Flavoring Workers' Lung (Popcorn/Diacetyl) OSHA Launches Microwave Popcorn National Emphasis Program
August 3, 2007 The Pump Handle 2Comment

Back in April we reported that OSHA, facing scrutiny over its failure to protect food and flavoring workers from exposure to the butter flavoring chemical diacetyl, had announced a National Emphasis Program for the microwave popcorn industry. Last week, OSHA published a directive (PDF) to launch this one-year program. OSHA’s effort will involve “inspection targeting, […]

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Occup Health News Roundup Friday Blog Roundup
August 3, 2007 The Pump Handle

There’s lots of pre-recess activity in Congress right now, and bloggers provide news and commentary: Joe at Climate Progress has been following CAFE standards in the House (here, here, and here) and has the latest on Senate climate legislation. Van Jones at Gristmill highlights the Green Jobs Act of 2007, which the media has largely […]

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Environmental Health Companies Should Stop Toying with Children’s Health
August 2, 2007 The Pump Handle

By Harrison Newton, National Nursing Centers Consortium (Lead Safe DC) The recent recall of top-selling toys made by Mattel Inc. because they “could” contain the neurotoxin lead should cause government, academia and the public to consider why we are still allowing lead to harm our communities. Can’t we do better? Of course we can, and the […]

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Environmental Health Update on BPA Report Controversy
August 2, 2007 The Pump Handle 5Comment

Our regular readers may remember that back in March, environmental advocates raised concerns about the National Toxicology Program contractor preparing a draft report on bisphenol A, because the contractor had ties to companies that manufacture this particular chemical. (Read past posts on the issue.) After investigating the allegations, the NTP fired the contractor, Virginia-based Sciences International. Now, Susanne Rust […]

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Worker Health & Safety Occupational Health News Roundup
August 1, 2007 The Pump Handle 1Comment

Two new studies highlight concerns about what some workers are inhaling on the job. An international study published in the Lancet (free registration required to view summary) found that occupational exposures account for a substantial portion of adults’ new-onset asthma, and that nurses have a significant excess risk of asthma. An Australian study published in […]

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Mining Deadly Summer for 13 Miners
August 1, 2007 The Pump Handle

June and July 2007 has been a dangerous and deadly ones for 13 U.S. miners, and their families and co-workers left behind.  So far this summer, 6 mine workers have died at metal mining operations, 4 workers employed at stone quarries and 3 coal miners.  These 11 men were working at mining operations in 11 different States: Alabama, Alaska, California, […]

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PDUFA Transparency, strength at the FDA
August 1, 2007 The Pump Handle

The Boston Globe, home town paper of  Senator Ted Kennedy, Chair of the Senate Health, Environment, Labor and Pensions Committee, ran two important commentaries on the FDA this week.  First was an editorial  yesterday strongly urging Congress to pass a strong FDA reform bill, including restricting financial conflicts of interests for advisory committee members. Today the […]

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Worker Health & Safety New from Weekly Toll
July 31, 2007 The Pump Handle

Over at the Weekly Toll blog, Tammy says farewell to Carolyn Merritt, whose five-year term as chair of the Chemical Safety Board is coming to an end. She writes: Carolyn is a strong, compassionate leader who has been in politics but hasn’t let it pilot her ethics. Carolyn has done a terrific job of letting the families […]

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Mining One Mining Professor Responds
July 31, 2007 The Pump Handle 1Comment

In a post last week entitled Mining Professors Oppose Mine Safety Bill, I invited the signatories of a letter opposing new mine safety legislation to disclose their financial ties to the mining industry (if any) or other related conflicts of interest.  A couple of days later, one of the letter’s signers, Larry Grayson, PhD of Penn State University, responded thoughtfully […]

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Infectious Diseases & Vaccines Diseases Cross Borders? Administration Official Doesn’t Want to Hear It
July 30, 2007 The Pump Handle 1Comment

By Liz Borkowski After former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona testified that White House officials tried to weaken or suppress important health reports for political purposes, Washington Post reporters Christopher Lee and Marc Kaufman followed up on the case of a 2006 surgeon general’s report on global health (draft here) whose publication was blocked. Carmona’s […]

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