Having spent an evening in the emergency room of Yale New Haven Hospital, it brought a few important issues into focus.

Nancy Alderman
Why Rosa DeLauro’s proposal for a food safety agency is so important
U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro’s proposal to have a new Food Safety Agency is exactly what is needed if the United States is to have a safe supply of our food and timely recalls.
Former Upjohn chemical company in North Haven now a 57-acre nature preserve
A speech to the annual meeting of Upjohn stockholders began the long process of creating Brick Yard Point.
Place an online bet while you smoke a joint. What could go wrong?
The lawmakers who passed this bill into law knew full well that on-line gambling would cause people to become addicted to it and they knew people would go bankrupt. So did that keep them from passing the bill?
Air quality better than last year, but Connecticut suit of midwestern states should continue
Last month the CT Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) released its report on the state of Connecticut’s environment. The report tracked the number of unhealthy air days there were in Connecticut last year. There were 17 bad air days, meaning that for over two weeks during the hot summer months Connecticut’s air was burdened with ground level ozone.
Of striped bass, the bottle bill and democracy via Zoom
So goes our democracy. Making democracy work is not easy — for those who wish to delve into it — it is clear democracy is hard work — but there is no better way to govern — so we will keep at it even when it seems unfair.
If Connecticut wants to reduce its trash, it must expand the Bottle Redemption Bill
It’s been more than 40 years since Connecticut lawmakers enacted the CT Redemption Bottle Law, known as the “Bottle Bill.” The CT Bottle Bill became law in 1978, and at that time a five-cent deposit was put on the bottles of water, beer and soda. That same five- cent deposit remains today, 42 years later. In our present economy. the five-cent deposit fee is inadequate.
In the time of the coronavirus should the Connecticut legislature change its rules?
At the present time, Connecticut legislators need to be in the actual Legislative Office Building in order to cast their votes. Legislators can either be on the floor of the Legislative Office Building or in their offices when they vote, but they must be in the building for their vote to be counted.
Connecticut must require its large drinking water supply companies to test for PFAS
We cannot know whether PFAS are contaminating our drinking water unless the water is tested. There is legislation now before the Connecticut Public Health Committee, HB 5288, requiring Connecticut’s drinking water supply companies test for PFAS. It is of the utmost importance that this bill becomes law, if we are to protect Connecticut’s citizens.
Best of 2019: Waste tire rubber has no place around playing children
Connecticut landscape architects came out against a bill that would have protected our smallest children from dangerous playgrounds. Proposed Bill 7003 this year would have establish a moratorium on the use of crumb rubber mulch being used as a surfacing material in municipal and public school playgrounds. Why was this bill proposed and why was it important for the health of our smallest children?
E-cigarettes: If feds decline to act, Connecticut may have to
The federal government has announced that it will not allow any legislation that regulate e-cigarettes — a reversal of prior indications. The lobbyists for the e-cigarette companies have convinced the administration that their supporters like to vape — and therefore the administration will not allow any legislation that might curb the vaping epidemic. This announcement leaves the work of protecting the health of children, teenagers, and adults to the states.
E-cigs latest example of product safety – public disconnect
There is a serious disconnect between what the public assumes to be the case and what the reality is when it comes to product safety. Most people believe that if a product is on the market it has been proven to be safe. There are numerous products that have been brought to market without proper testing that later have been proven to be harmful. The most recent example of this is e-cigarettes.
Student athletes risk injury in steamy workouts
Heat illness is a leading cause of death among high school athletes, especially during practice workouts during extreme heat. Since 1995, 64 football players have died from heat stroke, including 47 were in high school, 13 in college, two professional, and two youths in organized sports.
Use glyphosate herbicide with caution
Monsanto and its German new owner Bayer AG face more than 9,000 lawsuits in the U.S. brought by people suffering from non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) and who blame Monsanto’s glyphosate-based herbicides (GBHs) for their diseases. Glyphosate/Roundup is an herbicide and herbicides are used to kill weeds.
Get ready — the plastic bag ban/tax is coming soon
Get ready. The State of Connecticut’s new ban on single-use plastic bags goes into effect August 1. It will place a tax of 10 cents on each single-use plastic bag.