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 by Susan F. Wood, PhD
On Wednesday Feb 21 at 3:00, the project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy at GWU School of Public Health and Health Services is hosting what hopefully will be a very exciting afternoon. Former Commissioners of the FDA will gather to discuss the future of…
By David A. Sonnenfeld
It is rare that public health professionals, labor advocates, community activists, and university scholars come together at one place and time to discuss the past, present, and future of health and environmental challenges of a major industrial sector. It is even rarer that…
Facing growing public concern about global warming, the US Chamber of Commerce is setting up another yet front group to oppose regulations that will limit greenhouse gases. The Chamber has tentatively named the new group the Institute for Energy Security, Competitiveness and American Jobs. It will…
By Joel TicknerÂ
The European Union (EU) recently issued new regulations requiring chemical firms to develop health and environmental data on chemicals used to make everyday products and provide reasonable assurances of safety. What a novel concept. The sad truth is that it is.…
When workers are exposed to hazardous substances on the job, it can take years for symptoms to appear â and even longer to fight for treatment and compensation (a fight that many workers lose). Recently, news stories have highlighted workers from Ground Zero and from nuclear weapons…
By David Michaels
The Bush Administration has been unsuccessful in convincing Congress to pass legislation rolling back public health and environmental protection, even when both the Senate and the House were controlled by Republicans. Some notable examples: attempts to gut the Clean Air Act and…
In continuation of the tradition begun at Jordan Barab's Confined Space blog, Tammy has posted another edition of the Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace at her Weekly Toll blog. It gives short writeups on 64 workplace deaths, including the following:
Janez Case, a 51-year-old EMT who…
By Dick ClappÂ
Late last month, there was a series of news stories about the drop in cancer deaths reported in 2004 as compared to 2003. The Washington Post story ran under the headline âCancer Deaths Decline for Second Straight Year,â and the New York Times headline read âSecond Drop…
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change released the policymakersâ summary of its 2007 report today, and it was at once a momentous occasion and nothing new. Nothing new, that is, to the people whoâve been following the science for the past few decades and had already figured out that humans…
By David Michaels
The Guardian newspaper reports that The American Enterprise Institute (AEI), the think tank/public relations firm, has offered scientists and economists $10,000 to undermine the report on global warming issued today by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).…
In addition to the blogging related to the IPCC (which will be getting its own post), this past week saw lots of discussion on the issue of open-access science journals, following the news that a group of big publishers opposed to open access had hired âthe pit bull of public relations,â Eric…
Friday, February 2, 2007 (3:30 AM EST): Tune in to listen to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) webcast announcing the Working Group I's approval of their Fourth Asssessment Report. There's no doubt the global warming…
Congressman George Miller (D-CA), Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee says the Secretary of Labor has some explaining to do. Miller asserts that essential provisions of the MINER Act,* signed into law in June 2006 under the watchful and tear-filled eyes of Sago…
By Liz BorkowskiÂ
Last week, Revere at Effect Measure used extremely drug-resistant tuberculosis (XDR TB) as an example of why the world needs a resilient and robust public health infrastructure (and just a few days later, an article on an XDR outbreak in South Africa made it to the New York…
Yesterday, the US House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on âAllegations of Political interference with the Work of Government Climate Change Scientists.â As committee chair Henry Waxman noted in his opening statement, the committee had been…
Les Skramstad was a good, decent man. He died earlier this month at 70-years young, from damage inflicted years earlier by greedy and reckless employers.Â
Les was a miner and laborer at the infamous vermiculite mine at Zonolite Mountain in Libby, Montana. The owners and…
When workplace disasters make headlines, worker health and safety advocates have an opportunity to push for better legislation and enforcement. Recent news stories follow up on the response to last yearâs mining disasters and the 2005 explosion at BPâs Texas City refinery. (As always, Jordan…
by Les Boden
Yesterdayâs Washington Post has a long story about Mercury Morris, star running back of the 1972 Miami Dolphins, the only undefeated team in modern NFL history. Morrisâ neck was broken in a 1973 game on national television, and he has had significant physical and emotional problems…
One of the best ways that mothers, fathers, grandparents, and caregivers can find out about hazardous agents in their homes, communities, and workplaces is by reading the journal Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP). EHP is published by the National Institute of Environmental Health…
Some of you may recall Mike Caseyâs compelling exposé in the Kansas City Star (Wayback Machine version here) regarding OSHAâs outrageously low fines for safety violations-- even those directly responsible for serious injuries to or even deaths of unsuspecting workers. While OSHA is supposedly…
The pharmaceutical industry was a hot topic in the blogosphere this week:
Cervantes at Stayin' Alive advocates for a ban on direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical advertising (as opposed to the proposed legislation likely to come from the pharma industry).
Orac at Respectful Insolence has a different…
By David Michaels
Yesterdayâs post by Les Boden on workersâ compensation fraud by employers brings up an important question: How much fraud is there in the comp system and who is responsible?
Insurers and employers have worked diligently to convince the public that the workersâ compensation rolls…
Massey Energy, a major US coal mine operator, is boasting that its safety program has won the âhighly covetedâ Golden Pyramid Award. Isnât it a bit peculiar that a mining company where three workers were killed in 2006 would be recognized for its workplace safety and health…
by Les Boden
Today, The New York Times reports on an important study that shows us the tip of the iceberg of employer workersâ compensation fraud.
The Fiscal Policy Institute compared payroll dollars reported to the New York State Workersâ Compensation Board with payroll reported to the…
Yesterday, Jordan Barab mothballed his blog Confined Space, and workers and worker advocates lost a powerful online resource. The good news is that weâve gained a political resource, since Jordanâs departure from the blogosphere is due to his new staff position on the US House of Representatives…
Cross-posted at Effect Measure by Revere
Tonight The Reveres are putting on their party clothes and headed for Jordan Barab's place, Confined Space. Truthfully, this party is also a wake, because Jordan is closing up shop tonight and has invited everyone over (that means you, too) to celebrate his…
By David Michaels
NIOSH scientist Patricia Sullivan has just published a very important study that reminds us (as if any reminder were needed) that there really is no safe level of asbestos exposure.
The study looked at the causes of death among workers involved in mining, milling and processing…
by Revere, cross-posted from Effect Measure
The University of California Regents (their Board of Trustees) is facing a thorny issue: should researchers in the University of California system be banned from taking research support from the tobacco industry? Two conflicting imperatives, one,…
The Science Blogging Conference, held this past weekend at UNC-Chapel Hill, wasnât just for bloggers. Many of the attendees, particularly science students and educators, came to learn how they could use blogs, and some of them launched their own blogs over the course of the weekend. The journalists…
Mining companies opposed to a health standard to protect underground miners from diesel particulate matter (DPM) finally had their day in court. The morning proceeding featured remarks about tail-wagging dogs and coal-mine canaries, presented before a three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of…