There have been a number of thoughtful and challenging comments on the future of safety and health posted in the past week. I want to acknowledge some of these and also to suggest more discussion about the principles that might help choose which potential actions to increase worker protection should get priority attention.
By David Michaels Earlier today, President Bush took another step to limit the ability of regulatory agencies to protect the nationâs health and environment. The President signed amendments to Executive Order (E.O.) 12866, further centralizing the control the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has over agency activities, and making it more difficult for public […]
By Liz Borkowski Thereâs an article making its way around the internet warning that a lobbying reform law currently in the Senate will require bloggers who criticize Congress and reach audiences of more than 500 to register and file quarterly reports with Congress — or risk jail time. Mike Dunford of The Questionable Authority decided […]
by Liz Borkowski Via the Center for Media and Democracy, I’ve just learned about an article from the journal Tobacco Control that provides insight into yet another instructive facet of the Tobacco Wars: Philip Morrisâs plan to combat the declining social acceptability of smoking. The article authors â P.A. McDaniel, E.A. Smith, and R.E. Malone â […]
By David Michaels Later today, the California Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board will hold a public meeting to consider issuing an Emergency Temporary Standard to protect workers exposed to the chemical diacetyl. This chemical, a primary component of artificial butter flavor, has been implicated as a cause of bronchiolitis obliterans, a debilitating and sometimes […]
Flavoring Workers' Lung (Popcorn/Diacetyl)
Artificial Butter Flavor Lung Disease â More Cases Reported
By David Michaels The outbreak of severe lung disease caused by exposure to diacetyl, the chemical that makes food taste like artificial butter flavor, is growing. According to the California Department of Health Services, there are now eight known cases of severe obstructive lung disease among workers exposed to diacetyl, with three more reported cases […]
Thanks to those of you who have responded so far to the draft paper, âGetting Home Safe and Sound? OSHA at Thirty Five,â which was posted here several days ago. Many people have agreed with the need for this dialogue and indicated the intent to contribute to it. Comments so far have supported the need […]
By David Michaels âRisk assessment data can be like a captured spy: if you torture it long enough, it will tell you anything you want to know.â – William Ruckelshaus, first EPA Administrator, Risk assessment, explicit and implicit, is the motor that drives regulation. It can be a valuable tool for assisting regulatory agencies in […]
by Robert Shull With the Bush administrationâs war on science raging all around us, itâs nice to be able to report a win for the public. In January 2006, the Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) of the White House Office of Management and Budget issued a draft bulletin proposing to impose one-size-fits-all criteria […]
By David Michaels In todayâs Wall Street Journal (sub required), Jeffrey Ball reports that ExxonMobil has decided to stop funding several of the groups that have been in the forefront of attacking the scientific evidence on global warming. The campaign to shame ExxonMobil appears to be working. Earlier this week, the Union of Concerned Scientists […]