Joe Allen

Opinion | Relax, America, There Is Life After Nonstick Pans

www.nytimes.com/2025/10/08/o...

"They are called forever chemicals for good reason. They don’t break down, lingering in our blood, water and soil. They’ve been linked to cancer, infertility, thyroid disease, developmental delays and immune dysfunction."

People in conference room at the UN building

The global pledge for healthy indoor air: That clean indoor air is a fundamental human right for protecting health and safeguarding well-being

The momentum for clean indoor air continues to build. I attended the inaugural High-Level Side Event on indoor air quality at the UN General Assembly yesterday. Short remarks by Lidia Morawska @joeallenjoe.bsky.social @isiaq.bsky.social Pres. Kerry Kinney, ASHRAE, WHO, UNEP, many others.

Now with update 🙌

Toxic Fumes Are Leaking Into Airplanes, Sickening Crews and Passengers Doctors compare brain effects to concussions in NFL players. A Wall Street Journal investigation shows such incidents are increasingly common.

GIFTED, UNLOCKED ARTICLE: www.wsj.com/business/air... with expert input from @joeallenjoe.bsky.social

This is disturbing. I'm considering adding a respirator with activated carbon to my travel kit.

Best part of the day was running into folks like Linsey and so many others in the indoor air/healthy buildings space.

My 3 imperatives from the UN event on indoor air.
We must...
1. Recognize indoor health is fundamental to human health
2. Recommit to ventilation / filtration not just as a technical standard for minimally acceptable conditions, but as a cornerstone of public health
3. Require indoor air monitoring

--> did NOT lead to increased costs
--> did NOT delay project timelines
--> did NOT result in worse product performance or aesthetics
--> DID lead to retrofitted spaces having nearly 80% lower levels of forever chemicals in dust

The playbook: healthybuildings.hsph.harvard.edu/research/mat...

Coming up in an hour...

"Why on earth would we abandon institutions that have genuinely made America great? Why would we put at risk laboratories that are working to cure cancers or perfecting artificial limbs or exploring deep space or testing the limits of AI?"
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/08/o...

Estimating the nationwide transmission risk of measles in US schools and impacts of vaccination and supplemental infection control strategies The spread of airborne infectious diseases such as measles is a critical public health concern. The U.S. was certified measles-free in 2000, but the number of measles cases has increased in recent yea...

pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC...

Good air quality in schools is about to become even more important in Florida where they're pulling back on vaccinations

1⃣ Results highlight the primary importance of vaccination for reducing the risk of measles transmission
2⃣ Addt'l and significant benefits thru enhancing ventilation + filtration

The narrative out there is polarized as either “we need more AC” or “more AC is bad for the planet.” Both are true. We need more, but better, air conditioners, paired with other energy-efficient cooling mechanisms and strategies in, on, and around our buildings. 👇
www.bostonglobe.com/2024/06/19/o...

I don't have the energy to re-post this here...

over on twitter...

The fires in L.A. caught researchers attention very early b/c of the spike in lead, arsenic, and other metals in the smoke
www.nature.com/articles/s44...

Right as we're making so much progress on Alzheimer's, cancer, and other diseases, the Trump Admin decides to slash scientific research across the country

Funding for this research was stopped by Trump
--> "A study published last week...found that mice given a lithium-deficient diet had more amyloid, damaged neurons and impaired learning and memory. A low dose of lithium orotate reversed cognitive problems and restored memory."

Recommendation for Additional Soil Testing and Lowering the Clearance Threshold for Lead - Healthy Buildings What is Known? Air quality monitoring during the active fires showed elevated levels of lead in the air. Testing of firefighters found higher blood lead levels than their counterparts. Recent soil tes...

Recommendation for Additional Soil Testing and Lowering the Clearance Threshold for Lead
healthybuildings.hsph.harvard.edu/recommendati...

-Does not adhere to the health-based toxicity benchmark set by California

-Is subject to high uncertainty due to several exposure factor values used in the calculations

-Does not accurately reflect our current understanding of the risks that lead poses to children

Why Is This Change Needed?

Repeated testing after soil remediation has shown that over 20% of properties still have lead levels exceeding existing thresholds. Additionally, the current 80 mg/kg PRG:

2. Lower California’s residential Preliminary Remediation Goal (PRG) for lead in soil from 80 mg/kg to 55 mg/kg to reflect updated science and more health-protective standards.

What Are We Recommending?

We recommend two critical reforms:
1. Require post-clearance confirmatory soil testing after wildfire cleanup. This step has been standard practice for every major wildfire in California since 2007.

What Did We Do?

In response to community concerns and questions about determining ‘safe’ levels of lead in soil after the L.A. fires, our team evaluated existing lead soil testing strategies and cleanup thresholds.

Recent soil testing has revealed that a significant number of homes, including those outside the burn area, have lead levels that exceed existing screening thresholds.

What is Known?

Air quality monitoring during the active fires showed elevated levels of lead in the air. Testing of firefighters found higher blood lead levels than their counterparts.

[1/n]

Are current lead limits strict enough to keep children safe? | Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health For Immediate Release:

Are current lead limits in soil strict enough to keep children safe? EPA uses 400ppm. California uses 80ppm. We don't think either are correct, and recommend 55ppm.
hsph.harvard.edu/environmenta...

New study: researchers looked at hospital visits after a coal plant was closed near Pittsburgh
--> immediate 20.5% decrease in weekly respiratory emergency dept visits
--> immediate 41.2% decrease in pediatric asthma ED visits
pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40691837/

Opinion | Stop Freaking Out About Seed Oils

Seed oils as "one of the driving problems of obesity"?? Promoting sugar cereals b/c they removed dye?? Claiming a win for soda b/c it has sugar v. corn syrup which the body doesn't differentiate?? American would benefit from a real MAHA movement. This ain't it.
www.nytimes.com/2025/08/08/o...

Building urban fire resilience to enhance national security | Nature Cities
www.nature.com/articles/s44...