The worlds of Georgia-Pacific, asbestos-litigation, scientific journals, and OSHA all fell together last week under the umbrella of transparency and disclosure.
Wages in the highly profitable fast food industry are so low that more than half of families of front-line fast food workers are enrolled in and depend on public assistance programs to make ends meet. In other words, that seemingly inexpensive burger and fries not only comes with a secret sauce, but a secret cost.
Cancer
The air we breathe: WHO says air pollution is carcinogenic and urges action – scientists contend industry is hindering progress
On October 17, the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) announced that it has classified air pollution as a human carcinogen. Although the composition of air pollution and exposure levels vary widely from place to place, IARC says its assessment is applicable worldwide and notes that exposures in rapidly industrializing countries […]
Strategies to reduce the deathly toll of prescription drug abuse are reaping positive outcomes, though not every state is taking full advantage, according to a new report from Trust for America’s Health.
For the first time in OSHA’s rulemaking history, the agency is requesting that those submitting studies, reports and analysis on its proposed silica standard disclose potential conflicts of interest.
A fourth official formerly associated with Massey Energy was sentenced to 3 ½ years in prison for conspiring to thwart federal mine safety laws. Massey Energy was the operator in 2010 of the site where the worst coal mine disaster in 40 years occurred.
The Obama Administration, at the urging of chemical manufacturers, withdrew two EPA actions proposed under the Toxic Substance Control Act. The measures would have provided the public more information about the hazards associated with certain chemical substances.
How do Edward Snowden and his revelations impinge on public health and its practice, in the US and around the world? In their Editorial, “Least Untruthful, a new standard?” the Co-Editors of the Journal of Public Health Policy have spelled out some important implications for public health.
OSHA’s recently released proposed rule on silica gives us a good opportunity to see if President Obama’s new regulatory czar will keep his promise for transparency in the rulemaking process.
Injury Control & Violence
Really? Industry group launches campaign against worker centers, low-wage workers
In their efforts to protect the most vulnerable workers from illegal workplace practices and conditions, worker centers have now attracted the million-dollar ire of formidable anti-union forces. And while advocates say it’s a sign of worker centers’ success, it’s still a worrisome trend that’s made it all the way to the halls of Congress.