September 23, 2008 The Pump Handle

By Olga Naidenko Maybe our government should listen to what the people have to say? I mean, not all the time, not every day – surely, that would be too much to ask for – but at least every once in a while? Occasionally? And even consider those public opinions with a modicum of respect? […]

September 22, 2008 The Pump Handle

Environmental Health News is a key resource for people who want to stay up-to-date on environmental issues, and it’s now gotten even better. John Peterson Myers, who’s made the site (especially its Above the Fold daily news update) an invaluable resource that so many of us rely on, has now recruited some new talent and moved […]

September 22, 2008 The Pump Handle

During a recent one-on-one interview with the Charleston Gazette, MSHA chief Richard Stickler said his agency will not be issuing more protective health standards to protect miners from coal workers’ pnuemoconiosis during his tenure.  In Ken Ward’s article (Sept 14), Stickler says: “There’s no way I’m going to get that done with what I have […]

September 19, 2008 The Pump Handle

Bloggers are thinking about food: Elizabeth Cooney at White Coat Notes reports on a study in Boston and Philadelphia that finds food prices outstripping food stamps. Robert McClure at Dateline Earth points us to a new report that suggests giving fishermen property rights may help imperiled fish stocks. Jennifer Jacquet at Shifting Baselines argues for […]

September 19, 2008 The Pump Handle 1Comment

The front page of today’s Washington Post announces “Public Health Is a Hot Field,” reporting that an understanding of epidemiology, community-based interventions, disease surveillance and study design are high-demand topics on college campuses for undergraduate students.  I learned this exact thing two years ago when I was asked to teach part of the required curriculum for the George Washington University’s (GWU) Bachelor of […]

September 19, 2008 The Pump Handle

Occupational Hazards has assembled a list of the 50 most influential leaders in Environmental Health and Safety, and our own David Michaels is on the list. “Love them or despise them, these are the 50 people the editors of Occupational Hazards feel have had the most impact on EHS in the past decade,” the introduction […]

September 18, 2008 The Pump Handle

In 1971 under the National Cancer Act, Congresss authorized the 3-person President’s Cancer Panel which is charged with monitoring the “development and execution of the National Cancer Program” and preparing periodic progress reports for the President.  Over the years, the Panel has examined quality of life for cancer patients, access to care issues, and lifestyle risk […]

September 17, 2008 The Pump Handle

Earlier this year, the Charlotte Observer published an excellent and disturbing series on the dangerous working conditions at poultry plants, and employers’ efforts to keep worker injuries from being reported. Now, the Observer’s Ames Alexander reports that poultry worker Thomas Jurrissen told auditors about safety concerns at the plant where he worked – and was […]

September 17, 2008 The Pump Handle

by revere, cross-posted at Effect Measure We’ve discussed the component of plastics bisphenol A (BPA) here before (here, here) but yesterday the Journal of the American Medical Association published a significant paper with an accompanying editorial that deserves mention. A panel of the FDA was scheduled to meet the same day to review FDA’s draft […]

September 16, 2008 The Pump Handle

Celeste Monforton will be testifying tomorrow at a hearing of the House of Representatives Committee on Education and Labor’s Subcommittee on Workforce Protections (10am, 2175 Rayburn). She’ll be speaking about the Department of Labor’s proposed worker health risk-assessment rule, which might have gone undetected by worker-health advocates had Celeste not spotted its name on a White […]