Dust control research leads to a NIOSH grant to facilitate adoption of hazar...(a NIOSH training grant from Johns Hopkin...),Health

In the two years since her arrival on the engineering faculty at Virginia Tech, she has brought in some $1.2 million in sponsored research, with a personal share of more than $700,000. This specific grant for $583,125 is part of the NIH Research Project Grant Program or an RO1. RO1s, the original NIH grant mechanism, provide support for health-related research and development. And although a dramatic increase in biomedical research has taken place at Virginia Tech, it is rare for an assistant professor to receive an NIH RO1.

Young-Corbett explained that for decades "drywall finishing operations have been associated with worker over-exposure to dust. This dust contains known particulate respiratory health hazards such as silica, talc, mica, and calcite. Despite the existence of effective engineering controls, such as ventilated sanders and low-dust drywall compound, worker exposures persist."

Specifically, drywall finishers and laborers have a statistically elevated risk of death from cancer of the pharynx, lung, and respiratory tuberculosis, according to previous studies, Young-Corbett, the director of the Occupational and Construction Hazard Reduction Engineering Laboratory at Virginia Tech, added. http://www.mlsoc.vt.edu/people/young/index.php

Yet, a previous NIOSH Hazard Control Study found that vacuum sanding systems reduced drywall dust levels by 80 to 97 per cent. This evaluation of five commercially available ventilated drywall-sanding systems found that four of the five systems reduced dust concentrations by greater than 90%.

A certified industrial hygienist, safety professional, and a hazardous materials manager, Young-Corbett has developed the Dust-control Usage: Strategic Technology Intervention (DU
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