October 30, 2015 Kim Krisberg 1Comment

When it comes to immunization rates in the United States, the story is a mixed one. Among children, we’ve absolutely excelled. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers the nation’s childhood vaccination rate as one of the greatest public health achievements of the 20th century. But when it comes to American adults — 50,000 of whom die every year from vaccine-preventable diseases — it’s a very different story.

October 30, 2015 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

The criminal trial of former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship went into its fourth week. Jurors heard from Chris Blanchard, the former president of Massey Energy’s Performance Coal Company about his and Blankenship’s oversight of the Upper Big Branch mine.

October 28, 2015 Kim Krisberg 1Comment

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released the first nationally representative estimates of electronic cigarette use among U.S. adults, finding that more than 12 percent had ever tried the aerosol nicotine products in 2014. So, as is the unfortunate case with many emerging and potential public health threats, it seems like e-cigarette use is outpacing the ability of regulatory bodies to protect the public’s health and educate consumers about possible risks.

October 23, 2015 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

The criminal trial of former Massey Energy CEO Don Blankenship went into its third week. Jurors heard from a company president who was granted immunity in exchange for his testimony against Blankenship, as well as conflicting information about whether Blankenship was ever inside the Upper Big Branch mine.

October 21, 2015 Kim Krisberg 3Comment

Flame retardants aren’t just found in your furniture. It’s likely you also have detectable amounts of the chemical in your body too, which is pretty worrisome considering the growing amount of research connecting flame retardants to serious health risks. Researchers have linked to the chemicals to reproductive health problems, adverse neurobehavioral development in kids, and endocrine and thyroid disruption. And so the question arises: Do the risks of today’s flame retardants outweigh the benefits?