 2 in the morning and talk to him about infectious disease or his love of tennis. He was front and center as a role model.”
In fact recognizing the financial needs of African-American nursing students, Dr. Bill Davis established the first emergency fund for nursing students currently administered by the Inland Empire Black Nurses’ Association (IEBNA). He created the association’s logo on his computer and received recognition for his years of service at an awards banquet in 1990.
A native of Newport News, Virginia, Davis graduated from Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia in 1956. At his 50th reunion recently he was inducted into emeritus status. He attended the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond and had the distinction of being the only African American student in the graduating class of 1964.
For more than 30 years Dr. Bill Davis served as a friendly face and beacon of hope for education excellence at the RCC Norco Campus. He served as a mentor for the ‘Talented Tenth Program’ for African American students at the Norco Campus. He raised thousands of dollars for a myriad of RCC programs including the District’s Passport to College, Measure C Bond Campaign. He served as official photographer for the campus’ Annual Graduate/Transfer reception from 1994 to the time of his passing.
Source
Davis who was diagnosed with a mesothelioma, the signature tumor for asbestos exposure, in 2005 died at his home in Diamond Bar surrounded by his wife Dr. Brenda Davis, president of Riverside Community College District Norco Campus, family and friends.
In 1968 Dr. Davis retired with the rank of Major from the Army Medical Corps. As a Board Certified Pediatrician he established the first satellite Well Baby Clinic in his office for the City of Baltimore, Maryland. In 1977 he was the first African-American to complete a post doctoral fellowship in Allergy-Immunology at the University of Southern California and became Board Certified in Allergy-Immunology.
In his capacity at Pettis Memorial Veteran’s Hospital, Davis provided care to many veterans in the Inland Empire.
“Bill was a trailblazer for the forward progression of African-Americans in medicine. He loved military medicine,” said Dr. Davis. “He was extremely intelligent and witty. You could wake him up at 2 in the morning and talk to him about infectious disease or his love of tennis. He was front and center as a role model.”
In fact recognizing the financial needs of African-American nursing students, Dr. Bill Davis established the first emergency fund for nursing students currently administered by the Inland Empire Black Nurses’ Association (IEBNA). He created the association’s logo on his computer and received recognition for his years of service at an awards banquet in 1990.
A native of Newport News, Virginia, Davis graduated from Hampton University in Hampton, Virginia in 1956. At his 50th reunion recently he was inducted into emeritus status. He attended the Medical College of Virginia in Richmond and had the distinction of being the only African American student in the graduating class of 1964.
For more than 30 years Dr. Bill Davis served as a friendly face and beacon of hope for education excellence at the RCC Norco Campus. He served as a mentor for the ‘Talented Tenth Program’ for African American students at the Norco Campus. He raised thousands of dollars for a myriad of RCC programs including the District’s Passport to College, Measure C Bond Campaign. He served as official photographer for the campus’ Annual Graduate/Transfer reception from 1994 to the time of his passing.
Source
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
How to Manage PPE Asbestos Exposure
The approach used for dealing with contaminated clothing depends on the nature of the contaminant and the extent of it. Certainly some contaminants are more hazardous than others. But one that seems to be of increasing concern for firefighters is exposure to asbestos.
During a fire, firefighters can be exposed to a broad spectrum of construction materials. In older buildings, especially those built before the 1980s, some of these materials can contain asbestos. The hot air currents at a fire can carry asbestos fibers that are released when cold water hits hot asbestos or when structural failure causes asbestos-containing components to break. Also, fires may cause non-friable asbestos materials (materials in which the asbestos fibers are not easily broken apart) to become friable.
Firefighters are protected from fiber inhalation when they wear their self-contained breathing apparatus. However, SCBA are not always worn during all parts of the fire operations, particularly during overhaul when asbestos, if present, will still be airborne. Activities such as pulling ceilings or pipes or opening walls to be sure fires are completely extinguished pose additional risks to firefighters because the asbestos fibers released during a fire may get on the firefighters' protective clothing.
Asbestos fibers tend to become entrained in the textile portions of clothing and equipment in contrast to smooth surfaces, where they may more easily be removed. If contaminated clothing is not handled properly, it can pose a risk to anyone who comes in contact with the clothing.
A 1990 study of 226 firefighters in New York City showed 50 percent to have chest X-rays with abnormalities characteristically caused by asbestos exposure. More recently, it was found that tons of asbestos were released into the local atmosphere during the collapse of the World Trade Center North Tower that was constructed in the 1970s and for which all asbestos had not been removed.
In addition to its well-known use as a fire-retardant and heat insulator, asbestos was also used as a reinforcing or binding agent in plastics and cement. This use was continued into the 1980s, where asbestos was used in building materials including plaster, drywall materials, floor tiles, roofing products, wall and ceiling insulation and electric wiring insulation.
Source
During a fire, firefighters can be exposed to a broad spectrum of construction materials. In older buildings, especially those built before the 1980s, some of these materials can contain asbestos. The hot air currents at a fire can carry asbestos fibers that are released when cold water hits hot asbestos or when structural failure causes asbestos-containing components to break. Also, fires may cause non-friable asbestos materials (materials in which the asbestos fibers are not easily broken apart) to become friable.
Firefighters are protected from fiber inhalation when they wear their self-contained breathing apparatus. However, SCBA are not always worn during all parts of the fire operations, particularly during overhaul when asbestos, if present, will still be airborne. Activities such as pulling ceilings or pipes or opening walls to be sure fires are completely extinguished pose additional risks to firefighters because the asbestos fibers released during a fire may get on the firefighters' protective clothing.
Asbestos fibers tend to become entrained in the textile portions of clothing and equipment in contrast to smooth surfaces, where they may more easily be removed. If contaminated clothing is not handled properly, it can pose a risk to anyone who comes in contact with the clothing.
A 1990 study of 226 firefighters in New York City showed 50 percent to have chest X-rays with abnormalities characteristically caused by asbestos exposure. More recently, it was found that tons of asbestos were released into the local atmosphere during the collapse of the World Trade Center North Tower that was constructed in the 1970s and for which all asbestos had not been removed.
In addition to its well-known use as a fire-retardant and heat insulator, asbestos was also used as a reinforcing or binding agent in plastics and cement. This use was continued into the 1980s, where asbestos was used in building materials including plaster, drywall materials, floor tiles, roofing products, wall and ceiling insulation and electric wiring insulation.
Source
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