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HomeMy WebLinkAboutMINUTES - 08191986 - I.O.5 TO: BOARD OF SUPERVISORS O S FROM: Contra Internal Operations Committee vvll` Costa DATE'. �Ily August 12, 1986 I ")/ SUBJECT: STATUS OF PROSPECTIVE CANCER STUDY SPECIFIC REQUEST(S) OR RECOMMENDATION(S) & BACKGROUND AND JUSTIFICATION RECOMMENDATIONS: 1. Acknowledge receipt of July 25, 1986 report to the Internal Operations Committee from Wendel Brunner, M-D: , . Assistant Health Services Director - Public Health, providing information on the status of developing a prospective cancer study to consider the question of occupationally induced cancer. 2. Support AB 1157 which would require the Division of Occupational Safety and Health in the State Department of Industrial Relations to give priority to the development of standards for substances which are known human carcinogens. 3 . Direct the Health Services Department as the designated administering agency for AB 2185 (Inventory and Inspection of Hazardous Materials) to determine the feasibility of constructing the AB 2185 data base so as to include information on the location and quantity of occupational carcinogens used throughout the County. BACKGROUND: On February 10, 1986 the Board of Supervisors approved the recommendation of the Internal Operations Committee that the Health Services Director be authorized to convene a group of experts to develop the nature and scope of a scientifically valid prospective study of the incidents and causes of cancer in the Bay Area and to preparea grant application for possible funding of such a study. On July 28, 1986 our Committee discussed this matter with representatives of the Health Services Department and received from them a report indicating that a Technical Advisory Committee had been established to consider the development of such a study. The attached July 25, 1986 report from Wendel Brunner, M.D. , Assistant Health Services Director, indicates the members of this Technical Advisory Committee. The Committee is in the process of drafting a proposal on how the proposed prospective cancer study should be structured and what resources the Health Services Department would need in order to conduct such a program. The committee members are aware of some existing occupational cancer monitoring programs and will be addressing the matter of how to incorporate existing programs into an overall study which could be undertaken by the County. CONTINUED ON ATTACHMENT: X YES SIGNATURE: RECOMMENDATION OF COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR RECOMMENDAT N F BOARD COMMITTEE LSAPPR OTHERSIG : Supe isor Nancy Fanden, Chair Supervisor Sunne McPeak ACTION OF BOARD ON _ .,q � APPROVED AS RECOMMENDED OTHER REQUESTED the Health Services Department to provide a report to the Internal Operations Committee by September 23 , 1986 . VOTE OF SUPERVISORS 1 HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE j� UNANIMOUS (ABSENT AND CORRECT COPY OF AN ACTION TAKEN AYES: NOES: AND ENTERED ON THE MINUTES OF THE BOARD ABSENT: ABSTAIN: OF SUPERV I SORSS ONTHE gD(�ATE SHOWN. cc: Health Services Department ATTESTED AUG 1 J 19 86 Office of Emergency Services PHIL BATCHELOR, CLERK OF THE BOARD OF County Administrator SUPERVISORS AND COUNTY ADMINISTRATOR M382i7-83 aY DEPUTY The committee members have also discussed the fact that perhaps other occupational outcomes, besides. cancer, should be monitored. When the committee' s. proposal has been prepared, it will be reviewed by our commit- tee and forwarded to the Board with our recommendations. AB 1157 would require the State Department of Industrial Relations to give first priority to the development of standards for substances which are known human carcinogens, as determined by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, and would also require that first priority be given for the performance of inspections to premises for which uses of carcinogens have been reported and for which carcinogens and standards governing use have been developed. The Technical Advisory Committee believes that passage of such legislation would be useful in facilitating the proposed prospective study. i On .December 17 , 1985 the Board designated the County Health Services Department as the administering agency responsible for implementing the provisions of AB 2185 . This legislation requires the establishment of statewide minimum standards for business and area plans relating to the handling or threatened release of hazardous materials. The bill requires an inventory of all businesses which handle hazardous materials and requires annual inspections. A major part of this legislation is the requirement that the County develop a data base including files, indexed by street address and company name, of all businesses which handle hazardous materials. Inclusion in this data base of the location and quantity of occupational carcinogens would be very useful to the proposed study.