By Olga Naidenko After lead, asbestos, aromatic amine dyes, Minamata disease, Bhopal, and fluorochemicals, we presumably have learned something about worker safety, especially when it comes to large-scale production in cutting-edge chemical industries. So here comes the test: can we use this knowledge to ensure worker safety in the up-and-coming nanotechnology industry? An international survey […]
Bloggers are keeping us up to date on some of the many proposals for spending federal dollars on health and environmental issues: Tom Philpott at Gristmill brings us the latest on the farm bill, which has been delayed due to disputes over subsidy reform. Hank Green at EnviroWonk explains why and how the Department of […]
The Weinberg Group is one of the product defense firms I write about in my new book âDoubt is Their Product: How Industryâs Assault on Science Threatens Your Health.â These firms help polluters and manufacturers of dangerous products avoid regulation â only now the Weinberg Group is not a product defense firm, itâs transformed itself […]
Past roundups have emphasized the many things wrong with veteransâ health and safety, so this week seems like a good time to highlight some of the efforts that the military and the Veterans Administration are making to address the problems. The WSJâs Theo Francis reports that the Defense Department is giving the Brain Trauma Foundation […]
Despite worsening problems with climate disruption and air pollution, politicians and individuals have kept making bad transportation choices for decades. As a result, weâve got an unsustainable transportation system full of single-passenger gas-guzzling vehicles, and the only âsolutionâ that politicians have been able to unite around is ethanol, which worsens global hunger and nutrient runoff […]
The May 12th issue of Newsweek contains Sharon Begleyâs excellent review of Doubt is Their Product (which should now be available in your local bookstore). Naturally, we like it because it says nice things about Davidâs book, but we also think Begley does a terrific job describing the kinds of abuses the book chronicles. Itâs […]
Bloggers had a lot to say about the health, safety, and healthcare of workers: Christine Rampolla at AFL-CIO Weblog explains how 12 years of work by union members culminated in New Jerseyâs paid family leave act, which the governor just signed into law. What if ⦠America Had a Healthcare System That Worked? explores the problems with veteransâ […]
Companies have evidently realized that marketing anti-bacterial products to U.S. consumers is a good way to make money, and are pushing a wide array of products that claim to have bacteria-fighting properties. (I’ve seen socks, computer products, toys … and even a handy hook you can use to avoid touching a potentially germ-ridden door handle.) This might […]
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives voted 247-165 to approve the Worker Protection Against Combustible Dust Explosion and Fires Act (H.R. 5522), which requires OSHA to issue an interim final combustible dust standard within 90 days and a final standard within 18 months. This legislation wouldnât be necessary if OSHA were doing its job. Combustible […]
The Chicago Tribune has just reported that Mary Gade, the Bush administrationâs top environmental regulator in the Midwest, has been forced to quit her job after months of efforts to get Dow Chemicals to clean up dioxin contamination around its Michigan headquarters. The Tribuneâs Michael Hawthorne explains: