by revere, cross-posted at Effect Measure The peanut butter/peanut paste ingredient based salmonella outbreak has been in the news lately and we’ve discussed it here (and here, here, here, here, here). There are now about 500 reported cases and six deaths. That’s a case fatality ratio of just over 1%. So what if there were […]
Back in July, a 300-foot crane collapsed at a Houston refinery and killed four workers: Marion âScooterâ Hubert Odom III, 41; John D. Henry, 33; Daniel âDJâ Lee Johnson, 30; and Rocky Dale Strength, 30. Now, federal regulators have reported that the craneâs operator, who was among those killed, had never been in the machineâs […]
First, some welcome breaking news from Amie Newman at RH Reality Check: President Obama has rescinded the Global Gag Rule, which banned giving federal funds to internal groups that provide abortions or informations about the procedure. Jacob Goldstein at WSJ’s Health Blog is also on top of the latest health news, reporting that Obama has […]
by Ellen Smith A supervisor was hurt in a roof fall December 10, 2008 at a six-employee anthracite mine that owes more than $100,000 in delinquent civil penalties, MSHA records showed. The foreman at S & M Coal Co.’s Buck Mountain Slope in Dauphin County, Pa., met loose roof while he was working alone in a heading, according […]
By David Egilman On September 15, 2008 pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly pleaded guilty to committing the crime of off-label marketing of Zyprexa, an antipsychotic. Lilly has profited handsomely from the marketing of this drug, making over $30 billion. The Department of Justice (DOJ) claims that the $1.42 billion dollar fine agreed to by Lilly as […]
Last week The Pump Handle featured an article by Carole Bass entitled Why is Black Lung back? In response, a former coal miner offers his views on why coal miners in the U.S. continue to develop and suffer from this occupational lung disease that is 100% preventable. He writes: Thank you for your article on […]
I was on the National Mall yesterday when Barack Obama took the oath of office and gave his inaugural address, and the mood was both delighted and solemn. The densely packed crowd alternated between loud cheers and reverent silence as Obama spoke. Our new president was blunt in his description of our current situation, reminding […]
Tomorrowâs Inauguration events are the main attraction this week, but thousands of people also turned out along train tracks over the past several days to cheer President-Elect Obama as he made his way from Chicago to Washington in a historic rail car. The journey was noteworthy not only because it symbolically repeated the trip Lincoln […]
There were lots of good posts this week about health challenges around the world: Marjan Siadat at Detroit Receiving provides a grim look at the cholera epidemic in Zimbabwe.  Amie Newman at RH Reality Check reminds us that having a child remains one of the biggest health risks for women worldwide. Michael Clemens at Global […]
The Charleston Gazette’s Ken Ward reports: “Less than a week before leaving office, the Bush administration is preparing to issue an emergency health advisory for drinking water polluted with the toxic chemical C8. …EPA plans to recommend reducing consumption of water that contains more than 0.4 parts per billion of C8, according to a draft […]