The Wayne Focus

I am very glad that a group of payments totaling more than $233.4 million are being delivered to more than 1,000 firefighters, police and emergency personnel who responded to the 9/11 attack and subsequently fell ill from the poisons they encountered at the site. I am not happy about how that came about.   I am also not happy about the fact that more than 25,000 coal miners who are suffering from black lung are financially exposed to a fund, the Black Lung Disability Fund, which is over 4 billion dollars in debt. The list of noxious chemicals and dusts that the first responders were exposed to it truly amazing.   It is referred to, among other things, as being a ‘toxic stew’ and ‘a thick cloud of toxic dust’.   The atmosphere at that location and the surrounding area contained particulates of jet fuel (which is primarily kerosene and contains anti-static chemicals, de-icing agents, anticorrosive agents and anti-bacterial agents), cement dust, asbestos, dioxin, gyp...

I am concerned about reports that I have heard that the Environmental Protection Agency has rejected a legal challenge to the continued use of chlorpyrifos. This is another example of the overextension of relegated power provide to a government agency. The Environmental Protection Agency, in this case, performed this action in perfunctory manner. I am concerned about this for various reasons. First of all political critics have fastened upon this item as a political point maker rather than the serious issue that it is and represents. In fact it was reported that Ken Cook, head of the ‘Environmental Working Group’, which is an environmental advocacy organization stated “as long as the Trump administration is in charge, this EPA will favor the interests of the chemical lobby over children’s safety”. I don’t believe that. I do believe, however, that the chemical lobby and certain agriculture interests and quasi-governmental marketing boards have weighed in on ...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE   July 18, 2019   Contact: DEA Public Affairs   (202) 307-7977   Press Release   Pharmaceutical distributor & executives, pharmacists charged with unlawfully distributing painkillers Wholesaler allegedly distributed 3.7 million hydrocodone pills to pharmacy in town of 400 people   CINCINNATI  – A federal grand jury has charged a pharmaceutical distributor, two of its former officials and two pharmacists with conspiring to distribute controlled substances in an indictment returned here yesterday. Four individuals have been charged, including Miami-Luken’s former president and compliance officer and two West Virginia pharmacists. Those charged include: ·         Anthony Rattini, 71, of Colorado Springs, Colo., the former president of Miami-Luken; ·         James Barclay, 72, of Springboro, Ohio,...