Fatal Work-Related Injuries: Southeastern United States, 2008-2011.

In 2008, the work-related injury fatality rate was 3.8 per 100,000 workers in the United States but was 5.2 per 100,000 workers for the southeast region. Work-related fatalities in the southeast were examined for the period 2008 to 2011. Median work-related injury fatality rates are reported for the southeast region, each of the 12 states, and the United States. The percentages of employees in high fatality industries and work-related fatalities by cause were calculated. Finally, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's database was searched for fatality reports. States with the highest rates (per 100,000 workers) included Arkansas (7.2), Louisiana (6.8), and West Virginia (6.6). Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and West Virginia each had more than 20% of their employees in high fatality industries. Forty percent of work-related injury fatalities were from transportation incidents in the southeast and the United States. Future analyses should include work-related injury fatality rates by industry and compare rates with other U.S. regions.

Time-dependent toxicity of dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene to Hyalella azteca.

Temporal effects on body residues of dichlorodiphenyldichloroethylene (DDE) associated with mortality in the freshwater amphipod Hyalella azteca were evaluated. Toxicokinetics and body residues were determined from water-only exposures that varied from 4 to 28 d, and DDE concentrations ranging from 0.0013 to 0.045 micromol L(-1). Uptake and elimination parameters were not affected significantly by the various temporal and concentration treatments. Uptake rate coefficients ranged from 134.3 to 586.7 ml g(-1) h(-1), and elimination rate coefficients ranged from 0.0011 to 0.0249 h(-1). Toxicity metric values included body residue for 50% mortality at a fixed sample time (LR50) and mean lethal residue to produce 50% mortality from individual exposure concentrations (MLR50) for live organisms and dead organisms. A twofold increase occurred in the MLR50 values calculated using live organisms compared to MLR50 values using dead organisms. Toxicity and kinetic data were fit to a damage assessment model that allows for the time course for toxicokinetics and damage repair, demonstrating the time-dependence of body residues to toxicity. The DDE appeared to act through a nonpolar narcosis mode of action for both acute and chronic mortality in H. azteca. Furthermore, the temporal trend in the toxic response using body residue as the dose metric is steep and found to be similar to another chlorinated hydrocarbon, pentachlorobenzene, but was more potent than that found for polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs).