Americans shouldn't have to applaud when their government does something right. Americans should expect that kind of competence from their government. Needed changes in chemical safety have been bottled up by special interests for so many years that it became a long running national scandal. I referring to likelihood of stricter EPA regulation of formaldehyde emissions, that was the subject of Eclectablog's fine diary earlier today: A DEMOCRATIC legislative & regulatory WIN you didn't know about
For me this is a deeply personal issue. One I've been living with for the last 24 years. You see I'm a formaldehyde whistle blower who went public 22 years ago.
My job involved an industrial process that vented hot formaldehyde vapor directly into my work area. For the 2+ years I did that job I suffered blinding migraine headaches that would go on for days, lasting up to 10 days at a time. Working around formaldehyde turned my life into a living hell. A miserable ordeal to be endured. I finally made the connection between these intense migraine headaches and my work environment when these insentient migraines disappeared during a two week vacation, and resumed as soon as I returned to work.
Workers were told that the formaldehyde levels had tested at concentrations that were well below the permissible levels, which no doubt they had. Levels which had been set for convenience of industry, and not for the safety of workers.
IT'S LIKE BEING A ZOMBIE
I talked to the Seattle newspapers, agreeing to let them have the option of printing my name for attribution. I was also interviewed for the Machinists Newspaper. Months later I was interviewed in an independent documentary, by which time I had become somewhat more guarded, trying to be cautious about the risks I might be taking in being so outspoken.
Probably due to my being a member of a strong union I kept my job. But I was notorious among the managers for being a whistle blower, and apparently that reputation followed me in my job for the past 22 years. One new manager queried me about it earlier this year. I blanched, and was surprised at the continuing interest since it hadn't come up for a long time, and since the company had moved away from using materials formaldehyde in them a number of years ago, validating my original complaints. As many of you may know I retired recently.
All by itself, the prospect of finally seeing action taken on setting science based limits on formaldehyde emissions makes the $540 I sent Obama in 2007 and 2008, and the campaigning I did for his campaign in three states, money and time well spent IMHO. This prospect gives me a sense of satisfaction after having waited for action for so many years.
The ghoulish, obstruction of Sen. David Vitter (R-La.) was brushed aside as it so richly deserved to be, the nomination of Dr. Paul Anastas moved ahead, and we will get on with the bushiness of protecting Americans from what's long been known as a carcinogenic chemical.