Cancer | The Pump Handle

Cancer No avalanche, hardly even a snow flurry, of worker safety regulations in Labor Dept’s latest regulatory agenda

July 12, 2011 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 1Comment

If one listens to the speeches of many Republican members of Congress, especially those assigned to the House Education and Workforce Committee, you’d think the U.S. Department of Labor has unleashed an avalanche of new employment-related regulations that business must now meet. I heard one Hill staffer report on inquiries he receives from constituents who […]

Cancer Special interest groups and White House stalling worker safety rule

July 6, 2011 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 7Comment

During his first week in office, President Obama promised an Administration defined by “unprecedented level of openness…to ensure the public trust and establish a system of transparency, public participation, and collaboration.” But that’s not been the case when it comes to a draft worker safety rule developed by federal OSHA. Almost all the participation has […]

Cancer Film “Semper Fi” profiles Marine families’ struggle for justice

June 27, 2011 The Pump Handle

by Dick Clapp, DSc, MPH The documentary “Semper Fi: Always Faithful” was screened at the Congressional Auditorium in the Capitol Visitors Center on a hot, humid evening in Washington, DC on June 23. Congressman Brad Miller (D-NC) welcomed the audience of Congressional staff, North Carolina Senator Richard Burr (R-NC), and approximately 150 audience members and […]

Cancer Speaking sensibly (and not) about public health regulations

June 23, 2011 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 1Comment

Rhetoric has been flying this year, especially in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, about the “burdens” of federal regulations. Many of these members seem to despise EPA rules, CSPS rules, healthcare rules, and OSHA rules. Many of their talking points come from groups like the Heritage Foundation with their reports “Red Tape Rising: Obama’s Torrent […]

Cancer Department of Health and Human Services releases 12th Report on Carcinogens, adding formaldehyde and styrene to the list

June 22, 2011 Elizabeth Grossman 1Comment

by Elizabeth Grossman On June 10th the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the National Toxicology Program released the department’s 12th Report on Carcinogens, adding eight new substances to the overall list that now includes 240 compounds (or classes of compounds) known or reasonably anticipated to be human carcinogens. Two of these […]

Cancer My prediction on the next worker safety regulatory agenda was way off

June 21, 2011 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH

In a post on May 5, I predicted that Labor Secretary Hilda Solis would be publishing within a few days her semi-annual regulatory plan for new worker health and safety rules. I made that projection based on requirements in the Regulatory Flexibility Act and Executive Order 12866, which suggest these plans be published every April […]

Addiction & Substance Abuse Third time’s the charm?: Passage of Texas Smoke-free Workplace Law down to the wire

June 17, 2011 The Pump Handle 2Comment

by Kim Krisberg Don’t mess with Texas. The iconic phrase was actually created as part of an anti-littering campaign more than 20 years ago, however it could be as easily applied to the state’s notorious anti-regulatory attitude and penchant for bucking convention. But despite its reputation, the Lone Star State is poised to join 29 […]

Cancer Does asbestos mean something different in Quebec than it does everywhere else?

May 13, 2011 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 3Comment

That’s the question posed by Jon Stewart’s Daily Show correspondent Aasif Mandvi in his “Ored to Death” segment broadcast on May 12. Mandvi interviews G. Bernard Coulombe, the general manager of the proposed Jeffrey asbestos mine in Quebec, Canada, who reports the mine will produce 200 TONS annually of chrysotile fibers. In the segment, Mandvi […]

Cancer Award-winning Writing About Cancer

May 11, 2011 Liz Borkowski, MPH 1Comment

The American Society of Magazine Editors has announced its 2010 award winners, and I found it striking that three of the winning pieces address the issue of cancer. Over the past couple of years, we’ve heard more cautions about the downsides of aggressive screening for breast and prostate cancers – and then we occasionally also […]

Cancer CDC’s NIOSH corrects statement about asbestos, a known human carcinogen

April 22, 2011 Celeste Monforton, DrPH, MPH 2Comment

Earlier this month, in my post “CDC’s NIOSH says WHAT about asbestos???” I reported on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health’s (NIOSH) new treatise on asbestos, and my dismay with the agency’s characterization of the mineral as a “potential occupational carcinogen.” NIOSH’s current intelligence bulletins are supposed to convey the most up-to-date scientific […]