The Department of Labor recently published its semi-annual regulatory agenda with revised (again) target dates for OSHA and MSHA rules. The Department goes through this exercise twice a year, but it is a rare occasion when the “Timetable for Action” dates are actually met. After just a few moments comparing this agenda to the one published […]
Flavoring Workers' Lung (Popcorn/Diacetyl)
Preventing Flavor Workers’ Lung Disease: A Tale of Two Regulatory Systems
By David Michaels In the last few days, the national media has finally focused on the failure of OSHA to protect workers from devastating lung disease caused by exposure to artificial butter flavor. (The problem goes well beyond microwave popcorn factories, to the flavor industry and other snack food plants.) Articles in the Washington Post, […]
I’ve been away from my computer for the past several days, so these links are all from the early part of the week:
During the April 24, 2007 House Workforce Protection Subcommittee hearing, â”Have OSHA Standards Kept up with Workplace Hazards?”, the Bush administrationâs record in promulgating occupational safety and health standards was a hot topic. (âWith all of those [rules] that have been cast aside,â asked an indignant Congressman Hare (D-IL)â âwhatâs OSHA been doing?â)       […]
This edition of Occupational Health News Roundup is dedicated to Workersâ Memorial Day, which was observed around the world on April 28th. Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: A ceremony commemorated the 100th anniversary of The Pittsburgh Survey (1907-1908), âthe pioneering work of Crystal Eastman and others which investigated the horrendous living conditions of Pittsburgh’s working class as the […]
John Browne, BPâs CEO has abruptly resigned over revelations about his sex life. For quite some time, Houston Chronicle’s business columnist Loren Steffy has been writing about Browne and the safety debacle known as BP. Steffy’s comments on Browneâs resignation are priceless: Let me see if I’ve got this right. BP’s Texas City refinery blows […]
By David Michaels Earlier this month, the National Institute of Healthâs National Toxicology Program fired the contractor that had been running its Center for the Evaluation of Risks to Human Reproduction (CERHR) after environmental health advocates drew attention to the companyâs chemical industry ties. (Go here to see previous posts.) Now, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel […]
Flavoring Workers' Lung (Popcorn/Diacetyl)
Flavor Workersâ Lung Disease: What Do We Know and What Should Be Done?
By David Michaels All of a sudden, America has become acutely aware of the terrible lung disease caused by workplace exposure to artificial butter flavor. Last week, the failure of OSHA to do anything in response to the outbreak of cases across the country was the subject of several powerful newspaper articles (including a front […]
Flavoring Workers' Lung (Popcorn/Diacetyl)
The NY Times on Industry Foxes and the Regulatory Chicken Coop
By David Michaels Following up on a powerful indictment of OSHAâs failure to protect workers from diacetyl and other hazards published two days ago in the New York Times, todayâs edition of the newspaper has a scathing editorial on the demise of OSHA under the Bush Administration. The editorial writers particularly go after OSHA Assistant […]
Did you know that Wednesday was World Malaria Day? Farzaneh and Aman at Technology, Health & Development marked the occasion with posts about initiatives that are tackling the disease, while Merrill Goozner at GoozNews wonders why the World Banks seems to lack a sense of urgency on the issue. Regular ScienceBlogs readers probably noticed that […]