My guest today is Charles Levenstein, Ph.D., MSc , an economist,  policy analyst and co-author of The Toxic Schoolhouse. We’ll be talking about chemical hazards endangering students, teachers, and staff in the education system of the United States and Canada. Dr Levenstein is Professor Emeritus in Department of Work Environment, retiring from teaching in 2003.  He is adjunct professor of occupational health at Tufts University School of Medicine and one of the leading researchers concerned with social factors in occupational and environmental health. For several years he was co-director of the Organized Labor and Tobacco Control Consortium, funded by the American Legacy Foundation at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.   He subsequently became a consultant to Dr. Edith Balbach’s NCI-funded research on tobacco industry relations with trade unions.  He has served as member and chair of the environmental health and safety committee of the Massachusetts Teachers Association.  He has been engaged in intervention research in immigrant communities and in the economic evaluation of occupational health and safety interventions. Until recently, Dr Levenstein chaired the advisory committee for United Steel Workers Federally-funded health and safety projects; he continues to chair the advisory board of The New England Consortium, an NIEHS-funded collaboration of health and safety advocacy groups, trade unions and academics.  He is Editor Emeritus of New Solutions, a quarterly peer-reviewed journal of occupational and environmental health policy and is co-editor of the Baywood series on Work, Health and Environment. Dr. Levenstein is a recipient of the American Public Health Association’s award for lifetime contribution to occupational health.

 

 

My guest today is Professor Anne Steinemann, who has for many years been a champion for those sensitive to toxic chemicals in consumer products. She tests everyday consumer products to find out what toxic chemicals are actually present in them, many of which are not listed on labels or MSDS sheets. In this recorded interview from Australia, we talk about toxics she found in both standard and natural/organic products, our rights to toxic free public places, and our power as consumers to change the marketplace. Anne Steinemann is Professor of Civil Engineering and Chair of Sustainable Cities at the University of Melbourne, Australia. She is an internationally recognized expert in areas of engineering and sustainability including environmental pollutants, infrastructure systems, and health. Her recent research addresses indoor air quality, exposure assessment, consumer product analyses, drought planning and forecasting, hazard mitigation, and healthy buildings and communities. She serves as adviser to governments and industries around the world and has directed major federally funded research programs. Her work has resulted in new federal and state legislation, agency policies and industry practices. Professor Steinemann has received the highest teaching awards at the college, university and national levels. She has published over 50 journal articles and two textbooks. Professor Steinemann’s research and journal articles have received significant international media coverage spanning more than 1,000 major newspapers, magazines and broadcast stations across six continents. Dr. Steinemann received her Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering from Stanford University.  www.drsteinemann.com | www.drsteinemann.com/publications.html