The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has published a notice scheduling a public meeting February 10, 2010, in Washington, D.C., to consider a range of issues relating to workplace safety. According to the notice, OSHA will also establish a public docket as part of this initiative, which is “in keeping” with a presidential memorandum and Office of Management and Budget directive to give the public more opportunities to participate in regulatory decisions and developments. Among other matters, the agency seeks input on “the most important emerging or unaddressed health and safety issues in the workplace,” what the agency can do to “enhance the voice of workers in the workplace,” whether OSHA needs to take additional measures to improve its compliance assistance efforts for the benefit of small businesses, and how the agency can better “reach high risk employees and employers with training, education and outreach.” Those planning to attend…
After the Congressional Research Service (CRS) questioned the validity of agency regulations that had not been submitted as required by law to Congress and the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Center for Regulatory Effectiveness wrote to House and Senate leaders asking Congress to advise the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) that its endocrine disruptor screening program “is not in effect” until the required notice is provided. More information about the CRS report appears in issue 332 of this Update. According to a news source, EPA’s program, mandated under the Food Quality Protection Act, was designed to identify pesticides that might cause adverse effects on human health and the environment. The center, a business-backed think tank, cited the CRS report in making its case to nullify the program. An EPA spokesperson reportedly responded that its action describing the agency’s endocrine disruptor policies and procedures and announcing the list of chemicals to receive testing…
The U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Health and Human Services have published a notice announcing the fifth meeting of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee. Scheduled for February 9, 2010, the meeting will be conducted as an online webinar and is expected to consist of discussions about (i) nutrient adequacy, (ii) energy balance and weight management, (iii) carbohydrates and protein, (iv) sodium, potassium and water, (v) fatty acids and cholesterol, (vi) ethanol, and (vii) food safety. Written comments may be submitted and must be received no later than February 3 for the committee’s consideration before the meeting. Comments may also be submitted at any time “throughout the Committee deliberation process.” To participate in the online program, pre-registration is required. Webinar capacity is limited, and a waiting list will be maintained if necessary. See Federal Register, January 22, 2010.
U.S. Representative Rosa DeLauro (D-Calif.) has called for an independent review of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) meat and poultry inspection system, citing the recent recall of approximately 864,000 pounds of beef possibly contaminated with E. coli. Issued by a Montebello, Calif.-based meat packing company, the recall involved ground beef products identified by USDA’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) during a recent food safety assessment. In addition, FSIS reportedly flagged some 2008 products based on the establishment’s records. According to DeLauro, an independent board would “support and advise USDA, ensure that the inspection process is rigorous and scientifically robust, and recommend changes to any practices that are insufficiently protecting our food supply.” She further opined that this latest incident, which involved products produced almost two years ago, “is a glaring indication that the current inspection system for meat and poultry is inherently flawed and not sufficient to protect the…
Scientists and others objecting to the use of recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) to stimulate milk production in dairy cows have reportedly resubmitted a petition to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) challenging the new animal drug application approval for an rBGH drug. FDA apparently failed to respond to the original petition, filed in 2007. The petition also requests that dairy products made from cows treated with rBGH be labeled with a health-hazard warning. The petitioners include Samuel Epstein, chair of the Cancer Prevention Coalition; Ronnie Cummins, national director, Organic Consumers Association; Arpad Pusztai, a consultant biologist from Scotland; and Jeffrey Smith, executive director, Institute for Responsible Technology. They claim that rBGH milk poses major cancer and other risks to the U.S. population and that the drug has toxic effects on cows. See World-Wire.com, January 15, 2010.
The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) has responded to the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) recent review of bisphenol A in food contact applications, praising regulators for stopping short of a ban on the ubiquitous chemical but criticizing their concern for “hypothetical and non-existent health risks.” FDA has stated that it now shares the National Toxicology Program’s outlook on “the potential effects of BPA on the brain, behavior, and prostate gland in fetuses, infants, and young children,” and is considering a more aggressive oversight approach. To this end, the agency may seek new authority to govern BPA and its different formulations through the Food Contact Notification Program created in 2000. This regulatory framework not only requires manufacturers to provide detailed analysis on substance applications, but allows FDA to “quickly protect the public by revoking the use through a notice in the Federal Register.” Noting that BPA was first…
A study of microbial contamination in soda fountains within a 22-mile radius of Roanoke, Virginia, claims that nearly one-half of them harbored “coliform bacteria” that could contain fecal matter. Amy S. White, et al., “Beverages obtained from soda fountain machines in the U.S. contain microorganisms, including bacteria,” International Journal of Food Microbiology, January 2010. Researchers studied 90 beverages of three types (sugar sodas, diet sodas and water) from 30 soda fountains (both self-service and staff-operated) to analyze and evaluate microorganisms with respect to U.S. drinking water regulations. They found that 48 percent of the beverages harbored coliform bacteria, 11 percent contained E. coli and 17 percent had Chryseobacterium meningosepticum. The authors speculated that the contamination could have come from “dispensing with a hand that wasn’t clean or using wet rags to wipe down the machine.” “These findings suggest that soda fountain machines may harbor persistent communities of potentially pathogenic microorganisms which may contribute to…
Two recent studies have reportedly suggested that obesity rates in America have remained constant for at least five years among men and closer to 10 years for women and children. Using data obtained from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), researchers concluded that although approximately 32 percent of men and 35 percent of women are obese, “the increases in the prevalence of obesity previously observed do not appear to be continuing at the same rate over the past 10 years, particularly for women and possibly for men.” In addition, a separate study apparently found a similar plateau in obesity rates for children. “Right now we’ve halted the progress of the obesity epidemic,” William Dietz, CDC’s Director of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity, was quoted as saying. “The data are really promising. That said, I don’t think we have in place the kind…
A recent study has claimed that “higher urinary concentrations of bisphenol A [BPA] are associated with an increased prevalence of coronary heart disease.” David Melzer, et al., “Association of Urinary Bisphenol A Concentration with Heart Disease: Evidence from NHANES 2003/06,” PLoS ONE, January 2010. Using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2003/04 and 2005/06, researchers examined the urinary BPA concentrations of participants aged 18-74 years, “representative of the general adult population of the United States.” According to the authors, “Associations have previously been reported between urinary BPA concentrations and heart disease, diabetes and liver enzymes in adults participants of [NHANES] 2003/04.” The 2005/06 NHANES data purportedly confirmed that “higher BPA exposure, reflected in higher urinary concentrations of BPA, is consistently associated with reported heart disease in the general adult population of the USA.” The study noted, however, that “Associations between urinary BPA concentrations and diabetes or…
The Canadian government has announced a January 20, 1010, webcast titled “Health Claims in Canada: An Update on Function Claims and Probiotic Claims for Food.” Presented by Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the Webcast will (i) “provide an update on the development of a modernized framework for health claims for food and the future directions for managing health claims”; (ii) “present new guidance on function claims and probiotic claims, and the requirements for scientific evidence to validate claims” and (iii) provide insights into CFIA’s enforcement approach.
