Thank you President Obama from a long frustrated whistle blower

by Lefty Coaster

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.

continued at Daily Kos....

A DEMOCRATIC legislative & regulatory WIN you didn't know about

by Eclectablog

Cross-posted at Eclectablog.com.

Last October, I wrote about freshman Senator Amy Klobuchar's bill to regulate formaldehyde emissions from engineered wood panels. These are the panels used to build our homes, our desks and other furniture and that are ubiquitous throughout our lives, often unnoticed. Shop at any Office Max, Ikea, or discount furniture store and you'll be surrounded by things made from medium density fiberboard (MDF) and particleboard.

Last week, with little fanfare or notice, President Obama signed Senator Klobuchar's bill into law. And to add to the magnitude of this Dem-Win, the EPA declared formaldehyde to be a carcinogen, paving the way to further action from this governmental body.

More on these most-awesome, under-the-radar regulatory wins for Democrats, Senator Klobuchar and President Obama after the fold.

continued at Daily Kos....