COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Engineered stone, or quartz, countertops are marketed to consumers as durable, scratch-resistant surfaces that are less likely to stain and require no seal or reseal. Unlike natural stone, engineered stone provides consistency and uniformity, and the non-porous design makes it less prone to bacterial growth. However, there is growing documentation of outbreaks of silicosis cases and other work-related conditions among employees involved with the manufacturing and fabricating of engineered stone countertops in Spain, the US, Israel, China, and Australia, with Australia proposing a ban on these countertops.

This session will first examine the respirable crystalline silica exposures in stone fabricating shops and the hazards associated with the work, then describe the challenges of communicating the risks of this work, followed by a presentation on the current outbreak of silicosis patients in California and how this may represent a much broader potential of undiagnosed cases, and finally end with what policy actions must be taken now to protect the lives of stone fabricators.

Participants are eligible to receive up to 0.1 CEU or 1.0 (60 minute) contact hour; 1 CPH recertification credit.

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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
The number of cases of cancer is expected to increase by 49% between 2015 and 2050. There is increasing evidence that exposure to the hazardous drugs that effectively treat cancer through contact with contaminated surfaces in places where these drugs are handled, such as hospitals, outpatient facilities, and veterinary clinics can lead to adverse health effects. While short term effects include skin and eye irritation, chronic low level exposure have been reported to include adverse reproductive outcomes, cardiotoxicity, and genotoxicity.

Surveillance for environmental contamination of antineoplastic drugs has been recommended by authoritative bodies such as the United States Pharmacopeia (USP) and the National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities (NAPRA). There is general acceptance that surveillance is best accomplished using surface wipe sampling.

Dr. Susan Arnold and Dr. Hugh Davies will provide an introduction to the importance of this issue, how these environments become contaminated, and a strategy for evaluating the environments and surfaces to efficiently and effectively detect contamination where it exists so that prevention measures can be improved to protect worker health. This presentation is based on their year-long surveillance study in 2019 of nine cancer-care centers, generating over 20,000 individual exposure measurements.

Participants are eligible to receive up to 0.1 CEU or 1.0 (60 minute) contact hour; 1 CPH recertification credit.

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COURSE DESCRIPTION:
2023 NORA Symposium

The 2023 NORA Online Symposium featured presentations and a discussion with a panel of experts on the effects of climate change on worker health and safety in a variety of industries and workplaces. This course is intended for public health professionals and students interested in worker safety and climate change, but is open to anyone interested in this topic.

This course is eligible for 0.14 CEUs or 1.4 contact hour(s) and 2.0 CPH re-certification credits.

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