CSOEMA Connection (Fall 2024)

Welcome to the CSOEMA Connection, a quarterly e-newsletter for members, associates, and friends of the Central States Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association.

President’s Insights Around the States OEM Images of the Month OEM Clinical Practice Highlights OEM Research Rounds 2024 CSOEMA Fall Seminar Upcoming Events Make Your Vote Count Member Highlights

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Dear CSOEMA Members and Colleagues,

Dear Members and Colleagues,

As we embrace the fall season with the approaching crisp cool weather and the changing hues of Autumn, I am excited to share this edition of our newsletter from the Central States Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association (CSOEMA). Fall not only brings a change in seasons but also a renewed commitment to our mission of improving the health and safety of workers across our communities. 

In this issue, we highlight significant current events in the occupational and environmental medicine (OEM) field, including recent research findings and developments that impact our practice. Recent topics like the dockworkers strike, chemical leaks in Ohio and Georgia, H5N1 Bird Flu outbreak, extreme weather events, cannabis legalization, and impacts of Supreme Court decisions on occupational safety and health are highlighted among others. Recent research publications from Central States members, fascinating OEM Images of the Month, and a survey on a regional OEM gathering in Chicago are just some of what you will find when you read this quarter’s newsletter. I hope you are all able to take some time to enjoy this edition of the CSOEMA newsletter. I know I will! 

In our news from Around The States, you will see OEM news from South Dakota, Kansas, and Nebraska, the newest Midwestern States that are now part of the CSOEMA Family. We welcome the new CSOEMA members from this neck of the woods, and we encourage you to get involved and stay connected with us. 

I look forward to our upcoming seminar in only a few weeks from now. This year’s Fall Seminar will be a full-day live virtual event held on October 31, 2024. Plus, there will be additional asynchronous presentations that are viewable at your own pace. This seminar promises to be an engaging opportunity for learning and discussion, featuring expert speakers who will address pressing topics in our field. Fall Seminar Co-Chairs, Drs. Greg Couser, Isabel Pereira, and I look forward to welcoming you to the CSOEMA Fall Virtual Seminar. Check out the Fall Seminar agenda and register for the conference.  

Lastly, this is an election year so remember to vote! — not only in the U.S. Presidential Election, but also for the 2025 ACOEM Board of Directors.

Thank you for your continued dedication to advancing occupational and environmental medicine. Together, we can make a meaningful difference.

Warmest regards,

Francine Katz
President, CSOEMA 
2024-2025

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Around the States

National

• AP (September 24, 2024): Dangerous chemical leak spurs evacuation order in Ohio town. Students in school buildings and residents in neighboring homes were told to evacuate after a dangerous chemical began leaking from a railcar Tuesday near Cincinnati. Aerial video showed firefighters spraying down the car, which was sitting upright on tracks between a highway and an asphalt plant. Authorities said a pressure release valve on it was leaking styrene, a toxic and flammable chemical that is used to make plastic and rubber. Hamilton County’s Emergency Management Agency advised anyone within a half-mile (about 800 meters) of the area near U.S. Route 50 and the Great Miami River, west of Cincinnati, to leave immediately. Residents just outside the evacuation area were told to stay inside and keep their windows closed. The area has a mix of businesses, homes, and large swaths of undeveloped land.
  
• Cincinnati Enquirer (September 25, 2024): Evacuation order now lifted for area of styrene leak near Cleves; roads reopening. Evacuation and shelter-in-place orders were lifted after a styrene leak at a Cleves railyard on Tuesday afternoon. Officials previously said the railcar had stopped leaking the dangerous chemical but ordered residents to remain out of the area. However, that order was lifted Wednesday evening. The source of the leak is a railcar at U.S. Route 50 and State Route 128, west of Cincinnati, that holds styrene, a toxic and highly flammable chemical. Officials had expressed concern that the leak could cause an explosion.
  
• BBC (October 1, 2024): US ports strike causes first shutdown in 50 years. Tens of thousands of dockworkers have gone on strike indefinitely at ports across much of the US, threatening significant trade and economic disruption ahead of the presidential election and the busy holiday shopping season. Members of the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) walked out on Tuesday at 14 major ports along the east and Gulf coasts, halting container traffic from Maine to Texas.
  
• PBS News Hour October 1, 2024): What the dockworkers strike means for U.S. consumers. Tens of thousands of dockworkers along the East and Gulf coasts are on strike, freezing operations at ports that handle about half of all U.S. imports and exports. Analysts estimate the work stoppage by the International Longshoremen’s Association could trigger chaos in the supply chain just weeks before the election. 

• New York Times (October 1 2024): How the Dockworkers’ Strike Could Ripple Through the Economy. Transportation and warehousing sectors are poised to first feel the pinch, with a broader economic fallout expected if the strike drags on.
  
• The Guardian (October 1, 2024): ‘Pattern of negligence’: a chemical plant fire in Georgia forces tens of thousands to take shelter.  The smell of chlorine pervades Conyers as residents say BioLab’s accident was a danger hiding in plain sight. For Vonnetta West the plume of smoke rising in the sky outside her home in the city of Conyers, Georgia, was a sign not just of immediate risk – but a danger that had been hiding in plain sight for years. The plume was the result of an accident at the BioLab pool and spa chemical company in the city of nearly 20,000 residents about 25 miles east of Atlanta. Tens of thousands of people were impacted by an evacuation order for those immediately nearby or by the wider shelter-in-place order for those further away. The smell of chlorine drifted over much of the Atlanta area.
  
• JAMA (August 1, 2024): Industrial Pollution of Human Environment. About one hundred years have passed since modern man first experimented in modifying his natural environment by the addition of numerous new and often artificial products created by modern industry. Occupational diseases furnish a vivid example of the many and frequently serious new health hazards to which the industrially employed part of mankind has become exposed. The inclusion of some of these agents in consumer goods, such as foodstuffs, cosmetics, medicines, household goods and clothing, and their sometimes indiscriminate use have brought the general population into close contact with the injurious factors in the modern industrial environment. Perhaps the most important and alarming aspect of the recent change in the human environment is the increasing and often severe pollution of the air, soil, and water with both industrial wastes and regular products of industrial manufacture, such as pesticides and coal and petroleum road tars and asphalts, injurious to human health. The recent disaster at Donora called attention to the problem of air pollution by industrial gases and fumes containing sulfur dioxide, arsenic and fluorine originating from smelters.
  
• NYTimes (September 27, 2024): Possible Cluster of Human Bird-Flu Infections Expands in Missouri. Seven people in contact with a patient hospitalized with bird flu also developed symptoms, the C.D.C. reported. Some are undergoing further tests. CDC provides an Influenza A (H5N1) Bird Flu Response Update and details the investigation in Missouri; information about updated guidance on the use of personal protective equipment for people working with or exposed to infected animals; and information about a new standardized protocol for subtyping of wastewater samples that test positive for influenza A. In early September, CDC Confirms Human H5 Bird Flu Case in Missouri. CDC has confirmed a human case of avian influenza A(H5) (“H5 bird flu”) reported by the state of Missouri. The case was identified through that state’s seasonal flu surveillance system. The specimen was forwarded to CDC for confirmatory testing per usual protocols and confirmed yesterday. An investigation into the potential exposure is ongoing by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS).
  
• KFF (May 21, 2024):  Who is at Risk Amid the H5N1 Influenza Outbreak? Characteristics and Health Coverage of Animal Production Workers. There is an ongoing multi-state outbreak of H5N1 influenza virus in dairy cattle and other animals in the U.S., the first time this virus is known to have infected cows. However, there is increasing concern that farmworkers are being exposed to the virus, and additional human infections may be occurring. Dairy farm workers are the population most directly exposed to H5N1-infected cattle and, therefore, the people at the highest risk of further infections. They also face other occupational health risks, such as injury and musculoskeletal injuries. However, reports suggest there are multiple challenges to providing testing and other health services to this population, including lack of health coverage, language barriers, and fears or concerns about engaging with health officials.
  
• Foreign Affairs (August 15, 2024): The World Is Not Ready for the Next Pandemic. Governments Need to Invest Far More in New and Better Vaccines.
  
• KFF (September 24, 2024): Election 2024: Compare the Candidates on Health Care Policy. The general election campaign is underway, spotlighting former President Trump, the Republican nominee, and Vice President Harris, the Democratic nominee, as the viable contenders for the presidency. Although health care reform may not be a central issue in this election, as in the past, health care remains a significant concern for voters. Trump and Harris have distinctly different records and positions on health care. This side-by-side analysis provides a quick resource for understanding Trump’s presidential record and Harris’ record in the Biden-Harris administration and in previously held public office, as well as their current positions and proposed policies.
  
• National Law Review (August 4, 2024): All Things Considered: Loper Bright and NLRB, OSHA, Wages, and Non-Competes. The US Supreme Court’s recent decision in Loper Bright v. Raimondo has reset the regulatory landscape in the United States. The court’s decision overturned the longstanding Chevron deference doctrine (“Chevron deference”) that courts had relied upon for almost 40 years when evaluating whether to defer to federal agency rulemaking and case adjudications. Courts applying Chevron deference permitted an agency’s interpretation of ambiguous statutory language to stand so long as it was deemed a reasonable interpretation of the implementing statute. The Supreme Court’s ruling in Loper Bright opens the door for courts to provide their own interpretations of federal statutes in such circumstances. This article addresses the impact this significant decision may have in the labor and employment arena.
  
• Littler (July 1, 2024): Supreme Court’s 2024 Term Could Transform Labor and Employment Law. The Supreme Court issued four decisions narrowing agencies’ power to make policy through formal rulemaking and adjudication. In the short term, these decisions could make it harder for agencies to defend major rules on overtime, joint employment, prevailing wages, pregnancy accommodation, and non-compete agreements. In the long run, the decisions could push agencies to make policy in other ways, such as strategic lawsuits and informal guidance.
  
• Safety and Health (July 1, 2024): SCOTUS overturns Chevron deference: What does it mean for OSHA? The Supreme Court has struck down a 40-year precedent that will likely affect how OSHA and other federal agencies regulate safety and health. In the high court’s decision on Loper Bright Enterprises et al, v. Raimondo, issued June 28, Chief Justice John Roberts and the court’s five other conservative justices overturned the Chevron deference. That precedent stemmed from the 1984 case Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council.
  
• JAMA (September 19, 2024): The Supreme Court Disempowers Public Health Agencies and Devalues Science. Over the past century, the federal government created and relied upon its administrative agencies to safeguard public health, ensure safety, and protect the environment. Congress has granted agencies wide and flexible authority to regulate evolving technologies and respond to threats to public health (e.g., food safety; safe and effective vaccines and medicines; alcohol and tobacco control; occupational and vehicular safety; and nuclear and environmental protection). The US Supreme Court had long afforded agencies broad leeway, recognizing that judges lack scientific training and technical expertise. Now, that is all unraveling. This past term, the conservative majority of the Supreme Court has upended decades-old precedents, perilously limiting agency powers. These latest decisions further the trend of substituting the justices’ views for those of career scientists, affecting virtually every aspect of life. The importance of administrative agencies in public health and science itself cannot be understated.
  
• Cannabis Business Times (August 19, 2024): OSHA Playing Catch-Up With the Cannabis Industry. Only recently has the organization begun researching and working to prevent workplace hazards, a process that was hindered by federal cannabis policy. The exponential growth of the cannabis industry across the United States in recent years is not news to many.  Thanks to expanding legalization and an influx of investment, regulated cannabis sales could top more than $31.4 billion in 2024—an increase of more than 9% from the year 2023, according to Whitney Economics. There has been no shortage of challenges along the way, and many still exist, including federal oversight of occupational health and safety for cannabis industry workers. While the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) has few (if any) standards that directly apply to the cannabis industry, OSHA has taken a recent interest in cannabis worker safety and has begun to enforce existing federal workplace safety standards against cultivators, processors, and retailers.
  
• NPR (September 28, 2024): 5 things to know from this week’s big report on cannabis. A new report from scientific experts finds that the gap between federal and state regulations on cannabis is leading to emerging problems with public health. A new scientific report finds that the gap between federal and state regulations on cannabis is leading to emerging problems with public health. More than half of all U.S. states have legalized cannabis, be it for medical purposes, recreational use, or both. The shelves of cannabis dispensaries offer an ever-widening array of gummies, drinks, and joints. Meanwhile, the federal government still considers most types of cannabis illegal. A new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, released this week, finds this disconnect between the states and the federal government is leading to fragmented policies and risks to the public. An infographic to the cannabis policy areas most likely to impact public health is here.

• Occupational Health and Safety (May 01, 2024): Marijuana: Legal Doesn’t Mean Safe The spate of recently implemented recreational marijuana laws has left employers feeling dazed and confused when it comes to testing, but they have options — and an obligation — to ensure workplace safety.
  
• JAMA (September 6, 2024): As Extreme Heat Becomes More Common, the Unprecedented Pacific Northwest Heat Dome Offers Lessons. In the early summer of 2021, in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic, another public health emergency was unfolding in the Pacific Northwest region of Canada and the US. The extreme heat event came to be known as a heat dome, which is an area of high pressure that traps warm air beneath it for days on end. Daytime temperatures climbed to well over 100 °F, with little overnight relief. June 29 reached 121 °F, or 49 °C, in Lytton, a small town in British Columbia, becoming the hottest day on record in Canada.
  
• NRDC (July 18, 2024): 1.5 Degrees of Global Warming—Are We There Yet? Here’s where the world stands in its fight against climate change. The end goal remains the same. Earth hit a grim milestone earlier this year: The planet not only had its warmest January on record but also, for the first time, its average temperature over 12 consecutive months was more than 1.5 degrees Celsius higher than preindustrial times. And each month since then, the streak has continued.
  
• NPR (August 2, 2024): With no federal standard for heat, states are making their own to protect workers. Admire Stewart takes a deep breath and sits still while a breeze hits her face. Her gallon-sized water bottle is by her side. Stewart works inside Ellicott Hall, one of the unairconditioned dormitories on the University of Maryland’s College Park campus. President Joe Biden introduced an occupational standard for workers laboring in extreme heat, but it could take years to take effect. Meanwhile, states like California, Colorado, Minnesota, Oregon and Washington have passed protections as workers toil in extreme temperatures.
  
• JAMA (August 8, 2024): How Should Organizations Be Held Accountable for Clinician Well-Being?  Most healthcare organizations now recognize the high prevalence of occupational distress among clinicians and its links with quality of care, productivity, and patient experience. Given the impact on organizational performance, many hospitals and systems have created senior leadership positions (e.g., chief wellness officers) tasked with developing and overseeing the implementation of an organizational strategy to address this issue. Organizations should aspire to not only minimize occupational distress but also foster occupational well-being, characterized by meaning, purpose, self-efficacy, and satisfaction at work. A timely question the health care delivery system is now wrestling with is how best to hold organizations accountable to advance these outcomes. 

• JAMA (August 14, 2024): Clinical Implications of New Drinking Water Regulation for “Forever Chemicals”. In April 2024, the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its new maximum contaminant levels for some perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs), setting safe drinking water levels for these contaminants at near zero. The new EPA regulations for specific PFASs reflect what years of epidemiologic and basic science research have shown concerning cancer and other outcomes. The new EPA regulation, far below the previous drinking water health advisory of 70 parts per trillion, and recent media interest will lead many patients to question whether they have been exposed to unsafe PFAS levels. Patients will look to their clinicians for answers regarding their PFAS exposure and risk mitigation, creating a new focus on these chemicals in the clinical realm.
  
• The Guardian (September 27, 2024): Thousands of toxins from food packaging found in humans – research. Metals and PFAS linked to serious health issues are among the compounds found, highlighting the need for further scrutiny. More than 3,600 chemicals approved for food contact in packaging, kitchenware, or food processing equipment have been found in humans, and new peer-reviewed research has highlighted a little-regulated exposure risk to toxic substances.

• ProPublica (September 18, 2024): EPA Scientists Said They Were Pressured to Downplay Harms From Chemicals. A Watchdog Found They Were Retaliated Against. Three reports issued by the agency’s inspector general detailed personal attacks suffered by the scientists — including being called “stupid,” “piranhas,” and “pot-stirrers” — and called on the EPA to take “appropriate corrective action” in response. More than three years ago, a small group of government scientists came forward with disturbing allegations. During President Donald Trump’s administration, they said, their managers at the Environmental Protection Agency began pressuring them to make new chemicals they were vetting seem safer than they really were. They were encouraged to delete evidence of chemicals’ harms, including cancer, miscarriage, and neurological problems, from their reports — and in some cases, they said, their managers deleted the information themselves. After the scientists pushed back, they received negative performance reviews, and three of them were removed from their positions in the EPA’s division of new chemicals and reassigned to jobs elsewhere in the agency.

Illinois

• WBEZ (September 27, 2024): Chicago’s beach season is over … or is it? Lake Michigan temps are breaking records. The water along Chicago’s lakeshore averaged an unseasonable 71 degrees in mid-September. The weather was picturesque too: clear blue skies and temperatures in the mid-80s. Anneliese Rittberg watched their friends from the concrete ledge and said the weather felt “deeply abnormal.” Lake Michigan’s surface temperature nearly every day this year has surpassed the running average dating back to 1995, according to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) data. And it’s not just one Great Lake. All five are heating up. The massive bodies of water, which provide drinking water to more than 30 million people, are among the fastest-warming lakes worldwide, according to the federal government’s Fifth National Climate Assessment.

Indiana

• InkFreeNews (July 23, 2024): Indiana Congresspeople Request OSHA Extends Comment Period on Proposed Fire Department Regulations. Rudy Yakym and other Indiana congresspeople wrote a letter to OSHA regarding concerns about proposed regulations that could cause closures to volunteer fire departments. The National Volunteer Fire Council website provides a brief overview of the regulations and concerns.

Iowa

• The Gazette (September 8, 2024): What They’re Thinking: Is the dust from gravel roads bad for you? Most dust from gravel roads is benign. But metallic substances cause concern. Patrick O’Shaughnessy worked in a construction job before beginning his public health research. Knowing firsthand some of the hazards facing workers, O’Shaughnessy dove into civil and environmental engineering work to help further employee protections throughout the country. O’Shaughnessy, a professor in the Occupational and Environmental Health Department at the University of Iowa, has researched a multitude of topics but published research earlier this year studying how dust plumes from gravel roads — like those crisscrossing rural Iowa — travel in the air and affect the respiratory system.
  
• Des Moines Register (September 8, 2024): We’ve seen the consequences of CAFOs up close. Let’s talk about solutions. Concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) are large-scale agricultural facilities that raise animals in confinement for meat, dairy, or eggs. They can house hundreds to millions of animals, such as dairy cows, hogs, or chickens. A book and conference are intended to involve and inform citizens and to motivate the development of prevention strategies and progressive policy through sound science. Guest column by Tom Harkin and Dr. James Merchant. 

• Iowa Capitol Dispatch (September 16, 2024): National Farm Safety and Health Week focuses on preventing accidents. Farming continues to be one of the most hazardous occupations in the country. Safety webinars and training are available for agriculture workers from Sept. 15 through Sept. 21, which is recognized as National Farm Safety and Health Week.

Kansas

• The Wichita Eagle (August 30, 2024): Opinion: On Labor Day and beyond, Kansas and the whole US prosper when workers are protected. The Department of Labor recovers millions in employee wages and makes sure workplaces are safe, making our nation stronger. Bigstock Labor Day began as a federal holiday to honor our nation’s workers and to remember those in the labor movement who came to their defense over a century ago. They demanded that workers’ economic contributions be recognized and that people had safe workplaces, received fair wages, and had opportunities to succeed. In 1894, President Grover Cleveland took an important step and declared the first Monday in every September since to be Labor Day. For those of us at the U.S. Department of Labor, every day is Labor Day. 

Minnesota

• Great Lakes Now (September 27, 2024): PFAS Roundup: Minnesota PFAS regulation said to be the strictest. In a few months, many products with “forever chemicals” will be officially banned in Minnesota. Known as Amara’s Law, starting January 1, 2025 residents won’t be able to sell or distribute products with intentionally added PFAS from cookware, cosmetics, dental floss, juvenile products, menstruation products, textile furnishing, ski wax, upholstered furniture, cleaning products, or carpets and rugs — according to Vice Magazine. A full ban on all non-essential products with per- and polyfluorinated substances (PFAS) will come into effect in 2032.

Missouri

• CNN (September 27, 2024): More health-care workers in contact with Missouri bird flu patient report respiratory symptoms. Four more health-care workers who tended to a person hospitalized with H5N1 bird flu have revealed that they had respiratory symptoms after their exposures, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. One healthcare worker who had symptoms had what investigators consider high-risk contact with the patient, meaning they provided care before the hospital advised taking precautions such as wearing a mask when tending to the patient. Three additional workers reportedly had low-risk contact with the patient after the hospital required precautions. It has been three weeks since the CDC and Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services announced that a person who had no contact with animals had tested positive for H5N1, the 14th human infection in the United States since April.

Nebraska

• Nebraska Public Media (Sept. 17, 2024): National Farm Safety and Health Week webinars teach ag health and safety tips. A nonprofit focused on promoting safety in agriculture is hosting free webinars this week covering equipment safety, health and wellness, and agricultural injuries as part of National Farm Safety and Health Week. Laura Siegel is the Health Communications Officer at AgriSafe. She said the program was created because agriculture is one of the most dangerous occupations.

North Dakota

• KXNET (Aug 21, 2024): New study puts North Dakota dead last in worker protection and safety. A study conducted by Lawn Love to determine the states that are safest (and most dangerous) for outdoor workers ranked North Dakota close to the bottom of the list. All 50 states, along with Washington, D.C., were compared in five different categories to determine which states are safest for outdoor workers. North Dakota came in 46th overall but placed last in the category of worker protection and safety. This is because North Dakota had 10.9 severe injuries per 100,000 residents in 2022 — the most of any state. It was followed on that list by Nebraska and South Dakota. Ironically, the state with the fewest number of residents, Wyoming, had the most work-related fatalities at 5.9 per 100,000.

South Dakota

• The Brookings Register (August 14, 2024): One hot topic: Protecting South Dakota’s workers from heat. On many days, all you need to do is step outside to feel one of South Dakota’s deadliest hazards: extreme heat. So far in FY 2024, the dangers of heat illness have killed 34 workers nationwide, both indoors and out. In FY 2023, 49 workers died. Here in South Dakota, we have conducted 66 heat-related inspections in FY 2023 and FY 2024. The Sioux Falls OSHA office received 13 heat-related complaints in FY 2023 and FY 2024. In July, the U.S. Department of Labor took a much-needed step when its Occupational Safety and Health Administration addressed the dangers of workplace heat and announced the publication of a proposed rule to reduce the significant health risks for workers exposed to hazardous heat in outdoor and indoor settings.

Wisconsin

• Wisconsin Public Radio (September 12, 2024): Wisconsin Supreme Court to hear case with broad implications for PFAS cleanup. Case could have widespread effects on DNR’s authority to clean up hazardous substances. The Wisconsin Supreme Court will hear a case that could have sweeping effects on state environmental regulators’ authority to force businesses to clean up PFAS pollution under the state’s spills law. The state’s high court announced late Wednesday that it would grant a petition by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources to hear the case. It stems from a 2021 lawsuit filed against the agency by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, or WMC, on behalf of Oconomowoc-based dry cleaner Leather Rich. The suit challenged the DNR’s authority to force businesses to clean up PFAS contamination without standards for the chemicals, arguing the agency bypassed the state’s rulemaking process. A Waukesha County judge and state appeals court have ruled in favor of the WMC, the state’s largest business group.

OEM Images of the Month

Smoke rises after a chemical fire broke out on the roof of a BioLab plant, forcing mandatory evacuations and road closures in Conyers, Georgia (Credit: Rockdale County Government) Vox (September 30, 2024) A big fire at a lab near Atlanta spewed chemicals into the air. Here’s what we know.  Amid the devastation and mass flooding wrought by Hurricane Helene, the Atlanta metropolitan area had yet another disaster: A chemical fire released a massive plume of potentially toxic gasses into the air. And it’s spreading. Early Sunday morning, a fire erupted at BioLab, a chemical plant specializing in pool and spa water care, in Conyers, just 30 miles east of Atlanta in Rockdale County. It’s unknown what caused the fire as of publication, but local fire department officials say water from the triggered sprinkler system had reacted with the various chemicals in the building.

Firefighters work on the scene of a chemical leak in railcar near Cleves, Ohio, Tuesday, Sept 24, 2024. (Local 12/WKRC via AP) Additional reporting from ABC7 Eyewitness News (September 25, 2024): Chemical leak from railcar leads to evacuations in Hamilton County, Ohio. Those within half a mile of the rail yard were told to leave the area.

H5 Bird Flu: Current Situation (Accessed September 27, 2024). What to know: 1) H5 bird flu is widespread in wild birds worldwide and is causing outbreaks in poultry and U.S. dairy cows with several recent human cases in U.S. dairy and poultry workers. 2) While the current public health risk is low, CDC is watching the situation carefully and working with states to monitor people with animal exposures. 3) CDC is using its flu surveillance systems to monitor for H5 bird flu activity in people.

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2024 CSOEMA FALL SEMINAR

Registration for the 2024 CSOEMA Fall Seminar is now open. Join us for the CSOEMA Fall Seminar on Thursday, October 31, 2024, as a full-day, virtual, online synchronous event followed by a half-day of asynchronous recorded sessions that you can watch at your convenience. Attend the event for professional enrichment, continuing medical education credits, and fellowship with your OccMed colleagues. Visit the CSOEMA website to register for this event. 

Seminar Topics include:

• Balance
• Narcissists, Psychopaths and Bullies: Oh My!” A Practitioner Guide to dealing with jerks
• The “trick” of engaging transit workers and their unions to help us make Federally mandated Q10 year safety policy revisions that successfully meet workers needs
• A Journey to Create Connection and Lifestyle Medicine, bring back vitality and joy to the practice of medicine (OEM)
• Health and Wellness… props to engage – is this a trick or a treat… level up
• A Chief Wellness Executive’s Approach to Creating a Healthy Work Environment using Occupational Health Principles
• Workplace Stress Management and Crisis Interventions
• The EAP Bewitching Effect on Good Mental Health for All
• Addiction Medicine Pearls
• How workplace psychological safety acts may affect the practice of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in the future 

View the Fall Seminar Agenda Here!

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Is there a particular topic you would like presented at the next CSOEMA Seminar?  Do you have a presentation that you would like to share?

We are always looking for talented, interesting speakers for our Seminars.  Do you or someone you know have a presentation or topic that would be of interest to our membership? 

Let us know by completing this quick form!

Upcoming Events

ACOEM Commercial Driver Medical Examiner (Click here)	Elk Grove Village, IL	October 19, 2024
CSOEMA 2024 Fall Virtual Seminar (Register here)	On-line Real-time and Asynchronous	October 31, 2024
ACOEM Medical Review Officer Fast Track Live (Click here)	Elk Grove Village, IL	November 15-16, 2024
ACOEM Virtual Fall Summit  (Register here)	On-Line Real-time and Asynchronous	November 6-8, 2024
CSOEMA 2025 Spring Seminar Register before Jan 1, 2025 for $50 (Early Bird Special)	Coralville, IA	March 13-15, 2025
AOHC 2025	Austin, TX	April 27-30, 2025

OEM Clinical Practice Highlights

• MDGuidelines: Did you know? Your ACOEM Membership now includes access to MDGuidelines, the industry-leading online tool for quickly accessing evidence-based disability duration information, and ACOEM Clinical Guidelines. This offer is valid for U.S.-based ACOEM members with active membership. Launch the new MDGuidelines ACOEM Navigator. For more information, click here.
  
• ACOEM | On-Demand Learning: Enhance Your Skills and Knowledge and earn continuing medical education. View ACOEM’s extensive on-demand learning opportunities in the ACOEM Store. ACOEM is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to sponsor continuing medical education for physicians.

OEM Research Rounds

• Early in the Pandemic, Essential Workers Had Higher COVID-19 Risks. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, healthcare workers and essential personnel were found to be at a higher risk for infection and serious illness, according to a paper published in the September 2024 volume of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
  • Månsson, Jonas MD; Cajander, Sara PhD; Lidén, Mats PhD; Löfstedt, Håkan PhD; Westberg, Håkan PhD. COVID-19 Across Professions—Infection, Hospitalization, and Intensive Care Unit Patterns in a Swedish County. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 66(9):p 706-713, September 2024. | DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003147

• The Price of Pain: Workers Compensation Costs for Musculoskeletal Claims in the State of Kansas, 2014–2022. Very few studies use workers’ compensation data to assess work-related musculoskeletal disorder costs. The aim of the study is to describe cost and frequency of work-related musculoskeletal disorders in Kansas.
  • Manning, Christin MS; Jorgensen, Michael PhD. The Price of Pain: Workers Compensation Costs for Musculoskeletal Claims in the State of Kansas, 2014–2022. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 66(3):p 252-262, March 2024. | DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000003034

• Characteristics and trends of workplace violence towards frontline health workers. Workplace violence (WPV) in health settings has been emerging as a global public health concern. Health facilities have been recognized as having a heightened risk of WPV, which has adverse effects on victims and creates an atmosphere of insecurity and fear in the workplace. Read More
  • Huang Y, Zhang M, He C, Wang F, Liu Y, Wu J, Luo Q, Chen N, Tang Y. Characteristics and Trends of Workplace Violence towards Frontline Health Workers under Comprehensive Interventions in a Chinese Infectious Disease Hospital. Healthcare. 2024; 12(19):1911. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12191911
    
    
• Physical activity and risk of workplace and commuting injuries. Leisure-time physical activity has been hypothesized to reduce the likelihood of occupational injuries, but it is unclear whether this association varies between workplace and commuting injuries. Read More
  • Alhainen M, Härmä M, Pentti J, Ervasti J, Kivimäki M, Vahtera J, Stenholm S. Physical activity and risk of workplace and commuting injuries: a cohort study. Scand J Work Environ Health 2024;50(6):406-415. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.4163
    
    
• Montoya-Barthelemy A, McKinney ZJ, Leigh JP. Leveraging Employers’ Influence Over Wages as a Social Determinant of Health. J Occup Environ Med. Accepted 9/17/2024. In Press.
  

• Starchook-Moore M, Nadeau A, Dabrowski D, Briggs J, Kool L, Belt M, Bovard R, Anderson P, Kim H, Montoya-Barthelemy A, McKinney ZJ. Retrospective Quality Review of Department of Transportation (DOT) Commercial Drivers Medical Examination Forms. Am J Ind Med. Accepted 9/10/2024. In Press.
  
  
• Hooker SA, Ziegenfuss JY, Muegge JM, Dinh JM, Zabel EW, Belser N, Dabrowski D, Nadeau AM, McKinney ZJ. COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy and Uptake among Firefighters: An Application of the Health Belief Model. J Occup Environ Med. Accepted 9/10/2024. In Press.
  
  
• McKinney ZJ, Tessier KM, Shaheen ZR, Schwitzer G, Olson APJ, Scheurer JM, Krohn KM. Empowering Third-Year Medical Students to Detect Bias and Medical Misinformation Online via Experiential Learning of “Lateral Reading,” A Fact-Checker’s Technique. Teach Learn Med. 2024 Sep 27:1-12. doi: 10.1080/10401334.2024.2405542. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 39329433.
  
  
• McKinney AM, Moore JA, Campbell K, Braga TA, Rykken JB, Jagadeesan BD, McKinney ZJ. Automated vs. manual coding of neuroimaging reports via natural language processing, using the international classification of diseases, tenth revision. Heliyon. 2024 May 7;10(10):e30106. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e30106. PMID: 38799748; PMCID: PMC11126795.

Election Day is November 5th: Make Your Vote Count!

Member Highlights

• Susan Buchanan, MD, MPH, Clinical Associate Professor of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences at the University of Illinois Chicago School of Public Health, is leading a study of fishing and health in the Chicago region and around Lake Michigan examining PFAS exposure and human health. Dr. Buchanan was featured in a Chicago Sun-Times article, Survey Is Part of a Study of Fishing and Health, printed on September 6, 2024.
  
• Zeke McKinney, MD, MHI, MPH, FACOEM, Residency Program Director, HealthPartners Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program; Affiliate Associate Professor, University of Minnesota School of Public Health, Division of Environmental Health Sciences led a podcast discussion on The Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar, Asking the experts about going from B.M.I. to B.R.I? on September 19, 2024 to share his perspective on The New York Times article about body mass index (BMI) and the transition that is being made adjusting the term to BRI – body roundness index.
  
• MINNESOTA MONTHLY 2024 TOP DOCTORS. Congratulations to the following CSOEMA members and outstanding occupational medicine physicians who were recently named Top Doctors by Minnesota Monthly:
  • Liz Medina Alm, MD MPH of Allina Health Urgent Care, Coon Rapids  
  • Christina L.Cusic, MD MPH FACOEM of TRIA Orthopedic Center, Bloomington
  • Zeke J. McKinney, MD MPH MHI FACOEM of HealthPartners, St. Louis Park
  • Kevin Scott Wall, MD MPH of Minnesota Occupational Health

Support the CSOEMA History Project

We invite you to make a financial contribution to support preserving the history of occupational and environmental medicine. Your donations will help fund ongoing projects, including completing the Occupational and Environmental Medicine documentary, which aims to capture our legacy and contributions to the OEM field. If you are interested in supporting this initiative, please contact CSOEMA Executive Director Susan Rittenhouse at [email protected]. Your support is invaluable to the success of this project and the continued growth of our organization.  

ACOEM Update

• You can meet the candidates at the ACOEM Candidate Forum via Zoom on Monday, October 21, 2024, at 5:00 pm CDT. More information can be found from ACOEM here. 
• This year, CSOEMA member Dr. Douglas W. Martin MD, FACOEM, FAAFP, FIAIME (South Dakota), is applying for the ACOEM Board of Directors. Dr. Martin has been a Central States member for 30 years!

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ACOEM (August 8, 2024): ACOEM Announces Participation in NRMP Residency Pathway Match. ACOEM is proud to announce that occupational and environmental medicine (OEM) residencies and fellowships will participate in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) for the upcoming residency application cycle. As of today, 17 programs are taking part. This significant step was decided during the Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Directors Association’s (OEMRDA) annual meeting at the American Occupational Health Conference (AOHC) 2024 in Orlando, Florida. OEMRDA has been discussing NRMP participation for several years, and the decision to participate in the Main Residency Match marks a historic moment – by joining the NRMP, ACOEM aims to streamline the matching process for both applicants and residency programs. This will enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of placing future OEM specialists. “This partnership will be a lightning rod for us,” said Dr. Paul Ogden, Program Director of OEM Residency and Fellowship at the Colorado School of Public Health. “This will improve the availability and appeal of occupational and environmental medicine across the country.” This initiative is expected to significantly enhance the visibility of occupational and environmental medicine as a specialty, attracting a diverse pool of high-caliber applicants. By using the NRMP’s advanced algorithm, OEMRDA will transition from its earlier, manual matching process to a more structured and equitable system, ensuring better outcomes for both applicants and residency programs. “Joining the NRMP is a crucial step forward for our specialty,” said Dr. William ‘Brett’ Perkison, Assistant Professor at the University of Texas School of Public Health. “We can provide students with a definitive pathway forward for them to pursue OEM. We can also more easily recruit residents who might not match in other specialties in the general match. Many aspects of OEM including an emphasis on prevention and an emphasis on work-life balance resonate highly with the next generation of public health leaders.” The NRMP’s Main Residency Match provides a robust and transparent platform for matching residents with programs, fostering the growth of OEM. This move aligns with ACOEM’s commitment to advancing the specialty and supporting the development of the next generation of leaders in occupational and environmental health. ACOEM looks forward to collaborating with NRMP and engaging with prospective applicants through this enhanced matching process. More details and guidance for applicants will be provided in the coming months as ACOEM and OEMRDA work closely with NRMP to implement this new initiative. “OEM is traditionally known as a mid-career change specialty but with NRMP participation, we will reach out to about 50,000 new medical graduates and residents, our next generation of occupational medicine physicians,” said Dr. Sajjad Savul, current chair of OEMRDA. The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) is a private, non-profit organization providing an organized and fair mechanism for matching the preferences of applicants for U.S. residency positions with the preferences of residency program directors. The NRMP matches thousands of applicants annually to residency and fellowship programs, ensuring quality training for future leaders in medicine.

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Has your ACEOM membership lapsed?
Or, would you like to Join ACOEM?

We would love to have you back as a member.  ACOEM membership provides opportunities for physicians and associated healthcare professionals to enhance their careers through education, networking, and leadership. Membership also helps: 

• Enhance the stature and recognition of the specialty 
• Strengthen the voice of OEM in health policy debates 
• Promote new levels of competency in the prevention and treatment of illness, injury, and disability in the work environment and community.
• Reduced Seminar Registration Rates

Contact ACOEM’s Customer Support Team at 847-818-1800 and ask about a discount to join or renew.

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Become an ACOEM Fellow

The Fellow of the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine (FACOEM) designation is ACOEM’s highest acknowledgment that recognizes years of dedication to exceptional education, leadership, and commitment to the specialty.  Demonstrate your dedication and leadership in occupational medicine by becoming a Fellow. Applications for the Class of 2024 are now being accepted! Completed applications and all required documents must be submitted to [email protected] by November 1, 2024. For more information about the ACOEM Fellowship, click here.

Nominations Accepted for the CSOEMA Awards

• The National Leadership Award is presented to an individual who has made a significant contribution to the specialty and has taken steps to promote the specialty on a national level through research, education, and/or by increasing awareness of the value of the specialty. This individual has gone beyond medical practice to positively influence the specialty, and this individual’s efforts serve as a voice for the specialty among their peers. Their efforts demonstrate leadership, commitment, and dedication to advancing the goals of the specialty of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. This award is not limited to members of CSOEMA and may be presented to individuals outside of the CSOEMA membership. The CSOEMA National Leadership Award was created in 1989 and was originally called the Robert R.J. Hilker Lecture.

• The Dedicated Service Award, created in 2005, is given at the Spring Seminar of the Central States Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association. The Dedicated Service Award recognizes a CSOEMA member who has exhibited outstanding service to the Association over a period of many years.

• The Exemplary Service Award, created in 2009, is given at the Fall Seminar of the Central States Occupational and Environmental Medicine Association. The Exemplary Service Award recognizes a CSOEMA member who has exhibited outstanding leadership and ability to accomplish a specific initiative or task that has and/or will provide significant benefit to the Association.  

• The Dr. Alice Hamilton Award was established in 2024 to encourage and celebrate physicians with exemplary contributions to the fields of occupational medicine research, education, clinical occupational medicine, or occupational/environmental toxicology. This award also serves as a tribute to Dr. Alice Hamilton, a pioneering figure in occupational medicine in the early 20th century. The recipients of this award show the ongoing excellence in the occupational medicine field and serve to perpetuate her legacy so that future generations learn from the contributions made by physicians who came before us and continue our important work improving workplace medicine and prevention. Look for the inauguration of the Alice Hamilton Award to be given in Spring 2025. 

Recognize a deserving member for a CSOEMA award by following this link HERE.   

Input Wanted for Upcoming Chicago Regional Occ Med Meeting

Milestones

Do you have a Milestone announcement to share?  Let us know about your birth, marriage, anniversary, promotion, or other life milestone by sending an email to: [email protected].

Residents Corner

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Kim Hargis, MD, MPH Program Director, Occupational Medicine Residency Program University of Illinois at Chicago 835 S. Wolcott, MC 684 Chicago, Illinois 60612 [email protected] Phone: 312-996-6765 | Fax: 312-413-8485 https://glcohs.uic.edu/residency/

Zeke J. McKinney, MD, MHI, MPH, FACOEM Program Director, HealthPartners Occupational Medicine Residency Program HealthPartners West End Clinic 1665 Utica Ave. S., Ste. 100 St. Louis Park, MN 55416 [email protected] Phone: 952-541-2607 | Fax: 952-541-2626 https://mnoccmedresidency.com/

CSOEMA T-Shirts & Other SWAG

Get Engaged!

As our regional component professional organization, CSOEMA operates through the support of members who contribute their time and leadership to make the organization successful. We always seek members to serve as Conference Co-Chairs, Board of Governors, and other committee members. In addition to these roles, there are so many more ways to get involved.  Check out our new webpage highlighting the numerous opportunities to get further involved here. Your participation lends your voice to the organization and gives back to the field of Occupational Medicine. Interested?  Let us know by sending an email to [email protected]. 

Support the CSOEMA Foundation

Don’t forget to support the CSOEM Foundation by making a charitable donation. The CSOEM Foundation supports CSOEMA by providing resident scholarships and other seminar-related expense support that would otherwise not be available. Donations made are tax-deductible and support the ongoing work of CSOEMA.

Are you interested in posting a job listing with CSOEMA?

Job postings will be listed on both the CSOEMA website and the CSOEMA Connection Newsletter and distributed once via email to the CSOEMA membership. Please send an email to: [email protected]
For members or sponsors:

• 1 free 60-day advertisement period/year
• $150 for each additional 60-day advertisement period

For unaffiliated individuals/organizations:

• $300 for a 60-day advertisement period

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CSOEMA Executive Committee

Francine Katz, DO, MPH, FACOEM, President
Isabel Pereira, DO, MPH, MSA, President-Elect
Malgorzata B. Hasek, MD, MPH, FACPM, FACOEM, Vice President
Maria Starchook-Moore, MD, FACOEM, Secretary-Treasurer
Laura Breeher, MD, MPH, MS, FACOEM, Immediate Past President​

CSOEMA Governors

Chris Iverson, MD MBA, MPH; vacant	Governors at Large: 2022-2025
Kodjo Bossou, MD, MPH; Erin Kennedy MD, MPH, MRO, CIME	Governors at Large: 2023-2026
Sarah Bronner MD MPH; Kim Hargis MD, MPH	Governors at Large: 2024-2027
Ashley Nadeau MD, MPH (MN); Claudia Corwin, MD, MPH (IA)	State Governors: 2022-2025
Ambica Nakhasi, MD (IL) Christopher Smelser; DO, MPH, FACOEM (IN)	State Governors: 2023-2026
Matthew Klick DO, MPH (MO); Corey Cronrath DO, MPH, CPE, FACOEM (WI)	State Governors: 2024-2027
S. Laura Chung MD, JD (UIC); Prapti Kuber MD, MBA (Health Partners)	Resident Governors: 2024-2025

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CSOEMA Connection Editorial Staff

William Wong, MD, MPH, FACP, FACOEM, Editor-in-Chief
Claudia Corwin, MD, MPH, FACOEM, Editor
Anitha Nimmagadda, MD, MPH, FACOEM, Editor

The CSOEMA Connection newsletter is the collaborative effort of CSOEMA members. It is a way for us to celebrate our members’ work, discuss important issues, and share information to support our mission. Allow your voice to be heard by contributing to this newsletter. If you have ideas for themes of future newsletter issues, have a tip for us about something (or someone) to feature, or just to let us know how we are doing, please reach out. Please send any contributions, questions, or comments to [email protected], or contact Susan Rittenhouse, CSOEMA Executive Director, at [email protected].