Ben Kelley

Tuesday

Disastrous Oklahoma Tornado Provides a Reminder of the Factors Putting People in Harm’s Way

May 21, 2013 |

Building booms and regulatory gaps raise vulnerability to tornadoes and other disasters. Many people in parts of America’s tornado hot zone face dangers due to runaway growth and a human tendency to discount threats that have a low probability but disastrous potential. The center of the latest disaster, Moore, Okla., — where many of the dozens of fatalities occurred Monday, and the site of three violent tornadoes in the last 15 years — has seen its population surge since the 1960s. What’s more, much of the construction that accompanied population surges in tornado-prone areas hasn’t taken into account the dangers. Building codes don’t require safe rooms, despite research demonstrating how a few thousand dollars can save lives. The New York Times, Economics of Natural Hazards

Accidental emissions from oil refineries and other plants are more common than industry admits. For many communities, these so-called upset emissions have evolved into menaces that disrupt lives, yet offenders are rarely punished. In Texas, where activists have clamored for relief, state officials say enforcement efforts helped reduce incidents by 6 percent in the most recent year of reporting; Louisiana officials cite a 41 percent decrease since 2008. Yet the numbers tell only part of the story. The mass of pollution emitted in Texas, the nation’s refinery hub, hit a five-year peak in 2011. So, even as reported events dipped, the amount of pollution increased. And, experts say, upset releases are consistently under-reported. The Center for Public Integrity

British officials scramble to deal with measles epidemic. This year the United Kingdom has had more than 1,200 measles cases, after a record number of nearly 2,000 cases in 2012. The U.K. once recorded only several dozen cases a year. It now ranks second in Europe, behind only Romania. In April emergency vaccination clinics were held every weekend in Wales, the center of the outbreak. Immunization drives have also started in other parts of the U.K., with officials aiming to reach 1 million children ages 10 to 16. The continuing failure of many children to receive measles shots — the immunization rate is just 54 percent — is blamed on fears sparked by now-discredited research published in 1998 by Andrew Wakefield linking the vaccine to autism. The Associated Press

Workplace regulators propose fines of $221,100 against New Hampshire auto maintenance shop. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration accused a Monro Muffler Brake shop in Portsmouth, N.H., of 10 violations. OSHA said one of the alleged offenses — a willful violation, the agency’s most serious charge — was for failing to protect workers from potential electric shock from exposed wires in a restroom even after a company inspection discovered the hazard. Five other citations were for alleged repeat offenses similar to hazards found earlier at Monro Muffler sites in New York, Ohio and Connecticut. “Willful and recurring violations suggest a disturbing pattern of noncompliance with safety standards,” an OSHA official said. OSHA

Engineering firm accused of firing whistleblower for reporting construction flaw at an eastern Kansas nuclear plant. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration found that Enercon Services retaliated against an engineer for raising concerns during construction at the Wolf Creek power plant in Burlington, Kan. OSHA ordered the company to reinstate the engineer and pay $261,153 in back wages, damages and other costs. According to the OSHA investigation, the engineer was fired in January 2012, soon after pointing out to supervisors that the soil coverage for buried pipes fell short of federal safety requirements. Kennesaw, Ga.,-based Enercon, which serves nuclear plants nationwide, said it will appeal. The Associated Press, The Kansas City Star, OSHA

Compiled by Stuart Silverstein

Monday

Debate Over Fluoridating the Water Supply Washes Away Usual Alliances

May 20, 2013 |

Voters in liberal Portland, Ore., are divided over fluoridation. As Portlanders prepare to go to the polls Tuesday to decide the issue, liberals concerned about the dental health of low-income children are pitted against liberals averse to putting anything unnecessary in the water. Added to the mix are libertarians who say fluoridation violates an individual’s right to consent to medicine. Portland is ...

Read more »