Vol. 6, Issue 34

Find Solutions & Strategies                   August 24, 2015

Nanoparticles in the Workplace

The expanding risk of exposure 
In This Issue
A Note From the Editor
The expanding risk of exposure to nanoparticles in the workplace
By Roger Rabb, J.D., Special Correspondent for the LexisNexis Workers' Compensation eNewsletter
 
An emerging concern with worker health and safety in industrial settings is protecting workers from the byproducts of nanotechnology, the study and manipulation of matter that is between 1 and 100 nanometers in size. At these sizes (a nanometer being one billionth of a meter), substances can possess different properties from their larger counterparts, in part because the ratio of surface area to mass is much greater, leading to increased chemical reactivity, and in part because materials of such small size are subject to quantum effects, including unusual electronic, optical, or magnetic effects, that may not be present with materials of larger mass. Despite these differences, little research has been done on the potential harmful effects of nanoparticles, especially in occupational settings. In a recent paper, Nanotoxicology and Exposure in the Occupational Setting (Occupational Diseases and Environmental Medicine, 3, 35-48), the authors review the current state of nanotechnology research in industrial settings, note the lack of industrial standards to regulate this area and protect worker safety, and call for...read more. 
LARSON'S SPOTLIGHT ON RECENT CASES
Thomas A. Robinson, J.D., our Feature National Columnist, is the co-author of Larson's Workers' Compensation Law (LexisNexis). 
  
Illinois: Welder's Injury in Swivel Chair Accident Arose From Employment. An Illinois appellate court reversed a Commission's order denying workers' comp benefits to a welder who sustained a left knee injury while sitting in a swivel chair at his workplace...read more.

Tennessee: Injured Employee's Backyard Fall No Intervening Act, Employer Liable for Second Knee Surgery. A special workers' compensation appeals panel of the Supreme Court of Tennessee held that the record supported the trial court's finding that an employer was liable for medical expenses and...read more.

Virginia: Even With Firefighter's Presumption, Claimant Fails to Show Causal Connection Between Employment and Prostate Cancer. In addition to its special statutory presumptions of compensability favoring firefighters and police officers claiming respiratory and heart diseases connected with the exertions of their employment, Virginia adds a separate presumption favoring...read more.

Ohio: Fired Employee Establishes Factual Issue as to Whether Employer's Reasons Were Pretextual. An Ohio appellate court has reversed, in part, a trial court's decision granting summary judgment to a defendant-employer in a retaliatory discharge action filed against it by...read more.
national & state news

ENEWSLETTER ARCHIVES

ArchivesTake a deep dive into our past eNewsletters for 2015 and prior...warning - some links to articles may not work...report any linking problems to [email protected].