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Rare Lung Disease Found In Food-Flavoring Plant Employees
Bronchiolitis obliterans, a rare, life-threatening lung disease, has been found in eight in eight individuals who worked in California food-flavoring plants between 2003 and 2007. Contracting this disease was apparently the result of inhaling diacetyl, which is also linked to the occurrence of bronchiolitis obliterans in people who work in the microwave popcorn industry.
And the latest issue of Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report indicates that women who work in battery manufacturing plants have elevated lead levels.
"Bronchiolitis obliterans is a severe lung disease that can be prevented with appropriate measures, such as engineering controls, work practices, medical surveillance, and a respiratory protection program," according to report co-author Dr. Rachael Bailey, an epidemic intelligence service officer at the CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
There are no regulations governing U.S. food flavoring plants.
So I guess OSHA doesn't apply to U.S. food flavoring plants? Way to be a journalist there Diane.
That is correct: There are no standards, including OSHA standards, that apply to food flavoring plants. Obviously, you have not kept up with the changes in OSHA.
And thank you.
"That is correct: There are no standards, including OSHA standards, that apply to food flavoring plants. Obviously, you have not kept up with the changes in OSHA."
Nice try. Your original post said "There are no regulations governing U.S. food flavoring plants". That is what I was responding to, as it is a straightforwardly ludicrous claim. These businesses are very much regulated by OSHA. That is why OSHA has the authority to inspect these food flavoring plants, as they did after the latest controversy arose.
However, when you say that there is no "standard" that OSHA has set regarding exposures in these food flavoring plants, which means that they do not have to set exposure levels for the food additives to which employees are exposed, you are absolutely correct. In particular, there is no standard set for exposure to diacetyl, which you noted is the likely culprit in these cases. I'm no epidemiologist, but clearly the distribution of cases of this rare disease are evidence enough that OSHA needs to move on diacetyl exposure, and set an exposure level immediately. Furthermore, they should have set an exposure level seven years ago, after NIOSH deemed it to be the likely cause of similar illnesses in Missouri.
FWIW, I am intimately familiar with OSHA from my days doing microbiology research, and I have been mostly in favor of its shift to a hands-off approach under the Bush Admin, having seen some of the ludicrous time-wasting consequences of aspects of the regulatory environment it creates. However, this case clearly is a failure on the agency's part. I don't think you are at all wrong to take it to task, or to lay the responsibility at the Bush Administration's feet. I just believe you clearly overstated your case in a feeble attempt at an Upton Sinclair moment, and in so doing showed poor journalistic principles. There is a difference between "there are no regulations governing U.S. food flavoring plants" and "OSHA failed to set an exposure level for a flavoring additive that they had good reason to believe was dangerous to workers" that a journalist should be cognizant of.
On the other hand, it's not like you are covering Anna Nicole and Paris nonstop, so you deserve some credit.