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Ted Schettler MD, MPH About twenty-five years ago health care institutions began to look more carefully at the public and environmental health impacts of what they were doing. Driven by news reports of syringes and other medical waste washing up on New Jersey and New York beaches they focused initially on waste management. Then came US [...] By Carolyn Raffensperger Premises: 1. There are taxonomies of human health and disease. Taxonomies are conceptual frameworks that organize our thinking by grouping things that share characteristics. One taxonomy of disease is based on the system of the body that is diseased: the endocrine system, the cardiovascular system, the nervous system. Within those [...] By Katie Silberman The New York Times recently ran a piece titled “Is It Safe to Play Yet?”, with the puzzling subtitle: “Going to Extreme Lengths to Purge Household Toxins.” Puzzling because, instead of focusing on the very real health threats to children from exposures to toxic chemicals (cancer, asthma, learning disabilities and more), the writer [...] By Carolyn Raffensperger This morning’s news carried this headline “Atrazine link? Doctor sees ‘ominous trends,’ but no proof”. The story is about the link between an herbicide called atrazine and a birth defect called gastroschisis. Babies conceived in the spring near corn fields sprayed with atrazine are more likely to be born with this [...] By Carolyn Raffensperger ************ Ancient ceremonies linger all around us The choreography takes you Why don’t you dance? Jamie K Reasor ************ “There is a universal biological clock”, he says, “but it ticks in units of energy, [...] By Nancy Myers Lots of news stories can tempt environmentalists to say “I told you so” because, unfortunately, our worst predictions tend to come true. Today’s biggest case in point is the oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico but here are two more: 1. Fields planted with genetically modified crops are beginning to produce superweeds. [...] By Carolyn Raffensperger Note: Just last week I heard yet another reason why a government agency couldn’t regulate toxic chemicals in children’s toys. That incident inspired me to compile all the excuses I’ve heard over the years about why the public has to put up with the polluting, damming, bulldozing, and mining destruction of the Earth. [...] By Carolyn Raffensperger Perhaps the old reductionistic, objective science is a form of autism. This is the science that promotes dissecting frogs, but not loving them enough to work to protect them. It is the science that does risk assessment on toxic chemicals and says that some childhood cancers are acceptable. It is science [...] By Nancy Myers I’ve been thinking about cumulative impacts. This is not my choice. I’d rather be thinking about my coming grandchild than about this lumpy, awkward term, “cumulative impacts.” But my work at SEHN points me to this, and I do this work for that grandchild. Jargony as it may be, “cumulative impacts” is descriptive. Impacts are [...] By Ted Schettler MD, MPH Testimony in support of House Bill 33; General Assembly of Maryland An Act concerning child care articles and toys containing bisphenol A (Note this legislative testimony provides a brief history of the science on the chemical bisphenol A.) Thank you for the opportunity to testify today in support of House Bill 33. My name [...] |
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