Hurricane Sandy reminds us how much we rely on emergency responders. How are their health and safety being protected?
The American Public Health Association’s annual meeting is taking place this week in San Francisco, with the theme of “Prevention and Wellness Across the Life Span.”
A few recent pieces worth a look.
Workers from 28 Walmart stores go on strike against a notoriously anti-union company; New York City considers requiring employers to provide paid sick leave; and clothing retailer Kik offers $1,930 in compensation per victim of the Karachi factory fire that killed 259 workers.
Environmental Health
Is coalition bombing behind a 17-fold increase in birth defects in an Iraqi city?
Authors of a new study report a 17-fold increase in the incidence of congenital birth defects at an Iraqi hospital, and draw a link between this increase and lead and mercury contamination from bullets and bombs.
The workers’ compensation system doesn’t always work as intended. The new Workers’ Comp Hub has information for injured workers and for those advocating to improve the system.
Forty years ago today, the Clean Water Act was enacted. Since then, US waterways have gotten cleaner – but some people seem to be forgetting why we need regulation like this in the first place.
October 15th is Global Handwashing Day, which aims to increase awareness about the effectiveness of soap-and-water handwashing for disease prevention.
The latest Health Wonk Review features posts on healthcare issues in the presidential debates, efforts to contain US healthcare spending, and other healthcare topics.
The Oregonian reports on children doing farm labor, and the Obama administration’s response to their FOIA request regarding an abandoned proposal to limit dangerous agricultural work by children; Foxconn workers on an iPhone 5 production line went on strike for several hours over working conditions; and four Unicef vaccine workers were kidnapped and released in South Waziristan.