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Historical examples of emergency repsonse were given, showing how times have changed. In the theater fire years ago that was described, people sat around waiting for "fire-proof" mechanisms to kick in. This mindset has changed over the years and we have learned our lessons.

The authors are Stephen Collier, PhD and Andrew Lakoff, PhD. Both hold associate professor positions-- the former at New University in NYC and the latter at USC Dornsife. Lakoff's research and publications seem to focus primarily on public health, global medicine, and medical anthropology. Collier, conversely, seems to primarily work on projects pertaining to government structure and its effects on human life. These include publications on economics, environment, historical, and biopolitics. 

1) Janey Ensminger Act: the act, finally passed in August of 2012, provides health care to veterans and family members who were exposed to contaminated water while in residence at Camp Lejeune. The bill specifically lists illnesses linked to the chemicals found in the water supply, thus does not extend unlimited coverage to all former residents. Moreover, those who receive care under the bill must have resided at Camp Lejeune for 30 days or more.

2)The Few, The Proud, The Forgotten: a website created in order to inform Marine/Navy personnel, dependents, and civilian residents of Camp Lejeune exposure. The website also seeks to help these individuals understand their rights under the legislation and as victims. It also provides an illness registration and photo gallery, demonstrating itself to be a page dedicated to informing all aspects of these incidents.

3) TCE: as a former organic chemistry TA and student, the chemical nature of TCE and other VOC's intrigues me. As a student of physiology, it's important to understand how certain chemical properties can effect the body; particularly in regard to pathologies that could arise from exposure. As a halocarbon, the compound demonstrates relative stability and has many industrial uses; however, this stability causes difficulty in disposing, as they do not readily degrade in typical environments, leading to accumulation. Moreover, TCE has specifically been shown to work as a central nervous system depressor. Its interaction with electrical regulation of nervous cells (and thus, action potential propagation) causes a general anesthesia effect-- leading to depressed functioning of the CNS and, in high enough doses, suppression of cardiac and respiratory function. It should also be noted that the cardiovascular system primarily operates under electrical control as well, resulting in a possible link between TCE exposure and arrhythmia