Two years after Congress passed the Food Safety Modernization Act, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has finally proposed rules that will give the law life and allow the agency to enforce standards to thwart foodborne illnesses. The new safeguards will allow the FDA to do more than just react after people get sick; it will require producers to develop plans to actively preventcontaminated food from getting to grocery store shelves.

When A Christmas Carol was written in 1843, England's early industrial revolution was unencumbered by employment law, workplace safety standards, or any semblance of public health standards.

A train derailment in southern New Jersey last Friday released thousands of pounds of a cancer-causing chemical into the air, sent over a dozen people to hospitals, and forced local residents to hide in their homes with their doors and windows shut. A week after the incident, 200 homes have been evacuated and area schools remain closed. The derailment highlights the risks that hazardous chemicals can pose to communities and the urgent need to shift to safer chemicals.