Journalists and editors were in the spotlight this week. At the Society of Environmental Journalists conference, attendees grappled with journalistsâ role in covering climate change; Robert McClure at Dateline Earth and Richard Littlemore at DeSmogBlog report. Tara C. Smith at Aetiology highlights one cringe-inducing example of a newspaper getting an important statistic wrong, while Revere […]
 By Susan F. Wood, PhD  Two things appear to be major bones of contention in determining the final version of what is now named the “FDA Revitalization Act of 2007” (FDARA). And they both related to public transparency and public accountability.Â
On March 23, 2005 a series of explosions ripped through BPâs Texas City refinery. The disaster claimed the lives of 15 and injured many more. (You can read some of the press coverage here and here.) Here are a few interesting tidbits fresh from the courtroom where BP lawyers are working to discredit the claims […]
One of the benefits of blogging at The Pump Handle is connecting with people who have first-hand experience with our nation’s inadequate public health protection system. We’ve heard from parents and wives who appreciate us writing about their loved ones’ fatal on-the-job injuries, and federal employees who share their unique experiences with how scientific information […]
Over the past week, several newspapers and wire services have reported on the story we broke here at The Pump Handle about the first reported case of bronchiolitis obliterans in a microwave popcorn consumer â quickly followed by microwave popcorn manufacturersâ announcements about the removal of diacetyl from their products, and by additional calls from […]
The anniversary of the 9/11 attacks yesterday highlighted the health problems that many rescue, recovery, and cleanup workers and volunteers are facing. Articles in the New York Times, Newsday, and the New York Sun highlighted workers whoâve developed severe disease over the past six years and lawmakersâ proposals to address the surge in illnesses. Also, […]
The following post is by Dr. David Egilman, a familiar figure to those who have been following the case of Eli Lillyâs schizophrenia drug Zyprexa. See Alex Berensonâs New York Times articles on the case for more background, or read David Michaelsâs post about Zyprexa and sequestered science. — Editor âThe Truth is Not Freeâ […]
By David Michaels It is time for Congress to enlist the nationâs science and policy experts to help develop a federal workers’ compensation program for 9/11 rescue, recovery, and cleanup workers. The inadequacy of state worker programs led Congress to legislate special compensation programs for uranium miners, and civilian workers in nuclear weapons facilities. We […]
By David Michaels In a few short months, the country has awakened to several potential hazards associated with Chinese toys. Mattel and other manufacturers have already recalled millions of toys, some for lead paint and others because they contained magnets that, if swallowed, could cause severe injuries. Now, Louise Story of New York Times reports […]
Flavoring Workers' Lung (Popcorn/Diacetyl)
Pressure Builds on the Bush Administration to Regulate Diacetyl
By David Michaels The popcorn festival has just ended in Marion, Ohio (nickname: âpopcorn capital of the worldâ), attended by more than 100,000 revelers. The Orville Redenbacher Parade is one of the festivalsâ highlights. Redenbacher, who developed the hybrid corn strain that pops so uniformly, was actually from Indiana, but ConAgra Foods manufactures the best […]