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Barbara Ehrenreich on the swine flu supply problem

I first read Barbara Ehrenreich in 1971 when she wrote The American Health Empire: Power, Profits, and Politics with her (then) husband John Ehrenreich (Health PAC, 1971). She was by then a PhD in cell biology (Rockefeller University) and anti-war activist. We traveled in the same circles and I knew her slightly at the time. Her next book, Witches, Midwives, and Nurses: A History of Women Healers (with Deirdre English) was a new reading of women in medical history. It was an influential text in the emerging women's health movement. Since then she has published many books, several making the…

A pill with a glass of water, hold the pill

One of the triumphs of 19th and 20th century public health was the provision of piped water into cities and towns. With the use of modern methods of disinfection (primarily chlorination) water as a source of mass distributed poisons rapidly receded, and with it the preponderance of infectious diseases that were the scourge of urban life. Urban water supplied were an efficient means to provide a healthy required substance, water, to the whole population and once. But of course it is also an efficient means to distribute unhealthy stuff -- not just microbes but chemicals. I've worked on the…

Gaza: shock, awe and brutality

This is about the Israeli invasion of Gaza. Because it cannot be ignored. Let me be clear at the outset: I think the assault on Gaza is brutal, vicious and cruel, the act of a notorious regional bully. Israeli leaders (Olmert, Barak, Livni and probably others) are war criminals in a class with Bushes Jr. and Sr., Kissinger, Nixon, Pinochet, Putin, Saddam, MiloÅ¡eviÄ, Karadzic, Charles Taylor and a number of others. I wanted to get that out of the way because I don't want this to be misunderstood as a defense of Israeli actions. Far from it. It is a condemnation of the kind of action that has…

Another human disease virus that's (also) for the birds

The common cold is probably common because a lot of different viruses cause similar symptoms. We usually treat it symptomatically or just endure it. We rarely expend much time, effort or money identifying which virus caused it. As as a result we undoubtedly haven't identified all the viruses that can make us miserable in the inimitable way we identify as a "head cold." When we entered the 21st century, some 8 years ago, there were a lot of stories about what the future might bring and I was interviewed by a well known medical TV reporter (Dr. Timothy Johnson) about what I thought would happen…

Gulf War illness: getting real

A congressionally mandated independent panel of scientists has just issued a report verifying what many of us have know since the early 1990s. Gulf War Syndrome (GWS) is real: Gulf War syndrome is real and afflicts about 25 percent of the 700,000 U.S. troops who served in the 1991 conflict, a U.S. report said Monday. Two chemical exposures consistently associated with the disorder -- one to a drug given to soldiers to protect against nerve gas and the other said to protect against desert pests -- were cited as causes in the congressionally mandated report presented to Veterans Affairs…

A reporter live blogs the FDA BPA meeting

Blogging can vary in spontaneity. Some bloggers spend a lot of effort honing individual posts, while some do a lot of "one offs" in response to rapidly changing events. A limiting form of the latter is "live blogging," essentially reporting in real time during a meeting, demonstration or particular event. In this sense blogging isn't very different than print journalism. There are stories that are quickies, just reporting some facts or acting as a stenographer for the government, a political campaign or commercial press release. Then there are the more in-depth analytical and investigative…

Cheney's energy industry mole to fashion climate change policy?

Everyone seems to agree about one thing concerning Vice President Cheney's senior aide, F. Chase Hutto III. He never met an environmental regulation he didn't just hate and oppose on principle. According to the Washington Post he has been instrumental in keeping our air and water dirtier than it needs to be. Just another day at the office in the Bush administration. Now, in the waning days of the Bush Reich, they want to name him a high official in the Department of Energy where he will in charge of policies related to climate change. The foundation of the climate change debate is the science…

Bush games, Bush Rules

The Bush administration wants to slow walk worker protection regulations, even when required by law, through the use of additional layers of review by the Office of Management and Budget. We wrote about this recently here (and see Celeste Monforton's excellent work at The Pump Handle). But let's be fair. The Bush administration doesn't always want to slow up rule making. At least not when wealthy land developers or their cronies in federal agencies are concerned: The Bush administration wants federal agencies to decide for themselves whether highways, dams, mines and other construction…

Dust to dust

As we noted two days ago in a post about how the produce industry is now interested in tracking regulations they previously opposed after being whacked with billions of dollars in losses because of a protracted Salmonella outbreak whose source was presumably produce but couldn't be easily traced, the sugar industry is now also interested in OSHA regulations for combustible dusts. All it took was the deaths of 13 workers at the Imperial Sugar Refinery in Savannah, Georgia. That and the thrid largest fine in OSHA history, $8.7 million. The facts suggest that the $8.7 million was a lot more…

Produce industry and Bush administration's short sighted and costly mistake

We've been saying this for a while. The produce industry has taken a big hit and their successful lobbying is one of the reasons. But it's not just their fault. It's also the fault of the Bush administration: One of the worst outbreaks of foodborne illness in the U.S. is teaching the food industry the truth of the adage, "Be careful what you wish for because you might get it." The industry pressured the Bush administration years ago to limit the paperwork companies would have to keep to help U.S. health investigators quickly trace produce that sickens consumers, according to interviews and…

Aspirin, ibuprofen and stroke

Sometimes when I surf the net looking for things to write about I run across things I don't ordinarily write about but attract my attention because they are especially pertinent to my own health. Here's an example. I recently herniated a disk, for which I took fairly hefty doses of anti-inflammatories. Mostly it was extra strength aspirin but often it was horse doses of ibuprofen. I am also of the age that it makes sense to take low dose aspirin for its anti-platelet effects. There is good data to suggest this is a preventative for heart attack and stroke. Now it turns out I may have been…

The Egyptian bird flu conundrum

The big newswires and health agencies are relatively quiet, but word keeps leaking out of Egypt that there are a lot of suspect bird flu cases: CAIRO: Hospitals nationwide reportedly quarantined more human cases suspected of being infected with the H5N1 bird flu virus. According to Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper, Damietta -- where the latest Bird Flu victim Hanem Atwa Ibrahim, 50, died late on Monday Dec. 31 in a Cairo hospital -- hosts the largest number of cases with five people suspected of carrying the virus, while the Upper Egyptian city of Qena came next, with two cases, followed by El-…

Bird flu in Pakistan after a week

It's been less than a week since the first reports out of Pakistan that cases of bird flu were appearing there. At the time we warned that the coming of flu season meant these kinds of reports were to be expected, but by the weekend concern increased as a family cluster appeared. As common in the early days of an outbreak news reports were contradictory and confusing. We elected to wait. By Sunday, some excellent reporting by Helen Branswell and diligent combing of the news by flusites allowed us to make a preliminary summary. We fully expected more surprises. The biggest surprise so far is…

More drugs down the drain

If you need the antibiotic ciprofloxacin ("cipro") (famous for its use as prophylactic agent for those potentially exposed to weaponized anthrax in 2001), I know where you can find a lot of it. In Patancheru, India, near Hyderabad, one of the world's centers for production of generic drugs. Most of the cipro made there is shipped out, but it turns out a lot of cipro stays behind, in the sewage of Patancheru. A paper by Larsson et al. (Journal of Hazardous Materials 148 (2007) 751-755; hat tip SusieF) found the highest levels in sewage effluent of pharmaceuticals of any yet reported. The…

Genetically fit oseltamivir resistant H5N1 mutants

Via the Clinician's Biosecurity Network Report we learn of a new study from the Webster St. Jude laboratory in Memphis showing that H5N1 can mutate to oseltamivir (Tamiflu) resistance without any loss in genetic fitness. Tamiflu resistance has been seen but infrequent and there was considerable evidence that the resistant strains were handicapped in some way, thus making them either less virulent or less transmissible. The hope was this was a built-in limitation. Now we know it isn't: To investigate the fitness (pathogenicity and replication efficiency) of NAI-resistant [neuraminidase…

The Super Sentinel Chicken

The bird flu influenza subtype, H5N1, that has been infecting humans with high mortality is the highly pathogenic (HPAI) version of a virus that also exists in a low pathogenic form (LPAI). The high and low path designations refer to effects on poultry, not humans, but only the HPAI versions have been of public health importance. On the other hand, the HPAI strains have all come from LPAI ones via a variety of genetic mechanisms and LPAI strains are themselves of importance to the poultry industry where they decrease productivity of the flock. For these and other reasons there is a need to…

Edwards Linkfest

You all know that I've been a big Edwards supporter since he first ran for Senate. I have met Elizabeth enough times to consider her a friend. I am clumsy when it comes to describing my emotions. So, I'll do what I do best - collect the best and most important links for you to read: [Update: I have posted a second linkfest on Saturday night with more excellent commentary] John Edwards: Thank you John Edwards blog: Discussion Thread Majikthise: Elizabeth Edwards' cancer returns Pam's House Blend: Open thread - Edwards news conference BlueNC: Open thread - Edwards news conference Pandagon:…

Beagle Project Update

I guess I will bug you about this for the next ten days - my personal pet cause if you want. No takers yet.... Here is the e-mail newsletter about it I got today: Dear All, Beagle Project updates: ⢠We are now a UK registered company and have applied for charitable status; now that we officially exist and are accountable we have started fundraising, we have paypal donate buttons on the Homepage and weblog page: www.thebeagleproject.com www.thebeagleproject.com/beagleblog.html we're asking individuals for a Darwin (£10) or a Jackson ($20 - he was US President at the time of the voyage.…

That Superbowl ad (not the anti-abortion one; the other one)

Like tens of millions (probably hundreds of millions globally) I watched the Superbowl on Sunday. With such an audience, ad time is notoriously and extravagantly expensive and some ads are only run once, at that venue (e.g., the famous Apple "1984" ad). For some people the ads are as much an attraction as the game, so it is sad to report that this year they were relatively unfunny and, as one blogger noted, unusually ugly and misogynist in flavor. But the ad that has drawn the attention of those interested in a cleaner and greener world was from automaker Audi and it has drawn two very…

Prolonged shedding of swine flu virus

Red wine has been touted for its health benefits but these don't seem to extend to warding off swine flu. The virology laboratory in Bordeaux in the southwest of France tested via RT-PCR over 1200 nasopharyngeal swabs between May 1 and the first week in October and found 186 positive for the new pandemic strain. They looked at five of these cases more closely, monitoring them for duration of viral shedding. Two of the five kept shedding for 2 to 4 weeks (paper in Eurosurveillance by Fleury et al., v. 14, #49, December 10, 2009). The first case was a non-obese previously healthy male in his…

Public health: flunking the test

We complain when there isn't enough swine flu vaccine and we complain when our health departments don't count all the cases. It's probably good so many people are out of work and can't eat in restaurants, because they aren't getting inspected because all available staff are trying to deal with the flu pandemic: The current swine-flu wave may have peaked, but thousands of public health workers are trying to vaccinate millions of people against the new disease, fearing that another wave could emerge in the new year. Yet recession-driven budget cuts have thinned their ranks so far that they are…

The holiday meal

Today is Thanksgiving in the United States, and the inevitable political innuendoes aside, it's usually a holiday I like. I'm fond of my family -- both my own and my wife's -- and glad to see them, although in recent years we have dwindled down to a few. Still, I basically have good memories of these meals. Having said that, it's also a time when Americans eat too much, and although I'm not a big eater (and even less so as I age), any big holiday meal always makes me think of the first visit to my wife's extended family. I come from a laid back Jewish upbringing (I dumped any religious…

Changing language around addiction

The latest issue of the Journal of Public Health Policy includes an interesting piece by Linda Richter and Susan E. Foster of the organization CASAColumbia about "changing the language of addiction." (The journal is open access during the month of March; the home page is here.) They note that while the science of addiction has advanced, outdated public attitudes about it persist and interfere with effective treatment. Surveys have found adults, and even many physicians, to consider alcohol addiction to be at least partially a personal or moral weakness. Stigmatizing addiction can interfere…

At DC City Council hearing, support for policies that help working families

I spent much of yesterday at a hearing held by the District of Columbia City Council’s Committee on Business, Consumer, and Regulatory Affairs – but I didn’t manage to stay for the entire 11 hours. Nearly 150 witnesses signed up to testify about the two main issues under consideration: raising the city’s minimum wage, and improving its paid-sick-leave law, which denies many workers access to paid sick days. The presence of so many witnesses, and the many hours they and Committee Chair Vincent Orange spent in the hearing room, demonstrate the importance of these issues that affect so many…

Where is the Labor Dept's proposal to protect mine workers from respirable silica?

Earlier this month, the long-awaited, three-year delayed OSHA silica proposal was published.  It's a proposed regulation designed to protect workers employed in construction, foundries, glassmaking, road building and other industries from silicosis, lung cancer and other silica-related diseases. The proposal does not cover, however, some of the most heavily exposed workers in the U.S.: those employed in the mining industry.  These are the workers who routinely drill, cut and load tons of quartz, some of whom work day after day in clouds of silica-laden dust.  Protections for these workers…

Designing better health: New EPA report links development and human health

by Kim Krisberg When most of us pass by a new high-rise or drive down a new road, we rarely think: Did the builders and planners consider my health? However, a new report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency offers evidence that certain types of land use and transportation decisions can indeed limit the human health and environmental impacts of development. Released in mid-June, the publication is a revised and updated version of an EPA report initially published in 2001. Agency officials said the report was particularly timely as the nation's built environments are quickly changing…

Pakistan sees first polio case since vaccination campaign disrupted

Earlier this week, a UN official told AFP that a child in North Waziristan, Pakistan had contracted polio -- the first reported case since tribesman in North Waziristan stopped authorities from conducted a vaccination campaign in June last year. AFP explains: The Taliban alleged that the campaign was a cover for espionage. Efforts to tackle the highly infectious disease have been hampered over the years by local suspicion about vaccines being a plot to sterilise Muslims, particularly in Pakistan's conservative and poorly educated northwest. "We are worried because this new case comes as an…

Cobbler, Crumble, Grunt, Pandowdy, Brown Betty, Crisp...

For some reason the steamed and boiled fruit pudding never properly took permanent hold in the New World.  It was, by and large, the dessert of choice in Britain for centuries.  You could certainly find it in the early days of the colonies, and into the early 19th century, basically as long as open-fireplace cooking was the norm, it was around.  But despite its many virtues, almost no one makes them today.    They do have virtues - it could be cooked along with a soup or stew so was quick and easy to mix up and prepare, it lasts forever (you can make a traditional plum pudding today and eat…

35 Reasons You Might Want to Attend the 2011 ASPO-USA Conference

1. To hang out with me, of course ;-). 2. To make your voice heard in Washington about this issue - because we don't have much time to begin to act, and every person here who says 'I care deeply about this' helps reinforce our message of the centrality of this issue. 3, To hear Wes Jackson talk about what we're going to eat in the coming decades. 4. To get the latest in the emerging story on Shale Gas reality. 5. Because where else can you hear Nicole Foss and Jeff Rubin arguing deflation vs. inflation in the hallways? 6. Because our future depends on getting the word out and we need your…

The Weirdness of our Worldview

There's an interesting article in the National Post emergent from a recent study in _Brain and Behavioral Sciences_ The article, titled "The weirdest people in the world?", appears in the current issue of the journal Brain and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Henrich and co-authors Steven Heine and Ara Norenzayan argue that life-long members of societies that are Western, educated, industrialized, rich, democratic -- people who are WEIRD -- see the world in ways that are alien from the rest of the human family. The UBC trio have come to the controversial conclusion that, say, the Machiguenga are not…

On (and In) Crawdad Creek

When we bought the property, the creek was frozen over, and from the property survey, we weren't entirely certain that it would belong to us. We never realized that the pretty little body of water that passed along the north side of the house would become the center of four worlds. For the first few years that we lived here, we enjoyed the creek - my toddler children loved to visit with parents in tow, picking up stones or chasing frogs during summer, when the creek sank down to manageable levels. We enjoyed listening to its music through the open windows at night. We watched the birds…

Quack, Mehhhhh, Quack

It has been an exciting morning - and it isn't even 10 o clock. Today was the day to pick up our new buck goat, Ring Bearer (again, not responsible for his name). For those of you who have never had the pleasure of having a buck goat, or do have buck goats, but own pickup trucks or other more sensible farm vehicles than our ancient Ford Taurus, you may not be famliar with the way a buck goat smells in close quarters. This time of year, it isn't that bad, but there is a definite musk. This muskiness makes said goat sexually irresistable to all ladies of the goat persuasion, but let's…

Altenberg 2008 is over

Massimo Pigliucci has posted the notes, parts 1, 2, and 3, from the Altenberg meeting that was unfortunately over-hyped by the creationist crowd (no blame for that attaches to the organizers of this meeting). It sounds like it was a phenomenally interesting meeting that was full of interesting ideas, but from these notes, it was also clearly a rather speculative meeting — not one that was trying to consolidate a body of solid observations into a coherent explanation, but one that was instead trying to define promising directions for an expansion of evolutionary theory. That's also the message…

Sandy to Harvey: will lessons from day laborers be learned or forgotten?

Massive “clean-up” projects are underway in Houston and the surrounding region. As the waters brought by Hurricane Harvey recede, individuals seeking work---day laborers---will be assembling in damaged neighborhoods and offering their skills. It was a commonplace scene following Superstorm Sandy's destruction in 2012, and in Harvey’s disaster zone, day laborers are already on street corners and in parking lots offering to work. I hope the workers’ experiences from Superstorm Sandy are lessons being reviewed by officials, leaders, and funders in Houston. It would be time well spent if they…

The Curl of Space

Imagine you were a very clever ant, living on a large log, floating in a big lake... BICEP2 at twilight ...a very large, deep, cold lake. Being a not incurious, clever ant, you contemplate the lake in its infinite and insurmountable vastness. Surely knowing what lies on the lake, or even beyond the lake (if such can be conceived) is not feasible. Then, you notice that the lake has ripples. Ripples, and waves, and swirls. So, being a methodical sort of ant, you start measuring the ripples and waves and swirls, and you get your student ants to measure them also. You measure lots of waves,…

So You Want To Be An Astrophysicist? Part 1.75: should you go to grad school?

So, you want to be an astrophysicist? You're an undergraduate, doing astronomy or physics (or possibly engineering, mathematics or computer science, or something), should you go to grad school? Another lightly reworked blast from the blog past see also Rob's recent take at Galactic Interactions Why is there even a question? Well, it is several years of your life, earning minimal pay, doing some grind work, including classes (1-2 years at most institutions) and exams (most places have some "admission to candidacy" hoop), with interesting but uncertain career prospects. And you have to do…

Science Fiction for Undergraduates

For my class, one f the things I asked is what I should tell them about which I did not do. Somewhat to my surprise, one question, endorsed by a number of other students, was whether I could recommend some good science fiction to read over the holidays. Why, yes, yes I can... Ok, we'll jst let rip in random free association... I'll also mention some more fantasy oriented stuff at the end, just for fun. I'll presume everyone knows of Wells and Verne, and Asimov, Clarke and Heinlein? Heinlein: I'd go for the early shorts and mid-career juveniles. The later novels are mostly for hardcore…

Input to NSF Portfolio Review

As you know, Bob, the NSF Portfolio Review is under way. The NSF is urgently requesting community input for the process. AST Portfolio Review Community Input Invited This is important. It is highly desirable that a significant number of people provide concise and explicit input to the committee before christmas, in order to give the members a sense of the priorities of the community. This is the only formal input process. WHERE TO SEND INPUT Send your comments to astportfolio@nsf.gov. Please do not contact committee members individually. The input window will be open from October 26, 2011,…

NASA: Explorer Outcome

Ok, peeps, the NASA Explorer AO outcomes are out, and you know what they are: so, who lost, and more importantly, who won? PS: and the winners are... NASA Selects Science Investigations For Concept Studies Five Explorer Mission proposals were selected from 22 submitted in February. Each team will receive $1 million to conduct an 11-month mission concept study. Mission costs are capped at $200 million each, excluding the launch vehicle. In addition, one Explorer Mission proposal was selected for technology development and will receive $600,000. Five Mission of Opportunity proposals were…

ExSSII: Extreme Solar Systems II

The Extreme Solar Systems II conference is now underway at Jackson Lake with lots of hot new results Liveblogging: first session is underway, with reviews of discoveries and status of the field from different teams and discovery techniques. PS: continued for afternoon session in ExSSII: II PPS: and the second day of the meetins Kepler - 1781 candiate planets, up to 27 now confirmed. Accelerated data release plan with next release on Sep 23. Some very interesting new individual systems. 123 candidates have estimated radii less than 1.25 REarth 121 are in the nominal Habitable Zone,…

OSTP a Year Late Delivering Scientific Integrity Plan

Back in March of 2009, President Obama delighted advocates of scientific integrity when he signed a memorandum that stated: The public must be able to trust the science and scientific process informing public policy decisions. Political officials should not suppress or alter scientific or technological findings and conclusions. If scientific and technological information is developed and used by the Federal Government, it should ordinarily be made available to the public. To the extent permitted by law, there should be transparency in the preparation, identification, and use of scientific…

Justice Sought for 54 (Dead) Burmese Workers

The story barely received a blurb in the U.S. press (Thurs, 4/10/08).  Inside a refrigerated truck designed to transport seafood, a group of 121 Burmese women, men and children were suffocating inside, just hoping to make it to their destination---work--a job--in the resort towns on the Andaman coast of Thailand.  According to the Asia Times, the truck was following a route taken by tens of thousands of Burmese, seeking jobs in Thailand's fisheries industry, construction sector and rubber and palm oil plantations.  The UN-affiliated Asian Network for the Rights of Occupational…

Do we point the finger somewhere for global climate change?

by Emilie Hedlund A recent article in the New York Times ("Flooded Village Files Suit" 2/27/08 ) focuses on the Alaskan village Kivalina, which is disappearing because of flooding caused by the changing climate.  The residents are accusing five oil companies, 14 electric utilities and the countryâs largest coal company of creating a public nuisance.  Similar suits which blame major companies for adverse effects caused by their emission of green house gases (GHG) have been seen for some time now, but this particular suit is unique in that it accuses the defendants of conspiracy.  The…

Swine flu: are we there, yet?

by revere, cross-posted from Effect Measure Listening to yesterday's press briefing with WHO's Dr. Keiji Fukuda (audio file here), several things seemed clear to me. The first is that everyone, WHO included, thinks a pandemic is well underway. Second, WHO's efforts to explain why they are not making it "official" by going to phase 6 are becoming increasingly awkward and the explanations manifestly tortured. Essentially what Fukuda said was that WHO was waiting for its member nations to signal they knew it was a pandemic and then WHO would say it was a pandemic. It was reminiscent of the cries…

Swine flu: case definitions and tough decisions

by revere, cross-posted from Effect Measure Just a brief note to remind everyone about the case definitions CDC is using for reporting on swine flu (or whatever name we collectively settle on). In order to make sure numbers are comparable from day to day and place to place we have to decide on criteria for knowing we have something to count. Is someone with flu-like symptoms to be counted as a case? Or do we confine it to someone with laboratory proved infection with the virus? Should there be different categories of diagnostic certainty? For the moment, CDC is using the following…

IG slams Bush's OSHA, twice in one day

The Dept of Labor's Inspector General issued not one, but two reports yesterday criticizing OSHA's management practices, and fueling calls for the prompt appointment of competent, worker-safety committed leaders to get the agency back on track.  The first IG report concerns the "consulting services" provided by Mr. Randy Kimlin, an advisor to (and South Carolina buddy of) former OSHA chief Ed Foulke.  Kimlin worked at OSHA from April 2006 to July 2008.  The IG reports in Procurement Violations and Irregularities Occurred in OSHA's Oversight of a Blanket Purchase Agreement that Mr.…

A pill with a glass of water, hold the pill

by revere, cross-posted at Effect Measure One of the triumphs of 19th and 20th century public health was the provision of piped water into cities and towns. With the use of modern methods of disinfection (primarily chlorination) water as a source of mass distributed poisons rapidly receded, and with it the preponderance of infectious diseases that were the scourge of urban life. Urban water supplied were an efficient means to provide a healthy required substance, water, to the whole population and once. But of course it is also an efficient means to distribute unhealthy stuff -- not just…

Gulf War illness: getting real

by revere, cross-posted at Effect Measure A congressionally mandated independent panel of scientists has just issued a report verifying what many of us have know since the early 1990s. Gulf War Syndrome (GWS) is real: Gulf War syndrome is real and afflicts about 25 percent of the 700,000 U.S. troops who served in the 1991 conflict, a U.S. report said Monday.Two chemical exposures consistently associated with the disorder -- one to a drug given to soldiers to protect against nerve gas and the other said to protect against desert pests -- were cited as causes in the congressionally mandated…

At APHA Meeting, a Focus on Inequities

At the opening general session of the American Public Health Associationâs 135th Annual Meeting in Washington, DC, speakers urged the public health professionals in attendance to address the glaring inequities in the U.S. and throughout the world. Carlos Cano, interim director of the DC Department of Health, told the audience that in the District of Columbia, a few blocks from the Capitol building, exist âsome of the most glaring health disparities in the Western Hemisphere.â CDC Director Julie Gerberding stressed that as a nation, weâve failed to address disparities not only in healthcare,…

Adressing Rhode Islandâs Paint Problem

By James Celenza  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 lead paint from more than half the houses and apartments in Rhode Island. Some criticize the effort and expense that will be required, but lead poisoning is a serious issue that deserves our attention - and this settlement provides an opportunity to address lead poisoning and connected health issues in…