Public health

Schumer Urges Tonawanda, NY Coke Plant Ceo To Take Stronger Actions To Reduce Benzene Emissions That Are Threatening The Health And Safety Of Town Residents

June 22, 2009 -- Today, U.S. Senator Charles E. Schumer wrote to the owner and CEO of the Tonawanda Coke Corporation urging the firm to enact measures to reduce the release of harmful benzene emissions from the Tonawanda plant.    » read more »

"Bill Includes Merkley Amendment to Place Dangerous Tobacco Candy Under Review"

June 22, 2009 --
Washington D.C. – Oregon Senator Jeff Merkley joined President Obama today at the signing ceremony for the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, which allows the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate tobacco products for the first time. The legislation includes an amendment from Senator Merkley and Senator Sherrod Brown (D – Ohio) that requires the new Tobacco Products Scientific Advisory Committee to immediately study the public health effects of tobacco candy and report to the FDA on its findings.

After the signing ceremony, Merkley released the following statement:    » read more »

Will Improve Health, Protect Children; Long-Time Senate Leader on Anti-Tobacco Efforts Hails President Obama's Signing Legislation into Law

June 22, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC – President Obama today signed into law legislation Senator Frank R. Lautenberg (D-NJ) cosponsored to give the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) the authority to regulate the sale and distribution of tobacco products, and prevent cigarette makers from targeting children in their advertising and marketing and making false claims to the public.

The New Jersey Senator is a longtime Senate leader in the fight against Big Tobacco.    » read more »

June 22, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, DC -- Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Chairman of the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, today released the following statement praising the signing of H.R. 1256, legislation to empower the FDA to regulate tobacco products:

“Today is a day for special celebration as President Obama signs into law this long-overdue authority for FDA to regulate tobacco products. Decade after decade, Big Tobacco has seduced millions of teenagers into lifetimes of addiction and premature death. Enactment of this legislation will finally put a stop to that. It is truly a life-saving act, and a welcome demonstration that this Congress is capable of enacting major health reform.”

Source: Senator Edward M. Kennedy

Legislation Will Protect Children and Families from Targeted Advertising and Harms for Smoking

June 22, 2009 -- Senator Chris Dodd (D-CT), a senior member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and Chairman Edward Kennedy’s chief deputy for health care reform, joined President Obama today as he signed the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act into law. Dodd introduced the bill with Chairman Edward Kennedy and shepherded it through committee consideration and debate on the Senate floor.

* For photos from the signing, please click here.    » read more »

Law Includes Brown's Amendment on Smokeless 'Tobacco Candy' Products

June 22, 2009 -- WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) today attended the White House bill signing ceremony of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act. The legislation includes an amendment authored by Brown and Sen. Jeff Merkley that will protect consumers from smokeless ‘tobacco candy’ products. In response to today’s bill signing, Brown issued the following statement:    » read more »

June 22, 2009 -- WASHINGTON- U.S. Senator Jeff Bingaman today joined President Barack Obama at a White House signing ceremony of legislation empowering the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to regulate tobacco products. Bingaman is a member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, which helped write the bill.

Among other things, the bipartisan legislation would give the FDA authority to make tobacco products less toxic for those who continue to use them and prevent the tobacco industry from misleading the public about the dangers of smoking. The measure also would help smokers overcome their addiction.    » read more »

June 22nd, 2009 - WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jim Bunning (R-Ky.) and Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) on Friday introduced legislation that would ensure that compensation for the families of sick former nuclear workers won’t be taken away in cases where sick workers or their eligible survivors die before their claims are processed.    » read more »

June 22, 2009 -- OLYMPIA – Washington Governor Chris Gregoire released the following statement on the signing by President Obama of legislation that gives the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco products:

“Curbing tobacco use among children and adults has been one of the driving forces of my career, going back to my days as state attorney general. I couldn’t be more pleased that President Obama signed legislation today that gives the Food and Drug Administration authority to regulate tobacco products. Given that tobacco use kills an estimated 400,000 Americans and costs the nation roughly $96 billion in health care bills each year, it is critically important that the FDA regulates tobacco in the same way it regulates nearly every other product we consume.    » read more »

June 22, 2009 -- AUGUSTA – Maine Governor John E. Baldacci today ceremonially signed two bills to improve Maine’s environment and protect public health. LD 973, An Act To Provide for the Safe Collection and Recycling of Mercury-containing Lighting, and LD 1293, An Act To Require Citizen Notification of Pesticide Applications Using Aerial Spray or Air-carrier Application Equipment, were ceremonially signed in the Governor’s Office with bill sponsor Rep. Seth Berry (D-Bowdoinham), other legislators and supporters present.

“These bills advance Maine’s reputation for being at the forefront of environmentally conscious policies,” Governor Baldacci said. “Together, these initiatives continue to ensure the health and safety of our people and vibrant natural resources.”    » read more »

Bill Shields Doctors in Treatment of Lyme Disease

June 22, 2009 -- Connecticut Governor M. Jodi Rell today announced she has signed a bill allowing doctors to prescribe long-term antibiotics in the treatment of persistent Lyme disease – outside of standard guidelines – without fear of sanctions from state health regulators if the patient’s clinical diagnosis of the tick-borne disease and treatment have been documented by a licensed physician.    » read more »

American Lung Association Calls Upon President Obama to Protect Entire Federal Workforce

6/19/2009 -- Statement of Charles D. Connor, American Lung Association President and CEO:

Starting today, a federal smokefree workplace policy takes affect that will protect thousands of workers from the dangers posed by secondhand smoke. The American Lung Association applauds the Government Services Administration (GSA) for issuing this strong policy to ensure a safe and healthy work environment and urges them to ensure smokers have access to get the help they need to quit.    » read more »

6/17/2009 -- (Helena) – Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer, the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) and the Montana Department of Health and Human Services (DPHHS) praise the decision by the Obama Administration to declare Libby a public health emergency.

“At last Washington D.C. is fully recognizing the plight of the communities of Libby and Troy,” said Governor Brian Schweitzer. “The designated funds will be used to make the communities healthier.”

The declaration, nearly ten years in the making, was announced this morning in Washington D.C. during a joint news conference with the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), US Department of Health and Human Services and Senators Max Baucus and Jon Tester.    » read more »

Seattle, WA - June 17, 2009 – A new landmark collaboration between the Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance), a not-for-profit, product development partnership, and Tibotec, a global pharmaceutical company, has been announced today at the Pacific Health Summit in response to the urgent need to accelerate the discovery and development of new drugs to fight tuberculosis (TB). The collaboration agreement is between Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, an affiliate of Tibotec, and the TB Alliance.    » read more »

EPA to Move Aggressively on Cleanup and HHS to Assist Area Residents with Medical Care

June 17, 2009 -- WASHINGTON – U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa P. Jackson today announced the agency has determined that a public health emergency exists at the Libby asbestos site in northwest Montana. Over the past years, hundreds of asbestos-related disease cases have been documented in this small community, which covers the towns of Libby and Troy.

The announcement was made today at a joint press conference with Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and U.S. Sens. Max Baucus and Jon Tester.    » read more »