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Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Human Tissue Donation

Calculating The Value Of Human Tissue Donation

Chris Truitt holds a photo of his daughter, Alyssa, who died when she was 2, at his home in De Forest Wis. After donating her organs and tissues, he decided on a career change that made him rethink tissue donation.

July 17, 2012 Many organ donors are unaware they've also agreed to donate their veins, bones, skin and other tissue, which can be used not only to save a life, but also to help a cosmetic surgery patient. It's a $1 billion a year industry many know little about.

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The Two-Way

Republican Lawmakers Seek To Block Funding On Black Lung Regulation

July 17, 2012 Language inserted into a broad appropriations bill would block funding for a Labor Department effort to reduce the occurrence of black lung.

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Friday, July 13, 2012

The Two-Way

Federal Mine Agency Considering Tougher Response On Black Lung

Coal miner Lee Hipshire in 1976, shortly after emerging from a mine in Logan County, W.Va., at the end of his shift. A few years later, Lee took early retirement because of pneumoconiosis, or black lung disease. He died at 57.

July 13, 2012 The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) and the Labor Department are putting together a team of agency experts and lawyers to consider statutory and regulatory weaknesses detailed by NPR and the Center for Public Integrity this week.

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Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Black Lung Returns To Coal Country

Black-Lung Rule Loopholes Leave Miners Vulnerable

Coal miners rally for black lung law reform on the steps of the U.S. Capitol in 1975. (See more from Earl Dotter's "Quiet Sickness" series here.)

July 10, 2012 An investigation by NPR and the Center for Public Integrity has revealed widespread and persistent gaming of the system that's designed to measure and control the coal mine dust that causes the deadly disease.

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Monday, July 09, 2012

Black Lung Returns To Coal Country

As Mine Protections Fail, Black Lung Cases Surge

Mark McCowan, 47, was diagnosed with the worst stage of black lung only five years after an X-ray showed he had no sign of the disease.

July 9, 2012 An investigation by NPR and the Center for Public Integrity found federal regulators and the mining industry are failing to protect miners from the excessive toxic coal mine dust that causes black lung. The disease is now being diagnosed in younger miners and evolving more quickly to complicated stages.

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Black Lung Returns To Coal Country

What Is Black Lung?

A lung from a coal miner with advanced coal workers' pneumoconiosis, or black lung.

July 9, 2012 A definition, cost and explanation of the resurgence of the deadly coal miners' disease.

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Black Lung Returns To Coal Country

Black Lung: Why Respirators Are Not A Solution

July 9, 2012 Breathing devices may seem useful for protecting coal miners from the toxic dust that causes black lung. But federal law does not permit using respirators as a way of complying with dust exposure limits.

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Black Lung Returns To Coal Country

Surface Coal Miners At Risk For Black Lung

July 9, 2012 The deadly disease is no longer just a concern for underground miners. A new study documents severe cases among surface miners, too

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Friday, June 01, 2012

The Two-Way

Mine Safety Questions Linger, One Year After Takeover Of Massey Energy

June 1, 2012 Citations issued by the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) say managers at one mine failed to evacuate a section that was enveloped in thick smoke generated by a malfunctioning conveyor belt. The company disputes that finding.

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Wednesday, April 25, 2012

The Two-Way

Survey Shows Uncertainty In Reporting Suspicious Activity

April 25, 2012 Some respondents said they didn't trust the government, others feared ensnaring an innocent person.

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Thursday, April 19, 2012

Planet Money

Should We Kill The Dollar Bill?

An advertisement for AmericansForGeorge.org is displayed in the Washington, D.C. metro.

April 19, 2012 Last month, a Washington, D.C. subway station was plastered with posters of giant dollar bills. One of them said: "Tell Congress to stop wasting time trying to eliminate the dollar bill." The $70,000 ad blitz was part of a small lobbying war over the fate of the dollar bill.

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Tuesday, April 17, 2012

The Two-Way

Prosecutors Knew Of FBI's Forensics Flaws For Years, The Washington Post Reports

April 17, 2012 The Justice Department has long known that flawed forensic work by FBI experts may have helped convict innocent people, but prosecutors rarely told defendants' attorneys, according to The Washington Post. Problems were seen in analyses of fingerprints, hair and fibers, bullets, polygraphs and other areas.

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Friday, April 06, 2012

The Two-Way

Grandmother In High-Profile Shaken Baby Case Has Sentence Commuted

Shirley Ree Smith, whose prison sentence was commuted by California Gov. Jerry Brown, began creating greeting cards for her grandchildren while she was incarcerated. While she was out of custody after a series of legal appeals, until today, she still faced the possibility of returning to prison.

April 6, 2012 The California governor commuted the sentence of Shirley Ree Smith, who already served nearly a decade in prison, citing "significant doubts" that she killed her 7-week-old grandson.

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Thursday, March 29, 2012

Post Mortem: Death Investigation In America

New Evidence In High-Profile Shaken Baby Case

Shirley Ree Smith sits in the living room of her daughter's upstairs duplex in Alexandria, Minn. Smith is waiting to hear if California Gov. Jerry Brown will grant her clemency. "They say things happen for a reason. I'm not sure if I'll ever figure out a reason for all of this," she says.

March 29, 2012 Shirley Ree Smith, who was convicted of killing her 7-week-old grandson, faces a return to prison. But an investigation by NPR, ProPublica and PBS Frontline has found documents that raise new questions about the autopsy that sent her there.

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