VILLALBA

Sterilization Facilities Sued Over Puerto Rico Ethylene Oxide Emissions

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, February 14, 2024
Legal, Environment, Hispanic, Chemicals, Plastics, Environmental Health, Professional Services, Consumer, Manufacturing, Fibromyalgia, Pollutant, Atmosphere, Spina bifida, Commonwealth, Plant, Asthma, Ethylene oxide, Concerned Scientists, Health, PLLC, Union, United States district court, EPA, Sterilization, Cancer

Attorneys for Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, PLLC (“Milberg”), Napoli Shkolnik, and Kresch Legal Services PR, PLLC have filed an amended proposed class action complaint on behalf of Puerto Rico residents who claim they were injured by ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions from sterilization facilities located in the Commonwealth.

Key Points: 
  • Attorneys for Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman, PLLC (“Milberg”), Napoli Shkolnik, and Kresch Legal Services PR, PLLC have filed an amended proposed class action complaint on behalf of Puerto Rico residents who claim they were injured by ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions from sterilization facilities located in the Commonwealth.
  • Ethylene oxide is a colorless gas emitted by plants that use it to sterilize medical equipment and produce chemicals.
  • Emissions are alarmingly prevalent in Puerto Rico, where there are seven sterilizer plants, including four of the most dangerous facilities, according to a report from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
  • The report found that roughly 13% of Puerto Rico’s neighborhoods are impacted by the release of EtO from medical facilities.

Sterilization Facilities Sued Over Puerto Rico Ethylene Oxide Emissions

Retrieved on: 
Monday, February 12, 2024
SAN, Fibromyalgia, Pollutant, Atmosphere, Spina bifida, Commonwealth, Plant, Asthma, Ethylene oxide, Concerned Scientists, Health, Union, United States district court, EPA, Sterilization, Milberg, Cancer

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Feb. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys for Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman ("Milberg"), Napoli Shkolnik, and Kresch Legal Services PR have filed an amended proposed class action complaint on behalf of Puerto Rico residents who claim they were injured by ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions from sterilization facilities located in the Commonwealth.

Key Points: 
  • SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico, Feb. 12, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- Attorneys for Milberg Coleman Bryson Phillips Grossman ("Milberg"), Napoli Shkolnik, and Kresch Legal Services PR have filed an amended proposed class action complaint on behalf of Puerto Rico residents who claim they were injured by ethylene oxide (EtO) emissions from sterilization facilities located in the Commonwealth.
  • Emissions are alarmingly prevalent in Puerto Rico, where there are seven sterilizer plants, including four of the most dangerous facilities, according to a report from the Union of Concerned Scientists.
  • The report found that roughly 13% of Puerto Rico's neighborhoods are impacted by the release of EtO from medical facilities.
  • "These corporations have chosen to use ethylene oxide at their facilities when feasible alternatives were available, causing unimaginable, yet preventable, suffering across the island."

Disposable vape ban: local communities voiced their concerns – and the government has listened

Retrieved on: 
Tuesday, January 30, 2024
Community, Neugraben-Fischbek, Legislation, Research, Social media, City, Fire, Frustration, University, Government, Public, Environment, Climate change, Movement, Herbal cigarette, Doctor of Philosophy, Mercedes Villalba, MP, Organic, Parent, Abertay University

Having seen some of the vape litter picking videos I had made which went viral, she asked to come along and see the problem for herself.

Key Points: 
  • Having seen some of the vape litter picking videos I had made which went viral, she asked to come along and see the problem for herself.
  • Armed with bin bags and litter pickers, we set off around the University of Dundee campus in search of discarded disposable vapes.
  • Community engagement, including my vape hunt litter picks, and grassroots action have played a crucial role in driving this change.

Community is key

  • My PhD at Abertay University and the University of Dundee investigates the links between climate resilience, nature-based solutions, and community engagement.
  • My research has been running in parallel with the vape campaign, and I’ve had firsthand experience of the importance of local voices and community action.
  • Collaboration with local community groups to find solutions is beginning to catch on after recent research has shown that multiple benefits are possible when working together.

Waking up to e-waste

  • As a climate change activist, I couldn’t sit back and do nothing.
  • That frustration led to the launch of the #BanDisposableVapes social media awareness campaign, then 16 months later, a proposed legislative change.
  • In May 2023, I spent a Thursday evening emailing every single councillor in Scotland about the need to ban disposable vapes.

Grassroots innovation

  • Throughout this campaign, I’ve seen countless examples of successful grassroots action.
  • Parents and teachers have united to discuss solutions to youth vaping.
  • Youth groups including the Eco Youth Club in Scalloway, Shetland have voiced their concerns to their councillors.
  • Yes, we need businesses and governments to shift the system, but individuals have significant influence too.


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Laura Young does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

Leading Technology Company TMRW Life Sciences Adds Seasoned Executives in Mission to Raise the Standard of Care for Fertility Clinics and Patients Worldwide

Retrieved on: 
Wednesday, March 22, 2023
Beck, OvaScience, Cancer, GV (company), Emerge Commerce, NPX, IVF, Bayer, Acquisition, Patient, Standard of care, Laboratory, Fertility, Growth, Francisco de Comontes, Entrepreneurship, International expansion of Netflix, FDA, Nature photography, TMRW, Safety, Automation, Egg, Management, Nursing, GV, A.I, Conceptus

NEW YORK, March 22, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- TMRW Life Sciences, Inc. ("TMRW"), the fast-growing fertility technology company, has announced two new executive team members. Lindsay Beck has been appointed Chief Impact Officer and Louis Villalba has been appointed Chief Business Officer. TMRW created the world's first and only FDA-cleared, automated platform for the safe management of frozen eggs and embryos, ushering in a new standard of care in the field of fertility. Beck and Villalba are each proven executives with decades of experience across multiple healthcare sectors, focused on innovation and the adoption of radically improved new ways of operating.

Key Points: 
  • "Lindsay is both a force for good and a true change-agent, inspiring entire fields within healthcare to do better for patients.
  • "She spent more than a decade fighting for cancer patients and their fertility rights, changing the standard of care and positively impacting millions of patients' lives.
  • "I am thrilled to join the brilliant TMRW team and our pioneering fertility clinic partners to raise the bar for patients again."
  • TMRW's platform has already been adopted by leading IVF clinics across the U.S. and I look forward to further extending this new standard of care globally."