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March 20, 2008
Hello? (tap tap) Hello? (tap) Is this thing on? OK. I think it's working. Wow. I mean, wow. Someone seems to have accidentally dropped the keys to denialism blog on my desk, so now I'm in ur blogz, messing with ur words and stuff. That's really the only logical explanation. I mean, how else…
March 20, 2008
In a welcome contrast to the disappointing ozone rule the agency announced last week, EPA has issued tougher air-pollution standards for diesel locomotives and marine engines. When fully implemented in 2030, the new standards will reduce particulate matter pollution by 90% and nitrogen oxide…
March 19, 2008
Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard District of Columbia v. Heller, which pits DCâs handgun ban against the Second Amendment. DCâs gun law is the strictest in the nation, since it effectively all handguns; it does, however, allow for rifles and shotguns if theyâre kept disassembled or under trigger…
March 19, 2008
On OSHA's latest regulatory agenda, the agency noted it would complete the required SBREFA report for a draft rule on beryllium in January 2008, and it did (121-page PDF here) This report stems from the December 6 meeting between OSHA, the Small Business Administration and small entity…
March 19, 2008
On the fifth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq, the toll on members of the military is substantial: at least 3,988 U.S. personnel have died in Iraq and 29,395 more have been wounded. iCasulties.org estimates the total number of Coalition force fatalities at 4,298 and Iraqi Security Force…
March 18, 2008
Despite the excellent presentations by USMWF's Tammy Miser, the Chemical Safety Board's William Wright and NFPA's Amy Spencer, the image that remains in my head from last week's congressional hearing on combustible dust was Ranking Member Howard "Buck" McKeon's performance.  After the…
March 18, 2008
Just a heads-up for our DC readers: the Environmental Film Festival is going on right now. On Saturday, the last day of the festival, there's a special World Water Day tribute at the Carnegie Institution (1530 P St. NW, DuPont Circle Metro) featuring the following: Welcome by Peter O'Brien,…
March 17, 2008
Thereâs plenty of worrying environmental news out there, but over the weekend bloggers and reporters highlighted a few glimmers of hope, too: EnviroWonk: Seattle, following San Franciscoâs lead, has banned city purchases of bottled water. Planners figure the switch from bottled to tap water will…
March 14, 2008
Yesterday we learned that former Senator Howard Metzenbaum (D-OH) passed away at age 90.  His former colleague, Sentor Edward Kennedy issued a statement, saying: "He was the conscience of the Senate, who never shied away from the difficult fights, and never apologized for standing up for workers…
March 14, 2008
A group of concerned universities put out a statement about how flat funding for the National Institute of Health âputs a generation of science at risk,â and the House Committee on Science and technology has been holding hearings. Naturally, science bloggers have some thoughts on this: Janet…
March 13, 2008
EPA has set the limit for pollution-forming ozone in the air to 75 ppb, despite the unanimous advice of the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee to set it between 60-70 ppb (more here on the health effects of ozone). This is hardly a surprise, given the Bush Administrationâs record. But in this…
March 13, 2008
My experiences tell me that journalists play a critical role in public health improvements; my evidence is anecdotal, but my examples continue to mount.  Take Ken Ward of the Charleston Gazette and his coverage of the toxic substance ammonium perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), also known as C8. …
March 12, 2008
In the largest Superfund cleanup settlement ever, W.R. Grace has agreed to pay $250 million to cover government investigation and cleanup costs associated with the asbestos-laden ore the company mined in Libby, Montana. EPA has already spent roughly $168 million removing asbestos-contaminated soils…
March 12, 2008
On Thursday, the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee released a report on the Crandall Canyon mining disaster that claimed nine lives in Utah last August. (Celesteâs posts on the disaster are in our August archive.) A Salt Lake Tribune editorial opines that âMost damning is the…
March 11, 2008
The Associated Press has another following up on yesterdayâs investigative report about pharmaceuticals found in drinking-water supplies. They delve into the issue of whoâs studying water supplies, and whether theyâre revealing their findings. Accompanying the article is an alphabetical list of…
March 11, 2008
A group of state legislators in West Virginia introduced a bill earlier this year to strengthen the Stateâs laws to protect mine workers who raise concerns about unsafe working conditions.  The lead sponsors were Delegate Bill Hamilton (R) who represents the region where the now-abandoned Sago…
March 10, 2008
On Thursday, the Senate approved legislation that will boost funding for the Consumer Product Safety Commission, increase the agencyâs enforcement power, and effectively ban lead in all childrenâs products. The House bill passed in December contained similar provisions, although that chamber raised…
March 10, 2008
The Associated Press conducted a five-month investigation and found that drug residues have been detected in the drinking water of 24 major U.S. metropolitan areas, which serve roughly 41 million Americans. Concerns about these drug residues have largely focused on wildlife, as estrogen from birth…
March 8, 2008
That's the word from Georgia's Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner, John Oxendine, during his announcement that the State will impose new safety requirements to prevent combustible dust explosions.  The Commissioner's new rule comes one month after a deadly explosion at the Imperial Sugar…
March 7, 2008
The scene was an icy morning in western Maryland, along the Garrett County and Allegany County lines.  Mr. Dwight Samuel Colmer, 41, a truck driver with Western Maryland Lumber Company was hauling a load of coal just before 11:00 AM when his truck began to slide.  The State of Maryland's "Motor…
March 7, 2008
Itâs been a particularly busy week in global warming news: Andrew Schneider at Secret Ingredients reports that unions representing EPA staff have cut off future discussion with EPA Administrator Stephen Johnson. Although the unions cite numerous problems with Johnson ignoring scientific and legal…
March 6, 2008
(Updated 3/7/08)  OSHA announced yesterday that it sent letters to about 14,000 employers across the country, letting them know that their work-related injury rates are higher than the national average.  The Agency's news release does not mention any company names, but an OSHA spokesperson told…
March 6, 2008
Some good news on endangered species, for a change (via Dateline Earth): the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will retain existing critical habitat currently designated under the Endangered Species Act for marbled murrelet populations on the West Coast. This is a reversal from the Bush…
March 5, 2008
In Forbes (via Gristmill), Megha Bahree reports on child labor in India. Children chisel stones, weave carpets, and work in fields for low wages, with little time off. Bahree notes that there's a particular demand for cheap labor and small, nimble fingers in crops that require manual pollination…
March 4, 2008
Environmentalism sometimes gets treated as a luxury, something that countries can pursue once theyâve attained a certain GDP. In China, though, galloping economic growth has created an unprecedented environmental crisis, and citizens are organizing to stop industrial pollution, even though they…
March 3, 2008
The State of Alaska's Department of Health and Social Services recently released a report on work-related lead poisoning over the last 12 years (1995-2006).  I was shocked to read that 94 percent of the workers (289 men) with blood-lead levels above 25 ug/dL were employed in the mining industry.…
March 3, 2008
OSHA's Assistant Secretary Edwin Foulke is expected to travel to Port Wentworth, Georgia today, more than 3 weeks after a horrific combustible dust explosion at Imperial Sugar took 12 workers' lives.  Another 11 workers remain in critical condition at a burn treatment center in Augusta. …
March 3, 2008
The Health Affairs Blog has put up links to its top 10 most-read blog posts of 2007, which gave me a chance to read one Iâd missed when it was first posted: Linda Aikenâs myth-busting about the nursing shortage. She starts with the grim statistics: Currently, the United States is short an estimated…
March 2, 2008
We'll be going live tomorrow, March 3rd so come back for our exciting launch then. If you have any questions feel free to leave a comment or send an email to me at steve@oftwominds.org or shelley@oftwominds.org. Also... if you'd like an oftwominds.org email address (or any other google application…
February 29, 2008
For the first time, beginning on April 29, it will be unlawful for employers in the mining industry to expose workers to asbestos concentrations higher than 0.1 fiber (per cubic meter of air) over an 8-hour shift.  MSHA published today a new exposure limit for asbestos to replace a 2.0…