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This post is part of The Pump Handle's Public Health Classics series. By Sara Gorman Does cigarette smoking cause cancer? Does eating specific foods or working in certain locations cause diseases? Although we have determined beyond doubt that cigarette smoking causes cancer, questions of disease…

This is the second in a series exploring the intersections between effectively caring for people living with chronic pain and the rise in unintentional poisoning deaths due to prescription painkillers. (The first post is here.) The series will explore the science and policy of balancing the need…

My fellow blogger Celeste Monforton has been working for the past several months with the Houston worker center Fe y Justicia to respond to outrageous employer behavior that exposed construction workers to asbestos and raised questions about how the city selects contractors. Earlier this week,…

This week is Get Smart About Antibiotics Week, and CDC is promoting awareness about when these important drugs should and shouldn't be used. Overuse of antibiotics speeds the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, and infections from these bacteria are much harder to treat. Many of our…

It's fitting that the US dedicates a day each year to honoring veterans, but ensuring that veterans get the care and services they merit is year-round work. In recent years, we've seen the federal government increase recognition of, and resources for, the mental health conditions that many veterans…

by Kim Krisberg This is the first in a series exploring the intersections between effectively caring for people living with chronic pain and the rise in unintentional poisoning deaths due to prescription painkillers. The series will explore the science and policy of balancing the need for treatment…

Cleanup and recovery from Sandy's devastation is a daunting task, and presents several hazards. Laura Walter at EHS Today describes several hazards in the cleanup work and ways to avoid them. The hazards include musculoskeletal injuries from lifting heavy watersoaked items, contaminated standing…

It was easy to miss with all of the Sandy coverage, but an article by John M. Broder in Sunday's New York Times gives some of the wrenching details about teenage boys dying in grain bins. Broder begins with the story of Tommy Osier: STERLING, Mich. — Tommy Osier, 18, a popular but indifferent…

Things are mostly back to normal in DC today: Schools and government offices are open, trains and buses are running on their usual schedules, and there are few outward signs that Hurricane (or Superstorm) Sandy passed through here less than 48 hours ago. The situation is apparently far worse in New…

As Sandy's high winds and water subside, many of us are feeling profoundly grateful to the emergency responders who've been putting themselves in harm's way to keep the rest of us safe. Although their jobs by definition involve working in hazardous situations, there's a lot their agencies and…

The American Public Health Association's annual meeting is taking place this week in San Francisco, with the theme of "Prevention and Wellness Across the Life Span." If you're not there (or if you're there but can't possibly attend all the sessions you want to), the APHA Meeting Blog is a great way…

by Kim Krisberg Earlier this year, federal officials put their foot down: New Hampshire could no longer use federal preparedness money to supports its poison control efforts. The directive sent state lawmakers scrambling to find extra funds so New Hampshire residents would still have access to the…

A few of the recent pieces I've liked: Jason Beaubien (here, too), Jackie Northam (here, too), Julie McCarthy, and Michaeleen Doucleff in NPR's terrific polio series. Ta-Nehisi Coates' The Atlantic blog: Pregnancy as Labor Jenni Bergal at the Washington Post: Moving people out of nursing homes…

Last month, workers from warehouses run by Walmart contractors NFI and Warestaff walked off the job and marched from Ontario, CA to Los Angeles to draw attention to unsafe working conditions. Now, employees of Walmart itself have walked off the job in several cities. On October 4, Josh Eidelson…

In just eight years, the incidence of congenital birth defects in Iraq's Al Basrah Maternity Hospital increased 17-fold, a new study reports. An earlier study found the incidence of birth defects at that hospital to be 1.37 per 1,000 live births between October 1994 and 1995 (out of more than 10,…

by Kim Krisberg At Palm Beach Groves in Lantana, Fla., a small, seasonal business that ships fresh citrus nationwide, employees have regularly voted between getting a raise or keeping their employer-based health insurance. Health coverage always wins, as many employees' ages and pre-existing…

The US workers' compensation system isn't so much a system as it is a collection of state programs with varying rules and requirements. The basic idea is that employers purchase workers-compensation insurance, and when a worker is injured or made ill on the job, the insurer will cover medical costs…

Forty years ago today, the Clean Water Act was enacted. Since then, US waterways have gotten cleaner – but some people seem to be forgetting why we need regulation like this in the first place.  The Act aimed "to restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the…

This post is part of The Pump Handle’s new “Public Health Classics” series exploring some of the classic studies and reports that have shaped the field of public health. Links to past posts in the series are available here. If you have a favorite Public Health Classic to recommend, let us know in…

October 15th is Global Handwashing Day. CDC explains why handwashing deserves the recognition: This observance increases awareness and understanding of handwashing with soap as an effective and affordable method of preventing disease around the world. Handwashing with soap has an important role to…

by Kim Krisberg Researchers studying workers’ compensation claims have found that almost one in 12 injured workers who begin using opioids were still using the prescription drugs three to six months later. It's a trend that, not surprisingly, can lead to addiction, increased disability and more…

A new Health Wonk Review compiled by David E. Williams is now up at the Health Business Blog. It's got links and descriptions for a great collection of post about healthcare issues in the first presidential debate, efforts to contain US healthcare spending, and other topics (including my recent…

This post is part of The Pump Handle’s new “Public Health Classics” series exploring some of the classic studies and reports that have shaped the field of public health. Links to past posts in the series are available here. If you have a favorite Public Health Classic to recommend, let us know in…

With the help of a University of Missouri School of Journalism fellowship and Investigative Reporters and Editors, The Oregonian's Anthony Schick spent the summer investigating child labor in Oregon, where agriculture plays a major role in the economy. After visiting fields and interviewing…

by Kim Krisberg In the west Texas city of San Angelo, Planned Parenthood has been serving local women since 1938. It was one of the very first places in Texas to have a family planning clinic. "We have grandmas bringing their granddaughters in," Carla Holeva, interim CEO of Planned Parenthood of…

Monday was the start date for an Affordable Care Act provision aimed at reducing high rates of hospital readmission among Medicare patients. This year, hospitals determined to have excess readmissions for patients with acute myocardial infarctions, heart failure, and pneumonia can lose up to one…

This post is part of The Pump Handle's new “Public Health Classics” series exploring some of the classic studies and reports that have shaped the field of public health. View the first post of the series here, and check back at the "Public Health Classics" category for more in the future. By Sara…

California Governor Jerry Brown has vetoed two bills that worker advocates promoted. The Humane Treatment for Farm Workers Act, AB 2676, required that farmworkers' supervisors ensure the workers have continuous access to shade and enough cool water to drink one quart per hour during each shift;…

by Kim Krisberg It's not news that unemployment is bad for a person's health. But it turns out that just the threat of unemployment is bad as well. A recent study, published in the September issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, found that perceived job insecurity is also…

Last week, warehouse workers from California's Inland Empire concluded a six-day, 50-mile march from Ontario, CA to Los Angeles with a rally at the LA City Hall. The workers are employed by NFI and Warestaff, which are contractors for Walmart.  The Huffington Post's Kathleen Miles reports: "…