Author: Lance Garrison
The environmental violence exacted by PFAS, like the effects of radiation and polychlorinated biphenyls, or PCBs, can be difficult to prove. Only a few studies have examined the relationship between PFAS exposure and colorectal cancer (though the Yale School of Public Health has estimated that around 80 percent of cases are linked to environmental exposure). But on April 10 the Environmental Protection Agency announced the first federal mandate to limit the level of six PFAS in tap water. Going forward, water systems where they are detected will be required to remove them. Michael Regan, the E.P.A. administrator, called the announcement…
This is an extraordinarily dangerous time for the United States and our allies. Israel’s unpreparedness on Oct. 7 shows that even powerful nations can be surprised in catastrophic ways. Fortunately, Congress, in a rare bipartisan act, voted early Saturday to reauthorize a key intelligence power that provides critical information on hostile states and threats ranging from terrorism to fentanyl trafficking.Civil libertarians argued that the surveillance bill erodes Americans’ privacy rights and pointed to examples when American citizens got entangled in investigations. Importantly, the latest version of the bill adds dozens of legal safeguards around the surveillance in question — the…
To the Editor:Re “A Debate Over Cancer Warning Labels on Alcohol” (Science Times, April 9):This article does an admirable job of spotlighting efforts around the world to require cancer warnings on alcohol. In fact, similar efforts to improve alcohol labeling are gaining traction in the U.S.Just last month, U.S. regulators held listening sessions about including ingredients, nutritional information and allergen labeling on alcoholic beverages. And in 2020, a coalition of seven health advocacy groups petitioned the U.S. government to adopt a cancer warning label.U.S. law directs regulators to consult with the surgeon general and “promptly” report to Congress when the…
In 2013, Grants Pass, Ore., came up with a strategy to deal with a growing homeless population in the city of roughly 40,000, one that might best be described as kicking the can down the road.Through a series of ordinances, the city essentially made it illegal to sleep outside in public. In particular, anyone sleeping anywhere in public with bedding, a blanket or a sleeping bag would be breaking the law.“The point,” the City Council president explained at the time, “is to make it uncomfortable enough for them in our city so they will want to move on down the…
President Biden’s behind-the-scenes crisis management appears to have helped stop a wider war from igniting in the Middle East — for now. But that tactical win for the administration is actually part of its much larger strategic failure in the region.Over the past two weeks, Mr. Biden has scrambled to ensure that the unprecedented open exchange of fire between Israel and Iran did not spiral into a full-blown conflict. After Israel struck the Iranian Consulate in Syria on April 1, killing senior Iranian military officials, Mr. Biden publicly urged Iran not to strike back while privately negotiating a choreography that…
Suffering can teach us love, but all too often we let it teach us apathy and indifference — or, worse, unbridled rage and hostility. Our afflictions harden us, turn our focus stubbornly inward, make our most aggressive impulses seem both necessary and justified. We come to feel entitled: I was oppressed, and no one championed my cause; I don’t owe anything to anyone. But the Bible encourages us to take the opposite tack: I was oppressed, and no one came to my aid; therefore I will never abandon someone vulnerable or in pain.Many people who have suffered terribly, whether personally…
If the American experiment finally decides to call it quits, how might a national breakup begin?Perhaps California moves toward secession after the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the state’s strict gun control measures. Or Texas rebels when disputes over abortion laws grow deadly and the state’s National Guard remains loyal to the second Texan republic. Or a skirmish over the closure of a local bridge by federal inspectors escalates into a standoff between a beloved sheriff and a famous general, and the rest of the country takes sides. Or it’s the coordinated bombing of state capitols timed to the 2028…
In the 12 years it took me to write “The Deluge,” my novel of the climate crisis, I watched as chaotic weather, record temperatures and shocking political events outpaced my imagination. The book depicts the human tipping point, when the damage becomes irreversible and the foundations of our economy, our politics and our world begin to crack. The plot points I was concocting in 2010 would become a constant drumbeat of headlines into 2024.Last year alone, the warning signs included soaring ocean temperatures, a record loss of Antarctic Sea ice and the highest global average temperature in recorded human history.…
Before Dr. Bobby Mukkamala — an ear, nose, and throat specialist in Michigan — prescribed post-surgical opioids recently, he checked state records of his patient’s existing controlled substance prescriptions, as legally required. A score generated by a proprietary algorithm appeared on his screen. Known as NarxCare — and now used by most state prescription monitoring databases, major hospitals and pharmacy chains — the algorithm indicated his patient had an elevated risk of developing an addiction to opioid painkillers.“I create a lot of pain when I operate,” said Dr. Mukkamala, who leads the American Medical Association’s Substance Use and Pain Task…
To the Editor:Re “We Should Be Allowed to Sell Our Kidneys,” by Dylan Walsh (Opinion guest essay, April 4):I’ve seen firsthand how kidney transplants can transform the lives of patients living with debilitating renal disease who are often forced to spend hours each week in painful and exhausting dialysis treatments. Mr. Walsh is correct that we need to greatly boost the number of living organ donors. But before we consider paying people for their kidneys, we need to ensure that every potential donor has an equitable chance to also receive a lifesaving organ transplant.Even though undocumented people can and do…