This will have ramifications for workers in various fields and the general public.
Pennsylvania Capital Star – Federal cuts threaten to close Pennsylvania lab that certifies N95s and other respirators in June – The Pa. laboratory that certifies all of the country’s NIOSH-approved respirators is on the chopping block. HHS is stonewalling employees who raise questions. By: Ian Karbal – April 17, 2025 11:48 am “It’s kind of the sabotage of guide rails that have been set up for industry to help keep workers safe,” said Jonathan Szalajda, a lab employee and former deputy director of the National Personal Protective Technology Lab. “It’s a situation where we’re leaving workers defenseless, and I think it’s certainly a step back from what we’ve done to protect workers over the last half century.” Since the beginning of mass layoffs at federal agencies overseen by the Trump administration and Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), virtually every employee at the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory has taken a buyout or early retirement offer, been put on administrative leave, or received a notice that their job is subject to what’s called a “reduction in force” and that their last day will come in June. It’s not clear if the impending layoffs will hit every remaining employee because, according to workers and union officials, leaders at the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control have not been answering questions. Moreover, almost all of the lab’s supervisors have been placed on administrative leave, along with their HR contact.
My letter to reps:
Because of the cuts at NIOSH the National Personal Protective Technology Lab in Pennsylvania will shut down and that can’t happen because this is the place that certifies all the N95 PPE for the whole country, for workers and the public for all types of respiratory protection including viruses, allergens, wildfire smoke, air pollutants. This is reversing decades of advancements in this area. It will set up an environment where counterfeit masks will proliferate worse than what happened during the shortages early in the pandemic, and will likely lead to countless dollars, including taxpayer dollars, spent in preventable adverse health effects, healthcare debacles, lawsuits, and criminal proceedings. You must do something to ensure that NIOSH is functional.
Please feel free to copy or repurpose for your own letters to reps.