Author Archives: tbach

Living near a fracking well may be dangerous to your health

Posted on July 24, 2015 by tbach

Connecting the dots between chronic, small-dose exposure to toxic substances and resulting illness takes time and money.  This has been the case time and again when studying cancer clusters and groundwater pollution (think A Civil Action in Woburn, MA) or asthma … Continue reading →

Posted in cardiovascular disease, environmental health, hydraulic fracturing | Comments Off on Living near a fracking well may be dangerous to your health

Climate change is still “the biggest global health threat of the 21st century”

Posted on July 10, 2015 by tbach

Two recent reports add to the growing call for linking climate change laws with public health. From the U.K., the Lancet Commission on Health and Climate Change followed up on its 2009 announcement that global warming “is the 21st century’s … Continue reading →

Posted in air pollution, asthma, cardiovascular disease, climate change and health, coal, Fine Air Particulates, global health, global warming, public health | Comments Off on Climate change is still “the biggest global health threat of the 21st century”

China’s viral enviro health documentary and US TSCA reform malaise

Posted on April 6, 2015 by tbach

Last month, this Chinese documentary about the country’s legendary air pollution problems went viral. Now available with English subtitles, Under the Dome has the look and feel of Al Gore’s An Inconvenient Truth, from TED style narration and eye-grabbing background slides to shots of rapt … Continue reading →

Posted in air pollution, chemical safety regulation, China, TSCA | Comments Off on China’s viral enviro health documentary and US TSCA reform malaise

Eat your veggies . . . and mitigate global warming

Posted on February 23, 2015 by tbach

According to the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee (DGAC), a panel of scientists that recommends updates to the Dietary Guidelines to the U.S. Department of Agriculture every five years, Americans should think about their own health and that of the environment … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture and human health, Animal Protein, climate change and health, Food processing industry | Comments Off on Eat your veggies . . . and mitigate global warming

Taking Politics Out of Science

Posted on January 30, 2015 by tbach

The Center for Public Integrity published this article last week entitled Obama’s EPA breaks  pledge to divorce politics from science on toxic chemicals.  Having pledged to “restore science to its rightful place” in his inaugural address, CPI argues that the … Continue reading →

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“I Can’t Breath,” an enviro justice double entendre?

Posted on January 24, 2015 by tbach

Listen to this WGBH news story, exploring the overlap between the civil rights and environmental justice movements.  It leads off with: Environmental activists may not seem like the most likely allies for police brutality protestors who, in recent months, have been … Continue reading →

Posted in air pollution, environmental justice | Comments Off on “I Can’t Breath,” an enviro justice double entendre?

Environmental toxins and children’s brain development

Posted on January 23, 2015 by tbach

This news in from our guest blogger from Alaska, Maricarmen Cruz-Guilloty, highlighting an upcoming conference call seminar on Wednesday, February 4, 2015, entitled Only One Chance: How Contaminants in our Environment Impair Brain Development. Here’s a description of the seminar topic … Continue reading →

Posted in children's products, lead | Comments Off on Environmental toxins and children’s brain development

Turn off a light, save environmental health?

Posted on January 14, 2015 by tbach

This recent study, entitled Altruism, self-interest, and energy consumption, tested the common belief that putting a price on an activity has the most influence on changing human behavior. To determine what motivates the most energy conservation, approximately 120 young Los Angeles couples and families had … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change and health, energy conservation | Comments Off on Turn off a light, save environmental health?

New EPA report on health impacts of chlorpyrifos

Posted on January 11, 2015 by tbach

Environment Health News just published this article about this recent EPA study concluding that chlorpyrifos, an insecticide used on corn and other U.S. crops, poses health risks to workers and can also contaminate drinking water. Chlorpyrifos is one of the most commonly … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture and human health, drinking water, endocrine disruptors, EPA, insecticides, pesticides, Rachel Carson, synthetic chemicals | Comments Off on New EPA report on health impacts of chlorpyrifos

Doctors and climate change awareness

Posted on January 8, 2015 by tbach

If it’s true that an apple a day might keep the doctor away (and believe it or not, the jury is still out on Vitamin C and the common cold), could a majority of thoracic physicians help their patients improve their … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change and health | Comments Off on Doctors and climate change awareness