A call from 40 public health scientists for an end to the continuing humanitarian and environmental catastrophe in Gaza.

An under-recognised aspect of the current humanitarian catastrophe in Gaza is the impact of the war on the environment and the associated risks for human health. This commentary contextualises these impacts against the background of human suffering produced by the overwhelming violence associated with the use of military force against the general population of Gaza. In calling for an immediate cessation to the violence, the authors draw attention to the urgent need to rebuild the health care system and restore the physical and human infrastructure that makes a liveable environment possible and promotes human health and well-being, especially for the most vulnerable in the population.

Squeezing blood from a stone: how income inequality affects the health of the American workforce.

Income inequality is very topical-in both political and economic circles-but although income and socioeconomic status are known determinants of health status, income inequality has garnered scant attention with respect to the health of US workers. By several measures, income inequality in the United States has risen since 1960. In addition to pressures from an increasingly competitive labor market, with cash wages losing out to benefits, workers face pressures from changes in work organization.

Public Health Education in the United States: Then and Now.

It was against a background of no formal career path for public health officers that, in 1915, the seminal Welch-Rose Report outlined a system of public health education for the United States. The first schools of public health soon followed, but growth was slow, with only 12 schools by 1960. With organization and growing numbers, accreditation became an expectation.

Evidence for excess colorectal cancer incidence among asbestos-exposed men in the Beta-Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial.

The relation between asbestos exposure and colorectal cancer remains controversial. The authors of this 1984-2004 US study examined the association among 3,897 occupationally exposed participants in the Beta-Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial (CARET) for chemoprevention of lung cancer, followed prospectively for 10-18 years. When a Cox stratified proportional hazards model was used, risks of colorectal cancer were elevated among male heavy smokers exposed to asbestos.

Advancing worker health and safety in the developing world.

Objectives: Working conditions in the developing world seldom meet the minimum standards required by international agencies. This article addresses some of the major obstacles to occupational and environmental health and suggests methods by which they can be overcome.

Methods: International agencies such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Labor Organization (ILO) offer a number of programs that address the problem.

Predictors of lung cancer among asbestos-exposed men in the {beta}-carotene and retinol efficacy trial.

Despite numerous published studies, debate continues regarding the risk of developing lung cancer among men exposed occupationally to asbestos, particularly those without radiographic or functional evidence of asbestosis. The beta-Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial (CARET), a study of vitamin supplementation for chemoprevention of lung cancer, has followed 4,060 heavily exposed US men for 9-17 years. Lung cancer incidence for 1989-2002 was analyzed using a stratified proportional hazards model.

Long-term neurobehavioral effects of mild poisonings with organophosphate and n-methyl carbamate pesticides among banana workers.

Organophosphate poisoning has been associated with chronic neurobehavioral dysfunction, but no epidemiologic data exist with regard to long-term consequences from carbamate poisoning. This cross-sectional study evaluated the neurobehavioral performances of 81 banana workers who, on average 27 months earlier, had received medical attention not requiring hospitalization for mild occupational poisoning by either an organophosphate or a carbamate pesticide. These performances were compared with those of 130 banana workers who had never sought medical attention for pesticide poisoning.

Attacks on science: the risks to evidence-based policy.

As government agencies, academic centers, and researchers affiliated with them provide an increasing share of the science base for policy decisions, they are also subject to efforts to politicize or silence objective scientific research. Such actions increasingly use sophisticated and complex strategies that put evidence-based policy making at risk. To assure the appropriate use of scientific evidence and the protection of the scientists who provide it, institutions and individuals must grow more vigilant against these tactics.