According to lawmakers and public health experts, the Bush White House is trying to relax the regulation of toxic substances in the workplace. The Labor Department has made a proposal to alter the way it measures the risk of asbestos, silica dust, beryllium, and other harmful chemical substances. This proposal would force regulators to alter the methods used to determine on-the-job risks.

Big businesses have continually complained about these regulations that cost them money but protect the health and safety of their workers by saying that the government overestimates worker exposures to chemicals and toxins.

A former Department of Labor appointee, Diana Furchgott-Roth, has said, “These days workers frequently don’t work in the same job for 40 hours a week for a 45-year career.”

Many experts and critics of the proposal say that Furchgott-Roth’s statements exist only to get businesses off the hook, and that many exposure levels are already unsafe. Even though many experts have spoken against the proposal, the Environmental Protection Agency can still make the change.

This EPA proposal has come “out of nowhere” and is another effort for the Bush administration to end workers’ ability to rightfully sue their employers. However, there may be hope. David Michaels, an epidemiologist from George Washington University, has said “The next administration will essentially either have to roll back or accept it [the reform], which would mean that any new rule would take a year or two longer to get out.”

If you or a loved one has been hurt and is suffering from the effects of hazardous substances in the workplace, call the experienced attorneys at Cappolino Dodd Krebs LLP today at 1-888-MESO-FIRM (1-888-637-6347).

This entry was posted on Friday, August 1st, 2008 at 8:41 pm and is filed under Asbestos, Gastrointestinal Cancer, Lung Cancer, Mesothelioma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.