We have heard a lot about Rare Earth Elements over the past year. Just how risky are they to politics, economics, and public health? A paper published last week entitled “Minerals go Critical” in the journal Nature Chemistry by Prof. Roderick Eggert is certainly worth a read. It is lucid, focused, and informative. First, what [...]
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An amoeba called Naegleria fowleri has been making news headlines recently (see, for example, CBS News, or U.S. News and World Report), where it is being referred to as the ‘brain-eating’ amoeba. Three deaths have been confirmed in the U.S. this summer due to infections: two people in August from swimming in rivers or lakes [...]
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We have just posted the final program for the 2011 Risk Science Symposium, being held between 20-21 Sept in Ann Arbor MI (see below). 45 invited speakers will be talking about technology innovation, risk and sustainability over the two days, with a lineup that includes John Viera – Ford Motor Co. Director of Sustainability Environment [...]
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On September 15th the Penny W. Stamps Speakers Series will host James King, Cory Doctorow, and Mark Stevenson in a talk on emerging technologies entitled Futurology: Optimism and Failure. James King is a speculative designer who will be collaborating with the Risk Science Center in the Fall during his Witt Residency at the University of [...]
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Graphene, a nanomaterial with remarkable properties, offers new directions for research in technology, clean energy and food safety. However, the possible human health implications of graphene remain unclear. UMRSC Director, Andrew Maynard, was quoted yesterday in The Guardian on the difficulties of regulating nanomaterials, “Regulation of nanomaterials such as graphene must tread a fine line,” [...]
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Don’t feel bad. The entire point of “Word of the Day” activities is to expand your vocabulary. So, really, truly, don’t feel bad if you don’t know the word “misandry.” In point of fact, the spell check on the computer I am currently using doesn’t recognize it. There is that highly annoying, squiggly red line [...]
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The way we look at antioxidants in contemporary society is little short of miraculous—molecules which get into your cells and prevent them from dying! Immune system support to kill off those cold viruses lickety-split! Unfortunately, the popular perception of antioxidants’ impact is very far removed from their actual physiological role. Defined (by dictionary.com) as “a [...]
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Every fall, I teach a graduate seminar in risk communication at the University of Michigan. I’ve been revising the class reading list over the summer, both to add newer material but also to remind myself of the key messages I try to communicate. One of these key messages comes up most cleanly in the class [...]
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In 2004, the first International Symposium on Occupational Health Implications of Nanomaterials was held in Buxton in the UK. Seven years later, I’m preparing for a discussion panel at the fifth meeting in this very successful community-led series (being held this week in Boston MA), and looking through the research recommendations we made at the [...]
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My mother had a bit of a health scare last week. My younger brother was able to take the day off of work when it happened (a Thursday), and I was able to visit her over the weekend. It turned out to be nothing, thankfully, but she was still feeling a little weak and dizzy [...]
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This posting was originally published on the Scientific American Guest Blog. The evil that is in the world always comes of ignorance, and good intentions may do as much harm as malevolence, if they lack understanding. On the whole, men are more good than bad; that, however, isn’t the real point. But, they are more or [...]
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Split-Minded about Smoking
by Mark Stewart on August 24, 2011
It is back-to-school time again. As the University of Michigan students begin their re-immigration to Ann Arbor, some will be presented with a surprise: the U of M has become a smoke-free campus. The University of Michigan – as of July 1, 2011 – has initiated its Smoke-Free University Initiative. Robert Winfield, M.D., the Chief [...]
Tagged as: Risk, Schizophrenia, smoking
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