About | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline Law Journal Library | HeinOnline
LOG IN
LOG IN

40 UALR L. Rev. 573 (2017-2018)
Taking a Page from the FDA's Prescription Medicine Information Rules: Reimagining Environmental Information for Climate Change

handle is hein.journals/ualr40 and id is 607 raw text is: TAKING A PAGE FROM THE FDA'S PRESCRIPTION MEDICINE INFORMATION RULES: REIMAGINING ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION FOR CLIMATE CHANGE Rebecca Bratspies and Sarah Lamdan I. INTRODUCTION In August 2017, Hurricanes Harvey and Irma hit the southern United States in rapid succession. These massive hurricanes wrought widespread devastation-destroying buildings, flooding neighborhoods, and taking lives.' Harvey shattered the national rainfall record for a single storm, dropping more than fifty inches of rain in thirty-six hours.2 The rest of the country watched in shock as stranded Houstonians waded through chest- deep floodwaters. Those residents were not merely wading through water; they were wading through a toxic stew. Those same floodwaters that filled the streets inundated scores of industrial facilities and at least thirteen of Houston's forty-one Superfund sites.3 Floodwater carried contaminants and fugitive chemicals from those deluged Superfund sites into densely populated areas of the city. Indeed, hurricane floodwaters notoriously carry all manner of contaminants, from pesticides and landfill waste to the contents of inundated chemical waste storage containers.4 The problem is particularly severe in industry-heavy cities such as Houston, where floodwater travels from industrial stockyards and production plants through ' Sarah Lamdan and Rebecca Bratspies are both Professors at CUNY School of Law. They collaborate through the Center for Urban Environmental Reform. 1. Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Maria were especially intense and long-lasting due to climate change. Warm seas brought extraordinary amounts of rain that stalled over major municipalities in the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean. Emily Schuckburgh et al., Hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria: How Natural Were These 'Natural Disasters'?, 72 WEATHER 353, 353 (2017) (So in conclusion, it is clear that human activities have raised the risks of various aspects of hurricane damage.). 2. Brian Resnick, Harvey Broke a National Rainfall Record for a Single Tropical Storm, Vox (Aug. 29, 2017, 5:33 PM), https://www.vox.com/science-and-health/2017/8 /29/16221542/hurricane-harvey-rainfall-record-houston. 3. Status of Superfund Sites in Areas Affected by Harvey, U.S. ENVTL. PROTECTION AGENCY (Sept. 2, 2017), https://www.epa.gov/newsreleases/status-superfund-sites-areas- affected-harvey (describing sites designated for cleanup under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA), a federal law that tasks polluters with paying to clean up the sites they pollute). 4. Alexandra Sifferlin, Here's How Dirty Flood Water Really Is, TIME (Aug. 29, 2017, 10:14 AM), http://time.com/4919355/can-flood-water-make-you-sick/ (describing the network of waterways that exacerbate Houston's floods). 573

What Is HeinOnline?

HeinOnline is a subscription-based resource containing thousands of academic and legal journals from inception; complete coverage of government documents such as U.S. Statutes at Large, U.S. Code, Federal Register, Code of Federal Regulations, U.S. Reports, and much more. Documents are image-based, fully searchable PDFs with the authority of print combined with the accessibility of a user-friendly and powerful database. For more information, request a quote or trial for your organization below.



Short-term subscription options include 24 hours, 48 hours, or 1 week to HeinOnline.

Purchase Access

Contact us for annual subscription options:

Contact Us

Already a HeinOnline Subscriber?

Log In

profiles profiles most