Prohibición en Francia del empleo de Percloroetileno

A partir del 1 de marzo de 2013 no se podrá emplear percloroetileno en lavanderias en Francia,.

Se prohibe la instalación de cualquier maquina de lavandería que use este producto y se organiza su sustitución por otros solventes.

El percloroetileno está clasificado como probablemente carcinogénico para los humanos por la Agencia Internacional para la investigación sobre el cáncer (grupo 2A)

Francia con los Estados Unidos y Dinamarca son paises pioneros en la limitación del uso de percloroetileno en en las instalaciones de limpieza en seco.

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Una guía para la seguridad en los trabajos de mantenimiento. INRS

Le guide Sécurafim a été réalisé par l’Association française des ingénieurs et responsables de maintenance (AFIM) et l’INRS.


Il propose une démarche pour faciliter et sécuriser les opérations de maintenance sur les équipements de travail, en rappelant les principes inhérents à la maîtrise des énergies.

Il permet, d’après un modèle, la réalisation d’une fiche repère de consignation par machine et la mise en place d’une signalétique adaptée.

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La silicosis en los operadores de máquinas de limpieza por chorro de arena (NIOSH)

Documentación de NIOSH sobre silicosis, con fines didacticos; incluyendo aspectos generales y el estudio de un caso de epidemiología ocupacional en maquinas de limpieza por chorro de arena.

El estudio de un caso está  adaptado para uso en las escuelas secundarias de los EE.UU, pero es aplicable en otros ámbitos didácticos.

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Estudio epidemiológico en el marisqueo a pie


El Issga presenta un documento técnico de Análisis de la situación laboral de las/los trabajadoras/eres del marisqueo a pie dirigido a mejorar sus condiciones de trabajo


El Estudio epidemiológico en el marisqueo a pie que  se presenta ha sido diseñado y elaborado por médicos y enfermeros especialistas en Medicina del Trabajo que integran el equipo de medicina laboral del ISSGA, pero su valor fundamental es haber sido realizado para y con el sector.
Han sido las propias mariscadoras las que han proporcionado la información, relatando sus problemas
más frecuentes, describiendo sus tareas, especificando la organización de su trabajo, etc.
Por su parte, el análisis de los riesgos, la identificación y diagnóstico de las patologías, y la asociación
causal entre ambos quedan reservados para los profesionales de la Medicina del Trabajo.
La alta participación en este proyecto (936 mariscadoras, una cifra que supone cerca del 24% de la población en activo en Galicia, pertenecientes a 32 de las 45 cofradías en las que se desarrolla el marisqueo a pie) demuestra la buena acogida por el colectivo y nos permite tener las claves para abordar las patologías más prevalentes y sus factores determinantes.

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Asia’s emerging asbestos epidemic

Asbestos-related diseases (ARD) represent a growing global epidemic. Yet little is known about the current status of asbestos and ARD in Asia. Now, new research from the UNU International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH) attempts to fill this void.

Growing awareness about the risks posed by asbestos — and the acquisition of asbestos-related diseases (ARD) data — has, in several cases from the region, correlated with a reduction in asbestos use. However, other Asian countries have been slow to learn these lessons.
Will the marked increase in asbestos use in Asia since the 1970s trigger a surge of ARD in the immediate decades ahead? What policy and public health measures can counterbalance a rise in asbestos-related diseases and mortality?
The World Health Organization (WHO) recognizes that asbestos is one of the most significant occupational carcinogens (cancer-causing agents). In 2006, it declared the need to eliminate the rise of ARD and asbestos use.
WHO estimates that, globally, some 107,000 deaths annually are caused by ARD; these include asbestos-related lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis.
Despite gradually growing international awareness, at the regional level the analysis of asbestos use and ARD in Asia has been limited. The first regional-level discussions of the issue only took place in 2002, and a comparative understanding of the situation is patchy at best.
Ongoing data limitations make the task of filling the knowledge void on asbestos is Asia particularly challenging. ARD are known to be generally rare and difficult to diagnose. Furthermore, questions on data validity emerge in countries that have limited experience in diagnosing ARD. Similarly, under-reporting and inconsistent reporting of both asbestos use and ARD create additional barriers to obtaining a comprehensive picture: Of 47 Asian countries studied, 30 had data available for asbestos use only (not ARD), 15 countries had data available for both asbestos use and ARD mortality, and 2 countries only had data available for ARD mortality.
Nevertheless, using the indicators of per-capita asbestos use (measured in kilograms per capita per year) and age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMR, measured in cases per million population per year), recent groundbreaking research from the UNU International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH) attempted to map the dimensions of Asia’s asbestos situation. Drawing on a comparative assessment of public data, this research compared the impact of asbestos in 47 selected Asian countries over the observation period of 1920 to 2007.
Overall, asbestos use in Asia from 1920 to 2007 totaled 55.5 metric tons, or 29 per cent of the world’s asbestos use. Asia’s proportion of global asbestos use increased significantly overall, from a 14 per cent share in 1920-1970 to 33 per cent in 1971-2000, then rising to 64 per cent in 2000 – 2007. In terms of ARD, 12.5 per cent of ARD deaths (or 12,882 deaths, or which 12,012 were mesothelioma) were recorded cumulatively in Asia.
During the observation period (1920 to 2007), most individual Asian countries (60 per cent) increased their asbestos use: Between 1920 and 1970 (period A), 5 countries recorded high values of asbestos use (greater than 1.0 kg/capita/year), while 13 countries recorded high values from 1970 to 2000 (period B). This spike in asbestos use was followed by a dip, back to 5 countries that recorded high values between 2000 and 2007 (period C).
Kazakhstan was the only county studied that maintained high values during all three periods. Cyprus and Lebanon both had high values for periods A and B and Kyrgyzstan, UAE, Thailand and Uzbekistan had high values for the two later periods (B and C). China, Thailand, India and Indonesia all increased their use of asbestos over the three periods.
Asia’s overall share of worldwide asbestos use is summarized in the chart below:



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Radiation Safety Experts Call for Global Action to Improve Patient and Health Worker Protection

More than 500 experts from 77 countries and 16 international organizations concluded a major IAEA organized international conference in Bonn, Germany, on 7 December 2012, calling for global and national progress in enforcing and supporting strengthened radiation protection in health care.
The international conference, hosted by Germany and cosponsored by the World Health Organization, issued the Bonn Call for Action, urging international bodies to support its objectives to achieve, "the highest benefit with the least possible risk to all patients and appropriate use of ionizing radiation for diagnosis and treatment.
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