There are few places in the U. S. that are unreachable by road, but other factors – many rural hospitals can’t afford ultralow-temperature freezers or might not have reliable electricity, for example – present challenges. However, with government will and resources, these could be overcome. That is not true for much of the rest of the world. One of us, Tim Ford, is a global health researcher who has done a lot of international work on water and health where the cold supply chain cannot go, most recently in rural Haiti. The other, Charles Schweik, studies how the spread of innovations – both digital and physical – can solve pressing societal problems and social inequities.
Manufacturers and retailers in Massachusetts will be banned from selling or importing covered products like bedding, furniture, childrenâs products, window treatments and carpeting that contain 11 flame-retardant chemicals under legislation signed Friday by Gov. Charlie Baker.
The new law, which does not apply to inventory manufactured prior to Dec. 31, 2021, was celebrated by supporters who have pushed for its passage for years by arguing the chemicals can cause cancer and also are ineffective at slowing down fires.
In a tweet, Sen. Cynthia Creem said she filed flame retardants legislation eight years ago and called its passage a âgreat start to 2021â and an important way to protect children and first responders from âharmful chemicals.â When products containing the chemicals burn, Creem has said, they create âtoxic smoke.â
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported two days’ worth of data on Saturday, confirming 8,542 new coronavirus cases and an additional 79.