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Mold Update
Monday, 30 January 2006
CDC Finds Katrina Mold Protection Inadequate - Monday Morning Mold (Mycology) - January 23, 2005 \n This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
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CDC Finds Katrina Mold Protection Inadequate - Monday Morning Mold (Mycology) - January 23, 2005
Mold (Mycology) in the Media
January 16, 2006
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Mold (Mycology) Stories - from Cynthia Anne Coulter (Mulvihill) of Hyde Mulvihill, APC
-- New Parents in Chicago Area Sue for Fraud - Family's house is infested with mold (Aurora Beacon News, IL - Jan 21, 2006)
-- Public Works Project Causes Stachybotrys Problems for Adjacent Homeowner (WSAV-TV, GA - Jan 19, 2006)
-- Baseball Gloves Recalled because of Aspergillus (Kansas City infoZine, MO - Jan 21, 2006)
-- CDC Post-Hurricane Investigation Finds Mold Protection Inadequate (Medscape (free electronic subscription) - Jan 20, 2006
-- Researchers dismiss toxic mould syndrome - Review of cases shows almost all have alternative medical or psychiatric explanations (Macleans, Canada - Jan 6, 2006)
-- Getting Through the Filter - What Do Indoor Air Purifiers Do? (NY Times Magazine - Jan 22, 2006)
-- Mold Education: National Resources Defense Counsel's Recommendations on Mold Remediation
-- School Mold: Moody School mold frightens parents, teachers (Middletown Press, CT - Jan 20, 2006)
-- Follow Up: Justice center's mold woes not remedied (Rocky Mountain News, CO - Jan 19, 2006)
-- Mold & Insurance: No more fine print - A new Louisiana law requires insurers to clearly disclose what they do and do not cover. Many hope it will head off future lawsuits. (Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, LA - Jan 18, 2006)
-- Home insurance still at a premium - Coverage in Texas costs nearly twice the national average (Dallas Morning News - Jan 13, 2006)
-- Mold & Medicine: Carolina Center - Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Mold Exposure? (Carolina Newswire, NC - Jan 18, 2006)
-- Mold & Biotechnology: Wasps as 'Toxic' Mold Detectors (WALB-TV, GA - Jan 19, 2006)
-- Mold & Technology: EM America Added to EPA Vendor's List for Hurricane Katrina Cleanup (PR Web, WA - Jan 16, 2006)
-- Mold Professionals: Cynthia Coulter Mulvihill (Mold Litigation Consulting)
-- National Council for Occupational Safety and Health - October 6, 2005 Letter to Congress and the Senate

 

Good Morning,

This morning's photo is of Stachybotrys spp, by Dennis Kunkel, from the www.astrographics.com website. Prints are available starting at $27.95

A special thanks to Kevin Carstens, Educator/Consultant for providing the text of a letter from the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (the text is at the bottom of this newsletter) voicing their concern about personal protection and Katrina.

Hot tips on mold? Please e-mail them to Cynthia A. Coulter at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it


New Parents in Chicago Area Sue for Fraud - Family's house is infested with mold (Aurora Beacon News, IL - Jan 21, 2006)
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SANDWICH — Gene and Janis Gerali were expecting the next few years to be a challenge with the birth of their first child, the care of an aging grandfather and the mortgage on a recently purchased house in Sandwich.

What they weren't expecting was an infestation of toxic mold that would force them to move out of the house at 807 S. Wells St. under doctor's orders.

Click here for New Parents in Chicago Area Sue for Fraud - Family's house is infested with mold (Aurora Beacon News, IL - Jan 21, 2006)


Public Works Project Causes Stachybotrys Problems for Adjacent Homeowner (WSAV-TV, GA - Jan 19, 2006)
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The Moore family is just yards away from where construction of Phase I of the Casey South Drainage Basin project is continuing on Harmon Street. They said this project is what is responsible for creating large cracks that have damaged their home. Now they say those cracks have allowed water leak into their home which encouraged mold to grow. Their evidence--documents from a mold testing company that indicate their home has high levels of a several forms of mold in the air--one of which can cause severe health problems.

"The entire den now has moved away from the house by in some areas over an inch," said Heath Moore.

The cracks in Heath and Erika Moore's home have gotten so big that now the outside world is starting to come in.

Click here for Public Works Project Causes Stachybotrys Problems for Adjacent Homeowner (WSAV-TV, GA - Jan 19, 2006)


Baseball Gloves Recalled because of Aspergillus (Kansas City infoZine, MO - Jan 21, 2006)
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Washington, D.C. - infoZine - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Hazard: These gloves could contain aspergillus mold. Such mold usually does not affect healthy individuals, but could cause respiratory or other infections in individuals with chronic health problems or in individuals who have impaired immune systems.

Click here for Baseball Gloves Recalled because of Aspergillus (Kansas City infoZine, MO - Jan 21, 2006)


CDC Post-Hurricane Investigation Finds Mold Protection Inadequate (Medscape (free electronic subscription) - Jan 20, 2006
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In the wake of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, 46% of inspected homes in previously flooded areas of New Orleans and its environs were found to contain visible mold. However, many residents and remediation workers did not consistently use appropriate respiratory protection, according to the results of an investigation by the CDC and the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals.

A total of 112 occupied homes were inspected, representing a cross-section of 440,269 residences in a 4-parish area. Flood levels had been high (>6 feet), medium (3-6 feet), and low (<3 feet) in 18.8%, 17.0%, and 64.3% of homes, respectively; 67.9% of homes had roof damage with water leakage.

Click here for CDC Post-Hurricane Investigation Finds Mold Protection Inadequate (Medscape (free electronic subscription) - Jan 20, 2006


Researchers dismiss toxic mould syndrome - Review of cases shows almost all have alternative medical or psychiatric explanations (Macleans, Canada - Jan 6, 2006)
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The majority of people who think they're sick because of toxic mould actually have some other explanation for their illness, according to an Oregon study.

A team led by Dr. Emil Bardana, professor of medicine at the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland, reviewed the cases of 50 people who claimed compensation for toxic mould disease. In all cases there were alternative medical and/or psychiatric explanations for the claimed illnesses.

Click here for Researchers dismiss toxic mould syndrome - Review of cases shows almost all have alternative medical or psychiatric explanations (Macleans, Canada - Jan 6, 2006)


Getting Through the Filter - What Do Indoor Air Purifiers Do? (NY Times Magazine - Jan 22, 2006)
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In October 2003, Consumer Reports published an evaluation of various products that promised to clean indoor air, offering allergy relief and generally better breathing. The magazine (published by Consumers Union, a nonprofit that dates to 1936) had tested such devices before and found little to applaud but noted that they continued to enjoy "brisk sales" partly because of "concerns about allergies and indoor air contaminants, coupled with heightened worries over terrorism." The 2003 report was particularly tough on Sharper Image, "the champion of air-cleaner marketing," giving the lowest marks in categories like dust- and smoke-removal to its Ionic Breeze product, which the magazine called flat- out "ineffective." Sharper Image sued Consumers Union for defamation. This set the stage for an interesting examination of the relationship between consumers and brands at a time when that relationship is widely believed to be in flux.

In 2004, a California judge dismissed the defamation suit, and early last year Sharper Image agreed to cover Consumers Union's legal costs. A few months later, Consumer Reports published a new look at "ionizing" air cleaners contending that some of these products not only do little to clean the air but also "can expose you to potentially harmful ozone levels." This time Sharper Image did not sue, but its C.E.O. called the report "irresponsible," and the company maintains that the Ionic Breeze has never emitted unsafe levels of ozone. Late in 2005, Consumer Reports came out with its latest round of tests, again slamming the latest Sharper Image Ionic Breeze model. "If you own one," the magazine advised, "try returning it for a refund."

Getting Through the Filter - What Do Indoor Air Purifiers Do? (NY Times Magazine - Jan 22, 2006)


Mold Education: National Resources Defense Counsel's Recommendations on Mold Remediation
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NEW ORLEANS (December 28, 2005) -- The only way that Gulf Coast residents with badly flooded homes may be able to protect themselves from dangerously high mold levels is to rip out contaminated drywall to the studs, according to the Natural Resources Defense Council. New NRDC tests of mold- contaminated New Orleans homes show that merely removing furniture and carpeting and scrubbing down mold-covered walls will not safeguard residents' health.

"Seriously flooded homes are likely to remain dangerous unless they are gutted to the studs," said Dr. Gina Solomon, M.D., who led the NRDC research team. "But homes that were briefly flooded with less than a few inches of water and have no visible mold probably don't have a serious mold problem."

Click here for Mold Education: National Resources Defense Counsel's Recommendations on Mold Remediation


School Mold: Moody School mold frightens parents, teachers (Middletown Press, CT - Jan 20, 2006)
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MIDDLETOWN -- Concerned parents packed the gymnasium at Moody Elementary School on Thursday night looking for answers to what they said are growing health hazards.

Following discoveries of mold and problems relating to the roof, a panel of health experts, educators, and city officials answered questions about the condition of the school. In the past weeks, two portable classrooms, as well as the school library, have been shut down to clean out mold that has been linked to air and health problems for students and faculty.

Click here for School Mold: Moody School mold frightens parents, teachers (Middletown Press, CT - Jan 20, 2006)


Follow Up: Justice center's mold woes not remedied (Rocky Mountain News, CO - Jan 19, 2006)
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Less than two months after the Elbert County Justice Center was declared free of mold contamination and reopened to employees last February, gutters were leaking again and rainwater was pouring against the side of the building.

Those were just two of many problems highlighted by a county judge who works out of the often dank courthouse, which underwent a 4 1/2 month, $150,000 cleanup starting in September 2004.

Click here for Follow Up: Justice center's mold woes not remedied (Rocky Mountain News, CO - Jan 19, 2006)


Mold & Insurance: No more fine print - A new Louisiana law requires insurers to clearly disclose what they do and do not cover. Many hope it will head off future lawsuits. (Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, LA - Jan 18, 2006)
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Katrina's storm surge had barely receded when hordes of lawyers began compiling lawsuits against the nation's largest insurers. Many of the suits claimed insurance policies were drafted in bad faith, intentionally leaving out coverage for flood or wind or mold while leaving policyholders to believe they were covered. Even in the case of flood insurance, which all homeowner's policies exclude, many policyholders contend they had no idea they were exposed.

Maybe that's because most people would rather retest on the SAT than actually read the voluminous fine print in their homeowner's policies. A recent survey by the Insurance Information Network found 27% of consumers haven't looked at their policies in three years.

Click here for Mold & Insurance: No more fine print - A new Louisiana law requires insurers to clearly disclose what they do and do not cover. Many hope it will head off future lawsuits. (Greater Baton Rouge Business Report, LA - Jan 18, 2006)


Home insurance still at a premium - Coverage in Texas costs nearly twice the national average (Dallas Morning News - Jan 13, 2006)
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AUSTIN – Texans pay nearly twice the national average for homeowner insurance, although premium increases slowed after lawmakers enacted a massive insurance overhaul in 2003, according to a new national study.

The National Association of Insurance Commissioners, a group of state officials, said in a report issued last week that the average premium for the most common policy sold in Texas was $1,328 in 2003, the most recent year for which national data is available. That was by far the highest average of any state. The national average was $668

Click here for Home insurance still at a premium - Coverage in Texas costs nearly twice the national average (Dallas Morning News - Jan 13, 2006)


Mold & Medicine: Carolina Center - Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Mold Exposure? (Carolina Newswire, NC - Jan 18, 2006)
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RALEIGH, NC -- As part of his continuing health series, John C. Pittman, MD, of the Carolina Center for Integrative Medicine (CCIM), will present "Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy: New Uses for an Old Therapy" on Tuesday, January 24th from 6:00- 7:30pm. This free presentation will be held at CCIM's office at Blue Ridge Plaza, 4505 Fair Meadow Lane, Suite 111 in Raleigh.

During this 90-minute presentation, Dr. Pittman will discuss how HBOT is being used in the treatment of chronic viral infections (like Hepatitis and HIV), toxic mold exposure, Colitis and Crohn's Disease, and Macular Degeneration. Seating for this presentation is limited and advanced registration is required in case of cancellation. To reserve your seat, contact Louise Cottrell at (919) 848-1025 or via e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it by Friday, January 20th.

Mold & Medicine: Carolina Center - Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Mold Exposure? (Carolina Newswire, NC - Jan 18, 2006)


Mold & Biotechnology: Wasps as 'Toxic' Mold Detectors (WALB-TV, GA - Jan 19, 2006)
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Tifton -- In 2002, we introduced you to researchers who were training wasps how to find dangerous chemicals that could damage farmer's crops.

But now, those wasps have been trained to do more than protect farmers crops. They could track down drugs, explosive devices, possibly even disease.

Click here for Mold & Biotechnology: Wasps as 'Toxic' Mold Detectors (WALB-TV, GA - Jan 19, 2006)


Mold & Technology: EM America Added to EPA Vendor's List for Hurricane Katrina Cleanup (PR Web, WA - Jan 16, 2006)
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After a long campaign requesting individuals to use EM•1® Microbial Inoculant instead of bleach, the EPA has included EM America to a list of only about 60 companies in its Katrina Vendor's List.

Alto, Texas (PRWEB) January 16, 2006 -- After a long campaign requesting individuals to “Use EM•1® Microbial Inoculant instead of bleach,” the EPA has included EM America in a list of only about 60 companies to contract with for the cleanup of Hurricane Katrina.

On the eve of Hurricane Katrina, EM America was already busy contacting the government officials it had spoken with when they questioned what EM•1® was when it was being used in the tsunami aftermath. That day began a long campaign, pulling together concerned citizens and scientists around the world who wanted to see a natural alternative to toxic chemicals be used in the remediation of the Gulf Coast area hit by Hurricane Katrina.

Click here for Mold & Technology: EM America Added to EPA Vendor's List for Hurricane Katrina Cleanup (PR Web, WA - Jan 16, 2006)


Mold Professionals: Cynthia Coulter Mulvihill (Mold Litigation Consulting)
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Cynthia Coulter Mulvihill Cynthia Coulter Mulvihill is a California licensed attorney, admitted to practice in California state and federal courts. She has been the editor and publisher of Monday Morning Mold (Mycology) since 2002.

Ms. Mulvihill provides consulting services to Plaintiffs and Claimants - or potential Plaintiffs and Claimants; Defendants and potential defendants; attorneys; contractors; subcontractors; expert witnesses, remediators, etc. Ms. Mulvihill provides consulting services only. Her initial 15-minute consultation is free.

Ms. Mulvihill's confidential services include, depending on who she is retained by, and when:

  • Analysis of property damage and personal injuries
  • Conducting a property inspection
  • Reviewing medical records
  • Determination of the potential for a causal link between mycological issues and personal injuries
  • Research of what needs to be done to prove -- or disprove -- property damage, personal injuries, and their causal links
  • Determination what entity or entities might have caused property damage
  • Reviewing insurance policies to determine if insurance coverage is available for the claims
  • Determination what kind of expert or experts need to be retained to prove or disprove a case
  • Preparation of expert witnesses for depositions
  • Preparation of written discovery
  • Preparation of attorneys for questioning of expert witnesses
Ms. Mulvihill's work is, in general, protected by the attorney-client and attorney work-product privileges.

 

Click here for Mold Professionals: Cynthia Coulter Mulvihill (Mold Litigation Consulting)


National Council for Occupational Safety and Health - October 6, 2005 Letter to Congress and the Senate
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Thousands of disaster responders, workers, and volunteers in the Gulf Coast areas affected by Hurricane Katrina remain inadequately protected against exposure to environmental health hazards.

As individuals and organizations in the fields of community, public health and occupational and environmental health and safety, disaster response, recovery and cleanup, we are greatly concerned. Many of us have been directly involved in 9/11 rescue, response, and recovery efforts. In the wake of the terrible tragedy of Hurricane Katrina we urge that the lessons learned in 9/11 response efforts not be ignored in Katrina response operations.

As we came to recognize in the aftermath of 9/11, there is a difference between rescue and recovery. Now, however, a month after the storm, we are now well into the recovery stage on the Gulf Coast, and therefore EPA and OSHA should immediately commence enforcement of life-saving workplace and environmental laws and regulations.

Failure to do so puts countless workers and residents at risk of contracting preventable environmental and occupational diseases. This was our experience in the aftermath of 9/11, when thousands of workers and residents were unnecessarily exposed to toxic substances after being assured by EPA that the air was safe to breathe. At the same time, workers were left unprotected by OSHA, which declined to enforce its respiratory protection standard and other regulations. The illnesses of thousands of New York workers and residents today are in part the result of the failure of government agencies to enforce environmental and occupational health regulations after 9/11.

Therefore, we are unalterably opposed to the legislative proposal of Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) to allow the Environmental Protection Agency to temporarily suspend or relax its rules.

The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health is a federation of non-profit organizations around the United States that advocate for worker safety and health. COSH groups are private, non- profit coalitions of labor unions, health and technical professionals, and others interested in promoting and advocating for worker health and safety.

Although it is not yet possible to characterize with certainty the toxic nature of the flood waters that cover Louisiana and Mississippi, what is known is of great concern. The flood waters have been contaminated by 6.7 million gallons of petroleum as a result of major spills from refineries and with another 1-2 million gallons of gasoline from gas stations and 300,000 flooded cars. There have been hundreds of smaller oil spills (396 as of Wednesday 9/14). The flood waters contain elevated levels of sewage, bacteria, lead, mercury, hexavalent chromium, arsenic, and pesticides. Some contaminants, such as benzene, are presumed to be present in such large quantities that the EPA has not considered it necessary to conduct sampling. The flood waters impacted 31 hazardous waste sites and 446 industrial facilities that reported handling highly dangerous chemicals before the storm. Thousands of damaged buildings are likely to be contaminated with mold and asbestos. Additionally, to our knowledge, no tests have been conducted for dioxin which is known to be present at levels of concern in southwest Louisiana.

As the flood waters recede, contaminants that remain have the potential to become airborne when disturbed by natural causes (wind and other storms) or by cleanup activities, creating an even greater occupational and public health hazard.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency Joint Taskforce published on September 17, 2005 an initial Environmental Health Needs and Habitability Assessment. The report provides an outline of the threats to the health of the public and of the workers who will be involved in cleaning up the areas impacted by Katrina. These threats are serious and are unprecedented in scope.

The joint report provides a valuable overview. However, it offers no details concerning what needs to be done to protect workers and residents. That is why we believe that Congress should act on the following recommendations. We must not repeat the errors of 9/11 today in New Orleans. Response and recovery operations must proceed expeditiously, but the health and safety of those engaged in such efforts must be protected.

We urge immediate action on the following steps:

1. Presume Contamination Until Proven Otherwise: Given the wide range and toxic nature of contaminants to which workers, volunteers, and residents may be exposed, it is imperative that work areas be presumed to be contaminated and that appropriate precautionary measures be implemented until the work environment is demonstrated to be safe.

2. Implement the National Response Plan=s Worker and Community Environmental Testing and Monitoring Provisions: The worker and community environmental testing and monitoring provisions of the National Response Plan must be followed closely. It provides for hazard identification, environmental sampling, personal exposure monitoring, collecting and managing exposure data, development of site-specific safety plans, immunization and prophylaxis, and medical surveillance, medical monitoring and psychological support.

3. Enforce all OSHA and EPA Regulations: Environmental and occupational health standards must be strictly enforced. We are distressed that OSHA has defined its role in Katrina response, as in 9/11, as advisory rather than enforcement.

4. Assess the Hazards: EPA should conduct comprehensive environmental sampling to characterize the nature and extent of environmental hazards and NIOSH and OSHA must conduct a comprehensive assessment of the hazards posed to recovery workers. Hazard assessment should include evaluation of environmental hazards presented by chemical plants and refineries, hazardous waste sites, in-place building materials, biological agents, and other potential sources affected by the storm. Environmental monitoring should be ongoing. Sampling results should be accessible to the public in a timely manner. Toxic materials should be catalogued, evaluated and tested, and any known or potential releases contained. Failure to act will threaten returning residents and workers and will increase long- term cleanup costs as toxic substances spread to larger areas.

5. Train and Protect Clean Up Workers: All cleanup workers (public and private sector, paid and unpaid) should receive the appropriate OSHA-required training and equipment for protection against the hazards to which they may be exposed. OSHA should specify the minimum training that must be provided to workers engaged in clean-up and recovery. Training may include that which is required under OSHA’s Hazard Communication, Respiratory Protection, Personal Protective Equipment, and Hazardous Waste Operations and Emergency Response standards.. Protective equipment may include respirators and protective clothing and equipment.

6. Provide Appropriate Decontamination for Workers: To protect worker and public health, emphasis must be placed on regular decontamination of workers and volunteers and of their protective gear, tools, equipment, and vehicles. Workers and volunteers must be trained in the importance of meticulous personal hygiene in the presence of toxics and must be provided with appropriate decontamination and sanitary facilities.

7. Provide Medical Surveillance: Provision must be made for early detection and treatment of occupational, environmental, and psychological illnesses. To ignore the medical needs of potentially exposed workers and residents is asking them to be guinea pigs in a long-term experiment the consequences of which remain unknown. All public and private sector rescue, response, and cleanup workers, including volunteers, should be entered into a centralized database to facilitate medical surveillance.

8. Protect Vulnerable Workers: Special consideration must be given to protection of immigrant and temporary workers, who reportedly are being recruited in large numbers. In 9/11 response efforts, immigrant and temporary workers were the workers least likely to be provided with proper training and respiratory protection, and were the workers least likely to have medical insurance. As a result, they incurred high rates of illness without having access to medical treatment.

9. Adopt Uniform Re-occupancy Standards:: EPA must work with local governments to ensure that a protective health and safety standard for re- occupancy applies uniformly to all communities and also is sensitive to the needs of vulnerable populations. EPA has indicated that it will permit local authorities to determine re-occupancy criteria, but it is critical to ensure that all re-occupancy occurs according to standards that are adequately protective of public health.

A cleanup of this magnitude and complexity has never been undertaken. While we support proceeding with the cleanup and recovery with dispatch, protection of the health of clean-up workers and of the public at large must be given the highest priority.

Endorsing Organizations; 9/11 Environmental Action; Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN); Atchafalaya Basinkeeper (LA); AFL- CIO; Alliance for Healthy Homes; Amalgamated Transit Union; American Federation of Government Employees; American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees; American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees/CSEA, Local 100 ; American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Local 264; American Federation of Teachers/AFTHealth Care; American Public Health Association; Asian American Legal Defense and Education Fund; Association of Occupational and Environmental Clinics; Buckeye Environmental Network; Buffalo Musicians Association, Local 92 AFM; Center for Health Environment and Justice; Center for the Biology of Natural Systems, Queens College, CUNY; Center for Constitutional Rights; Center for Public Health and Health Policy, University of Connecticut; Change To Win; Chemical Sensitivity Disorders Association; Church World Service Emergency Response Program; Citizen Action of Western New York; Citizen's Environmental Coalition; Citizens Leading for Environmental Action and Responsibility (New Hampshire); Clean Water Action; Coalition for Economic Justice/JWJ-Buffalo; Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Buffalo Chapter; Communications Workers of America; Communications Workers of America, District 1; Community Concerned About NL Industries; Connecticut Coalition for Environmental Justice; Confined Space Weblog: News and Commentary on Workplace Health & Safety, Labor and Politics; Deep South Center for Environmental Justice at Dillard University (New Orleans); Division of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Connecticut ; East Massachusetts Jobs With Justice; Environmental Community Action (Atlanta); Environmental Health Fund; Environmental Health Watch; Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University; Global Resource Action Center for the Environment (Grace) Public Fund; Government Accountability Project; Greater Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility; Harriet Hardy Institute; Health Care Without Harm; Healthy Schools Network; Houston Council on Occupational Safety and Health; Health Professionals and Allied Employees, American Federation of Teachers; International Brotherhood of Teamsters; International Brotherhood of Teamsters, Local 264; International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 17; International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, District Council 4; Lasco County Citizens for Human Dignity (Oregon); Latin American Organization for Immigrants Rights; Learning Disabilities Association of California; Louisiana Environmental Action Network; Maryland Pesticide Network; Massachusetts Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health; mi casa - S.T.E.P.S. housing movement; Mississippi Workers' Center for Human Rights; National Center for Environmental Health Strategies, Inc.; National Council of Churches of Christ, USA; National Council of La Raza; National Employment Law Project; National Environmental Trust; National Education Association Healthy Schools Caucus; National Immigration Law Center; National Puerto Rican Coalition; Natural Resources Defense Council; New Hampshire Coalition for Occupational Safety and Health; New Jersey Work Environment Council; New York City Central Labor Council; New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health; New York State Council of Churches; New York Disaster Interfaith Services; New York State Labor-Religion Coalition; New York State Nurses Association; New York State Public Employees Federation; Next Generation Choices Foundation; North Carolina Justice Center; Nuclear Age Peace Foundation; Ocean State Action (RI); Office & Professional Employees International Union, Local 212; OMB Watch; Oregon Center for Environmental Health; Oregon Physicians for Social Responsibility; Pesticide Action Network North America; Philadelphia Area Project on Occupational Safety and Health ; Philadelphia Jobs With Justice; Physicians for Social Responsibility; Physicians for Social Responsibility-Los Angeles; Public Citizen; Public Health Association of New York City (PHANYC); Puerto Rican Legal Defense and Education Fund; Restaurant Opportunities Center of New York (ROC-NY); Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, UFCW; Rhode Island Committee on Occupational Safety and Health; San Francisco Bay Area Physicians For Social Responsibility; Sciencecorps; Service Employees International Union; Sierra Club; Society for Occupational and Environmental Health; Sweatshop Watch; The Council of Churches of the City of New York; The New York Immigration Coalition; Toledo Area Jobs With Justice; Toxic Action Center; Transport Workers Union, Local 100; UNITE HERE! Rochester Joint Board, Buffalo District; United American Nurses; United Auto Workers (UAW), International Union; United Auto Workers (UAW), Region 9; United Auto Workers (UAW), Local 879; United Church of Christ National Disaster Ministries, Disaster Response Coordinators Network; United Federation of Teachers, American Federation of Teachers; United Methodist Church NY Annual Conference; United Steelworkers ; United Support & Memorial For Workplace Fatalities; Vermont Public Interest Research Group; We Act for Environmental Justice, Inc.; Western New York Area Labor Federation; Western New York Council On Occupational Safety and Health; Work Life Institute (Houston); WORKSAFE!; World Trade Center Community Labor Coalition ; Young Korean American Service and Education Center


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