Two advocacy groups sue to prod U.S. to adopt food safety regulations. In their complaint, the Center for Food Safety and the Center for Environmental Health pointed to a January deadline that the government missed for setting standards for the production and harvesting of fruits and vegetables. The suit also cited a blown July deadline for regulations requiring food shippers to use sanitary practices. The Food Safety and Modernization Act, signed into law by President Obama in January 2011, “is useless unless the agencies actually promulgate regulations that make it work,” one of the plaintiffs said. Separately, officials say salmonella poisoning in mangoes has sickened 103 people in the U.S., mainly in California. Bloomberg, Reuters, NBCNews.com
West Nile virus cases rise, but Hurricane Isaac shouldn’t worsen spread of the disease, officials say. Federal authorities, reporting updated figures, said they received reports of 1,590 cases of the virus nationwide, including 66 deaths. At this rate the total number of cases for 2012 may approach or surpass the roughly 3,000 cases reported in both 2002 and 2003. A federal health official said the hurricane — which is hitting hard in Louisiana, the state with the second-highest number of West Nile deaths — shouldn’t spread the mosquito-borne disease. He said hurricanes “tend to disrupt the entire ecology of the area, and thus interrupt this natural transmission cycle between birds and mosquitoes.” The New York Times
Front-running party in next week’s Quebec provincial elections plans to end asbestos industry. The leader of Parti Quebecois, Pauline Marois, pledged to cancel a $58 million loan, promised by the current Liberal government, to help reopen the country’s last asbestos mine. Marois called asbestos mining an “industry from another era,” and left the door open to pushing a special law to break the loan deal with owners of Jeffrey Mine in Asbestos, Que. Other Canadian political and business leaders have sought to revive the nation’s once-powerful asbestos industry, despite a World Health Organization estimate of more than 100,000 deaths annually from asbestos-related diseases. The Canadian Press, The Globe and Mail
Chinese rescuers search for trapped coal miners after explosion kills 19. Wednesday’s blast at the Xiaojiawan site in the southwestern province of Sichuan was China’s deadliest mining disaster since last November, when 35 were killed at a mine in Yunnan province. Police detained the Xiaojiawan mine’s owners while authorities checked for safety violations. As many as 28 miners are trapped, and 107 survivors have been pulled to the surface. Coal mine accidents are common in China, where work safety rules are often ignored. Last year, 1,973 miners were killed in coal mine accidents, down 19 percent from the year before. Authorities said last week they plan to close more than 600 small coal mines for safety reasons. The Associated Press
Regulators propose $167,090 in penalties against Oklahoma manufacturer. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration accused Wenco Energy of Tulsa, Okla., of 31 violations, including eight repeat offenses. OSHA said the company, which makes flame arrestors that stop fuel combustion, failed to put guards on saws and sanders. The agency’s investigation was a follow-up to earlier inspections spurred by a September 2010 accident that killed a worker at Wenco. “By failing to provide required machine guarding and correct other deficiencies, Wenco Energy continues to risk serious injury to workers, including amputations,” an OSHA official said. “In this case, it is fortunate that no one else has been injured.” OSHA
Explosion that severely burned a worker leads to eight safety citations against a Louisiana gas firm. One of the charges by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration against Plains Gas Solutions, in Eunice, La., was a willful violation, the agency’s most serious offense. OSHA began its investigation six months ago at the Plains Gas site, which produces liquid natural gas, after an explosion blamed on improper handling of extremely low temperature liquids. OSHA accused the company of faulty process safety management and proposed penalties of $111,000. OSHA
Recalls: mangoes (expanded recall), Mr. Coffee single cup brewers, Summer Infant baby baths, Shimano bicycle handlebars
Compiled by Stuart Silverstein
