Occupational Health And Safety Representatives at Work

Issue 199 - SafetyNet Journal 199

We welcome our subscribers to the latest edition of the SafetyNet e-journal. There are lots of events happening over the next two weeks, but most importantly, we remind reps, deputies and committee members to register for the VTHC Annual OHS Reps Conference.

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Union News
Research
WorkSafe News
Worksafe Prosecutions
International News

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Union News

Reps conference October 27: Have you registered yet?

The VTHC is urging reps and deputies who have not yet registered for the Annual OHS Reps conference to get onto as soon as possible. It's important to give your employer at least two weeks' notice (necessary to be able to guarantee release under Section 69 of the Act), even though it may not be an issue for many of you.

Because the event is celebrating the 25th anniversary elected health and safety representatives, our sponsors are kicking in with prizes, including an i-phone and movie passes from UnionShopper, and a mystery sports package from another sponsor.  So apart from hearing about where we've been, where we're at and where we're going in terms of ohs laws in this state and in Australia, there's also the chance of going home with a prize.
More information and how to register, including a registration form and details on how to contact us.

Of course there are many other activities being held during WorkSafe Week, both in Melbourne and elsewhere around Victoria. If you want to check out the range of activities, visit the special WorkSafe Week Website.

WorkSafe Victoria reports on performance

WorkSafe has put its 2010 Annual Report on the web. In the 2009/10 financial year the 'highlights' reported include that Victorian now has the lowest injury rate on record – down to 10.58 per thousand workers. While encouraging, this is below the target rate for the year, which was 9.98 per thousand workers. If the 2012 target of 8.35 injuries per 1000 workers is to be achieved, then the regulator will need to 'stay ever vigilant' according to Chief Executive Greg Tweedly, a need underlined by the 26 work-related fatalities.  

The regulator was successful in almost 9 in 10 prosecutions brought against employers, and noted that these prosecutions and associated publicity were a key means of preventing workplace deaths and safety breaches, and that the community's perception of its enforcement effectiveness is at an all time high. WorkSafe chooses its prosecutions carefully, and does not prosecute lightly – but the VTHC and our affiliates would like to see an increase in the numbers of prosecutions brought.

Of concern to the VTHC, however, is that listed as a highlight under 'Safety' is the item: Over 180,000 WorkHealth checks delivered. As the OHS regulator, WorkSafe Victoria's primary role should be to provide advice and undertake activities to ensure compliance with OHS legislation.
Annual Report 2010 .

Asbestos news

Cancer Institute calls for better mesothelioma treatment
The Cancer Institute of NSW has released a report (Mesothelioma in NSW [pdf])  showing that that annual number of mesothelioma cases in New South Wales has increased four-fold since the 1980s and is not set to peak for another 5 to 10 years. CEO Professor David Currow says that effective treatments must be developed to improve survival and quality of life for people with the disease; and that asbestos exposure requires more attention, because it remains a lethal threat in spite of strict controls over its use and removal.

In summary, there were 3,922 cases of mesothelioma in New South Wales between 1972 and 2007, 85 per cent of which were male. During this period, there were 3407 deaths from mesothelioma. The survival of mesothelioma is poor: 40 per cent of people survive 1 year after diagnosis, and just 4.5 per cent survive 5 years.
The report can be downloaded from the Cancer Institute NSW website.

Settlements for asbestos victims being dragged outConfirming a concern voiced during last year's Asbestos Awareness week, The Age has reported that lawyers representing people dying of asbestos-related diseases say building manufacturers - particularly CSR - are dragging out the process of settling claims.

Law firm Slater & Gordon says that an increasing percentage of people are now having to wait until just before their trial to reach a settlement. The percentage has increased from 3 per cent prior to 2008, to 10 per cent in the past two years. This delay trend may be due to a breakdown in an arrangement between CSR and James Hardie about sharing liability based on the market share of their asbestos products at the time.

Maria McGarvie, of Slater & Gordon, said many of her clients were electricians, plumbers and factory maintenance workers who had worked for decades cutting up asbestos sheeting, or had come into contact with the fibres in other building materials. Claims were often made claims against multiple defendants including employers and the companies that manufactured the asbestos products used in Victoria - CSR and James Hardie. This is because over their working life their exposure had to be to one of two products. If now there are going to be arguments about whose product it was, the delays will continue, potentially causing much unnecessary distress to hundreds of Australians who will develop the disease over the next 10 years. The Age

UK union campaign on asbestos in ships
UK seafarers' union Nautilus International has won the support of the TUC for its campaign to secure tougher controls against the threats posed by asbestos on ships. Nautilus council member Captain Stephen Gudgeon told TUC delegates that despite international rules introduced in 2002 to prevent its use the union was horrified to find asbestos in more than 3,500 parts onboard a new ship last year. 'And one classification society recently revealed the deadly material was detected on 95 per cent of ships checked in the last four years,' he said. 'The problem even affects ships that have been certified as asbestos-free - sometimes because they were built with the material present in components, and because the substance may have been introduced through spare parts.' Capt Gudgeon added that seafarers face a very real risk of exposure to asbestos during repair or maintenance and big efforts needed to be made to raise awareness among crews, shipowners and regulatory authorities. He related how the Australian government recently took a stand against non-compliance by refusing entry to vessels containing asbestos - and said other governments should do the same. 'The maritime industry is still responsible for exposing its workers to asbestos and thus creating victims for decades ahead,' he said. 'It's just not good enough, and we need your support to ensure that our members - and seafarers worldwide - are protected.'
Nautilus news release

Ask Renata

Hello Renata - Can you provide any advice in what to do when one or two employees are leaving the toilet facilities in a disgrace every time they go?  My client has encountered faeces on the seat.  This is a health and safety issue for those who also need to access the facilities.

Under the OHS Act, it's the employer's legal duty to provide adequate facilities for the welfare of employees (21[2][d]) and also to ensure that the workplace is healthy and safe.

Under the Workplace amenities and work environment Compliance Code, this includes making sure that the facilities are kept clean and hygienic. This may mean organising cleaning on a more regular basis. Depending on how many people use the facilities, cleaning should happen so that there's some confidence that the facilities are maintained in a good state.

One of the things you/your client may need to consider is cultural differences. You don't specify whether the employees are from different cultural backgrounds/religions. You may be aware that in some cultures/countries, sitting on the toilet seats is considered totally unclean and unacceptable. Therefore, they tend to stand on the toilet seats.. and this could be a reason why your client's facilities are as they are.

Thus, my advice is as follows:

1. The employer (your client?) needs to ensure that the cleaning schedule for the toilets is adequate.
2. The employer should consider the makeup of the workforce - if there are numbers of 'culturally and linguistically diverse' people, then working with them to work out whether there are any issues with the current facilities. There are a number of organisations that may be able to provide assistance with this. The result of this may be providing information and training in suitable language/s and/or looking at the facilities themselves and further consultation on what the problem is and what might be done to alleviate it.

At the end of the day, it's the employer's responsibility to sort this problem out.

If you have an issue or problem you would like some advice on, then Ask Renata. You'll get an answer within a couple working days at the latest.

Westgate Bridge disaster – 40 years on

It is 40 years since the western span of the Westgate Bridge, then under construction, collapsed at 11.50 am, October 15, 1970, killing 35 workers and injuring many others.  Each year the friends and family of the workers who were killed gather at the foot of the bridge to remember that tragic day. Every year the Westgate Bridge Memorial Organising Committee invites the general public to attend the event. This year, however, because the area is a construction site, the usual ceremony is not taking place. A special event is being held, but it will be open only to the friends and family of those workers. During October a special exhibition of the tragedy will be displayed in the old Treasury Building at the top end of Collins St. Melbourne.
Read more about the Bridge, its building and its collapse on the Westgate Bridge Memorial website

ABCC lives on

Earlier this week ACTU secretary Jeff Lawrence said that the departure of John Lloyd, the head of the Australian Building and Construction Commission on Monday should have cleared the way for the abolition of this body which was established by the Howard Government. Unions and the ACTU consider the ABCC to have been an abject failure which has led to poorer safety standards in the industry. 'The priorities of the ABCC should be to strengthen workplace health and safety in the building industry, and to stamp out dodgy contractors who avoid their obligations to employees and to the tax system,' he said. 'But overwhelmingly, the ABCC has investigated and prosecuted workers - for exercising their rights - rather than employers.' Industry, on the other hand, had told the government not to dismantle the Commission, with Victorian Master Builders Association chief Brian Welch saying, 'We strongly support the retention of the ABCC in its current form, with its existing powers, structure and funding intact.' Victorian Master Builders Association head Brian Welch said.

At about the same time, however, Workplace Relations Minister Chris Evans announced that Leigh Johns had been appointed the new head of the ABCC.  Mr Johns is currently the Chief Counsel in the Office of the Fair Work Ombudsman and is a former Deputy Australian Building and Construction Commissioner.  His appointment will commence on 11 October 2010.  In announcing the appointment, Senator Evans said that while 'industrial lawlessness and thuggery will not be tolerated', the government was nevertheless committed to abolishing the ABCC.
ACTU Media Release;  The Australian 

Second Meatworker injured in the Yards at Swift

A meatworker suffered injuries, including a fractured pelvis, after he was crushed against a wall by a cow at Swift meatworks in Brooklyn last week. Apparently, the worker had been pinned against the wall by a cow. Gwynnyth Evans, the OHS officer with the Meatworkers Union, told SafetyNet that in November last year, another drover at Swift sustained serious injuries when a cow threw him head first into a pole and then fell on him. The Union said that the design, the lighting and the maintenance of the yards as well as appropriate emergency escapes are major issues in ensuring the safety of the drovers.

Ambulance delay due to lack of crews

The media has this week been reporting that a man died in his home on the evening of last week's Grand Final after waiting three hours for an ambulance to arrive. The man made nine calls to the emergency line 000 between 11.28pm and 2.45am after he drank home cleaning fluid. An ambulance was not dispatched until 2.38am and eventually arrived at 2.50am.

According to the article in The Age, 'About 70 ambulance crews across Melbourne were on unscheduled meal breaks' during the time the man was waiting for paramedics to arrive. The 'unscheduled meal breaks' however, were in fact half-hour 'priority zero' breaks, which must be taken when paramedics are forced to work through their scheduled rest breaks and have worked more than six hours straight. This requirement is based on OHS reasons. Ambulance Union Secretary, Steve McGhie, said because no extra crews had been rostered on for grand final day, the extra demand – Ambulance Victoria admitted they were 50% busier than normal - meant dozens of crews worked though their allocated meal breaks.

Mr McGhie said the system had clearly failed both the man and ambulance crews. 'This is totally unacceptable,' he said. 'I feel sorry for the man's family, but it also causes distress to the dispatchers and ambulance workers.'
Source: The Age

ASU negotiates Family Violence provision

Australian Services Union members last week endorsed a new enterprise agreement at Surf Coast Shire which contains a ground-breaking provision for paid Family Violence leave. Employees at the Shire will have access to up to 20 days paid leave per year if they are victims of family violence, in a bid to ensure security of employment for a person experiencing such issues.

ASU Assistant Secretary Lisa Darmanin said that the new Surf Coast Shire Clause would help victims of family violence hold down a stable job and maintain a career path. 'Family violence can interrupt women's lives, including their work. Escaping such a situation requires leave to secure safety for themselves and their children as well as dealing with legal, accommodation and financial matters, to name a few. Keeping your income through these times is paramount to a victim's well being and future in the workforce.'
Read more: ASU Media Release [pdf]

Doctors union joins calls for strong penalties

The AMA, the doctors' union, yesterday added its voice to other health sector union calls for better protection of its members.  AMA Victoria President Dr Harry Hemley said the next Victorian Government should increase the penalties for assaults against health workers to send a clear message that violence will not be tolerated in the state's emergency department.

Under the proposal, assaults on health workers, including doctors and nurses in emergency departments, would become an aggravated offence and carry larger fines and longer jail sentences, similar to penalties for assaults on police officers.

Dr Hemley said violence in emergency departments seemed to be increasing. 'We're seeing more of the alcohol-fuelled violence on the streets spill into emergency departments,' he said. 'Hospitals are under a lot of pressure treating more patients with fewer resources so our doctors and nurses have diminished ability to cope with violent or aggressive patients. This proposal to increase penalties for assaults on health workers sends a clear message to society that violence against ambulance workers, nurses, hospital staff and doctors will not be tolerated.'
AMA Media Release

Suicide and Work

Study of Victorian cases July 2010
The Creative Ministries Network has published a study of cases on the Victorian WorkCover Authority's compensation claims database and the Victorian coronial database on suicide.  The authors, John Bottomley and Margaret Neith, looked at 58 cases of people who had a compensable workers' compensation claim for attempted suicide or suicide during a period of 21 years (1985 to 2007). Of the 21 suicides, eleven had at least one previous workers comp claim, and ten had no previous claim.  While mental injury, stress or psychological injury was identified as the primary cause of suicide in almost every case, most of the eleven suicides with more than one claim first came into the comp system with a physical injury. The authors suggest that the later mental injury or illness may have been caused by the initial 'physical injury, the subsequent loss of economic security, social connection and meaning for their live(s), or their experiences (of) workers compensation, or various combinations of all of these factors.

The authors contrasted the figures from the workers compensation data with those of the Coroner: there were 109 cases in the eleven year period 1989 – 2000 in which work factors were identified as contributing factors to the suicide. The authors conclude that this small study demonstrates the need for improved data collection on work factors in suicide as a contribution to suicide prevention.
Creative Ministries website

Help for workers in construction industry
OzHelp Queensland has a Mates in Construction program the aims of which are to raise awareness about suicide within the workplace, make it easy to get help, and ensure that the help offered is both practical and culturally appropriate. OzHelp Queensland Ltd is a registered charity aimed at improving mental health and wellbeing for workers in the Queensland construction industry. Supported by all major employer and employee (union) organisations in the industry, it was established by the Building Employees Redundancy Trust Welfare Fund in response to high suicide rates within the building construction industry.
Find out more about this organisation by going to its website.

NSW rampage: Union wants better security

The CPSU has increased its call for increased safety for public servants and members of the public using government agencies, following a violent incident at the Merrylands (NSW) Centrelink office that has put two Centrelink staff and a security guard in hospital.  It appears two men entered the Centrelink office last week and assaulted three employees, stabbing one man in the arm with an umbrella and punching the other two in the head. Police said the men then went on a rampage through the office, turning over furniture. They were eventually arrested by local police.

'This worrying event highlights the dangers at work for many Australian public servants, particularly Centrelink staff,' said CPSU National Secretary, Nadine Flood.  'We are seeking assurances that the government will boost safety for staff at Centrelink as well as the members of the public who use government services.'

A comprehensive 2008 CPSU survey, Securing Centrelink Safety [pdf], revealed that four out of five Centrelink employers have witnessed violent or aggressive behaviour at work, including verbal abuse, death threats, assaults and physical violence. Following this report, Centrelink conducted their own audit, which confirmed that staff and other clients are at risk from major gaps in the systems for dealing with customer aggression.  The union is calling for a number of things, including a genuine zero tolerance policy for aggressive behaviour in Centrelink offices and immediate consultation and co-operation with the CPSU to make the offices safer.
CPSU Media Release

Death of Korean highlights illegal workers' plight

Myung Yeol Hwang, a tiler from South Korea, died on August 27, the day after seeking help at the CFMEU's Sydney office. He was destitute, emaciated, suffering from a severe respiratory condition and had not washed for weeks. He was afraid to go to a public hospital because he was afraid: he had been working here illegally in Sydney's construction industry for 12 years. He had no superannuation, no workers compensation, and had never been registered on an employer's books. The union arranged an Immigration Department meeting to organise a bridging visa and some medical treatment the next morning. But Mr Hwang died before he could make it to those meetings. He was 51.

Earlier this year the then-immigration minister Chris Evans commissioned a review of the penalties facing Australian employers who recruit illegal workers. But Andrew Ferguson, CFMEU NSW state secretary, doesn't hold much hope in the review. 'Whenever we highlight the case of an unlawful worker, we have a minister or a government spokesperson say that the government is re-looking at the laws to punish employers that use unlawful workers and in fact nothing happens,' he is reported as saying. He believes Myung Yeol Hwang's case highlights a wider problem. The union says his death illustrates the problem of thousands of illegal workers who cannot afford, or are too afraid to seek, proper medical care in Australia. '[They are] being used as illegal workers, as cheap labour, undermining labour standards, but also those workers are being exploited and abused in many instances.'  

The union, which has appointed a Korean liaison officer, Chikmann Koh, believes that 70 per cent of NSW tilers are from a Korean-speaking background, approximately 30 per cent of gyprockers are from a Chinese-speaking background and up to 50 per cent of painters come from Arabic, Kurdish, Farsi or Dari-speaking communities.
Sources: Sydney Morning Herald ;  ABC Online

More events for reps

Trade Union Climate Conference – October 9
The Climate Emergency Network and the VTHC invite you to a conference on climate change which is being held in Rm 1 (entry via Victoria St) at the Trades Hall from 10am – 4pm on Saturday October 9. There will be a range of speakers and ample time for discussion on on topics including "The Realities of Renewable Energy", Climate change, jobs and a trade union strategy. Entry is by gold coin donation.
For more information or to register, contact Chris Breen on 0403 013 183 or Bronwyn Halfpenny on 0413 749 972 or send an email.

Anti-Poverty Week: 17 – 23 October
The VTHC is supporting Anti-Poverty Week, coming up in October: Sunday October 17 is the UN's International Poverty Day. The week focuses on poverty around the world, especially in the poorest countries but also in wealthier countries such as Australia. Poverty and severe hardship affect more than a million Australians, and around the world more than a billion people are desperately poor. Its main aims are to strengthen public understanding of the causes and consequences of poverty and hardship and to encourage research, discussion and action to address these problems. The organisers are asking people to participate in the week – perhaps by organising an activity at the workplace. The Anti-Poverty Week website has suggestions, resources (such as factsheets, flyers and ideas) and organisers are asking people who do decide to join in to let them know about what they're doing. The VTHC is encouraging unions to organise events and is happy to co-ordinate events be notifying them to the Anti-Poverty Secretariat for publicising.

'Not 1 more' event
The VTHC asks you to support this year's White Ribbon Day on November 25: a day seeking to raise awareness of the impact of family violence. In Australia each year, about 60 women and 20 children die as a result of family violence. There's a short video on YouTube on last year's event, held in Federation Square. The VTHC and unions including the ASU and the ETU are among the event's sponsors, as well as Victoria Police and the MFB. There will be another, hopefully much bigger, event at Federation Square again this year.
More information: send an email to either the VTHC Women's Officer, Jennifer O'Donnell Pirisi or Wil Stracke at the ASU

Melbourne Trades Hall 150th Anniversary Commemorative Booklet 1859-2009
The Victorian Trades Hall Council and the Trades Hall & Literary Institute have published the commemorative book. This can be downloaded [pdf - 5 MB document]. For hard copies please contact Shelley Mildren (Mon, Tues, Thursday) on 9659 3511.

Research

Impact of Shiftwork

The Canadian Institute for Work and Health, an independent not-for-profit organisation whose mission is to conduct and share OHS research, has published an issues briefing on the impact of shiftwork on health. The research noted a number of concerns, including:

• People who work night shifts are likely to have shorter sleep duration and/or poorer sleep quality than regular day workers.
• Long-term exposure to night shift work may elevate the risk of breast cancer. There are also findings pointing to an elevated risk of colorectal cancer.
• Some studies indicate an elevated risk of preterm delivery, gastrointestinal disorders and mental health problems among shiftworkers.
• Shiftworkers, especially those working at night, face a higher risk of workplace injury than regular day workers.

It concludes that more research is needed to resolve some of the questions regarding the health effects of shift work, and to investigate the impact of interventions designed to mitigate the adverse consequences of shiftwork on health.

WorkSafe News

WorkSafe announces new Chief Executive OHS

Earlier this week WorkSafe announced that that the organisation's Deputy Chief Executive, Ian Forsyth, would assume responsibility for leading its health and safety operations. Mr Forsyth currently has a number of responsibilities. He will be relinquishing Finance, Administration and Premium; Human Resources and Change Management; and the administration of Medical Panels – which will report to Mr Greg Tweedly, Chief Executive of WorkSafe. However, he will be retaining legal, legislative and employer services and marketing and communication functions.

WorkSafe Chair, Ms Elana Rubin, said that the position was a critical one, being the driving force behind WorkSafe's prevention and regulatory strategies, and also the public face of partnering with the community to make Victorian workplaces safer.
WorkSafe Media Release

Useful Materials

• From WorkSafe Victoria, an Alert: Brace footing installations on concrete - highlights the precautions that need to be taken when installing brace footings on concrete slabs at an early age. 
• WorkCover NSW has funded Group Training NSW to develop a resource, yPack  which helps employers better engage with young workers and meet their health and safety obligations. The resource aims to reduce the high injury rate among workers aged between 15 and 25.

Worksafe Prosecutions

Queensland installation fatality: employer fined

After pleading guilty to breaches of the OHS Act, Central Queensland company Arrow Property Maintenance has been fined $135,000 over the death of 16-year-old in November last year.  The teenager was electrocuted while installing insulation at a house near Rockhampton.

The company claimed that some of the blame rests with the Federal Government, but Craig Allen from the Queensland Council of Unions rightly points out that the duty rests with the employer.  'As the court said, we're not in the industrial revolution era, we are in the 21st century,' he said. 'There is an expectation of communities that workers come home alive after they go to work each day. We have had Workplace Health and Safety legislation in Queensland since 1995 - there are clear protocols in that legislation of what the responsibilities of employers are in this state. Do not blame federal governments, blame yourselves.'
Source: ABC Online

International News

News from the USA

EPA Action plan to address chemical risks
The U.S Environmental Protection Agency has released action plans for addressing the potential health risks of benzidine dyes, hexabromocyclododecane (HBCD) and nonylphenol (NP)/nonylphenol ethoxylates (NPEs). The action plans will apply previously unused Toxic Substances and Control Act authority to safeguard health and the environment. Benzidine dyes are used in the production of consumer textiles, paints, printing inks, paper, and pharmaceuticals and may pose health problems, including cancer. HBCD is used as a flame retardant in expanded polystyrene foam in the building and construction industry, as well as in some consumer products, has been shown to be persistent and bioaccumulative in the environment and may pose potential reproductive, developmental, and neurological effects in people. NP/NPEs are used in many industrial applications and consumer products such as detergents, cleaners, agricultural and indoor pesticides, as well as food packaging. All these chemicals have been detected in people.

And Norway has proposed a ban on HBCD under the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) at a meeting of the convention's review committee in October. It wants the committee, known as POPRC, to recommend adding HBCD to a UN list of substances that must be completely eliminated under the POPs treaty. If backed by the POPRC, the recommendation could be discussed by governments in April 2011. Norway has considered a ban on HBCD in consumer products for some time. In 2007, the environment ministry backed a proposal by Norway's pollution control authority to ban the chemical, prompting opposition from the brominated flame retardant industry. A national ban would apply to Norwegian products designed for the domestic market, the pollution agency said. It could occur in imported products, it added.
Read more: Europe Daily

US Chromium industry buries cancer evidence
The world's largest producer of chromium chemicals failed to inform the US authorities after it found a 'substantial' lung cancer risks to workers exposed to hexavalent chromium (CrVI, or chrome 6). A notice filed this month by the US government's Environmental Protection Agency says Elementis Chromium failed or refused to submit to EPA a study conducted for an industry trade group that showed evidence of excess lung cancer risk among workers in chromium production facilities. The failure to inform EPA of a substantial risk to health constitutes an 'unlawful act' under the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA), the EPA complaint notes. It says the violation began in October 2002, but it was only after receiving a subpeona from EPA in August 2008 that the firm submitted the study to the agency. The firm could face a fine of up to US$32,500 for every day it was in breach of the TSCA duty. It has until the end of the month to contest the EPA notice. The case is the latest to hit an industry which has a long record of suppressing data on cancer risks linked to work with chromium chemicals, or rigging studies and their conclusions to imply no risk exists.
Sources: Risks 574; The Pump Handle blog

US Company resolves butter flavour cases
US company Chemtura has agreed to pay US$50 million to settle 347 claims brought against them by individuals who allege that the diacetyl butter flavouring ingredient the firm supplied is responsible for causing a lung disease. Resolution of the claims brings Chemtura a step closer to ending nearly 18 months in bankruptcy reorganisation. Chemtura reached the agreement with a law firm representing over 90% of individual claims, mostly on behalf of microwave popcorn factory workers. Another 19 individual claims and seven others brought by firms, such as Citrus & Allied Essences, who distributed butter flavouring to microwave popcorn makers, are still pending. In addition, the specialty chemical maker reached a separate agreement with its insurers who had earlier denied coverage of diacetyl claims. Factory workers have claimed that diacetyl butter flavour is responsible for bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare lung disease that causes shortness of breath, coughing, fatigue, and ultimately death. Microwave popcorn makers ceased using diacetyl flavourings in 2006. Chemtura originally filed for bankruptcy reorganisation in March 2009 during the low point of the global credit crisis.
Chemical & Engineering News, 30 August 2010

Sweden addressing risks of chemicals in products

The Swedish Chemicals Agency (KemI) has been commissioned to prepare an enforcement strategy for managing the environmental and health risks posed by chemicals in products and commodities. The strategy, to be completed by the end of 2011, will specify those product groups and business sectors which will made a priority for enforcement activities.
Read more.