by revere, cross-posted at Effect Measure The Chinese food contamination scandal continues to widen. The European Union (EU) is now banning imports of all Chinese baby foods that contain milk. The problem is the presence of melamine, a cheap chemical used to make plastics that looks like protein in the screening assays used to see […]
Four U.S. Senators have written to Labor Secretary Chao and OSHA Asst. Secretary Foulke expressing serious concern that “OSHA has failed to make significant progress in addressing the continuing hazards” of diacetyl. They asked for a response by October 8 to four simple questions, including a list of inspections conducted as part of OSHA’s national emphasis […]
by revere, cross-posted at Effect Measure Like a lot of other research scientists supported by NIH I got an email yesterday from NIH Director Elias Zerhouni announcing his intention to leave his position “to devote much of my attention to writing.” At least it wasn’t the hackneyed “to spend more time with my family.” While […]
Itâs become increasingly evident over the past few years that many veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan have sustained mild traumatic brain injuries, often from being in the vicinity of a powerful blast. (See last monthâs New York Times article for details.) Symptoms can range from dizziness and persistent headaches to hearing problems and memory […]
J. Davitt McAteer, who served as acting Solicitor of Labor for nearly two years,* submitted formal objections today on DOL’s proposed risk assessment rule, and indicated that if the Administration “refuses to withdraw the proposal,” he asks for public hearings [plural] and an extension of the comment period. McAteer, who also served as the MSHA chief from […]
By Olga Naidenko Maybe our government should listen to what the people have to say? I mean, not all the time, not every day â surely, that would be too much to ask for â but at least every once in a while? Occasionally? And even consider those public opinions with a modicum of respect? […]
Environmental Health News is a key resource for people who want to stay up-to-date on environmental issues, and itâs now gotten even better. John Peterson Myers, whoâs made the site (especially its Above the Fold daily news update) an invaluable resource that so many of us rely on, has now recruited some new talent and moved […]
During a recent one-on-one interview with the Charleston Gazette, MSHA chief Richard Stickler said his agency will not be issuing more protective health standards to protect miners from coal workers’ pnuemoconiosis during his tenure. In Ken Ward’s article (Sept 14), Stickler says: “There’s no way I’m going to get that done with what I have […]
Bloggers are thinking about food: Elizabeth Cooney at White Coat Notes reports on a study in Boston and Philadelphia that finds food prices outstripping food stamps. Robert McClure at Dateline Earth points us to a new report that suggests giving fishermen property rights may help imperiled fish stocks. Jennifer Jacquet at Shifting Baselines argues for […]
The front page of today’s Washington Post announces “Public Health Is a Hot Field,” reporting that an understanding of epidemiology, community-based interventions, disease surveillance and study design are high-demand topics on college campuses for undergraduate students.  I learned this exact thing two years ago when I was asked to teach part of the required curriculum for the George Washington University’s (GWU) Bachelor of […]