In order to help you find topics that interest you, this week’s news articles are categorized under:
- Environmental Contaminants
- Food
- General
- HIV / AIDS
- International
ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS
Officials continue followup on fire (08 Mar 2010) The Western News. (On-line)
by B. Fuqua
A fire at a plywood plant in the city of Libby in Lincoln County, Montana saw the Health Department involved in the sampling of debris, ash and ambient air for the presence of asbestos. Amosite and Chrysotile were detected in a few samples. The county enlisted Environmental Restoration to remove debris from parks and school yards. Wet cleaning was done on the roadways and state highways were vacuumed by the State Highway Department. All materials are being disposed of in an appropriate asbestos cell at the county landfill.
Read the article at: http://www.thewesternnews.com/articles/2010/03/08/news/doc4b95c25dd8ed2918440979.txt. Cited 2010 Mar 09.
Waste Management to Add Landfill Plasma Gasification Unit (2010) Environmental Leader (On-line)
A plasma gasification projet for the Management’s Columbia Ridge Landfill in Arlington, Oregon will see the transformation of municipal solid waste into clean renewable energy in the form of fuels and gas.
Read article at: http://www.environmentalleader.com/2010/03/08/waste-management-to-add-landfill-plasma-gasification-unit/. Cited 2010 Mar 09.
Packaging and drinks industry dismiss calls to ban bisphenol A, (03 Mar 2010) Food and Drink Europe.com
By R. Harrington
“Minute levels of bisphenol A detected in drink cans pose no health risk to consumers, said beverage companies and a leading industry body as they rejected calls from an environmental group to ban the chemical.
The Metal Packaging Manufacturers Association (MPMA) said the report by BUND, the German arm of Friends of the Earth, actually underlined the safety of the packaging as consumers would have to drink thousands of cans every day to exceed the established tolerable daily intake (TDI) level for BPA. Drinks giants such as Coca-Cola and Red Bull also stressed that their containers and beverages were safe…
BUND acknowledged the levels were not harmful in themselves but nevertheless called for a ban on the chemical as consumption of canned drinks would add to consumers’ cumulative exposure to BPA…..”
Read article at: http://www.foodanddrinkeurope.com/Retail/Packaging-and-drinks-industry-dismiss-calls-to-ban-bisphenol-A. Cited 2010 Mar 12.
Breathers Beware: An Arlington gas well is a cash cow for UTA but a nightmare for neighbors (10 Mar 2010). Forth Worth Weekly. (On-line)
By J. Joyce
University of Texas at Arlington and Carrozo gas wells affect outdoor air quality
A former occupational health nurse moved to Forth Worth 24 years ago after developing hypersensitivity to chemicals. But in 2008, her health began to decline. She and her physician suspected that drilling operations conducted by Houston-based Carrizo Oil and Gas were the cause of her ailments. Test results taken at the wells showed the presence of VOCs ( benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene, and xylenes), associated with the production of natural gas, at levels below the short term exposure threshold. Although the University of Texas and Carrizo believe they have done everything they could to limit environmental contamination, local residents, including the nurse, are not reassured.
Read the article at: http://www.fwweekly.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2906:breathers-beware&catid=76:metropolis&Itemid=377. Cited 2010 Mar 11.
FOOD
North Carolinians urged to check pantries after recall of flavoring ingredient (09 Mar 2010). Citizen-Times.com. (On-line)
U.S. Food and Drug Administration recalled food products flavored with hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) after tested items were found positive for Salmonella. Tennessee State environmental health officials are urging its citizen to return any food item from Basic Food Flavors Inc. in Las Vegas, Nev which contain HVP. The list of all possibly contaminated item is available at the following web address: http://www.accessdata.fda.gov/scripts/HVPCP/
Read the article at: http://www.citizen-times.com/article/20100309/NEWS/100309029. Cited 2010 Mar 10.
Recalls: Snacks containing certain pretzels (08 Mar 2010) AllSalon. (On-line)
“GNS Foods, based in Arlington, Texas, have detected salmonella in a number of food products sold in Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and West Virginia. The list of items is displayed on the article. Consumer may call 800-882-6887 to obtain further information…”
Read the article at: http://www.salon.com/food/2010/03/08/us_recalls/index.html. Cited 2010 Mar 10.
Health laws halt hot meal program (08 Mar 2010) The Boston Globe. (On-line)
By P. Schworm
Nine homeless men suffered from gastro intestinal illness after eating chili and chicken soup from the United Church of Christ in Medfield. Health authorities discovered that the meals were prepared in volunteers’ homes and handed out without a permit. Officials are enforcing the a state law where food for the needy is inspected and licensed. Some parishioners feel that it is preventing them from helping the hungry.
Read the article at: http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/03/08/medfield_church_curtails_meal_program_after_nine_homeless_men_become_ill/. Cited 2010 Mar 09.
GENERAL
Heat therapy shown effective in treating cutaneous leishmaniasis among US soldiers in Iraq. (08 Mar 2010) EurekAlert. (On-line)
By K. Frager
Successful trial of heat therapy treatment of Leishmaniasis major skin lesions for US military and civilian personel deployed in Iraq and Afganistan. This treatment heals the skin lesions as well as sodium stibogluconate, but without the side effects.
“Cutaneous leishmaniasis is endemic to Iraq and Afghanistan, and more than 1,300 American military and civilian personnel have developed the parasitic skin infection since operations have commenced in these countries. Initially, the primary treatment option was evacuation to WRAMC for sodium stibogluconate treatment under an investigational drug protocol. Aronson and colleagues therefore tested the efficacy of the ThermoMed device, a potential tool for on-site treatment….”
Read the article at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2010-03/plos-hts030210.php. Cited 2010 Mar 09.
Cell Phones and Radiation Exposure
Sturrock, C. Ways to reduce your radiation exposure from cell phone use (11 Mar 2010) Oregon Live. com. (On-line) Available: http://blog.oregonlive.com/pdxgreen/2010/03/ways_to_reduce_your_radiation.html. Cited 2010 Mar 12.
Limit Your Exposure To Cell Phone Radiation (2009) Environmental Working Group. (On-line) Available: http://www.ewg.org/cellphone-radiation. Cited 2010 Mar 12.
All Available Phones (2009) Environmental Working Group. (On-line) Available: http://www.ewg.org/cellphoneradiation/Get-a-Safer-Phone?allavailable=. Cited 2010 Mar 12.
Cougar crash renews calls for separate safety agency to oversee N.L. offshore. (10 Mar 2010) The Canadian Press
By A. Auld
“…But when one of the helicopters crashed a year ago killing 17 people, Kenny’s sense of ease quickly evaporated while attention turned to the safety of the aircraft flying workers to the platforms and the regime that oversees the lucrative industry….
In particular, observers, experts and employees said the crash of Cougar Flight 491 highlighted the need for a separate safety agency to replace an offshore regulator that has the competing tasks of promoting the industry and protecting workers.
The difficult question is a central one being asked about the Canada-Newfoundland and Labrador Offshore Petroleum Board, the arms-length regulator that has both safety and resource management as two of its four mandates….”
Read the article at: http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gK7BBp99xXHxPuoaeS2wlMTlj3BA. Cited 2010 Mar 11.
HIV / AIDS
Keeping public health policies in line with the HIV/AIDS epidemic (09 Mar 2010) Bay Windows, Guest Opinions. (On-line)
By G.K. Daffin
“The Massachusetts Legislature will soon have an extraordinary opportunity to reform the way our state tests for HIV/AIDS. Legislation currently being considered by the Joint Committee on Public Health will take a number of steps to modernize the Commonwealth’s HIV testing law, which has not been updated in over two decades….”
Read the article at: http://www.baywindows.com/index.php?ch=opinion&sc=guest_opinions&sc2=news&sc3=&id=103244. Cited 2010 Mar 10.
INTERNATIONAL
Dengue Fever On The Rise In Sultanate (10 Mar 2010) BruDirect.com. (On-line)
By R. Thien
“Bandar Seri Begawan – There’s a significant increase in dengue fever cases in the country, said the Ministry of Health’s Environmental Health Division. Since January, the division has recorded 35 cases compared to 38 cases (or the whole of last year.
For the first time, two cases of dengue haemorrhagic (ever have been reported, a more virulent form of dengue fever, where a patient bleeds through his skin, nose or eyes….”
Read the article at: http://www.brudirect.com/index.php/2010030917391/Third-Stories/dengue-fever-on-the-rise-in-sultanate.html. Cited 2010 Mar10.
Fifth Ministerial Conference on environment and health, Parma, Italy, 10-12 March 2010
Protecting children’s health in a changing environment (11 Mar 2010) World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe.
More than ever, children’s health is at risk from a changing environment.
The health impacts of environmental risk factors – inadequate water and sanitation, unsafe home and recreational environments, lack of spatial planning for physical activity, indoor and outdoor air pollution, and hazardous chemicals – are amplified by recent developments such as financial constraints, broader socioeconomic and gender inequalities and more frequent extreme climate events. They pose new challenges for health systems to reduce deaths and diseases through effective environmental health interventions….”
Read the article at : http://www.euro.who.int/parma2010. Cited 2010 Mar
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