Five employees of RPI Coatings were killed on Tuesday at the Xcel Energy Inc’s(NYSE: XEL) Cabin Creek Station hydroelectric plant, located about 30 miles from Denver, CO. The deceased workers were part of a contract maintenance crew which were applying a specialized epoxy coating onto the inside of a 3,000 feet-long (and 4-feet wide) water pipe. A fire erupted, […]
By James Celenza Last year, a jury found that three paint companies created a public nuisance when they made and sold the lead paints that continue to poison children in Rhode Island. Now, Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch is proposing that the companies spend $2.4 billion removing lead paint from more than half the houses […]
Several recent news stories highlight things you should know if you want to keep your brain healthy. Killer Amoebas: The Associated Press warns, “Killer amoebas living in lakes can enter the body through the nose and attack the brain, where they feed until you die.” Sports: The New York Times reports that among high school athletes, […]
By Liz Borkowski Hundreds of nurses are on strike in Kentucky and West Virginia after contract negotiations with Appalachian Regional Healthcare failed. The nurses refused to accept a package that reduced their holiday pay and increased their insurance premiums (canceling out the proposed wage increase) and that failed to add staffing that would offset mandatory […]
In an article in the 10/8 issue of The Nation, Virginia Sole-Smith reports that many U.S. nail salon workers are concerned about the health effects of the products they use â but gaps in research and regulatory agency responsibilities make it hard for the workers to protect themselves. The vast majority of the U.S.âs 380,000 […]
Last week, the U.S. EPA issued a new regulation under the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) to help reduce the amount of lead contained in consumers’ tap water. The new rule amends a 1991 EPA’s “Lead and Copper Rule” by requiring improved monitoring and replacement of lead-service lines, and providing more complete information to consumers (by water […]
Before this weekâs climate conference began, Climate Progress predicted, âThe Bush Administration will use every opportunity to create the illusion of action without agreeing to meaningful, binding pollution reductions.â Today, that blog reports that Bush followed âthe Frank Luntz playbook on how to seem like you care about the climate when you donât,â while Bill […]
The Senate HELP Committee is holding a hearing on Tuesday, Oct. 2 on “Current Mine Safety Disasters: Issues and Challenges.” The witness list includes the same familiar faces from MSHA, NIOSH, the UMWA and National Mining Association, but the Committee has also invited two “newcomers” to these mine safety hearings. One is former MSHA engineer Robert Ferriter (now with the Colorado […]
While the House of Representatives was voting Wednesday to approve the Popcorn Workers Lung Disease Prevention Act (here), OSHA’s Assistant Secretary Edwin Foulke had just mailed a letter rejecting a petition from a group of workersâ who’d asked for emergency protection from the respiratory hazards caused by butter-flavoring agents.  Mr. Foulkeâs response is not only tardy—it took them 14 […]
By Kristen Perosino Is FDA on the road to recovery? Will public confidence in the agency be restored? In what is bound to be an interesting policy address (not to mention well-timed, as the recently passed FDA Amendments Act of 2007 awaits Bushâs signature), Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) is scheduled to present her vision of […]