Lung disease

Heartfelt thanks to reporter Rick Sobey for his timely story on the national epidemic of silicosis lung disease that has now reached Massachusetts in a stone countertop worker (“Massachusetts worker in stone countertop industry is state’s first case of ‘devastating, life-altering disease’,” Herald, Dec. 9).

Having seen many patients with silicosis from their jobs in mining, tunneling, ceramic manufacture, tuckpointing, and cement finishing, I have learned that prevention is the best (and only) treatment.

If you own or work in a stone countertop finishing shop and would like to assess the safety of your workplace, the Massachusetts Dept. of Labor will provide at your request a no-cost and confidential on-site evaluation, Safety WorksConsultation | Mass.gov

Or you can consult a certified industrial hygienist to measure the silica levels in the workplace air and — if needed — to install safeguards (aiha.org/Consultants-Directory).

A protective standard of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration governs the safe use of silica products (1910.1053 – Respirable crystalline silica). If you feel an OSHA standard is being violated, you can contact the regional office in Andover at (978) 837- 4460.

William  Beckett MD

Watertown

Ed Markey

You reported that Rep. Ayanna Presley has bowed out of challenging 79-year-old Sen. Ed Markey for his seat in the United States Senate leaving only Rep. Seth Moulton as a challenger. Markey has resisted the many calls that he retire. He is apparently unwilling to retire from the only job he has ever held. And our current president, Donald Trump, at 79 is no spring chicken either.

The Constitution has established a minimum age for senators, congressmen and the president. It is well past the time when that same Constitution should be amended to provide a maximum age as well.

Harvey Silverglate

Cambridge

NH gratitude

New Hampshire politicians held a press conference at our State House thanking Gov. Maura Healey for effectively pushing large companies like Syncor and Analogic Corp out of Massachusetts and into New Hampshire (“NH lawmakers thank Gov. Healey for ‘growing economic divide’ between states,” Herald, Dec. 11).

Healey’s answer was that every day hundreds of thousands of workers drive from New Hampshire to work at jobs in Massachusetts. Do I need to remind our governor that it is not a bragging point when workers are willing to drive to another state to work and then take their paycheck dollars back to New Hampshire to spend?

Donald Houghton

Quincy

Editorial cartoon by Al Goodwyn (Creators Syndicate)