Efforts to end lead poisoning, reduce the use of latex gloves, and provide occupational health-care services were honored during the annual dinner of the Rhode Island Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (RICOSH).

Michael Fine, president of the Occupational and Environmental Health Center, Attorney General Sheldon Whitehouse, and the Rhode Island Nurses Association received awards at the October 3 dinner at the Firefighters Memorial Hall in Providence, says James Celenza, executive director of the watchdog group, to recognize their efforts to make the Ocean State a safer place to work.

Fine spearheaded efforts to reestablish an occupational health center when a similar clinic at Memorial Hospital in Pawtucket, run by Dr. David Kern, was closed in 1997. Kern was fired by the hospital and Brown University after he reported the discovery of a new occupational disease caused by particles used in auto upholstery manufacturing at the Microfibers plant in Pawtucket. Fine publicly criticized Kern's firing, Celenza says, and he helped establish an occupational health clinic, located at 410 South Main St., Providence, to replace the Memorial Hospital clinic.

Whitehouse was recognized for suing lead paint manufacturers and playing a key role in the passage of a state law on latex gloves. Although some cities have sued Sherman-Williams, Glidden, and other companies for making lead paint long after the dangers of lead poisoning were known, Whitehouse is the only state attorney general to go after the industry. Celenza and other public-health advocates hope the courts will award financial damages that can be used to remediate flaking lead paint on homes.

Celenza credits Whitehouse for being "the key guy" in the General Assembly's passage of legislation to bar the use of latex gloves by food and cleaning workers. The gloves can cause rashes, Celenza explains and, in rare instances, severe allergic reactions. Since they offer good protection against blood-borne diseases like AIDS, the gloves are still used by health-care workers, but employers must post warnings about possible allergic reactions.

Celenza also credits the Rhode Island Nurses Association for lobbying on behalf of the latex law. To protect health-care workers from infections, the group pushed to reduce the use of hypodermic needles.

Issue Date: October 5 - 11, 2001