CSOEMA Connection (Winter 2023)

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
100th Annual 2024 CSOEMA Spring Seminar
ACOEM Update
Upcoming Events
Future CSOEMA Seminars Survey
Milestones
Resident’s Corner
T-Shirts & Other SWAG
Seeking Volunteers
Support the CSOEMA Foundation

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Around the States

National

• The Atlantic (October 31, 2023): Whatever Happened to Carpal Tunnel Syndrome? A national plague of workplace injuries was once a media obsession. Now, it’s all but forgotten.

• CNBC (November 30, 2023): U.S. tap water has a $47 billion forever chemicals problem. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is adding some “forever chemicals” to the list of toxins in drinking water that must be reported. That is going to require a lot of infrastructure investment.
  
• CBS News (November 30, 2023): EPA proposes rule to replace all lead water pipes in U.S. within 10 years: “Trying to right a longstanding wrong.”  Most U.S. cities would have to replace lead water pipes within 10 years under strict new rules proposed by the Environmental Protection Agency as the Biden administration moves to reduce lead in drinking water and prevent public health crises like the ones in Flint, Michigan, and Washington, D.C.  Read the White House briefing here: FACT SHEET: Biden-⁠Harris Administration Announces New Action to Protect Communities from Lead Exposure

• NBC News (November 24, 2023): Pressure grows on FDA as lead-tainted applesauce sickens more kids. Proposed guidelines to limit lead in foods likely won’t be finalized until 2025.

• K5News (October 30, 2023): Bus driver workers’ compensation claims skyrocket as exposure to drugs increases. Washington State workers’ compensation claims connected to smoke inhalation of illicit drugs are at a five-year high.

• CNN (November 8, 2023): Working in the sun creates large skin cancer risk, UN agencies report. Working under the sun could be a major cause of skin cancer worldwide, according to new data from the World Health Organization and the International Labour Organization. The new estimates link working outdoors in the sunlight to non-melanoma skin cancer. The report, published in the research journal Environment International, says that nearly 1 in 3 deaths from non-melanoma skin cancer is caused by ultraviolet radiation from outdoor work. More information can be found here.

• US News and World Report (November 6, 2023): Medical Schools Warm to Curriculum Changes as Climate Threats Grow. Schools training the nation’s future physicians are incorporating climate change into courses, preparing students for challenges posed by the planet’s shifting patterns.

• UW News (November 27, 2023): Breathing highway air increases blood pressure, UW research finds. High-traffic roadways have sliced and diced American cities for more than a century. Interstate highways and wide arterials are now a defining feature of most metropolitan areas, their constant flow of cars spewing pollution into nearby neighborhoods.
  
• Medical Xpress (November 27, 2023): Rising heat stress poses grave occupational health risks for workers, study finds.  UW Institute for Global Health.  As global temperatures continue to soar due to anthropogenic climate change, a new study has highlighted the alarming consequences of heat stress on outdoor workers. The research, published in Kidney International Reports, was conducted among salt pan workers in Tamil Nadu, India, and reveals the urgent need for adaptation strategies and improved healthcare access to protect vulnerable individuals.
  
• Medpage Today (November 3, 2023): CDC Launches Initiative to Tackle Burnout in Healthcare — Not a “Band-Aid,” but a systems approach, says NIOSH program director.  On Tuesday, the CDC’s National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) launched the Impact Wellbeing campaign to provide resources to hospital leaders to ease burnout, encourage help-seeking, and improve well-being among the healthcare workforce. Before the pandemic, at least 35% of nurses and physicians opened a new tab or window showing signs of burnout. COVID-19 exacerbated the struggle for workers already vulnerable due to challenging workplace environments.

• News 9 (October 30, 2023): Study Highlights Rising Mental Health Crisis Among Healthcare Workers. The CDC urges medical facilities to promote stress prevention, positive emotional health resources, and safe work environments.

• STAT News (October. 31, 2023):New CDC campaign asks healthcare leaders to take responsibility for reducing burnout. Often, workplace conversations about burnout put the onus on the individual to take care of their mental health while ignoring management’s role in solving the problem. A new anti-burnout campaign from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health avoids this typical — and often frustrating — tactic, instead imploring leaders to better support healthcare workers.
  
• Reuters (November 20, 2023): UAW clinches record Detroit deals and turns to organizing Tesla, foreign automakers. Nov 20 (Reuters) – The United Auto Workers (UAW) said Monday that 64% of workers at the Detroit Three automakers voted to ratify new record contracts after a six-week targeted strike, as the union turns its attention to organizing foreign-owned and Tesla auto plants.
  
• VOA (November 18, 2023): Ford Workers Approve Contract That Ended UAW Strike. The United Auto Workers union overwhelmingly ratified a new contract with Ford, a pact that, along with similar deals with General Motors and Stellantis, will raise pay across the industry, force automakers to absorb higher costs, and help reshape the auto business as it shifts away from gasoline-fueled vehicles.
  
• VOA (October 31, 2023): UAW: Strike ‘Won Things No One Thought Possible’ from Automakers. The United Auto Workers won at least partial victories on many of the key demands that led to the six-week strike against Ford, General Motors, and Jeep maker Stellantis. The union has given some details of the deals, including a detailed explanation of its agreement with Ford. The agreement is expected to become the model for later settlements with GM and Stellantis. Rank-and-file UAW members must ratify each contract before it takes effect.  “We won things no one thought possible,” UAW President Shawn Fain said when he announced the tentative agreement last week affecting Pay, Bonuses, Temporary Workers, Benefits, SHorter Work Weeks, Climbing the Ladder, Right to Strike, and Union Organizing.

• Boston Herald (November 16, 2023): After Massachusetts cannabis worker died from an asthma attack, state pushes marijuana industry to take extra safety steps. After a Bay State cannabis worker suffered an asthma attack and died, the state Department of Public Health is pushing the local marijuana industry to take extra safety steps to prevent work-related asthma. A Trulieve Cannabis Corp. employee who was packaging ground cannabis into pre-rolls at the company’s Holyoke processing facility suffered an asthma attack and later died in the hospital last year. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated, and the company later settled with OSHA.  DPH and OSHA confirmed that the death of the 27-year-old production technician was the first known occupational asthma fatality in the U.S. cannabis workforce.
  
• KFF (August 24, 2023):Continued Rises in Extreme Heat and Implications for Health Disparities. Climate change-related extreme heat events have lengthened, become more frequent, and increased in intensity over the past few decades, with some of the worst conditions and impacts observed in Summer 2023. Across the globe and the country, there have been rising incidents of extreme heat and air quality events. June 2023 became the hottest June on record globally, while smoke from wildfires in Canada driven by climate change-related heat resulted in significant air pollution that affected more than 60 million people in the U.S. In August, prolonged dry conditions and high winds in Hawai’i laid the foundation for wildfires that caused massive destruction on the island of Maui and other areas of the islands, resulting in the largest loss of life due to wildfires in modern U.S. history. As temperatures continue to rise and extreme heat events that are linked to adverse health outcomes become more frequent in the U.S., people of color and other underserved communities are disproportionately affected.
  
• Scientific American (September 4, 2023): Working in Extreme Heat Is Dangerous. We Must Make It Safer. Opinion: Extreme heat is becoming more common across the U.S. The federal government and employers owe workers better safety measures
  
• The Guardian (November 9, 2023): US faces almost daily hazardous chemical accidents, research suggests. Non-profit researchers report incidents exposing people to dangerous toxins through fires, explosions, leaks, and spills. Hazardous chemical accidents are occurring almost daily, on average, in the United States, exposing people to dangerous toxins through fires, explosions, leaks, spills, and other releases, according to a new analysis by non-profit researchers.
  
• NPR (July  24, 2023): Young men making quartz countertops are facing lung damage.Silicosis In U.S. Countertop Workers: One state is taking action. California is poised to become the first state in the country to adopt special measures to protect workers who make kitchen and bathroom countertops out of a popular kind of artificial stone known as “quartz.” This article highlights the case series published in JAMA of silicosis associated with occupational exposure to dust from engineered stone primarily occurring among young Latino immigrant men. Many patients presented with severe disease, and some cases were fatal.
  
• JAMA Internal Medicine (September 1, 2023): Engineered Stone–Associated Silicosis—A Lethal Variant of an Ancient Disease. Editorial commentary accompanying the JAMA article is highlighted in the research highlights section.
  
• LA Times (November 19, 2023): California countertop workers died of a preventable disease.The threat was known years earlier. The deaths of workers, some barely at middle age, have alarmed California lawmakers and regulators as dozens of cases of the suffocating illness have emerged among people who cut and grind countertops. Physicians have linked the silicosis outbreak to the booming demand for engineered stone, a synthetic material much higher in lung-scarring silica than natural granite or marble.

• KFF (Nov 17, 2023): KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor November 2023: With COVID Concerns Lagging, Most People Have Not Gotten Latest Vaccine And Half Say They Are Not Taking Precautions This Holiday Season. The latest KFF COVID-19 Vaccine Monitor survey suggests the lack of public concern about getting sick from COVID-19 may be why many people have not gotten the latest vaccine and why half of the public are not planning on taking precautions to limit the spread of the virus during the coming months.

• KFF (November 7, 2023): Most Black and Hispanic Adults Expect to Get the New COVID-19 Vaccine, Though Most White Adults Don’t. Two-thirds of the Public Aren’t Worried About Getting Sick or Spreading the Virus Over the Holidays
  
• Politico (November 27, 2023): 5 questions about the latest disease outbreak in China. It’s more likely the bill is coming due for China’s prolonged Covid lockdown than a novel virus emerging. Hospitals filling up, but don’t panic.
  
• Occupational Health and Safety (September 6, 2023):Building the Future Navigating Safety Hazards in the Surge of EV Gigafactory Construction. With many big-name auto brands racing to manufacture electric vehicles, the construction industry is racing to keep pace with demand, but what does that mean for worker safety and PPE needs? There are four key stages of construction to examine.

• Webwire (November 6, 2023): OSHA Releases Top 10 List of Citations and Optimizing Health and Safety Programs. Last month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) released its preliminary list of the agency’s ten most frequently cited safety and health violations for the 2023 fiscal year. The list represents tens of thousands of workplace inspections conducted all across the United States.
  
• Business Insider (November 4, 2023): Crisis in the skies. Pilots fear they’ll lose their wings if they disclose mental health treatment — and they say the FAA’s stringent policies are to blame
  
• Inside Climate News (October 31, 2023): Extreme Heat Pushes More Farmworkers to Harvest at Night, Creating New Risks. Working in the dark may help agricultural workers keep cool, but safety advocates worry the trend could also cause more accidents and compromise worker health.
  
• Inside Climate News (November 16, 2023): US Regions Will Suffer a Stunning Variety of Climate-Caused Disasters, Report Finds. Extreme temperatures, worsening wildfires, hurricanes and floods, infrastructure problems, agricultural impacts: How you experience climate change will depend on where you live.
  
• World Meteorological Association (October 31, 2023): Greenhouse Gas concentrations hit record high. Again.Record levels of heat-trapping gases mean further temperature increases. The carbon budget is shrinking fast. Climate change impacts include more extreme weather and sea level rise. Global Greenhouse Gas Watch will support climate action.  The abundance of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere once again reached a new record last year, and there is no end in sight to the rising trend, according to a new report from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). Global averaged concentrations of carbon dioxide (CO2), the most important greenhouse gas, in 2022 were a full 50% above the pre-industrial era for the first time. They continued to grow in 2023.

Illinois

• Channel 7 Eyewitness News (December 5, 2023): State will not proceed with Brighton Park camp for Chicago migrants after environmental review. Mayor Brandon Johnson has said migrants in Chicago would be housed in winterized tents as temps drop. Protesters have gathered after an environmental report revealed that the 38th/California site is contaminated with metals and chemicals. WBEZ reports Governor Pritzker rejects toxic migrant shelter site in Brighton Park. The decision follows the city of Chicago’s release of an environmental report Friday night that showed high levels of mercury, lead, and other toxic elements at the 38th and California site, requiring further environmental remediation. The State will work with the City of Chicago to identify alternate shelter options for the migrant families.

• Chicago Sun-Times (November 10, 2023): Forever chemicals’ toxic legacy at Chicago’s airports. Military investigators have found firefighting foam contaminated groundwater beneath O’Hare and Midway airports with PFAS chemicals. It’s unclear how far it has spread.

Indiana

• Inside Indiana Business (November 13, 2023): Study: Indiana workplace injury illness rate continues to drop. The lowest number of Hoosiers in recent history got injured or sick at work last year, according to a survey from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics. Indiana had a rate of 2.9 workplace injuries and illnesses per 100 full-time workers in 2022, down from 3.2 in 2021. When the Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses was created in 1992, the rate was 11 per 100, which rose to 11.3 in 1994.  2022 was the eighth consecutive year that the rate is below 4.0.

Iowa

• The Daily Iowan (November 2, 2023): Fall harvest yields a dangerous time for Iowa farmers. Most recent reports show a high number of farm-related injuries and fatalities in Iowa.
  
• Des Moines Register ( November 28, 2023) Iowa Planned Parenthood workers to picket in Des Moines, claiming unfair labor practicesPlanned Parenthood workers in Des Moines will picket this week as part of a multi-state union demonstration over labor concerns as they attempt to negotiate a contract with their employer. Unionized Planned Parenthood North Central States from Iowa, Minnesota, and Nebraska will picket outside of clinics Tuesday morning to call for a contract that meets workers’ demands, including increased wages and lower health insurance premiums. In addition, union officials say they are drawing attention to intimidation and unfair labor practices faced by the bargaining team from the nonprofit healthcare provider.

Minnesota

• CBS MINNESOTA (November 2, 2023): Legislative fix proposed after worker blows whistle on Water Gremlin. A former worker who blew the whistle on a manufacturing plant is now asking for a legislative fix.  Steven Wurtz shared what he believes were health hazards and safety violations at Water Gremlin in White Bear Township. The Minnesota Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigated and said the issues raised did not exceed MN OSHA limits. Water Gremlin has been at the center of several WCCO investigations since 2019, from excessive toxic chemical emissions to lead migration and poisoning of kids to hazardous waste violations.
  
  
• MPR (November 8, 2023): Report: Wastewater Is Key Contributor of ‘Forever Chemicals’ Pollution. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, are a large class of human-made chemicals originally developed in Minnesota by Maplewood-based 3M in the 1940s. PFAS have been found in water, soil, wildlife, and humans around the globe. A new report from an environmental advocacy group says wastewater treatment plants and sewage sludge are key pathways for so-called “forever chemicals” to contaminate Minnesota waterways.

Missouri

•  KRCU Public Radio (September 11, 2023): Outdoor Workers in Missouri Suffering from Heat Exposure. Missouri’s sweltering summer has led people working in the agriculture sector and at other outdoor jobs to voice concerns about heat…

North Dakota

•  The Independent (November 8, 2023): Ohio just legalized recreational marijuana. These states could be next. The vote means Ohio has become the 24th US state to legalize marijuana for recreational use.  North Dakota and other states could be next.

Wisconsin

• Investigate Midwest (November 1, 2023): Dairy workers on Wisconsin’s small farms are dying. Many of those deaths are never investigated.OSHA sometimes investigates deaths on small farms if they provide housing to immigrant workers. Other times, the agency says it can’t take action.
  
• ProPublica (November 13, 2023): OSHA Investigates Small Dairy Farms So Rarely That Many Worker Advocates Don’t Bother to Report Deaths and Injuries. Worker advocates say the federal agency’s patchwork of enforcement nationwide is fundamentally unfair. Many don’t contact OSHA over safety incidents because they’ve heard so frequently that small farms can’t be investigated.
  
• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (November 7, 2023): ‘Forever chemicals’ detected in 71% of shallow wells surveyed by DNR.  A new study by the DNR and UW-Stevens Point found that a majority of shallow wells in Wisconsin could have PFAS contaminations.

• Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (October 11, 2023): ‘Forever chemical’ bill clears committee, but worries over limits to DNR authority persist. A bill aimed at addressing “forever chemicals” could receive a vote from the full state Senate as early as next week, even though impacted residents and communities are still worried it may do more harm than good.

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OEM Images of the Month

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OEM Clinical Practice Highlights

• AMA Journal of Ethics (April 1, 2023): Do Clinics in Meat and Poultry Plants Endanger Workers?  This article explores ethical challenges for healthcare professionals in on-site workplace clinics (OWCs), including companies’ pressure to keep so-called “recordable” injuries low. This article also suggests changes to support OWCs’ roles in safety and injury prevention. CME Opportunity – Earn 1 CME Credit.Learning Objectives: 1. Explain a new or unfamiliar viewpoint on ethical or professional conduct. 2. Evaluate the usefulness of this information for health care practice, teaching, or conduct 3. Decide whether and when to apply the new information to health care practice, teaching, or conduct
  
• ACOEM | Legalization of Cannabis – Implications for Workplace Safety: ACOEM has revised its 2019 position statement on cannabis use, advocating for increased research and collaboration between all stakeholders in defining and/or measuring the impairment risks of cannabis product use as it relates to the workplace. This includes the development and implementation of scientifically based methods for monitoring and testing for impairment from any of the myriad of substances that can cause it (cannabis, alcohol, illicit drugs, opioids, or other medication, whether prescription or over-the-counter). Workplace policies that employers should establish are addressed.

• ACOEM | Public Safety Medicine Section: ACOEM and the Public Safety Medicine Section launched a new website through the Public Safety Medicine Center this year:  https://www.publicsafetymedicine.org/. This website contains updated occupational medicine guidelines for occupational health and safety professionals who treat workers who protect the public, specifically law enforcement officers (LEOs), firefighters, correctional officers, tactical teams, and EMS personnel. Subscribe to the Public Safety Medicine Center to access this important OccMed resource.

• MDGuidelines: Did you know?… Your ACOEM Membership now includes access to MDGuidelines, the industry-leading online tool to access evidence-based disability duration information quickly, 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:

Fazio JC, Gandhi SA, Flattery J, Heinzerling A, Kamangar N, Afif N, Cummings KJ, Harrison RJ. Silicosis Among Immigrant Engineered Stone (Quartz) Countertop Fabrication Workers in California.JAMA Intern Med. 2023 Sep 01; 183(9):991-998.  PMID: 37486642; PMCID: PMC10366949.

Gandhi SA, Heinzerling A, Flattery J, Fazio JC, Alam A, Cummings KJ, Harrison RJ. Active Surveillance of Engineered Stone Workers Facilitates Early Identification of Silicosis: A Discussion of Surveillance of Occupational Lung Diseases. New Solut. 2023 Nov; 33(2-3):119-129.  PMID: 37649363.

Creeden R, Blonien N, Schultz JK, Wheeler J, Haltson EL, McKinney ZJ. Prolonged Disability following Re-Exposure after Complete Recovery from Aerotoxic Syndrome: A Case Report. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 2023; 20(24):7156. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20247156

Ari Shechter, PhD; Tsion Firew, MD, MPH; Maody Miranda, MA; Nakesha Fray, MPH; Allison A. Norful, PhD, RN, ANP-BC; Alvis Gonzalez, BS; Bernard P. Chang, MD, PhD. Sleep Disturbance and Burnout in Emergency Department Health Care Workers.  This cross-sectional study examines the association of sleep disturbances with burnout among emergency medicine healthcare workers. JAMA Network Open. JAMA 2023;6(11):e2341910. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.41910. View invited JAMA commentary by Dave W. Lu, MD, MSCI, MBE for the above article here.

Fernandez, Antonio R. PhD; Treichel, Alison MPH; Myers, J. Brent MD; Bourn, Scott S. PhD; Crowe, Remle P. PhD; Gardner, Bill AS. Evaluating Firefighter On-Scene Decontamination Practices Using a National Fire Records Management System

This is the first study to describe real-world on-scene exposure decontamination practices by fire personnel using data entered into a fire incident management system, with records from over 2,500 firefighters throughout the United States. Our results suggest that too few fire personnel are performing decontamination on-scene following documented exposure.

• Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine 65(11):p 931-936, November 2023. DOI: 10.1097/JOM.0000000000002927

REVIEW ARTICLE: Łukasz, Bartłomiej;Rybakowska, Iwona; Krakowiak, Anna; Gregorczyk, Magdalena; Waldman Wojciech. Lithium Batteries Safety, Wider Perspective. Int J Occup Med Environ Health. 2023;36(1):3–20. PDF article is available here. DOI: https://doi.org/10.13075/ijomeh.1896.01995. 

Marina Romanello, PhD; Claudia di Napoli, PhD; Carole Green, MPH; Harry Kennard, PhD; Pete Lampard, PhD; Daniel Scamman, PhD; et al. The 2023 report of the Lancet Countdown on health and climate change: the imperative for a health-centred response in a world facing irreversible harms.
In 2022, the Lancet Countdown warned that people’s health is at the mercy of fossil fuels and stressed the transformative opportunity of jointly tackling the concurrent climate change, energy, cost-of-living, and health crises for human health and wellbeing. This year’s report finds few signs of such progress. At the current 10-year mean heating of 1·14°C above pre-industrial levels, climate change is increasingly impacting the health and survival of people worldwide, and projections show these risks could worsen steeply with further inaction. However, with health matters gaining prominence in climate change negotiations, this report highlights new opportunities to deliver health-promoting climate change action and a safe and thriving future for all. Published: November 14, 2023 DOI:https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(23)01859-7. 

• See full content of the Lancet Countdown website here. 
• Also, view the Lancet Countdown Multimedia section here.

Frank Pega, Natalie C. Momen, Kai N. Streicher, Maria Leon-Roux, Subas Neupane, Mary K. Schubauer-Berigan, Joachim Schüz, Marissa Baker, Tim Driscoll, Irina Guseva Canu, Hannah M. Kiiver, Jian Li, Jamaji C. Nwanaji-Enwerem, Michelle C. Turner, Susana Viegas, Paul J. Villeneuve, et al. Global, regional and national burdens of non-melanoma skin cancer attributable to occupational exposure to solar ultraviolet radiation for 183 countries, 2000–2019: A systematic analysis from the WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of the Work-related Burden of Disease and Injury. Environment International, Volume 181, 2023, 108226, ISSN 0160-4120,

• Abstract: Background: A World Health Organization (WHO) and International Labour Organization (ILO) systematic review reported sufficient evidence for higher risk of non-melanoma skin cancer (NMSC) amongst people occupationally exposed to solar ultraviolet radiation (UVR). This article presents WHO/ILO Joint Estimates of global, regional, national, and subnational occupational exposures to UVR for 195 countries/areas and the global, regional, and national attributable burdens of NMSC for 183 countries by sex and age group for the years 2000, 2010 and 2019.
• Methods: We calculated population-attributable fractions (PAFs) from estimates of the population occupationally exposed to UVR and the risk ratio for NMSC from the WHO/ILO systematic review. Occupational exposure to UVR was modeled via proxy of occupation with outdoor work, using 166 million observations from 763 cross-sectional surveys for 96 countries/areas. Attributable NMSC burden was estimated by applying the PAFs to WHO’s estimates of the total NMSC burden. Measures of inequality were calculated.
• Results: Globally, in 2019, 1.6 billion workers (95 % uncertainty range [UR] 1.6–1.6) were occupationally exposed to UVR, or 28.4 % (UR 27.9–28.8) of the working-age population. The PAFs were 29.0 % (UR 24.7–35.0) for NMSC deaths and 30.4 % (UR 29.0–31.7) for disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). Attributable NMSC burdens were 18,960 deaths (UR 18,180–19,740) and 0.5 million DALYs (UR 0.4–0.5). Men and older age groups carried a larger burden. Over 2000–2019, attributable deaths and DALYs almost doubled.
• Conclusions: WHO and the ILO estimate that occupational exposure to UVR is common and causes substantial, inequitable, growing attributable burden of NMSC. Governments must protect outdoor workers from hazardous exposure to UVR and attributable NMSC burden and inequalities. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2023.108226.

100th Annual 2023 CSOEMA SPRING SEMINAR on March 7-9, 2024

Registration for the 100th Annual 2023 CSOEMA Spring Seminar is now open. The Spring Seminar returns on March 7-9, 2024, in Lisle, IL, at the DoubleTree by Hilton Lisle/Naperville. The Spring Seminar will be special as it will be the 100th Spring Seminar hosted by CSOEMA. This will be a Spring Seminar to attend. Special events are planned to mark this special moment in our history. Register early for the Spring Seminar to take advantage of the Early Bird Discount, which expires December 31, 2023. 

Additionally, if you are among the first 100 registrants for the 100th Annual 2023 Spring Seminar, and if 100 people register, you will be entered into a raffle drawing to win a FREE CONFERENCE REGISTRATION. Yes, you heard that right, your conference registration fee will be waived, if you are the winner of this drawing. So, bring a friend to the Spring Seminar! Attend the Spring Seminar with your colleagues!  Get the special group rate on your hotel reservation by registering for the conference through the CSOEMA website and by using the group code when making your lodging reservation. Visit the CSOEMA website to register for this event.

Member Highlights

• Greg Vanichkachorn, MD, MPH, FACOEM, was named the new Director of Pilot Health Services for Delta Airlines. Greg has frequently presented at CSOEMA Seminars and serves on the CSOEMA Board of Governors.  Congratulations, Greg!
   
• Zeke McKinney, MD, MHI, MPH, FACOEM, Residency Program Director of the MN HealthPartners OEM Residency Program, was interviewed on KARE11 this fall for a local story promoting the COVID-19, Flu, and RSV vaccines.

ACOEM Update

•  Mentorship, Anyone?  See the mentor flier for any member looking to Mentor or looking to be a Mentee.

Upcoming Events

CSOEMA 2024 100th Spring Seminar (Register here)	Lisle, IL	March 7-9, 2024
AOHC 2024 (Registration here)	Orlando, FL	May 19-22, 2024

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Future CSOEMA Seminars Survey: We seek your input to help plan future CSOEMA Seminars. 

We are considering consolidating CSOEMA Seminars into one large annual conference.

Milestones

In Memoriam: Joseph “Joe” LaDou MD

Joseph “Joe” LaDou of Aspen, Colorado, died unexpectedly on November 10, 2023, after a brief illness. Joe was born on Aug. 19, 1938, in Salem, Oregon, to parents who had ventured west looking for opportunity during the Great Depression. He was raised in San Diego with his older sister and younger brother, then moved to San Francisco for medical school. Joe remained in the Bay Area for the rest of his career and raised his two daughters there.

Joe was an occupational and environmental medicine physician who started an occupational medical practice in 1967 in the area later known as Silicon Valley, and taught at University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). He was appointed the first Chief of the UCSF Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in 1983, where his continuing medical education courses taught more than 2,000 physicians over a period of twenty years. Joe made many contributions to the literature. He served as editor of the field’s major textbook, Current Diagnosis & Treatment: Occupational & Environmental Medicine, and was the founding editor of the International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health. He authored nearly 100 peer-reviewed articles, the last one when he was 82 years old.

Joe was well known as a fierce advocate for workers in the United States and internationally and an inspiration for occupational and environmental health activists around the world. His activism began when he noticed patients in his clinic suffering from the effects of toxic chemicals commonly used by the semiconductor industry. He authored the first journal article exposing the semiconductor industry for its lack of worker protections. He was one of the founders of the International Campaign for Responsible Technology (ICRT). In the last month of his life, Joe presented a paper on the semiconductor industry at a conference in Italy, fulfilling his promise never to stop fighting for workers’ rights to a healthy workplace.

Joe later studied the global migration of hazardous materials, which led to international efforts to control occupational and environmental hazards around the world. He traveled to more than 50 countries, working with local public health agencies to develop programs to protect the health of workers. He did not hesitate to name multinational corporations and international agencies as causes of epidemics of worker illnesses. He was awarded the Ramazzini Award, conferred by the Collegium Ramazzini in Carpi, Italy, for his achievements in the field of occupational medicine in 1998, and the Harriet Hardy Award from the New England College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine in 2005

In addition to his career accomplishments, Joe was widely known for his generosity, sense of humor, and mentorship. Colleagues knew him as the person who would connect anyone with just the right person or opportunity to further their career. In addition to helping people and making them laugh, his greatest joys in life were travel, good food, classical music, fine art, museums, and hiking. Joe moved to Aspen in 1993, after years of visiting in the summers to attend the Aspen Music Festival. His summers were about music; he rarely missed a performance. Joe hiked Aspen Mountain every morning, sun or snow, for 30 years.

Joe is survived by his daughters, Ana and Marisa, two granddaughters, his beloved sister, Leah, and many others who considered him family.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, please donate to the International Campaign for Responsible Technology (ICRT) or the Halo Trust.

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

We welcome and introduce the new Occupational and Environmental Medicine Residency Program PGY-2 residents in Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN (Health Partners) and Chicago, IL (UIC) in the Central States region.

• Lauren Benning, DO             Health Partners OEM Residency
• James Guanming Lo, DO     Health Partners OEM Residency
• Arooj Mohammad, MD         UIC OEM Residency
• Laura Chung, MD                  UIC OEM Residency

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

Order your CSOEMA T-shirts and other SWAG! (SWAG = Souvenirs, Wearables, and Gifts) Here’s your chance to own a wearable, functional, and collectible piece of CSOEMA SWAG!  The CSOEMA Store is open!  CSOEMA-branded items are available conveniently online to everyone. The CSOEMA Store offers clothing, drinkware, tote bags, and more. Items are available for purchase and shipping directly to your door. New designs and items will be added regularly.  Shop the online CSOEMA Store today! To access the online store, visit: https://www.bonfire.com/store/csoema/ 

Seeking Volunteers

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. 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

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

CSOEMA Connection Editorial Staff

William Wong, MD, MPH, FACP, FACOEM, Editor-in-Chief

Claudia Corwin, MD, MPH, FACOEM, Editor

Anitha Nimmagadda, MD, MPH, 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].