NEWSLETTER

August 12, 2011

Dear Member:

MEMBERSHIP BOOK

Enclosed with this letter is your 2011-2012 Membership Book.

YPSW members are located throughout the United States, Mexico and the United Kingdom.   Current member-ship by location is as follows: 25 in California, 17 in Texas, 7 in Michigan, 5 each in Georgia and Ohio, 4 each in Pennsylvania and Virginia, 3 each in Hawaii, and Utah, 2 each in Alabama, Arizona, Delaware, Florida, Kansas, Maryland, New Mexico and Tennessee, 1 each in Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Mexico and the United Kingdom.  Our unique section has 102 members (60 Life, 1 Honorary and 41 Annual).

Please check the 2011-2012 Membership Book carefully for changes in mailing addresses, emails, telephone, cell and fax numbers (there are many changes).  If your personal listing is incorrect (or changes at anytime throughout the year) please notify me by email, telephone, fax or "snail" mail as soon as possible to enable us have a current roster at all times.

Welcome to new member Marc Kolanz.

Six members have not yet paid their 2011 dues, a reminder to these individuals is included with this mailing; if dues are not paid within 60 days their membership will be terminated.

JANUARY 2012 ANNUAL MEETING INFORMATION

The 2012 annual meeting will be held at The Crowne Plaza, 17941 Von Karman Avenue, Irvine, CA. We signed a contract, made the required deposit and secured a block of twenty (20) rooms. The meeting will be held Wednesday, January 18 through Friday, January 20, 2012 (i.e., the week of the Martin Luther King holiday).

Daily room rates negotiated for single or double are:

$125.00 plus 10.065% occupancy tax ($12.58) = $137.58 per night (this does not include breakfast).  The group rate will be honored for three days pre and three days post conference stays.

Breakfast, breaks and lunch for Thursday and Friday will be included in the conference registration fee(s).

All rooms offer coffee makers, hair dryers, iron/ironing board, voice mail.

Complimentary Wireless High Speed Internet throughout the property

Complimentary Business Center

Complimentary Fitness Center.

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Complimentary transportation to and from John Wayne Airport - when making your room reservations provide your flight information for this complimentary airport transportation.

Complimentary shuttle to nearby mall/restaurants, reservations can be arranged in advance

Close to Orange County’s major attractions and shopping districts.

Please make your hotel reservations as soon as possible so, if needed, we can request additional rooms at the group rate.  To make room reservations call The Crown Plaza Irvine Reservations directly at 949-863-1999 or Crowne Plaza Central Reservations at 800-227-6963.  Whichever number you use you must identify yourself as part of the YPSW-AIHA group attending the Jan 18-20, 2012 meeting to receive the special negotiated rate and have the reservation counted in the YPSW-AIHA room block. (Note: If you are a Priority Club Rewards member, don't forget to give them your number to earn points for the stay.)  The hotel will also accept pre and post extensions of stay at the group rate in a limited capacity; check on availability when making your hotel reservations.  An advance deposit or credit card guarantee for the first night’s room and tax are required for our group negotiated rates by January 4, 2012; after that date rooms will be on a space and rate availability basis.

The Executive Committee held several teleconference meetings with all officers present; a brief summary:

Financial report by Secretary-Treasurer’s was approved; the required annual reports submitted to AIHA and IRS were acknowledged in his report.

The 37th annual meeting will be January 18-20, 2012 at The Crowne Plaza Irvine– the meeting room can be expanded to accommodate a group larger than the 40-45 usual attendance number.

The conference theme has been finalized and is “New Frontiers in Industrial Hygiene”.

Nominations by the Executive Committee for officer positions to be filled in 2012: Frank Hearl for President-Elect and Pat Brogan for a Director – both individuals agreed to be nominated.  Election will be held during the January 18, 2012 business meeting

Unanimous agreement in selection of Howard Kusnetz for the 2012 Clayton Award.

Remember, ABIH grants 1.5 Certification Maintenance (CM) Points for attendance (0.5 IH CM point per 0.5 day, 1.5 IH CM points total).  We will have the program reviewed and certified by ABIH prior to the meeting.

Program Chairman, President-Elect Bob Glenn, with the assistance of the Executive Committee, is developing the program and schedule for the various speakers.  His theme “New Frontiers in Industrial Hygiene” is very well planned and sure to be well received. More information will be provided when received from Bob – the program promises to be very interesting and educational. Complete mailing addresses will be provided to the Secretary-Treasurer for the non-YPSW speakers. The following advance conference announcement for the 2012 meeting was sent to members last night via email:

“New Frontiers in Industrial Hygiene --- YPSW’s 2012 Annual Conference.

The 37th Annual Meeting of the Yuma Pacific-Southwest Section scheduled for January 18-20, 2012, will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Irvine, California. A main portion of the scientific program will address the state of knowledge of the mineralogical classification of asbestos and the analogs of the asbestos minerals that occur in non-asbestiform geological formations, and the related health effects of exposure to these mineral forms.  While it is well accepted that asbestos fibers can cause cancer and asbestosis, considerable debate remains regarding the identification and potential health risks associated with exposures to other elongate mineral particles (EMPs) that may be associated with non-asbestiform mineralogy.    Presentations will be made by:

·         Leading mineral scientists explaining mineral terminology and how we differentiate asbestos from non-asbestiform analogs.

·         Fiber epidemiologists discussing the health literature and what the disease endpoints are related to exposures to EMPs.

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·         Risk assessors will cover the potential public health risks and regulatory approaches.

·         Industrial hygienists will discuss how to screen geological deposits for the presence of asbestos and EMPs.

Other timely YPSW program topics will explore the impact of the European Union’s Registration, Evaluation, Authorization and restriction of CHemical substances (REACH) regulation from the perspectives of an American IH residing and working in the UK; how companies can leverage the guidance from REACH in their professional practice as seen by a senior IH manager for a major multinational chemical company; a NIOSH update on the National Prevention through Design (PtD) Initiative, and industry experience in applying PtD in the design and re-design process.

Dr. John Howard, NIOSH Director, has been invited to provide an update on NIOSH activities and share his thoughts on occupational health and safety challenges we face.  We are also planning for a speaker from the California Office of Environmental and Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), a key agency in health and environmental regulation in California.  The top elected leaders of ACGIH and AIHA, along with AIHA’s Executive Director, will share their views on the profession and the changing roles of our professional associations; and we will receive an update on state and federal legislative and regulatory activity effecting our profession from AIHA’s Director of Government Affairs.

Look for the final program (which will list presentation titles/speakers) and registration information later this month, or contact Doug and Anna Davis [[email-masked]].”

MISCELLANEOUS

Jack Peterson wrote: “We're hanging in there.  Cec is now on hospice service and these folks do just about everything to make patients as comfortable as they can.  Cec has a bed with a mattress that curves up at the edges so she has to climb to fall out--as she did twice with her air mattress that also was furnished by hospice.  She is in a Broda wheelchair that adjusts six ways from Sunday; she has patches on her skin to provide a painkiller by absorption and is given morphine for pain--all by the hospice folks at no cost to us.  She is in an electric bed (and has been for over a year now) but she has yet to use the easy adjustments and her call button.  I don't think she has much pain--her cancer is probably the salivary gland one that spread before her operation to remove it and that cancer caused her no pain at all.  This is Cec's third cancer and it's the one that will eventually do her in.
I have poor blood circulation to my pelvis and because of that, can't walk more than about 100 yards without hip pain and then I have to rest for a minute or so to get some blood back in that area and I'm good to go.  This had been coming on since about 2006 or so and is the main thing that caused us to restrict our cruise exploration efforts.  Other than that, I'm fine.  I lead a group in exercise six days a week for 40 minutes and at that time have Cec along with us although she no longer exercises--she supervises if she can stay awake.
Thanks for your update, Anna.  I wish you and Doug the very best!”

WEBSITE

Thanks to Peter Bellin for his continuing dedication in maintaining our website: www.ypswaiha.org.

REMINDER:  Make your hotel reservations as soon as possible, if needed, we will request additional rooms at the group rate.  Call The Crown Plaza Irvine Reservations directly at 949-863-1999 or Crowne Plaza Central Reservations at 800-227-6963.  Whichever number you use you must identify yourself as part of the YPSW-AIHA group attending the Jan 18-20, 2012 meeting to receive the special negotiated rate and have the reservation counted in the YPSW-AIHA room block.  The cut-off date for our group reservations at the $125.00 rate is January 4, 2012; after that date rooms will be at the prevailing rate depending upon space availability.

If you require transportation from the airport please advise the reservations clerk when making your reservation.  It would also be a good idea to confirm that requirement with the hotel a day before your arrival.

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Last Minute Notice:  The broadcast email sent last night was not deliverable to members James Thornton ([email-masked]) and Kirk Martin ([email-masked]) – the latest email addresses we have on file.   Gentlemen, please send me your correct email address.

We need someone to play the piano as accompaniment for our featured banquet entertainment.  Volunteers, please!

Thanks to all the YPSW members for keeping the faith and making YPSW a continuing success.  Member input and cooperation keeps YPSW alive and flourishing.  Information about your travels, health or any other subject

that may be of interest to fellow members is welcomed for publication.

The newsletter containing registration information, program updates, etc., will be mailed to you prior to our departing on a 28-day cruise on Oct 22, 2011.  This will give you ample time to send in your registration forms

and checks for the meeting.

Wishing each of you a happy, safe and very enjoyable summer.  We look forward to seeing you all in January in beautiful Orange County.

Very truly yours,

__________________________________

Douglas J. Davis

Secretary-Treasurer

Enclosure:

Membership Book

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