Asbestos is internationally recognized as a carcinogen and blamed for 100,000 deaths each year, but neither the U.S. nor Canada has managed to ban its use. Two mines in Quebec still produce asbestos, and about 95% of their production is exported. Last year, The Globe and Mailâs Martin Mittelstaedt reported that Canadaâs government is a […]
Earlier this year, a group of worker advocates sent a petition to MSHA Chief Richard Stickler asking for rulemaking to improve the training miners receive about their statutory rights. The petition called for significant changes in the way in which all workers employed at U.S. mining operations learn about their rights, including the right to refuse unsafe work and to express concerns […]
Senator Edward Kennedyâs diagnosis of a malignant brain tumor is terrible news on multiple levels. While our thoughts go out to the Senator and his family, itâs also difficult to imagine Congress tackling the many important health-related issues before it without Senator Kennedy. Ezra Klein calls Kennedy âone of the few Senators who is genuinely […]
By Sarah Vogel On Wednesday, May 14 the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee held a hearing on Plastics Additives in Consumer Products to discuss the safety of two chemical compounds, bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, in consideration of new legislation and calls for regulatory reform. Both of these chemicals are used in plastics production and […]
For the third time in eight months, workers from the Getchell gold mine* near Winnemuca, NV have seen a co-worker killed on-the-job. First was Mr. Curtis L. Johnson, 36, a roof-bolter, who was killed on August 28, 2007, when part of the mine collapsed on him.  Next was Mike Millican, 43, who was killed on January 26, […]
By Ally Petrilla I read the Jackson Sun’s (Tennessee) headline “Churches ‘go green’ as they as they aim to protect God’s creation from more harm” and said to myself, “Finally!” I am not that excited that my home state is catching the Go Green bug (although that’s a great thing, too!); I was more excited to see that […]
More than three years after the blast at BP’s Texas City refinery killed 15 workers and injured many others, an independent monitor reports that the company has made “substantial progress” in safety at its U.S. refineries, but that it still has many improvements to make. Kristen Hays reports for the Houston Chronicle: Much of the progress […]
For our readers in the DC area, there are two upcoming events featuring David Michaels speaking about Doubt is Their Product: How Industryâs Assault on Science Threatens Your Health: Center for American Progress reading Wednesday, May 28, 12:30 â 1:30pm 1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor (You need to RSVP for this one, and theyâll serve […]
The story of asbestos in this country ought to serve as a cautionary tale: A seemingly miraculous fiber was widely introduced into common consumer products; only after it was already in millions of homes did the general public realize that it causes a particularly terrible form of cancer. Now, treating victims and cleaning up contaminated […]
Over the past few years, itâs become harder to access several sources of useful, up-to-date information about the substances weâre exposed to. There were the EPA library closures; the changes in Toxics Release Inventory reporting requirements; and a dramatic slowdown in the pace of Integrated Risk Information System assessments. Now, the USDAâs National Agricultural Statistics […]