Tennessee firemen walk to Nashville to draw attention to workers’ comp bill
Two Cleveland, Tennessee firemen this week began a nine-day walk to the state capitol in Nashville. A bill supported by firemen statewide, would qualify post-traumatic stress disorder as an injury suffered in the course of their work. The legislation cites an epidemic of firemen choosing to take their own lives as a result of PTSD. WDEF
Lawmakers urge Labor Department to expedite workers compensation claims from federal firemen
A bipartisan group of lawmakers is urging the Labor Department to do more to ensure that federal firemens’ workers’ compensation claims are processed quickly. Currently, the process is difficult and time consuming to navigate, leading injured firemen to resort to other avenues to pay medical bills, and the lawmakers say the current system fails to compensate them for chronic conditions that stem from long-term exposure to smoke and fire-suppressant chemicals. The National Federation of Federal Employees endorsed the plan to develop a special unit to handle firemens’ workers compensation claims, particularly as wildfire seasons grow longer and more dangerous. Government Executive
Florida House panel approves bill granting first responders more time to file PTSD claims
The state of Florida may soon provide first responders more time to file a workers’ compensation claim related to post traumatic stress disorder under a bill advanced Tuesday in the state senate. According to a staff analysis, first responders are nearly five times more likely to witness a traumatic event and develop PTSD. Of those with a diagnosis, 30% will develop a behavioral health condition, including depression. State law requires first responders to file a claim no less than 90 days after the “manifestation” of PTSD. The proposal would change the deadline to 90 days after a traumatic event or a diagnosis. Florida Politics
Nail salon technicians inhale 10 times more chemicals than e-waste workers
A group of researchers from the University of Toronto found that nail salon employees’ exposure to certain chemicals was 30 times higher as compared to to exposure within households from everyday products and 10 times higher than electronic waste facilities’ employees. The researchers found that although flame retardants, which have been shown to cause cancer, hormone disruption, and neurological damage, are not usually used in personal care products, they unexpectedly found high levels of them in Canadian nail salons. Forbes
The risk of silicosis from hydraulic fracturing
Researchers are examining the regions of the country where health care practitioners should be most worried about potential patients in their practice who may be at risk from the newly identified source of silica exposure, as well as the proper medical tests to do. Physician’s Weekly