Category Archives: environmental health law

Happy Public Health Week

Posted on April 16, 2014 by tbach

Public Health Law Research (PHLR), a grantee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, has been celebrating National Public Health Week by contributing graphics and posts on the specific role that public health law plays in improving human health.  PHLR’s research agenda is … Continue reading →

Posted in environmental health law, lead, public health law, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Happy Public Health Week

Spring reading

Posted on April 10, 2014 by tbach

Two new articles of mine on environmental health law topics have just been published and can be found on SSRN.  The article on the Chemical Safety Improvement Act, a bill pending in Congress to overhaul TSCA, can be found at the … Continue reading →

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No More Tears – and probable carcinogens

Posted on January 23, 2014 by tbach

Johnson & Johnson has just quietly reformulated its baby shampoo as a result of consumer pressure.  It no longer contains formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane.  In 2011, J&J promised to remove both chemicals from all of its baby care products by the … Continue reading →

Posted in carcinogens, chemical safety regulation, environmental health law, EWG, label laws, precautionary principle, public health, synthetic chemicals, uncertainty | Comments Off on No More Tears – and probable carcinogens

The California $1.15 billion lead abatement rush

Posted on January 8, 2014 by tbach

Santa Clara Superior Court Judge James Kleinberg issued his final verdict at the end of business today Left Coast time, ordering Sherwin Williams, National Lead, and ConAgra to pay $1.15 billion to remove lead paint from homes in 11 Californian … Continue reading →

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Losing “The Good Earth”

Posted on January 1, 2014 by tbach

China’s government acknowledged this week that 8 million acres of its farmland – a land mass about the size of Belgium — is too polluted for growing food.    In 2013, dangerous levels of cadmium were detected in rice grown in Henan, a … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture, agriculture and human health, air pollution, cadmium, carcinogens, China, environmental health, environmental health law, food contamination, lead, pesticides, pollution control standards, synthetic chemicals | Comments Off on Losing “The Good Earth”

Scrutinizing food labels – less is more?

Posted on December 18, 2013 by tbach

As enviro health activists seek improved or additional labels on everything from food to baby toys, we’ve witnessed pushback by manufacturers and retailers in state legislatures, as well as at the polls.  The recent successful attempts at GMO labeling via … Continue reading →

Posted in environmental health law, food contamination, food labeling, Food processing industry, GMO, label laws, precautionary principle, risk management, uncertainty | Comments Off on Scrutinizing food labels – less is more?

Public Health and Environmental Protection

Posted on September 30, 2013 by tbach

While Caitlin attended the VLS symposium on Friday, I was at the University of Michigan Law School’s Environmental Law and Policy Program’s fall conference.  Co-sponsored by the school’s Environmental Law Society and the Michigan Journal of Environmental and Administrative Law, … Continue reading →

Posted in agriculture and human health, built environment, climate change and health, environmental cleanup, environmental health, environmental health law, environmental justice, EPA, Fine Air Particulates, lead, mercury, NRDC, pesticides, pollution control standards, precautionary principle, public health, risk assessment, risk management, vulnerable populations | Comments Off on Public Health and Environmental Protection

Committee Hearing on the Chemical Safety Improvement Act turns into Preemption Debate

Posted on September 13, 2013 by caitlin

One of the biggest topics of debate surrounding the bi-partisan attempt to reform the Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) has been whether the bill, the Chemical Safety Improvement Act (CSIA), would preempt state law. Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Chair of … Continue reading →

Posted in BPA, chemical safety regulation, environmental health law, EPA, lead, mercury, TSCA, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Committee Hearing on the Chemical Safety Improvement Act turns into Preemption Debate

Panel Discussion on TSCA Reform

Posted on July 11, 2013 by caitlin

On July 10, the Environmental Law Institute (ELI) held a panel discussion on the bipartisan Chemical Safety Improvements Act (CSIA), introduced by Senators Lautenberg (D) and Vitter (R) in May.  The panel included perspectives from Richard Denison, the Senior Scientist … Continue reading →

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Senator Frank Lautenberg, environmental public health advocate

Posted on June 3, 2013 by tbach

Senator Lautenberg, who has figured so prominently in this blog for the past week, died this morning.  He was 89.  A five-term senator from New Jersey, he came to public service after a career in business, at the end of … Continue reading →

Posted in carcinogens, chemical safety regulation, congress, environmental health, environmental health law, environmental justice, government, precautionary principle, public health, public health law, synthetic chemicals, TSCA, vulnerable populations | Comments Off on Senator Frank Lautenberg, environmental public health advocate