The Pump Handle - A Water Cooler for the Public Health Crowd

Environmental Health EPA says dioxin risk from burning BP/Deepwater Horizon oil is low – but what’s the context?

December 13, 2010 Elizabeth Grossman 2Comment

by Elizabeth Grossman On November 30th, the Louisiana Bucket Brigade (LABB) released a bulletin reporting on the accidental release of sulfur dioxide at the Murphy Oil refinery in Meraux, Louisiana. The Bucket Brigade tracks these releases as part of its work to reduce refinery accidents, and they explain that the November 30th release is “just […]

Environmental Health Why Do We Live Where We Do?

December 10, 2010 Liz Borkowski, MPH 12Comment

It’s been an interesting week of discussing urban issues, and I want to thank Sharon Astyk of Casaubon’s Book and all of our commenters for making it so fun. I learned some interesting things from the comments – especially that vertical agriculture probably doesn’t make sense, even if it sounds like a great idea to […]

Environmental Health Investing in Urban Infrastructure: Transportation

December 9, 2010 Liz Borkowski, MPH 15Comment

Yesterday I mentioned sewer systems as an indispensable part of urban infrastructure, and today I want to focus on the more visible issue of transportation. The efficiency with which people and goods move into and within cities has a huge impact on both energy use and air quality. And the availability of non-driving modes of […]

Environmental Health From the Broad Street Pump to Flying Toilets: Cities’ Need for Sanitation

December 8, 2010 Liz Borkowski, MPH 7Comment

In Monday’s post I mentioned how much I loved London when I visited – but London wasn’t always such an appealing place. During the Industrial Revolution, it was filthy and polluted. The stench was appalling, and an episode of particularly foul smells from the Thames River in 1858 was known as the “Great Stink.” Life […]

OSHA 145 days and counting, still no revision to OSHA’s injury surveillance system

December 7, 2010 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 1Comment

As I’ve previously written, a minor revision to the form on which some U.S. employers are required to record work-related injuries remains stuck in the office of the White House’s regulatory czar. His review has now extended for 145 days. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) collects a sample of these forms annually to estimate […]

Environmental Health Feeding the Hungry Cities: Backyard Chickens, Rooftop Gardens, and Vertical Farming

December 7, 2010 Liz Borkowski, MPH 54Comment

As I mentioned yesterday, Sharon Astyk of Casaubon’s Book and I are spending this week focusing on urbanization issues. Sharon is a farmer and has been writing for a long time about sustainable food production, particularly as it relates to climate change and a dwindling supply of fossil fuels. In her post yesterday, she linked […]

Public Health Practice Cities at Their Best and Worst

December 6, 2010 Liz Borkowski, MPH 5Comment

The Pump Handle and Casaubon’s Book are writing posts this week about the global trend of urbanization. More than half of the world’s population now lives in cities, and this shift has implications for the health of the planet. I grew up in suburban Delaware, and my first experience with urban living came in college […]

Environmental Health Worth Reading: McSurance, Dialysis, and the EPA’s 40th Birthday

December 3, 2010 Liz Borkowski, MPH

A few of the recent pieces I’ve liked: Robin Fields at ProPublica: In Dialysis, Life-Saving Care at Great Risk and Cost Timothy Noah at Slate: McSurance on Trial: A Senate committee puts the spotlight on the crap health insurance given fast-food workers EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson in the WSJ: The EPA Turns 40 Kristen Lombardi […]

Occup Health News Roundup Occupational Health News Roundup

December 2, 2010 Liz Borkowski, MPH

Mary Kay Magistad of PRI’s The World surveys the cost of China’s huge appetite for coal and reports that it’s harmful to workers as well as air quality. She interviews 37-year-old coal miner Zhong Guangwei, who developed a severe case of pneumoconiosis, or black lung disease, after just 10 months of working in a coal […]

Infectious Diseases & Vaccines On World AIDS Day, Considering Progress

December 1, 2010 Liz Borkowski, MPH

Today, is World AIDS Day, and while the pandemic continues to devastate millions of lives, we can also honor some achievements. CDC reports that when PEPFAR (the US President’s Plan for AIDS Relief) started in 2003, fewer than 50,000 people in sub-Saharan Africa were getting antiretroviral drugs; now, thanks to a global collaboration, more than […]