Health

Toxic Sludge Might Not Be Good for You

by Diane Farsetta — November 15, 2007 - 5:01pm

In Canada, "a leading toxicologist has called for an urgent study on the potential health hazards posed by biosolids -- or human sewage sludge -- that is being spread on farming fields in Northumberland County." The sludge is offered as a free fertilizer by the local water and waste treatment plant. About 120,000 tons of sludge are spread on 6,000 acres of farmland in Ontario. Toxicologist Dr.

Main Source: 
The Independent (Ontario, Canada), November 14, 2007

The Failure of Oregon's Cigarette Tax: a Postmortem

by Anne Landman — November 12, 2007 - 5:19pm
  • Topics: Front Groups, Issue Management, Health, Public Relations, Tobacco

    • The November 6, 2007 election brought a stinging defeat to Oregon's cigarette tax increase. The proposal aimed to raise the state's cigarette tax by 84.5 cents a pack to pay for health insurance for about 100,000 additional poor Oregon children who currently have no coverage. Measure 50, as the tax was called, went down by a wide 60-40% margin.

    Nonprofit Organizations Become Big Money Political Weapons on the Right and Left

    by Diane Farsetta — November 12, 2007 - 3:45pm

    A recent Supreme Court decision that ended the ban "on political advertisements by corporations, including nonprofit groups, within 30 days of a primary and 60 days of a gener

    Main Source: 
    New York Times, November 12, 2007

    Product Safety Officials Get the Lead Out

    by Diane Farsetta — November 5, 2007 - 2:37pm

    After "several highly publicized recalls of Chinese-made toys that contained hazardous levels of lead," the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) has come under increased scrutiny.

    Main Source: 
    Washington Post, November 2, 2007

    Industry Funding Makes for Weird Science

    by Diane Farsetta — November 5, 2007 - 1:51pm

    A study in the September 2007 issue of the journal Ecological Complexity claims that concerns of global warming's impact on polar bears are "highly premature." But the study wasn't peer reviewed, and it was funded by ExxonMobil.

    Main Source: 
    Center for Science in the Public Interest, November 5, 2007

    Congresspedia Review: Last Week in Congress (Oct. 29 - Nov. 2, 2007)

    by Conor Kenny — November 2, 2007 - 3:22pm
  • Topics: U.S. Congress, Health, U.S. Government

    • Over the last week in Congress the effort to dramatically expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program hit another roadblock, several media reports on controversial earmarks were released, two members of Congress announced retirements and minor movement was seen on everything from an overhaul of the tax code to warrantless wiretapping and more Democratic investigations into Bush administration officials.

    Following the president's veto of the expansion of the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), the House last week passed a revised version designed to secure more votes from House Republicans. However, bill backers (almost all Democrats and a few dozen Republicans) failed to secure enough votes to override Bush's veto. This week, a bipartisan group of senators had been trying to find a compromise version of the bill with President Bush, but the deal broke apart on Thursday when Republicans forced a vote on the House version of the bill. The bill, while approved, fell 3 votes short of a veto-proof majority, leaving its future uncertain. Funding for SCHIP, which has already been extended past its Sept. 30 expiration, ends on Nov. 16, and the expansion bill's future is uncertain.

    How did your senators and representatives vote? This week's featured participatory project is to record their votes in their "permanent record" - their Congresspedia profiles. No special knowledge or expertise is necessary and it only takes a few minutes. Full instructions can be found on the project page.

    More details about the week in Congress are after the jump.

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