IOM to hold seminar on asbestos in contaminated land

The risks to health posed by asbestos contamination of brownfield sites are of growing concern to environmental health officers and others concerned with possible health risks from contaminated land. The IOM is holding a seminar on this important topic in Sunderland on 29th November. If you are interested in knowing more about exposure estimation and the assessment of risk to health, and wish to reserve a place at this seminar,

If you are interested in knowing more about exposure estimation and the assessment of risk to health, and wish to reserve a place at this seminar, go here

New textbook on Environmental Medicine

'Environmental Medicine' is an important new textbook on the investigation, diagnosis and treatment of environmentally-acquired disease. It is edited by some of the UK's leading figures in environmental and occupational medicine, and includes contributions from four of the IOM's leading senior scientists, in the form of chapters on chemical risk assessment and health impact assessment.

For more information, go here

Training courses on the Advanced REACH Tool (ART) announced

The Advanced REACH Tool (ART) has gained widespread acceptance as a tool for assessing chemical exposure in the workplace, and now, ReachCentrum and TNO are jointly hosting a series of training courses aimed primarily at professionals in industry and government agencies who have responsibility for the registration of chemicals under REACH.

For information on course content, and how to register, go here

Asbestos-related disease: recent legal developments

Berrymans Lace Mawer LLP recently hosted a conference on occupational disease, with particular focus on developments in case law relating to asbestos-related disease. The UK insurance industry is anticipating the total cost of mesothelioma claims to rise sharply, partly as a consequence of a number of landmark judgements which are expected to make mesothelioma cases much more difficult to defend

For a more in depth discussion of this issue, go here

Millions may be at risk of respiratory illness at work

In a recent publication, a senior IOM scientist suggests that as many as 4 million workers may be at risk of respiratory ill health, either through failure to wear any respiratory protective equipment (RPE), or through inappropriate selection and/or fitting of RPE. The article points out the importance of ergonomic aspects in determining whether workers are willing to wear personal protective equipment.

For further information, go here

IOM gains UKAS accreditation for microbiological sampling

The sampling of airborne microorganisms is a crucial element of the IOM's specialist ventilation service for hospital operating theatres and clean rooms. Working with a partner laboratory, we are now able to offer a UKAS-accredited service for microbiological sampling and analysis, as required by Hospital Technical Memorandum HTM03-01.

For further information on the IOM's service in this important area of public health, go here