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August 21, 2008
Earlier today, NPR's Morning Edition dedicated a segment to the latest figure on workplace deaths: 5,488 workers died from fatal work injuries last year. That's the lowest number since the government started keeping statistics in 1992.
Libby Lewis interviewed David Michaels about the drop; he noted…
August 21, 2008
Itâs World Water Week, and officials from around the world are meeting in Stockholm to discuss how to get adequate water and sanitation to the worldâs population â even as drought and other environmental problems threaten the global water supply.
The conference organizers explain the problem and…
August 20, 2008
I've written a number of times about how a physician must be careful not impose his or her personal beliefs on patients.
Another interesting case has hit the news. The decision of the California Supreme Court hinged on interpretation of state non-discrimination law. I'm not a lawyer, but I do…
August 20, 2008
First, the good news: A federal appeals court has struck down a 2006 EPA rule that prohibited state and local governments from strengthening efforts to monitor pollution from power plants, factories, and refineries.
Under the Clean Air Act, state and local governments are tasked with issuing…
August 20, 2008
With growing rates of public transit usage nationwide, itâs a good time to see if transit systems are providing workplaces that will keep employees healthy.
In this weekâs news, the DC areaâs transit agency has unveiled seats with more back support and better seat belts for its bus drivers; the…
August 20, 2008
I've been having an internal debate about whether to write on this issue, not because it isn't interesting, not because it isn't important, but because it's getting so much coverage and I'm not sure how much I can add to the conversation.
But it so infuriated me that I must blog. Science-based…
August 19, 2008
Weâve written before about the alarming rate of bee death (or colony collapse disorder) around the world, and last week the British Beekeepersâ Association revealed that one in three of the UKâs honeybee hives failed to survive the winter and spring.
Now, the Natural Resources Defense Council says…
August 19, 2008
I recently started helping track worker fatalities over at The Weekly Toll, and it has been quite a harrowing couple of weeks. There's something about waiting to get news of another fatality-- a fatality that more than likely could have been prevented-- that leaves me feeling a little edgy, maybe…
August 18, 2008
Today, the Washington Post editorial page weighs in on the Department of Laborâs attempt to erect more hurdles to worker protection. (For more details on the proposed rule, see this case study or this blog post.) Like the New York Times editorial published two weeks ago, this one begins by noting…
August 18, 2008
Over the last few decades, the nature of medical knowledge has changed significantly. Before the revolution in evidence-based medicine, clinical medicine was practiced as more of an art (in the "artisan" sense). Individuals were treated empirically with a strong knowledge of medical biology, and…
August 17, 2008
Answers Research Journal, the teleologic, Apologetic, unscientific screed put out by Answers in Genesis has so far done nothing resembling science. But I now have an idea for them, although I'm not sure if it's been proposed.
So far, their "research" has taken the form of trying to find "facts" to…
August 16, 2008
Look, whether you like it or not, you can't live forever. I bring this up because there is always a new book or new add purporting to have "the answer" to long life and good health, which never includes modern, evidence-based medicine. Still, perhaps some of these books contains good advice. Or…
August 15, 2008
Bloggers have a lot to say about the Bush Administrationâs proposed new rules for the Endangered Species Act:
Andrew Wetzler at NRDCâs Switchboard points out that the Fish & Wildlife Service doesnât seem very interested in listening to the publicâs thoughts on the changes.
Jeff Dubbin at Oh My…
August 15, 2008
The recent uptick in troll traffic here and at Orac's place got me thinking. Many of the trolls have been making unsophisticated attacks on the truth without actually stating a hypothesis. And that got me thinking even more. If they could only state their questions properly, there would be some…
August 15, 2008
by revere, cross-posted at Effect Measure
A couple of days ago we discussed the murky questions surrounding the death of accused anthrax attacker Dr. Bruce Ivins. At the center of stipulating the cause and manner of death were the procedures for filling out the state of Maryland's death certificate…
August 15, 2008
MAJeff here, getting all gay and stuff. It's been a pretty big year for LGBT folks in the U.S. A couple weeks ago, the state in which I live repealed a law enacted during the height of anti-miscegination activity, and is now allowing same-sex couples from anywhere to marry here. Prior to that,…
August 14, 2008
OK, if you insist. This comes with the usual caveat directed at scientists that I know this is oversimplified, but I wish to reach the largest audience possible. Feel free to correct my mistakes, but please don't bother me about oversimplification.
So here's the deal. Several decades ago, it…
August 14, 2008
Celeste Monforton was the first to publicize the nine-word item on the White House website that turned out to be a risk-assessment rule that would make it harder for OSHA and MSHA to protect workers from hazards. (Read more about it here.) Now, Celeste has teamed up with NRDCâs Jennifer Sass and…
August 13, 2008
In todayâs Seattle Post-Intelligencer, Robert McClure highlights a case involving a consultation under the Endangered Species Act â the very aspect of the ESA that the Bush Administration wants to slash.
EPA has approved three pesticides â chlorpyrifos, diazinon, and malathion â for use in areas…
August 13, 2008
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Researchers from the Naval Health Research Center in San Diego have reported that a significant number of U.S. veterans who were stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan begin abusing alcohol after returning. Difficulties in coping with traumatic memories of combat are one possible reason; younger…
August 12, 2008
Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao, her Solicitor and other political operatives in DOL continue to dismiss requests from Cong. George Miller (D-CA) and Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-MA) for documents related to the development of her draft risk assessment proposal. The latest non-response, dated Aug 5,…
August 12, 2008
The Bush Administration wants to make it easier for federal agencies to get around the Endangered Species Act. The Washington Postâs Juliet Eilperin explains:
Under current law, agencies must subject any plans that potentially affect endangered animals and plants to an independent review by the…
August 12, 2008
Last week, Orac reported on Medscape's execrable article regarding Gardasil. As a reminder, the article spouted every antivaccination lie imaginable. The link subsequently disappeared, although a poll later appeared that parroted the article's misinformation.
Well, today Medscape has a new…
August 12, 2008
The Whole Foods chain is recalling fresh ground beef sold in several states between June 2 and August 6, 2008 after seven people in Massachusetts were sickened by E. coli 0157:H7 that was linked to the meat. Illnesses have also been reported in 11 other states, DC, and Canada. The meat came from…
August 12, 2008
OK, here's the deal. Seed Media Group, the folks who run this joint, want to give you free stuff. They are taking a reader survey and to encourage you to participate, they are giving away a bunch of cool Apple stuff. The good news is, you guys have been a bunch of losers and haven't been doing…
August 11, 2008
Several bloggers are raising concerns about the FBIâs case against Dr. Bruce Ivins, who was suspected of carrying out the 2001 anthrax attacks and who died from an acetaminophen overdose hours before he was supposed to meet with government officials about the case. In particular, Revere explains…
August 10, 2008
Sastra here.
I'm about halfway through, and really enjoying, Robert Price's new book, Top Secret: The Truth Behind Today's Pop Mysticisms.
Bob Price has an interesting background: he started out as a roaring Pentacostal Minister, gradually grew into a high-end Christian theologian, and eventually…
August 10, 2008
To wear the mantle of Galileo, it is not enough to be persecuted: you must also be right.
--Robert Park
I used to spend a lot of time on the websites of Joe Mercola and Gary Null, the most influential medical cranks of the internets (to call them "quacks" would imply that they are real doctors, but…
August 8, 2008
OK, this post gets a big IANAL stamped across it. I don't know the legal ins and outs here (and I'm not sure if anyone does), but the new announcement by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) regarding laptop computers puts physicians and other health care providers in a bit of a spot.
HIPAA (…
August 8, 2008
The International AIDS Conference took place this week in Mexico City, and bloggers have plenty to say about it:
RH Reality Check provides extensive, in-depth coverage from multiple bloggers.
Marilyn Chase at WSJâs Health blog summarizes some expert attendeesâ thoughts on the future of AIDS…