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Joe Allen

@joeallenjoe.bsky.social
5.3K followers 295 following 1.1K posts

Prof at Harvard; Direct Harvard Healthy Buildings Program; Exposure and Risk Science; Author: HEALTHY BUILDINGS book w/ HBS Prof Macomber linktr.ee/healthybuilding

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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 18h
One day we will look back and realize how foolish it was to think you can use gas indoors and not expect consequences
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 18h
--> For NO2, ~70% of gas kitchens exceeded EPA's limit --> CO exceeded California’s 1-hour exposure guidelines in 3 gas kitchens; benzene exceeded it in 5 None of this was observed in all-electric kitchens. sustainability.stanford.edu/news/study-f...
sustainability.stanford.edu
Study finds unhealthy pollution levels in commercial kitchens with gas stoves
In a new study comparing gas, propane, and all-electric commercial kitchens, researchers documented temperatures as high as 122 degrees Fahrenheit and nitrogen dioxide above the EPA’s one-hour outdoor...
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 18h
Erin invited me on last night to make sense of what's happening with the potential plague in Russia. I understand why the public is concerned; we're not showing great leadership at home handling another 'ancient' disease... full clip here: x.com/OutFrontCNN/...
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 20h
Boston friends: we have @linseymarr.bsky.social coming to Harvard Friday 1-2pm. If you'd like to join, send me a DM.
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
AI can't write like this. Perfect lede.
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
I was on CNN today to talk about chemicals used in plastics that are not thoroughly tested for health and safety. Even known “high risk” ones show up in toys, food packaging, hygiene products, household products. The chemicals don’t stay there - they get into air, dust, water, food. And our bodies.
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
"In early April, maybe the 10th or so, a number of us onboard came down with what felt like a flu-like illness"
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
WHO's official count of hantavirus cases doesn't include this from the oncology doctor, who said this to @erinburnett.bsky.social the other night: [1/2]
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Erin and I discussed the "mild positive" for the doctor that's now negative. Combined with what he revealed on Erin's show the night before (he and others had illness w/ night sweats;) most likely means: [1/2]
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 14/05/2026
Spot on, from @linseymarr.bsky.social, as always: --> “I don’t understand why we are so reluctant to acknowledge the inhalation route when we’re talking about person-to-person transmission" [1/2] www.nytimes.com/2026/05/14/h...
nytimes.com
Hantavirus Doesn’t Spread Easily, but Officials May Be Downplaying Risks
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
I was on with Erin again last night, this time in the studio. Erin asked my opinion about this new info the ship doctor shared and confusing timeline: [1/5]
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 13/05/2026
"Given just how little experience we have with this virus, any certainty is hubris. Thankfully, despite the flawed messaging, the system is broadly working...But what happens next depends on how well we communicate what precautions people should be taking." www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
The Close, Prolonged Contact Myth
Knowing how a virus spreads is essential to public health, but people keep getting it wrong.
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 12/05/2026
"In any outbreak, the single most important question is: How does it spread? Get it wrong and everything else breaks down." Me, writing for @theatlantic.com www.theatlantic.com/ideas/2026/0...
theatlantic.com
How Does It Spread?
Answering this question is essential to public health, but people keep getting it wrong.
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
people are nice on bsky!
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
-->
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
No one should be surprised more ship passengers tested positive - this was expected. The focus has been on how to prevent secondary transmission, and this is what I discussed last night on @msnownews.bsky.social [1/3]
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
I spoke with the ship's doctor over the weekend
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 11/05/2026
Not sure what's happening here on Bsky, but the message that 'prolonged/close contact' being inconsistent with what we actually know seems to be finally breaking through
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
(Always read the Supplemental Information)
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
A lot of people saying only spreads via "close contact", but the investigation of a prior outbreak shows otherwise: "did not have any physical contact and simply said “hello” to each other as they crossed paths" "No direct or close contact between the two patients was reported."
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 08/05/2026
I joined Erin Burnett. Some thoughts (but threading on bsky is annoying so details here: www.linkedin.com/feed/update/... SITUATION ON THE SHIP IS SERIOUS RISK AND THREAT TO GENERAL PUBLIC IS LOW THERE IS EVIDENCE OF HUMAN-HUMAN SPREAD AND TRANSMISSION BEYOND "CLOSE CONTACT" vimeo.com/1190306668
vimeo.com
EBOF 5.7.26 Joseph Allen
This is "EBOF 5.7.26 Joseph Allen" by EBOF on Vimeo, the home for high quality videos and the people who love them.
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 29/03/2026
It's official. I have a contract with Simon & Schuster for a new book! (fair warning, this will be a disappointing post...) The title? a secret! The topic? also a secret! Healthy Buildings 2.0? nope! When? publishes in March 2028! Audience? everyone!
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
HIGHER ED: you paying attention? @ginaraimondo.bsky.social has been really good on so many topics. Not surprised she nails it on AI and jobs. And this note about the role of higher ed is spot on: www.nytimes.com/2026/03/06/o...
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 10/03/2026
Trump has collapsed cancer research. —> The National Cancer Institute hasn’t made a single grant this fiscal year www.newyorker.com/magazine/202...
newyorker.com
The Unmaking of the American University
For decades, research universities have relied on federal funding, with no guarantee that it will last. Now their survival may depend on compliance with the government.
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Oh damn hahaha. We do equivalent of 5M worth of tokens per year at work. “hey chat, how much does 5M tokens cost?” www.instagram.com/reel/DVZVAMP...
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Reagan: "If we don't explore, others will, and we'll fall behind. This is why I've urged Congress to devote more money to research. It is an indispensable investment in America's future"
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 06/03/2026
Trump is surrendering our leadership in science, innovation, and economic and military might "Over the last year, the Trump administration has sent one discouraging message after another to young people aspiring to a scientific career in the US..." www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
science.org
Sabotaging the NSF fellowship is a blunder
Over the last year, the Trump administration has sent one discouraging message after another to young people aspiring to a scientific career in the United States. The corrosive rhetoric that mocks sci...
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
"elite" should be in air quotes going forward
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 03/03/2026
"We hope that clients looking for fearless lawyers and law students deciding where to work will remember which elite firms were unwilling to fight back. Meekness is not a quality most people seek in a lawyer." www.nytimes.com/2026/03/03/o...
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
What is the value of a human life? According to the Trump administration’s EPA, the answer is zero dollars. www.statnews.com/2026/02/02/e...
statnews.com
The EPA just erased a century of public health progress
Former Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health Dean Michelle A. Williams on the EPA’s incorrect and morally wrong decision.
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 02/03/2026
Trump's America, as told by today's WSJ headlines: --> Trump warns more American deaths are possible --> Oil Prices Surge, Stock Futures Fall [1/4]
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Reposted by Joe Allen
Harvard Chan Environmental Health @harvardenvhealth.bsky.social · 19/02/2026
In a Harvard Chan News article, Dr. Kari Nadeau discusses the long-term health consequences of wildfire smoke exposure and the need for sustained research and prevention efforts, joined by colleagues including @joeallenjoe.bsky.social.
hsph.harvard.edu
On one-year anniversary of LA wildfires, researchers assess health impacts, future prevention efforts | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
A year after the devastating Los Angeles-area wildfires, Harvard Chan researchers who have been assessing the disaster’s health impacts are taking stock of what they’ve learned, and of the work that…
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
Asthma attacks can worsen disease through airway “squeezing" hsph.harvard.edu/news/how-air...
hsph.harvard.edu
How airway ‘squeezing’ during asthma attacks triggers a cycle of worsening disease | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
New research from Harvard Chan School shows that, during asthma flare-ups, the mechanical “squeezing” of the airway known as bronchoconstriction can trigger responses in the epithelial cells—those tha...
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 17/02/2026
"Campus operations continue in alignment with guidance from the DOH." What's missing from the measles outbreak response at Ave Maria University in Florida? The DOH website doesn't mention improving ventilation and filtration. [1/2]
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
folks, I present to you...the person responsible for the health of the nation
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
I ran into Jake on Capitol Hill on Monday and we chatted in the hallway. He’s really sharp.
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 13/02/2026
“I used to snort cocaine off toilet seats” - RFK Jr
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 12/02/2026
The reduction in coal over a 10 year period from 2008 to 2017 led to ~80,000 fewer deaths due to air pollution healthybuildings.hsph.harvard.edu/reconstructi...
healthybuildings.hsph.harvard.edu
Reconstructing the Public Health Burden of Energy During the Last Decade in the U.S. – 3 Key Takeaways for Energy and Climate Policymaking - Healthy Buildings
The Harvard Healthy Buildings program collaborated with the Harvard Chan Center for Climate, Health, and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE) on a study on the health impacts of energy transitions from c...
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Reposted by Joe Allen
Harvard Chan Environmental Health @harvardenvhealth.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
New research following the Los Angeles wildfires shows that toxic exposures can persist long after flames are out. @joeallenjoe.bsky.social highlighted how lingering pollutants may pose ongoing health risks for affected communities, via The Washington Post. www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2026...
washingtonpost.com
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Magda Maaoui, PhD @magdamaaoui.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Join us for this semester's Planning for Health speaker series, co-organized by the Harvard GSD Healthy Places Design Lab, and Healthy places GSD! @joeallenjoe.bsky.social @gsd.harvard.edu @biobotanalytics.bsky.social
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
Pitchers and catchers report today
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 10/02/2026
With NIOSH director John Howard. My read is that it’s 2-3 years for scientific research machine to get back to functioning. So, whatever gains someone thought there’d be w DOGE haphazard cuts, just know that it cost 10x in admin costs and slowed our country’s R&D machine down by a few years
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 09/02/2026
On Capitol Hill today advocating for worker health & safety, clean indoor air, and healthy buildings.
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 06/02/2026
We had the privilege of having Dean @meganranney.bsky.social join us at Harvard yesterday, and if you're in public health (and even if you're not), I highly encourage listening to this chat she had with our own Dean. [1/5] www.youtube.com/@HarvardPubl...
youtube.com
Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Sharing diverse perspectives on public health. Speakers do not speak for Harvard.
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
So sad to see the destruction at the Post. I worked with and knew really talented people there. I saw this shift first hand: I published **39** articles in the Post up to 2024, and then was able to land **0** once this shift happened
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Reposted by Joe Allen
Linda Dalpé @dalpe.bsky.social · 31/01/2026
Hoping one day our provincial government will make good on its election promise. Imagine the scope of prevention of diseases possible in schools, daycares just by improving ventilation, filtration in their indoor spaces! Prevention also means dollars saved in many budgets @susanholtnb.bsky.social
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
Same guidance since early on after the fires were out: 1. Control the dust 2. Filter the air 3. Monitor
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 04/02/2026
It is important to clean humidifiers regularly, or they can actually worsen indoor air quality and contribute to respiratory issues. EPA recommends **cleaning them every third day** (which no one does...) www.nytimes.com/2026/02/03/w...
nytimes.com
Can a Humidifier Help With Winter Dryness?
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
"cuddling"
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Joe Allen @joeallenjoe.bsky.social · 01/02/2026
"woman"
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