DefendingScience.org Newsroom

David Michaels beryllium webcast Monday, Feb. 4th

Wed, 31 Jan 2007 08:00:00 EST

On Monday, February 4th, at 2:30pm Eastern time, David Michaels will appear on Public Health Reports' webcast to discuss Beryllium's Public Relations Problem: Protecting Workers When There is No Safe Exposure Level, which he authored with Celeste Monforton. No login or password is necessary to participate, and a link will posted at 2pm on the Public Health Reports Website.

Scholars Explore Litigation and Regulatory Science

Thu, 04 Jan 2007 08:00:00 EST

Papers delivered at SKAPP?s third Coronado Conference have just been published in Environmental Health Perspectives, the journal of the National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences.

SKAPP Authors Tell Inside Story of Beryllium Regulation

Tue, 18 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST

In a new article in Public Health Reports, David Michaels and Celeste Monforton explain how the beryllium industry fought efforts to strengthen the inadequate and outdated OSHA beryllium workplace exposure standard.

Congresswoman DeLauro Speaks on the Future of FDA

Wed, 03 Oct 2007 08:00:00 EST

Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro delivered a policy address on the future of the FDA in which she announced legislation to prioritize food safety within the federal government.

House Passes Diacetyl Legislation

Wed, 26 Sep 2007 08:00:00 EST

By a vote of 260 to 154, the U.S. House of Representatives has passed the Popcorn Workers Lung Disease Prevention Act, which requires OSHA to set a standard to protect workers from diacetyl.

SKAPP Faults FDA Response to Consumer Diacetyl Case

Tue, 04 Sep 2007 08:00:00 EST

A respected doctor has notified FDA and other agencies of a case of bronchiolitis obliterans in a patient whose only known exposure to diacetyl was through heavy microwave popcorn consumption. The inadequate agency response indicates a disturbing decline in the system that should be protecting public health.

Susan Wood and David Michaels Call for Changes at FDA

Wed, 01 Aug 2007 08:00:00 EST

In a Boston Globe op-ed, Susan Wood and David Michaels call on Congress to improve FDA transparency and focus on safety.

Legislation Introduced to Force OSHA to Act on Diacetyl

Wed, 13 Jun 2007 08:00:00 EST

Legislation introduced today would require OSHA to issue an interim standard to protect workers from occupational exposure to diacetyl, and to set a permanent standard within two years.

Scholars Issue Open Letter on FDA Reform

Wed, 14 Mar 2007 08:00:00 EST

A group of 22 experts on drug safety and regulation has issued an open letter to lawmakers asking them not to reauthorize the user fees system that finances the review of new drugs by the Food and Drug Administration.

Former Commissioners Discuss Strengthening the FDA

Mon, 12 Feb 2007 08:00:00 EST

SKAPP is assembling former Commissioners of the Food and Drug Administration for a panel discussion on Strengthening the FDA. This public event will be held on February 21st.

Draft Paper on OSHA at 35 Open for Comments

Tue, 09 Jan 2007 08:00:00 EST

Michael Silverstein has drafted a paper, "Getting Home Safe and Sound? OSHA at Thirty-five," that proposes ways to improve worker health and safety in the US. SKAPP has posted the document online, and comments are welcome in the online discussion at The Pump Handle blog.

DuPont and EPA set new PFOA action level

Wed, 22 Nov 2006 08:00:00 EST

DuPont and the EPA have agreed to a new action level for the chemical PFOA (or C8) in drinking water surrounding the DuPont site in Washington, West Virginia.

Susan Wood Urges FDA to Get Back to Science

Sat, 11 Nov 2006 08:00:00 EST

In an op-ed in The Boston Globe, SKAPP research professor Susan Wood outlines problems at the FDA -- including a lack of independent leadership, clear legal authority, and adequate resources -- and proposes solutions. Dr. Wood drew national attention to the issue of science being disregarded in public health decisions in 2005 when she resigned from her post as the FDA's Director of the Office of Women?s Health and Assistant Commissioner for Women?s Health.

Daubert in the Law Office, a research article by Professor Herbert M Kritzer

Fri, 13 Oct 2006 08:00:00 EST

University of Wisconsin-Madison professor Herbert Kritzer's paper "Daubert in the Law Office: Routinizing Procedural Change" is now available on the SKAPP website. Dr. Kritzer's work was supported in part by the Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy (SKAPP) through its empirical research grant program.

Scholars Promote Solutions to Sequestered Science

Tue, 10 Oct 2006 08:00:00 EST

SKAPP and the Duke University Law School have produced an issue of Law and Contemporary Problems dedicated to the topic of sequestered science; proposed solutions include David Michaels?s Sarbanes-Oxley for Science.

SKAPP Asks FDA to Re-evaluate Diacetyl's Safety

Tue, 12 Sep 2006 08:00:00 EST

SKAPP has petitioned the FDA to revoke the generally regarded as safe (GRAS) designation for diacetyl, the artificial butter-flavoring chemical linked to severe lung illness in workers at microwave popcorn plants and other facilities.

Living on Earth Tackles Popcorn Lung

Fri, 22 Sep 2006 08:00:00 EST

Living on Earth, NPR's weekly environmental radio show, reports this week on the issue of popcorn workers lung. During the segment, entitled "Popcorn Production Harms Workers," SKAPP's David Michaels speaks about regulatory inaction on this issue.

Scientists Urge Labor Secretary to Protect Workers from Diacetyl

Wed, 26 Jul 2006 08:00:00 EDT

A group of 42 top scientists and occupational health experts sent a letter to Labor Secretary Elaine Chao today, urging the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to issue an emergency temporary standard to protect workers from diacetyl, a chemical used in artificial butter flavoring. The letter was sent in strong support for a petition submitted to OSHA by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW)and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

"Study after study has shown that breathing artificial butter flavor destroys workers' lungs. We know how to prevent this terrible disease, but OSHA refuses to act," said Dr. David Michaels of the Project on Scientific Knowledge and Public Policy (SKAPP) at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services.