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The intersection of the occupational safety and health act and the environmental protection act: an examination of national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants

Brooks, Sara B (2016) The intersection of the occupational safety and health act and the environmental protection act: an examination of national emission standards for hazardous air pollutants. Master Essay, University of Pittsburgh.

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Abstract

Although the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have distinct missions, they both have a responsibility to protect the health of residents of the United States. The EPA recently promulgated a new National Emissions Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) that covers ferroalloy facilities, specifically those that process manganese for use in steelmaking. Exposure to manganese fumes over long periods of time causes manganism, a debilitating, chronic condition with symptoms similar to Parkinson’s disease. Ambiguities in required control technology in the new ferroalloys NESHAP allow for fume hood placement that may increase employee exposure to manganese and other hazardous substances. Air quality sampling data, medical surveillance records, and OSHA inspection records from ferroalloys facilities in the United States show that permissible exposure limits (PELs) of airborne contaminants, as defined by OSHA, are regularly exceeded, and that personal protective equipment is often poorly maintained or inaccessible. The economic as well as social consequences of workers who are forced to trade their health for a paycheck has broad public health significance. In order to protect the health of both workers and members of the general public, OSHA and the EPA must work together more closely to ensure that regulations do not provide protections to a specific group of people at the expense of another.


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Details

Item Type: Other Thesis, Dissertation, or Long Paper (Master Essay)
Status: Unpublished
Creators/Authors:
CreatorsEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Brooks, Sara Bsbb34@pitt.eduSBB34
Contributors:
ContributionContributors NameEmailPitt UsernameORCID
Committee ChairPeterson, Jamesjimmyp@pitt.eduJIMMYPUNSPECIFIED
Committee MemberKammerer, Candace Mcmk3@pitt.eduCMK3UNSPECIFIED
Date: 25 April 2016
Date Type: Publication
Access Restriction: No restriction; Release the ETD for access worldwide immediately.
Publisher: University of Pittsburgh
Institution: University of Pittsburgh
Schools and Programs: School of Public Health > Environmental and Occupational Health
Degree: MPH - Master of Public Health
Thesis Type: Master Essay
Refereed: Yes
Uncontrolled Keywords: osha, epa, manganese, neshap, steel
Date Deposited: 07 Sep 2016 17:37
Last Modified: 30 Mar 2022 11:56
URI: http://d-scholarship.pitt.edu/id/eprint/27862

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