Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH | The Pump Handle

Cancer Public Health Classics: Assessing air pollution and health in six U.S. cities, researchers’ findings changed the air we breathe

November 2, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 8Comment

In the 1974, most of us thought that air pollution was something that just looked and smelled bad. But public health researchers had just launched a study to determine whether air pollution shortened people’s lives. Twenty years later they published their results. It forever changed the way we think about and address air pollutants.

Mental Health Snapshot of call centre workers in Bangalore, India

October 29, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 4Comment

Workers employed at call centers in Bangalore, India often work in the middle of the night because their callers are largely from the U.S. and 11 time zones away. Their health may be adversely affected by their sleep-interrupting schedule, but also by the job requirements that strip them of their identity.

Environmental Health Public Health Classics: Collecting children’s baby teeth to identify lead poisoning

October 23, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 2Comment

The baby teeth of children collected by their teachers, allowed Dr. Herb Needleman to make the link between lead poisoning and lower IQ scores.

Injury Control & Violence Explosion in January at Oklahoma oil rig hospitalized four workers, employer pays $6,700 OSHA penalty

October 16, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

Several workers were injured when a January explosion rocked El Dorado Drilling’s Logan Rig #7 in Logan County, Oklahoma. The company said “these things happen,” but accident investigators know otherwise.

Cancer Hotel workers at Hyatt struggle for justice, Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization supports workers’ cause

October 10, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

Canceling a hotel contract for a major conference is no small feat, but the Asbestos Disease Awareness Organization did just that to support hotel workers call for a global boycott of Hyatt Hotels.

Cancer Public health classic: Surgeon General’s 1964 Report on Smoking and Health

October 2, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 7Comment

The 1964 Surgeon General’s report on “Smoking and Health” was not the first to report the grave hazards of smoking, but it capture public attention and set the ball in motion for the nation’s first tobacco control measures.

Environmental Health Making a neighborhood inhospitable for rattus norvegicus…RATS!

September 26, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

New York City’s Rat-Management Program integrates active surveillance, community outreach, training for property managers and code enforcement to tackle its population of rats.

Food Safety & Nutrition Is USDA serious? Inspecting a chicken in 1/3 of a second?

September 24, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 5Comment

An animation created by the Coalition for Sensible Safeguards shows us the speed at which the USDA is proposing for its inspectors to find fecal contamination on poultry carcasses.

Cancer It’s official, 50 cancers added to eligible diseases covered by World Trade Center health program

September 17, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 1Comment

In response to the findings and recommendations of a scientific expert panel, the World Trade Center Health Program will now consider certain cancers a covered health condition.

OSHA OSHA rulemaking activity in the year before a Presidential Election

September 12, 2012 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

Since 2000, major regulatory activities by OSHA do indeed slow down during a Presidential election year compared to the year preceding it.

Liz Borkowski, MPH	Celeste Monforton, DrPH,
Kim Krisberg	Garrett Brown