Toluene is a highly useful chemical found in a number of industrial and consumer products, including paints, metal cleaners, adhesives, nail polish, and printing inks. Toluene vaporizes when exposed to air at room temperature. That can result in serious health problems for workers who inhale even small amounts of toluene on a regular basis. Toluene…
The loss of a limb can have devastating physical, financial and psychological effects. But life goes on after the loss of a leg, arm or hand. What’s it like to lose a limb? What challenges do amputees face and how do they cope? Does everyone who loses a limb experience “phantom pain”? In this blog…
Heavier than normal work activities can result in a heart attack, even in a person who does not exhibit any signs of heart problems. In the parlance of the Colorado workers’ compensation system, this is known as “unusual exertion”. When unusual exertion does cause a heart attack, a worker can claim workers’ compensation benefits, though…
Workers in psychiatric and mental health facilities face a variety of hazards on the job. Among the most serious of these are assaults by patients and injuries sustained while subduing out-of-control patients. In the opinion of one California psychiatrist, violent assaults happen on a daily basis in most inpatient mental health facilities. He tempers that…
Back pain is one of the most common disabling work injuries. In some cases surgery can provide permanent relief. But millions of people face the prospect living with chronic back pain for the rest of their lives. To get relief, some turn to opioids such as Oxycontin and Vicodin. But the relief those medications provide…
Asthma: Anyone who has it or knows someone who suffers from the affliction is aware of asthma’s frightening effects. Out of the blue, an asthma sufferer can start coughing, wheezing or gasping for breath. Often, a sufferer must stop everything he or she is doing and seek relief from an inhaler. When an asthma attack…