Skip to content
News
Link copied to clipboard

Sandy-related health issues are forum topic

TRENTON - A host of state and federal agencies are scheduled to appear at a forum this week in New Jersey to discuss Sandy-related health issues.

TRENTON - A host of state and federal agencies are scheduled to appear at a forum this week in New Jersey to discuss Sandy-related health issues.

The forum is to be held Monday in Wall, Monmouth County, at the local headquarters of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

Among the agencies scheduled to be represented are the federal EPA and Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

Sandy left untold tons of debris in New Jersey. Health and environmental agencies caution that anyone performing cleanup tasks risk exposure to sewage, asbestos, lead, silica, cement dust, and other toxic materials.

They also caution that airborne mold can cause respiratory problems and that many people are unknowingly using improper safety clothing and gear.

In part because state Department of Transportation workers are still involved in cleaning up from Sandy, New Jersey has put out a call for snowplow operators.

The state seeks truckers with commercial driver's licenses who have six- to eight-ton dump trucks that can accommodate a snowplow or tailgate unit for spreading salt.

DOT commissioner James Simpson told the Star-Ledger of Newark the agency would teach drivers how to plow snow. The on-call jobs pay about $43 per hour.