Category: Press Release

According to the American Cancer Society, diesel exhaust is linked to many lung cancer deaths in the U.S. A recent article in the Wall Street Journal states that approximately 12 million workers are exposed to diesel exhaust every year. Workers employed in auto, construction, mining, farming and shipping industries have the heaviest exposure to diesel exhaust fumes.

The Occupational Health & Safety Administration has issued new rules that will limit workers permissible exposure to silica dust to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air inhaled during a typical 8-hour shift. Crystalline silica dust presents a serious health risk to miners, industrial workers, and construction professionals who handle the material on a regular basis.

Many workers fear that their employment will be terminated if they file a workers' compensation claim. For this reason, many ignore their injuries and suffer in silence for fear that they will lose their livelihood if they seek treatment.

Workplace injuries often lead to months or years of pain, and workers turn to medications like OxyContin or Percocet to manage long-term pain issues. Between 1997 and 2007, doctors increased opioid prescriptions by over 400 percent, leading the federal government to call prescription drug abuse a national concern.