A look at today’s science and health policy news:
F.D.A. Chief Writes Congress for Money
N.Y. Times–FDA Commissioner Andrew C. von Eschenbach has written Congress that the agency needs an immediate infusion of $275 million to ensure the safety of imports.
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Cigarette Bill Treats Menthol With Leniency
N.Y. Times–Some public health experts are questioning why menthol is receiving special protection as Congress tries to regulate tobacco for the first time.
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Stumping on Climate, McCain Faults Bush
N.Y. Times–Senator John McCain intensified his criticism of President Bush, asserting that in the effort to stem climate change, “America can lead and not obstruct.”
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Congress urges Bush to halt oil reserve shipments
A.P.–Congress voted overwhelmingly to challenge President Bush to temporarily halt the daily shipment of thousands of barrels of oil into the government’s emergency reserve.
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Forest-fire management ‘raises carbon emissions’
Nature–Quenching forest fires leads to more carbon in the air, says new research carried out in Californian forests.
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The Less the Education, the Higher the Risk of Dying Early
Washington Post–The difference in death rates between highly educated and poorly educated people in the United States is very wide and growing wider, according to new research.
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Study Says Research Shows Exercise in Youth Can Help Protect Girls From Breast Cancer
N.Y. Times–New research shows exercise in the teenage years, starting as young as age 12, can help protect girls from breast cancer when they are grown.
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Consumer labels gauge real price of consumption
U.S.A. Today–Labels on some British products now list their “carbon footprint” as well in an attempt to appeal to environmentally conscious shoppers.
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Malibu to ban plastic bags
L.A. Times–Supermarkets and other large retailers will have about six months to comply, smaller vendors up to a year.
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Legislature’s energy plan presses for renewables
The Arizona Republic–Arizona’s legislature is aimed at creating a sweeping state policy based on renewable-energy sources such as the sun or wind while encouraging energy savings.
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U.S. Major Importer of Illegal Asian Timber, Study Says
National Geographic–Vietnam has become a hub for processing Asia’s illegally logged timber, much of which is sold in the United States as outdoor furniture, conservationists say.
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Microsoft unveils its telescope application
L.A. Times–WorldWide Telescope allows viewers to focus on a particular planet or cluster of stars. One astronomer says it offers ‘almost a cinematic representation’ of the heavens.
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After Failed Microsoft Deal, Yahoo May Face Proxy Campaign
Reuters–Billionaire investor Carl Icahn is considering running a proxy campaign to elect new board members at Yahoo after the company failed to forge a deal to merge with Microsoft.
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