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Category archives for Cancer
Public health topics shine as finalists for investigative reporting prize
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on February 2, 2012 Communities affected by contaminated air, water and soil, workers retaliated for complaining about safety issues, and vulnerable groups abused by organizations charged with protecting them, are topics at the heart of public health. This week they are especially recognized by the Joan Shorenstein Center on the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard University’s Kennedy…
Slow progress by OSHA to improve worker health and safety regulations
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on January 30, 2012 The Labor Department provided an update on January 20, 2012 to its regulatory agenda, including revised target dates for improved workplace safety and health standards. Several of the rules OSHA now expects to publish in 2012 are regulations the agency previously said would be issued one or two years ago. Missed deadlines, however, are nothing…
Scientists urge White House to intervene in stalled worker safety rule
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on January 25, 2012 A group of 300 scientists, physicians and public health experts are urging President Obama to direct his Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to complete its review of a proposed Labor Department health standard on the carcinogen crystallline silica. OMB’s Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) has been reviewing the proposed rule for nearly…
Cost of work-related injury and disease higher than cost for heart disease, cancer
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on January 20, 2012 Money talks, as the saying goes, and a recently published paper on the annual cost of work-related injuries and illnesses should get policymakers to listen up. The number is staggering: $250 Billion, and it’s a figure on par with health conditions like cancer, coronary heart disease, and diabetes that attract much more attention and research…
Actor Steve McQueen honored posthumously by asbestos disease advocacy group
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on January 12, 2012 The late Steve McQueen—the King of Cool—will be honored later this year by the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization (ADAO) with its “Keep Me in Your Heart” memorial tribute award. McQueen starred in dozens of films including the The Great Escape (1963), The Thomas Crown Affair (1968), Bullitt (1968), and Papillon (1973). He died in November…
Washington State adopts rule to protect healthcare workers from hazardous medications
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on January 11, 2012 Washington State becomes the first in the nation to adopt specific workplace safety rules to protect healthcare workers who are potentially exposed to anti-neoplastic drugs and other hazardous medications. The new rule, issued earlier this month by the State’s Department of Labor & Industries, stems from legislation passed in April 2011 and signed into law…
Federal advisory committee urges Obama Administration to act on worker safety regulations
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on January 5, 2012 A federal advisory committee is urging HHS Secretary Sebelius and Labor Secretary Solis to proceed expeditiously with new worker safety regulations. In letters sent recently to these Cabinet-level officials, the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health, (NACOSH) the committee used phrases such as “deeply distressed,” and “concerned and disappointed,” to characterize the Obama…
Asbestos victims demand North American ban on use and export of asbestos
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on December 13, 2011 [Update 12/15/11 below] It’s been 3 1/2 years since Leah Nielsen lost her father from mesothelioma. “I took care of my father as he died an excruciating death. He died too young.” This Utah resident wants to protect others from suffering the same kind of horrible death by banning the use and export of asbestos.…
MSHA should scrap any plan to wait for OSHA action on respirable crystalline silica
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on November 25, 2011 Before too long the US Department of Labor (DOL) and other federal agencies should be issuing their annual regulatory plans and semi-annual agendas. These documents serve as official public notice of agencies’ regulatory (and deregulatory) priorities. The Regulatory Flexibility Act and Executive Order (EO) 12866 direct agency heads to release these documents in April (agenda)…
My sister is not Death’s Grim Reaper
Posted by Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH of George Washington University School of Public Health & Health Services on November 14, 2011 She’s a hospice nurse. When I tell people her occupation, I typically receive a response like this: “She must be a very special person. I could never work in a place where people go to die.” Hospice is a “place,” and equating hospice to death, are just two of the misperceptions that hospice care providers…