Documents Reynolds, Peggy 3 results

"OBJECTIVE:
To examine unusual exposure opportunities to flight crews from chemicals, cosmic radiation, and electric and magnetic fields.
METHODS: This project evaluated the incidence of cancers of the breast and other sites among Association of Flight Attendants (AFA) members residing in California. AFA membership files were matched to California's statewide cancer registry to identify a total of 129 newly diagnosed invasive cancers among AFA members with California residential histories between 1988 and 1995.
RESULTS: Compared to the general population, female breast cancer incidence was over 30% higher than expected, and malignant melanoma incidence was roughly twice that expected. Both of these are cancers that are associated with higher socioeconomic status and have been suggestively associated with various sources of radiation.
CONCLUSIONS: Consistent with the results from Nordic studies of cabin crews and a recent meta-analysis of prior studies, these data suggest that follow-up investigations should focus on the potential relative contribution of workplace exposures and lifestyle characteristics to the higher rates of disease for these two cancers."

"In 2008, California enacted laws to restructure chemical policy and promote green chemistry. Ten years after the passage of California's green chemistry laws, we assessed their performance through structured interviews with a sample of experts from government, academia, business, and the nonprofit sector. We combined the interviews with a scoping literature review to propose a new ten-point framework for evaluating the effectiveness of a chemical regulatory policy, and we assessed the performance of the California law against this framework. The California program performed well on transparency of the regulatory process; protecting vulnerable populations; placing the primary burden on the manufacturer; breadth of regulatory authority; and advancing the public right-to-know. Areas of weakness include unclear authority to require data on chemical use in products; an inefficient pace of implementation; and limited incentives for innovation. Promoting safer chemicals in products will require additional incentives to protect public health and the environment."

"We identified the occupations that employ California women and a list of chemicals of concern for breast cancer. We evaluated the likelihood of on-the-job exposure to the categories of chemicals by occupation among formally and informally employed women. We selected 145 occupations representing more than 6.6 million women (85% of California working women), along with an additional sixteen occupations for informal workers only. We organized 1012 chemicals (including mammary gland carcinogens, developmental toxicants, and endocrine-disrupting chemicals) into twenty-five categories. More than 80 percent of occupations investigated had possible or probable exposure to at least one category of chemicals. This is the first categorization of occupational exposure to chemicals of concern for breast cancer among California working women. Our investigation revealed significant data gaps, which could be improved by policy changes resulting in enhanced collection of data on occupation and chemical exposure."