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October 15, 2007
Commenters convinced me to think twice, and they're right.
Our system is screwed up. Never shed light on anything, because you're small and it could hurt you. If a festering wound exists somewhere, just try to get away. Don't try to point it out. Especially if it's not your problem any more.…
October 15, 2007
After reviewing previously undisclosed documents*, the Charleston Gazette's Ken Ward writes how a group of notable occupational health scientists and epidemiologists felt DuPont misrepresented the scientific evidence to-date about the health risks associated with PFOA (ammonium…
October 15, 2007
Today is Blog Action Day, when bloggers around the world post about environmental topics. It seems like a good time to take a look at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, which has been in the news lately.
Late last month, as Carol Leonnig reported in the Washington Post, EPA issued new…
October 15, 2007
In an editorial in the October 12th issue of Science, former Assistant Surgeon General Fitzhugh Mullan highlights the challenges inherent in the position of Surgeon General. Mullan recounts a July hearing held by the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, which featured testimony from…
October 12, 2007
This week saw several new policy statements from presidential hopefuls, and bloggers have opinions about them. David Roberts at Gristmill responded to Barack Obamaâs energy plans, while Amie Newman at RHReality Check focused what Obamaâs saying in Iowa about abortion and abstinence-only sex ed.…
October 12, 2007
The United Kingdom's Department of Health announced last week that it was providing an additional £97 million ($198 million US) to its National Health Service for programs to protect healthcare workers from violence and abuse. The Health Secretary noted:
"Over 58,000 NHS staff were physically…
October 12, 2007
Via Metacafe, here's an audio/visual illusion involving reading lips and seeing voices (nothing to do with synaesthesia) called the McGurk Effect.
October 11, 2007
An hour or so ago I heard a story on NPR about California's new "Dead Celebrities" law. In a nutshell, it allows the heirs of a celebrity to control the use of that celebrity's image after said celebrity's death... even if at the time of the celebrity's death, the right to bequeath this power didn…
October 11, 2007
By Liz BorkowskiÂ
Reports of toys and other products containing dangerous levels of lead continue to pour in, with Curious George dolls and lipstick being the latest items to come under scrutiny. Companies and health officials have to decide what to do about products currently on the market, and…
October 11, 2007
Occupational exposure to manganese has been in the news lately, with law suits by welders who claim neurological disease caused by manganese exposure. Now two scientists at Swedenâs Karolinska Institute have written a paper in which they argue that current guidelines for safe levels of manganese…
October 10, 2007
Astronomers have long assumed that supernovae are the source of at least most of the cosmic rays that hit Earth.
Woah, slow down... cosmic rays? Right, you hear the term all the time, but do you really know what they are? They are charged particles that rain down on Earth from space. Really!…
October 10, 2007
Why do people assault those who are trying to help them (or their family members)? Alcohol, drugs, and dementia are among the causes, and the result is that health care workers and social workers face a high risk of on-the-job injury. The Edmonton Journal reports that nearly 20 percent of the…
October 9, 2007
Are the political appointees who run OSHA delusional or merely mendacious? In her column in todayâs Washington Post, Cindy Skrzycki reviews the efforts by members of Congress to require OSHA to issue standards protecting workers from diacetyl, the artificial butter flavor chemical that causes…
October 9, 2007
What do three women made widows by three fatal Kentucky coal mining accidents have in common with two others left behind in the 2006 airline crash?
"I am a widow. I am a single parent. I'm an advocate for anyone suffering because they were robbed of their spouse due to ineptitude and/or…
October 8, 2007
Tammy has posted another edition of the Weekly Toll: Death in the American Workplace at her Weekly Toll blog. It gives short writeups of 134 workplace deaths, including the following:
Fernando Jimenez Gonzalez, 18, drowned in a vat of sulfuric acid at the Redwood City, California circuit board…
October 8, 2007
At the request of the National Personal Protective Technology Laboratory (which is part of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health), an Institute of Medicine committee studied personal protective equipment that healthcare workers would need in the event of an influenza pandemic.…
October 7, 2007
Carolynn Dejaynes had visited the tunnel at the Xcel Energy's Cabin Creek hydro-electric plant the day before it claimed her husband's life and that of four other employees of Robison-Prezioso Inc. (RPI). Mrs. Dejaynes says:
"It shouldn't have happened. There were things that could have…
October 5, 2007
MSHA announces '100 percent' plan
From The Onion? No. MSHA (seriously) just announced "a new initiative to complete 100 percent of mandated regular inspections of all coal mines in the country." Huh? A "new initiative" to do something that you are already required by statute to do?
Perhaps…
October 5, 2007
Several blog posts this week showcased successful steps in the global effort to bring healthcare to underserved populations. Anika Rahman at RH Reality Check profiles three winners of the International Awards for the Health and Dignity of Women. Aman at Technology, Health & Development…
October 5, 2007
Anthony Aguirre, 18, Donald Dejaynes, 43, Gary Foster, 48, Dupree Holt, 37 and James St. Peters, 52 were the five maintenance workers killed on Tuesday afternoon in a tunnel fire at the Xcel hydro-electric plant near Georgetown, Colorado. If you want any information about the fatal workplace…
October 5, 2007
Nearly 7 years ago, the late Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN) and Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) began a legislative effort to ban asbestos-containing products. Yesterday, the "Ban Asbestos in America Act" passed the Senate with a bi-partisan voice vote.
On introducing the measure, the bill's author…
October 5, 2007
By Kristen Perosino
Spinach. Peanut butter. Hamburgers. Pet food. No, Iâm not preparing for a trip to the grocery store (but if I were, I might unknowingly be adding salmonella, E. coli, and aflatoxin to my grocery list). Iâm talking about food safety.
Americans have been made more aware…
October 5, 2007
Via The Center for Narcolepsy at Stanford School of Medicine], this video explains:
Various narcoleptic episodes in dogs. Sporadic cases of narcolepsy in dogs is due to hypocretin peptide deficiency while the familial form is due to mutations in one of the two hypocretin receptor genes (hcrtr2).…
October 4, 2007
by Susan F. Wood, PhDÂ
Over the last 2 days, we've seen two political leaders speak out on the need for science and evidence to drive our policy decisions in areas such as health, food safety, enviroment, climate change, and renewable energy.
Yesterday (Wednesday, Oct. 3), Rep. Rosa DeLauro,…
October 4, 2007
Senator Patty Murray (D-Wash) introduced a bill (S. 2127) to see that family members of miners involved in disasters like the 2006 Sago and 2007 Crandall tragedies receive accurate information about the rescue operations and appropriate post-accident support.
At a Senate Appropriations'…
October 3, 2007
Earlier this week, reports on two recent studies provided more evidence that workersâ health has a significant effect on employers.
One study tallied the work days lost to chronic conditions; mental disorders accounted for roughly one third (1.3 billion) of the missed days, and back and neck pain…
October 3, 2007
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 …
October 3, 2007
By James CelenzaÂ
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…
October 2, 2007
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…
October 1, 2007
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.Â
The vast…