environmental health | The Pump Handle

Cancer The air we breathe: WHO says air pollution is carcinogenic and urges action – scientists contend industry is hindering progress

October 23, 2013 Elizabeth Grossman 3Comment

On October 17, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced that it has classified air pollution as a human carcinogen. Although the composition of air pollution and exposure levels vary widely from place to place, IARC says its assessment is applicable worldwide and notes that exposures in rapidly industrializing countries […]

Environmental Health Will history of health hazards be repeated at new Wisconsin iron mine?

September 30, 2013 Elizabeth Grossman

The long-time residents of Iron County, Wisconsin who make up the Iron County Joint Impacts Mining Committee say the open-pit iron mine planned for the Penokee Hills of northern Wisconsin – a range that extends into Michigan where it’s known as the Gogebic Range – will bring much needed good jobs and economic development. Such […]

Environmental Health Labor Day assessment of federal efforts to improve (or impede) worker safety protections

September 3, 2013 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

The second annual report on US worker health and safety offers a review of activities and new policies at the federal scene, and a recap on the best reporting about it by the nation’s journalists.

Education Report: Treating workers fairly, maintaining safe workplaces good for the bottom line

August 2, 2013 Kim Krisberg

Fair working standards for construction workers and financial profit for developers aren’t incompatible, according to a new report from Texas’ Workers Defense Project. In fact, consumers are actually willing to pay more to live in places built on principles of safety, economic justice and dignity.

Education Sequestration claims another public health program: The Adult Blood Lead Epidemiology and Surveillance program

July 19, 2013 Kim Krisberg 1Comment

When I asked Teresa Schnorr why we should be worried about the loss of a little-known occupational health data gathering program, she quoted a popular saying in the field of surveillance: “What gets counted, gets done.”

Environmental Health US Chemical Safety Board to hit hard on OSHA’s inaction on chemical hazards

July 16, 2013 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

The US Chemical Safety Board has been criticized for not doing more to press recipients of its recommendations to implement them. At a public meeting later this month, the Board will consider classifying OSHA’s response to several recommendations as “Open-Unacceptable.”

Environmental Health Study: Industrial food-animal workers test positive for livestock-associated MRSA

July 12, 2013 Kim Krisberg 3Comment

In a recent study comparing workers at industrial livestock operations and those employed at antibiotic-free livestock operations, researchers found that industrial workers were much more likely to carry livestock-associated strains of drug-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, more commonly and scarily known as MRSA.

Education CDC reports highest West Nile virus caseload in years, but predicting outbreaks remains a challenge

July 5, 2013 Kim Krisberg 1Comment

Last year, reported cases of West Nile virus in the United States hit their highest levels in nearly a decade. It’s a good reminder to keep protecting yourself from getting bitten, but it also begs the question: Is this just a sign of a much bigger threat? The answer is just as wily as the pesky mosquito.

Environmental Health Designing better health: New EPA report links development and human health

June 21, 2013 The Pump Handle

When most of us pass by a new high-rise or drive down a new road, we rarely think: Did the builders and planners consider my health? However, a new report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers evidence that certain types of land use and transportation decisions can indeed limit the human health and environmental impacts of development.

Addiction & Substance Abuse Study: Banning smoking in subsidized housing could save millions in health care costs

April 26, 2013 The Pump Handle 2Comment

Another day, another study that shows investing in public health interventions can make a serious dent in health care spending. A new study has found that banning smoking in all U.S. subsidized housing could yield cost savings of about $521 million every year.