Category Archives: precautionary principle

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

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

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

Popular reaction to the Chemical Safety Improvement Act of 2013

Posted on May 30, 2013 by tbach

I listened with interest today to On Point’s segment on this proposed bipartisan bill.  The segment was captioned “Toxic Chemicals:  A New Push to Get a Grip.”  Ken Cook of the Environmental Working Group was a featured guest (I mentioned his group’s … Continue reading →

Posted in breast cancer, carcinogens, chemical safety regulation, congress, dioxins, environmental health, environmental health law, EPA, EWG, lead, PCBs, precautionary principle, public health, risk assessment, synthetic chemicals, TSCA, vulnerable populations | Comments Off on Popular reaction to the Chemical Safety Improvement Act of 2013

Acting in Haste: The BP Oil-Dispersant Spill

Posted on April 18, 2013 by abarnes

On April 20, 2010, the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded, sending 4.9 million barrels of oil rushing into the Gulf of Mexico. As the days passed and crude continued to hemorrhage from the rig, the EPA gave BP the go-ahead … Continue reading →

Posted in environmental health, EPA, precautionary principle, Uncategorized | Comments Off on Acting in Haste: The BP Oil-Dispersant Spill

Enviro Health Writ Large and Young

Posted on March 16, 2013 by tbach

Links between human health and environmental degradation were the main themes of a week-long conference organized by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in mid-February.  The 2013 TUNZA (a Kiswahili word meaning ‘to treat with care or affection’) International Youth … Continue reading →

Posted in climate change and health, drinking water, environmental health, indoor air pollution, intergenerational equity, international law, precautionary principle, Rio +20, UNEP | Comments Off on Enviro Health Writ Large and Young

New Disease Cluster Legislation Introduced in the Senate

Posted on March 5, 2013 by Emily Dupraz

  Identifying disease clusters is one way environmental health advocates have been able to link the causation of cancer to releases of toxic chemicals in the environment. According to the National Cancer Institute, a disease cluster is “the occurrence of a … Continue reading →

Posted in environmental health, environmental health law, EPA, precautionary principle, public health, public health law, Uncategorized | Comments Off on New Disease Cluster Legislation Introduced in the Senate

New Study on BPA Suggests Links to Impaired Brain Development

Posted on March 3, 2013 by tbach

Researchers from Duke Medical School published a study last week (February 25, 2013) in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, concluding that bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical commonly used in plastics and resins, may suppress a gene critical … Continue reading →

Posted in BPA, environmental health, environmental health law, EPA, FDA, food contamination, NIEHS, precautionary principle, routes of exposure, synthetic chemicals, vulnerable populations | Comments Off on New Study on BPA Suggests Links to Impaired Brain Development

The Effect of Hydraulic Fracturing on Groundwater Quality

Posted on January 27, 2013 by molive

Hydraulic fracturing (fracking) has recently become one of the most talked-about resource recovery methods in the country. Fracking involves fracturing rock formations to stimulate the flow of natural gas or oil to the surface. In order to fracture a rock … Continue reading →

Posted in cooperative federalism, drinking water, environmental health law, environmental law, EPA, hydraulic fracturing, precautionary principle, public health, Safe Drinking Water Act | Comments Off on The Effect of Hydraulic Fracturing on Groundwater Quality