iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

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Jordan Barab @jbarab.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

Nuclear workers are exposed to cancer causing radiation. Now Trump's Nuclear Regulatory Commission thinks they need to be exposed to more, not less, radiation jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...

jordanbarab.com

NRC Wants to Bulldoze Workplace Radiation Protections - Confined Space

Trump's Nuclear Regulatory Commission has issued a proposed regulation that will increase worker exposure to cancer-causing radiation.

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Reposted by David Michaels

Climate Science Legal Defense Fund @csldf.org · 24/09/2026

Scientific expert witness work is one important way researchers can help discredit anti-science efforts and safeguard future research. Although there are potential legal risks related to this work, they can be mitigated with the help of our Climate Litigation Toolkit: www.csldf.org/resources/cl...

csldf.org

Climate Litigation Toolkit - Climate Science Legal Defense Fund

Our Climate Litigation Toolkit explain the best practices for safely and effectively engaging in scientific consulting work.

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DeSmog @desmog.com · 18/09/2026

🏆️ DeSmog is delighted to share that our work exposing corporate climate denial and delay has won three of this year's Covering Climate Now Awards. Thank you to all our supporters for making our high-impact work possible! 🙏 buff.ly/qG6sqBe

buff.ly

DeSmog Wins Covering Climate Now Awards for Exposing Corporate Denial and Delay

DeSmog and its partners have won three awards for investigations exposing corporate tactics to delay climate action at the 2026 Covering Climate Now Journalism Awards. Geoff Dembicki, DeSmog’s global…

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Jeff Goodell @jeffgoodell.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Heartbreaking. Joe told the hard truths when others told soft lies and he fought when others were silent. He inspired me and many, many others. RIP, my friend.

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David Michaels @drdavidmichaels.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

“I hope that we will look back at Cal/OSHA’s emergency standard as the beginning of the end of this terrible quartz countertop silicosis epidemic,” said David Michaels, a former head of federal OSHA who teaches at the George Washington University School of Public Health.

kqed.org

California Regulators Unveil Plan to Ban New Quartz Countertops Amid Rising Worker Deaths | KQED

The Cal/OSHA draft would give fabrication shops nearly six months to phase out inventory of the popular countertop material, which is linked to a deadly lung disease among stonecutters.

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Shobita Parthasarathy @shobitap.org · 17/09/2026

In my new Expert Voices column @science.org, I argue that the Trump admin's science strategy (as written in Kratsios' Science: A Golden Age)--which gives more authority & funding to the private sector to direct the research enterprise--will harm science, and further erode its public accountability.

science.org

Escaping a downward spiral for science and public accountability

In late July, Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), released Science—A Golden Age, setting forth a strategy to revitalize US research and innova...

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David Michaels @drdavidmichaels.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

If you haven't seen this yet, stop what you are doing and read the piece or just hit play on the video. Brittany Wagner tells the heart breaking story of her father, a construction worker injured at work, denied the workers comp & SSDI benefits to which he is entitled. @nytopinion.nytimes.com 1/🧵

nytimes.com

Opinion | The $15,000 Settlement That Destroyed My Father’s Life (Gift Article)

A 35-foot fall didn’t kill Michael Wagner. The nearly 18-year failure of the safety net did. Before he died, he recorded 694 videos explaining how.

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David Michaels @drdavidmichaels.bsky.social · 17/09/2026

More than one new quartz countertop silicosis case every day. The California Dept of Public Health updated its dashboard today. Last week there were 644 cases. This week: 652. Cal/OSHA's emergency standard banning fabrication and installation of artifical stone products can't come fast enough.

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David Michaels @drdavidmichaels.bsky.social · 16/09/2026

Very, very good news. Today, Cal/OSHA issued a draft emergency standard to ban fabrication and installation of artificial stone products with >1% crystalline silica. Comments are due in 2 weeks. I hope today will be seen as the beginning of the end of the quartz countertop silicosis epidemic.

dir.ca.gov

Emergency Silica Advisory Committee - Advisory Meetings

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Josh Eidelson @josheidelson.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

NEW @businessweektr.bsky.social investigation: Crafting America’s Favorite Countertops Is Killing Workers www.bloomberg.com/news/feature... Artificial stone manufacturers want Congress to shut down silicosis lawsuits seeking billions. Confidential company records undermine industry's safety claims

bloomberg.com

‘Death Sentences:’ Crafting America’s Favorite Countertops Is Killing Workers

Hundreds of workers who’ve contracted silicosis are suing the artificial stone industry for billions. While California weighs a ban on fabricating the product, the manufacturers’ defenders in Congress...

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David Michaels @drdavidmichaels.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

OSHA inspections prevent future injuries at the inspected establishment & at others nearby. But after Trump & DOGE's personnel cuts, OSHA inspects thousands fewer establishments annually. The result: many thousands of additional workers are now being injured. @mslaterjohnson.bsky.social

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David Weil @profsheenalives.bsky.social · 02/09/2026

It's Labor Day--a chance to reflect on the state of work, workers and fairness. Inviting you to this @gamechangerspolicy.bsky.social webinar where @julietschor.bsky.social @paulsonn.bsky.social, Gerald Epstein & I will talk about fair work standards. Please join us! events.zoom.us/ev/ApCr_SWeb...

events.zoom.us

Game Changers Webinar Series

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Jordan Barab @jbarab.bsky.social · 01/09/2026

How workers died last week: Explosion, falls, construction incidents, drowning, firefighting, falling objects, farming incident, shootings and vehicular collisions. On average, 100 workers die every week from traumatic injuries on the job in the United States. jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...

jordanbarab.com

Killed on the Job: The Weekly Toll - Confined Space

On average, 100 workers die every week from traumatic injuries on the job in the United States. Here are how a few died last week.

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David Michaels @drdavidmichaels.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

Thanks @elienyc.bsky.social Beyond helping control tobacco & asbestos, lawsuits are why J&J switched baby powder from talc to cornstarch & why Syngenta stopped selling paraquat. Now the artificial stone countertop industry begs Congress to ban lawsuits by workers with silicosis. Don't let them!

startribune.com

Cambria caught in fallout from lung disease outbreak sickening California workers

Over 600 workers who fashion processed quartz into stone countertops have sued Minnesota-based Cambria and other stone makers after getting diagnosed with a disease called silicosis. The companies den...

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David Michaels @drdavidmichaels.bsky.social · 28/08/2026

When designing a new product like a kitchen countertop or even a new beverage, many corporations don't consider the safety of their employees until after it is clear that production involves exposing workers to a hazard. Shouldn't that be done before production starts? Thanks @sbworkersunited.org

nytimes.com

Starbucks Drops Drink Powder That Enveloped Baristas in Clouds of Dust (Gift Article)

Baristas said the ingredient left them coughing and sneezing.

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Michael Osterholm, PhD, MPH @mtosterholm.bsky.social · 27/08/2026

This back to school season things seem chaotic & confusing, and there can be the temptation to tune out everything. I strongly encourage you to stay the course, remain informed. When it comes to your children's health, talk to your pediatrician, family practitioner &/or nurse practitioner. Listen ⬇️

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Workers Won’t Be Silent @workersnotsilent.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

NEW SUPPORT—not yet a bill: Former OSHA chief @drdavidmichaels.bsky.social calls for federal workers’ comp standards and employer-paid injury costs. Congress: restore a National Commission and act. prospect.org/2026/07/21/h...

prospect.org

How America Let Its Workers’ Compensation System Fail - The American Prospect

If you’re injured on the job these days, you’re simply out of luck.

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David Michaels @drdavidmichaels.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

What's missing from Assistant Seceretary David Keeling's report on his vision for OSHA? Workers. Not a single mention of workers in this summary. OSHA was created to protect the limbs, lungs and lives of the nation's workers. Now, at best, they are mere "stakeholders" to the Trump Administration.

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Jordan Barab @jbarab.bsky.social · 19/08/2026

How workers died last week: rollovers, grain bin incident, three electrocutions, falls, firefighting, industrial incidents, and murder-suicide, on-duty medical emergencies, vehicle incidents and shootings: The Weekly Toll jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...

jordanbarab.com

Workers Not Coming Home This Week: The Weekly Toll - Confined Space

On average, 100 workers die every week from traumatic injuries on the job in the United States. Here are how a few died last week.

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Jordan Barab @jbarab.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

Heat kills over 500 workers each year in the U.S. (probably a gross undercount), but Trump is trying to weaken a proposed OSHA heat standard and FL & TX have forbidden localities from protecting workers. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/12/b...

nytimes.com

Heat Kills Hundreds of Workers Each Year. A Postal Carrier Was One. (Gift Article)

About half a dozen states explicitly protect workers from excessive heat. And some others, like Texas, prevent local governments from passing their own laws.

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zuleikamitford.bsky.social @zuleikamitford.bsky.social · 13/08/2026

I don't think I've ever seen such a good explanation of this phenomenon: "The number of SSDI beneficiaries has grown dramatically in recent years, and the reason is clear: A significant portion of that growth is driven by the workers’ comp system offloading its obligations onto the public."

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David Michaels @drdavidmichaels.bsky.social · 12/08/2026

Why do we permit manufacture of a product we don't need that kills the workers who make it? Nationally, 1000s of workers who fabricate kitchen countertops from engineered stone have silicosis. There is a safe substitute available. Like Australia, we should ban this product. @karenmg.bsky.social

latimes.com

Hundreds of California stonecutters fall ill with deadly disease ‘for a product we do not need’

Latino men who cut artificial stone countertops in California are falling ill from an incurable and deadly lung disease at an alarming rate, a new study finds.

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Jordan Barab @jbarab.bsky.social · 11/08/2026

How workers died last week: Trench Collapse, falls, tree care, electrocution, machinery, scissor lift, firefighting, lawnmower incident, farming, occupational cancer, shootings and vehicular incidents: The Weekly Toll jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...

jordanbarab.com

Death in American Workplaces: The Weekly Toll - Confined Space

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John Mashey @johnmashey.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Two fine books by @drdavidmichaels.bsky.social are included on my list of key books on science denialism, tweeted in 2020. I'm lucky to know or at least have met most of these folks.

List of key books relevant to science denialism.

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Jordan Barab @jbarab.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Black lung rates in Appalachia are now as high as in the 1970s, after dropping for many years. The culprit: increased exposure to silica. The Biden administration issued a protective silica standard in 2024, but the Trump administration is still refusing to enforce it. www.npr.org/2026/08/05/n...

npr.org

Black lung rates in Appalachia are high as the 1970s, with thousands of miners sick

Rates are now the highest they've been in nearly 50 years among veteran coal miners. Mining experts blame toxic silica dust, now more common in mines.

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David Michaels @drdavidmichaels.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Adding injustice to injury, workers' comp payments are so low that few attorneys are willing to represent injured workers. Another powerful piece on the failings of the workers' comp system, this one by Lauren Weber of @wsj.com .

wsj.com

Workers Seeking Compensation for Injuries Face New Challenge: Fewer Lawyers

Fewer lawyers pursuing workers’ compensation cases has led to diminished financial prospects for people injured on the job.

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Bryce Covert @brycecovert.bsky.social · 04/08/2026

Biden's OSHA started work on a heat standard to protect workers from increasingly brutal conditions. Trump's OSHA is undoing that work. www.nytimes.com/2026/08/01/c...

nytimes.com

Trump Administration Is Undoing Plans to Boost Workplace Heat Protections

The Biden administration took steps to shield workers from extreme temperatures. The Trump administration is taking a gentler approach with employers.

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Jordan Barab @jbarab.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

How workers died last week: trench collapse, grain bin, heat(?), tree care, electrocutions, lightning, flooding, industrial incidents, grain bin incident, falls, suicide, shootings and vehicular collisions: The Weekly Toll. jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...

jordanbarab.com

Mourning for Preventable Deaths: The Weekly Toll - Confined Space

On average, 100 workers die every week from traumatic injuries on the job in the United States. Here are how a few died last week.

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Jocalyn Clark @jocalynclark.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

Having raised concerns about the ways in which doctors & science leaders helped 'healthwash' Epstein... www.bmj.com/content/392/... I'm pleased the news team at @bmj.com have covered the findings (& limits) of new Gates Foundation review of Epstein. Check it out: www.bmj.com/content/394/...

bmj.com

Doctors were complicit in Epstein’s abuse—survivors must now be our priority

A spectacle around Jeffrey Epstein’s depravity is overshadowing rights and justice for the survivors of the sex offender and his network, which included doctors, writes Jocalyn Clark The theme for I...

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Jordan Barab @jbarab.bsky.social · 27/07/2026

How workers died last week: Trench collapses, heat, rollovers, coal mining, firefighting, occupational cancer, cell tower, skid steer, explosions, grain bin incident, and crushed to death, shootings and vehicular collisions: The Weekly Toll jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...

jordanbarab.com

Failure to Survive Work: The Weekly Toll - Confined Space

On average, 100 workers die every week from traumatic injuries on the job in the United States. Here are how a few died last week.

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Jordan Barab @jbarab.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

Abilene city employee Frank Cortez died on the job July 21. The city provided no details, but reports say his death was "a medical issue & not the job he was performing" Heat related? It was 101 degrees that day but TX public workers aren't covered by OSHA. We may never know. tinyurl.com/mwtcvm52

jordanbarab.com

Did Abilene Public Works employee Frank Cortez die from excessive heat? We may never know, because Texas public employees aren't covered by OSHA.

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Anne Sosin @annesosin.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

We should all take the time to learn from others who have done rigorous work to understand the well-worn playbooks being deployed to manufacture doubt and mistrust and undermine science.2/ @drdavidmichaels.bsky.social www.drdavidmichaels.com/books

drdavidmichaels.com

BOOKS | David Michaels

David Michaels is author of "The Triumph of Doubt: Dark Money and the Science of Deception" (2020) and "Doubt Is Their Product: How Industry's Assault on Science Threatens Your Health" (2008).

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Mike Schade, Toxic-Free Future @mikeschade.bsky.social · 24/07/2026

More than 250 organizations are urging the Senate to put Americans’ health before chemical industry profits. We shouldn’t weaken EPA’s ability to protect people from toxic chemicals like asbestos & PFAS. Read our coalition letter here. #TSCA toxicfreefuture.org/press-room/2...

toxicfreefuture.org

250 organizations urge Senate: Put Americans’ health before chemical industry profits - Toxic-Free Future

National alliance urges Congress to reject industry efforts to weaken nation’s chemical safety law and encourages Congress to hear from impacted communities, veterans, workers, and health professional...

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Jordan Barab @jbarab.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

What are Republicans thinking as they try to kill a federal OSHA heat protection standard that would protect workers from excessive heat? Nothing good and nothing honest. jordanbarab.com/confinedspac...

jordanbarab.com

Republicans Try to Smother OSHA Heat Standard Under General Duty Clause - Confined Space

Republicans try to kill an OSHA heat standard in favor of misguided reliance on the General Duty Clause.

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Terri Gerstein @terrigerstein.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

How about some exploitation with your sushi? I wrote an op-ed in @latimes.com about a recent lawsuit filed by @sandiegocounty.bsky.social alleging labor violations (#WageTheft etc) hiding in plain sight involving sushi chefs at your neighborhood grocery store. www.latimes.com/opinion/stor...

latimes.com

Contributor: Crucial task of protecting workers now falls to local enforcement

A lawsuit in San Diego alleges exploitation of supermarket sushi chefs. The federal government has largely abdicated responsibility for labor protections.

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Jordan Barab @jbarab.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Here is a quote by Kafka describing his experiences at worksites.

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David Michaels @drdavidmichaels.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

The term “Kafkaesque” was born in the experience of injured workers trying to obtain workers' comp benefits. Franz Kafka worked as an attorney and workplace safety inspector for the Czech workers’ comp system. The treatment of injured workers enraged him and shaped his writings. @prospect.org

prospect.org

How America Let Its Workers’ Compensation System Fail - The American Prospect

If you’re injured on the job these days, you’re simply out of luck.

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David Michaels @drdavidmichaels.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

In exchange for losing the right to sue their employer, when a worker is injured or sickened on the job, the workers' comp system is supposed to make them whole. It is also supposed to prevent injuries. Insurance carrier profits are way up, but injured workers are getting screwed. @prospect.org

prospect.org

How America Let Its Workers’ Compensation System Fail - The American Prospect

If you’re injured on the job these days, you’re simply out of luck.

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David Michaels @drdavidmichaels.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Workers are dying making a product we do not need, sold by Costco, Home Depot & Lowe’s. Australia has banned fabrication and installation of quartz countertops. Ikea only sells the safer alternative. Please tell Costco, Home Depot & Lowe’s to stop selling this deadly product.

healthandenvironment.org

Quartz countertops are driving a public health crisis in the US

If you walk into a Costco, Home Depot, or Lowe’s and order a countertop for your kitchen renovation, the store will likely contract with a local fabrication shop, instructing them to make one...

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