Tobacco Documents Online

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I N 1~~ Alatlanal Aasoo)atfoe ~~/-f o! Mannfaelurers 95-267 CONTACTS: TRUDI BOYD (202) 637-3093 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE JUNL D'ZLRILLA (202) 637-3I2B NAM CALLS ON OSHA TO REVTSS STLtINGfi:VT ALR QT1A f,rTy SrfAlYDARDS FOLL0WING CRS STUDY OF SECOND HAND SMOKE WASHINGTON, D.C., November 17, 1995 -- Citing a Congressional Research Service (CRS) study concluding that the Occupational Safety and Healtti Adminictration (OSHA) lacked scientific evidence on which to base its proposed regttlati.ons further restricting smoking in the workplace, National Association of Manufacturcrs Vice Presideat Mike Baroody Loday called un thc agency to 'go back to the drawing board." CRS rcleased thc results of its 20-month study which raises serious m-:stiona into the scientific reliabltry of the F,nvirorunencal Protection Agency ('EfA) methods of analyzing OSHA's Tndoor Air Quality. TZte National Association of Manufacturers has vigorously opposcd the proposed rule regarding air quality standards and today called on OSHA to reopen hearings on the the proposed regulation. "In light of the CRS findings, it's evident that faulty data was used in proposing this sweeping and controverial rule," said NAM's Mike Hamody, vice pre.cident, public affairs. "It seems clear that there is no scientific justification to require workplaces to implement overzealous and bureaucratic indoor air quality standards. UStiA's propoeed rutea would coat billiona'of dollsrs to implement and as the CRS report reveala, would yield little or no benefit to either workers or cLlSton7Zt'S. " . The repoct, entitled the Etlvirottment.af Tobacco Smoke and Lung Cancer Rislc, examined workplace and public exposure to ETS and coneludcd that: •"The statistical evidence docs not appear to support a conclusion that there ,mi rw,.,,yn-ar„o awmvo, nnv swro 7aoo-nlonh raw.r, w„sr,;ngta+. nc 2(xxr4->>sn 0 0 2 I `,4% -4' • I t-I•/-.1-. (1&:, ')SDII Dr1l1'> CAN I

I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I I are substantial health effects of passivc smoking." (p.7) •"'I3trcfore, had OSHA performed a metd-analysis, it seems likely that it would have found no increascxi lung eancer risk from occupacio,ial ETS exposure. " (p.62) •"Even at the greatest integrated exposure lavels, the meaaured risks are still subject to uncertainty." (p.2) •"It is clear that misclassification and recall bias plague ETS epidemiology studies. " (p.45) Iast year OSHA proposed rules to rCquire businesses to implement costly air ventilation systems largely as a result of purported EPA findings on the dan~rs of second hand smoke. OSHA received more than 100,000 coaunents nn the proposed rule iitcluding extensive comments from NAM in opposition to the lA(2 rule challenges OSHA assertions that the risks to be significant even though they could mt be described qualitativeiy or quantitatively. "The CRS report reinforces the rued for more rigorous science," said Ba.roody. "We need to be sure there Is a solid health benefit before asking American business to spend billions of dollars that would otherwise go toward creating mure ' jobs." The NAM is the nation's largest industrial-trade association representing more than 13,500 manufacturers, of which 10,000 are small manufacturers. -NA.M- I