Tag Archives: Disease

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

WE’RE A “DAY LATE AND A DOLLAR SHORT” ON A VERY IMPORTANT SUBJECT!

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Yesterday, November 15, was The Great American Smokeout, and we FAILED  to remind you!  Sponsored by the American Cancer Society since 1977, Great American Smokeout has encouraged tobacco smokers and chewers to quit for the day, and hopefully, forever.  The Smokeout draws attention to deaths and health damage caused by smoking.  It has also contributed to bans on smoking in workplaces and restaurants, increased taxes on cigarettes, limitations on cigarette promotions in the media, attempts to discourage teen smoking, and other countless actions to reduce tobacco use.

By quitting even for one day smokers will be taking an important step towards a healthier life- one that can lead to reducing cancer risk. Tobacco use remains the single largest preventable cause of disease and premature death in the US, yet about 43.8 million Americans still smoke cigarettes; that’s almost 1 in every 5 adults. As of 2010, there were also 13.2 million cigar smokers in the US, and 2.2 million who smoke tobacco in pipes other dangerous and addictive forms of tobacco.  According to the CDC, 440,000 deaths and $193 billion in health care costs and lost production occur annually.

Here are some facts from the U.S. Surgeon General and American Cancer Society that point out the benefits of quitting:

  •         Your heart rate and blood pressure drop 20 minutes after quitting.
  •          Your circulation improves and your lung function increases within 2 weeks to 3 months after quitting.
  •          The carbon monoxide level in your blood drops to normal 12 hours after quitting.
  •          One to nine months after quitting, coughing and shortness of breath decrease; normal function in the lungs is regained, which reduces the risk of infection.
  •          One year after quitting, the risk of coronary heart disease is half that of a smoker’s.
  •          Five years after quitting, the stroke risk is reduced to that of a nonsmoker 5 to 15 years after quitting.
  •         Ten years after quitting, the lung cancer death rate is about half that of a continuing smoker’s.  The risk of cancer of the mouth, throat, esophagus, bladder, cervix, and pancreas decrease.
  •          Fifteen years after quitting, risk of coronary heart disease is that of a nonsmoker’s. 

Workplaces that make the choice to become smoke-free would see increased productivity, fewer sick days and lower insurance claims by employees.  Employers could reward their workers that stop smoking by paying a membership fee to a health club, treat non-smokers to an occasional free breakfast or lunch, or come up with other ideas. 

People have the right to choose what to do with their body; however, when facts prove that smoking damages almost every organ in the human body and is linked to at least fifteen different cancers, that should be reason enough for tobacco users to stop and think about it.  Besides that, think of how much money could be saved!    

We hope that you made that decision on the 15th to start a healthier lifestyle.  If you smoke, please don’t smoke in your home or in your car if you have other passengers to consider, especially children.  Consider the health benefits as listed above, not to mention creating a safer environment for those non-smokers who have to breathe secondhand smoke!

 

General Safety Issues, Health Issues

ANOTHER FOODBORNE DISEASE IN THE U.S.

One of the most delicious fruits that we enjoy during warm months is cantaloupe.  Now, that sweet, juicy fruit has been tainted with a deadly foodborne bacteria – listeria.  Jensen Farms in Colorado produced the fruit that so far has caused 72 illnesses, including 13 deaths, and three more deaths yet to be confirmed.  Recalled cantaloupes may be labeled “Colorado Grown,” “Distributed by Frontera Produce,” “Jensenfarms.com” or Sweet Rocky Fords.”  Some of the recalled cantaloupes are not labeled with a sticker, according to the FDA.  More than 300,000 cases of cantaloupes have been shipped out, which comes to between 1.5 million to 4.5 million pieces of fruit. 

Listeria is more deadly than other pathogens such as E.coli and salmonella; however those two outbreaks generally cause many more illnesses.  Listeria bacteria grow in moist, muddy conditions and are often carried by animals.  The listeria found in cantaloupes taken from grocery stores in Colorado and from a victim’s home were grown at Jensen Farms.   Most healthy adults can consume listeria with no ill effects; however, those who are affected most often are the elderly, pregnant women and those with compromised immune systems.  Symptoms include fever and muscle aches, and often other gastrointestinal symptoms.  

Listeria bacteria can cause illness as long as two months after a person has consumed contaminated food, according to USFDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg.  Therefore, the government is expecting to see more cases reported through the month of October.  Listeria bacteria can grow at room temperatures and even refrigerator temperatures.  It lingers long after the source of the contamination is gone.  The CDC is only reporting  lab-confirmed illnesses and deaths.  So far, confirmed cases have been reported from eighteen states.  The most illnesses were reported in Colorado, but California, Florida, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming have also reported illnesses and deaths.  Thankfully, none of the tainted fruit was shipped overseas. 

This  serves as a reminder that when we are preparing meals, we should be very careful to wash fruits and vegetables, and disinfect countertops when we finish cutting them up, especially when we have prepared meat for cooking.  We should also wash our hands thoroughly.  We have gone through several other types of food contamination – peanuts and peanut products, processed meats and unpasteurized milk and cheese.  This scare will pass and there will soon be another threat of illness from some unexpected source.  Hopefully, others that have not contacted the illness will have heard news reports and get rid of the fruit that is suspected of causing illness. 

There is no fool-proof way of protecting consumers from certain bacteria that invade food products.  We can only hope that this happens less often and that those who are ill as a result of listeria recover soon.

First Aid Safety, General Safety Issues, Health Issues

STAY AWAY FROM THESE SUMMER MONSTERS!

Just about the time we get all ready for summer outings, here comes bad news….Bugs!  The first segment of this article originally appeared on SafetyXChange.org, written by Catherine Jones, and is used with permission from the copyright holder, Bongarde Media.  Ms. Jones shared some interesting facts about a little, but well-known bothersome critter.  The second installment came from last night’s news – another worry especially for our friends up north and in the midwest.

Question: What can:

  • Jump 150 times its own length;
  • Consume 15 times its own body weight in blood every day;
  • Lie dormant – without food – for several months;
  • Reproduce within 36 to 48 hours after its first meal; and
  • Transmit two types of bubonic plague?

Answer: The tiny but mighty flea.

As temperatures rise, so does the possibility of flea infestations. These little blood-suckers not only torment your cats and dogs, they also pose a health concern to your human family members. To see if you have fleas in your home, take a walk through the house in white socks and watch for the 1/25-1/4 inch cling-ons. If you see just one flea, chances are there are more than 100 of its friends and relations nearby. To rid your home of fleas:

  • Thoroughly wash your pet’s bedding. Better still, throw it out.
  • Talk to your vet about safely treating your pet for fleas.
  • Prevent re-infestation by using a flea control program in your garage, porch and yard.
  • Thoroughly vacuum your carpets, rugs, floors and baseboards
  • Place the used vacuum bag in an airtight plastic bag and get it into the outdoor trashcan immediately.

Next, just as summer is here, we have a new disease to worry about, (at least I’ve never heard of it): babesiosis.  The black-legged deer tick sometimes carries the parasite and can cause babesiosis, rather than lyme disease, which other ticks may carry.   These tiny, poppy-seed sized ticks are affecting pets and people who live in the North Eastern and upper Midwest states.  Their bite will not leave a rash, so it is not as easy to detect as bites from other critters.  It usually must stay attached 24-36 hours to transmit the parasite.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, this can be dangerous, especially for those with weakened immune systems.  Symptoms are similar to flu.

If you plan to go outdoors in grassy areas, please take the following precautions:

  • Walk in the center of trails that are already cleared.
  • Stay away from tick habitats, if possible.
  • Wear socks, long pants, long-sleeved shirts.
  • Apply repellents to skin and clothing.
  • Read instructions on the proper way to use repellents on children.
  • Check your pets and clothing before you return indoors.

If you find one of this type of tick, remove it with tweezers, and try to keep it alive, in order to take to the doctor’s office to be checked out.  If the diagnosis shows babesiosis, effective treatments are available and most always successful.

Summer is no fun without outings.  Don’t get “ticked off”!  There are so many ways to protect yourself and your pets, you should be able to get out there and stay “bug-free”!

First Aid Safety, Protective Clothing

HUNTING SEASON IS ALMOST HERE!

As fall approaches, so does hunting season!  Sportsmen and sportswomen who enjoy hunting, camping, hiking or other activities need to be prepared for disease-causing bacteria that may be waiting for them.  According to Guy Moore, a wildlife biologist with Texas Department of State Health Services, “outdoor activities bring a greater risk of exposure to diseases transmitted by fleas, ticks, mosquitoes and other animals.”

Some of these germ carriers are:

  • Wild hogs, which can carry brucellosis, a bacterial disease.
  • Deer, which can transmit anthrax, a bacterium that can cause a severe, life-threatening disease in both animals and humans.
  • Fleas and some animals such as squirrels, cats, rats, prairie dogs, and mice can transmit plague to humans. 
  • Mice can spread hantavirus infection to people.  They shed the virus in droppings, urine and saliva, and upon drying, these excretions can spread in the air on dust particles.
  • Ticks – an infected tick can cause Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia.
  • Mosquitoes, of course, are a nuisance and can carry organisms that cause encephalitis and West Nile infection.
  • All warm-blooded animals are susceptible to rabies.  Skunks, bats, coyotes and foxes are known carriers of rabies.

If you are still determined to go out there and enjoy the outdoors, don’t let us discourage you.   Most of these illnesses are rare, with the exception of West Nile.  Just keep these reminders handy:

  • Wash hands thoroughly with soap and water, or an alcohol-based hand sanitizer after handling game.
  • Wear latex-type gloves when dressing game.
  • Wear eye protection when dressing game.
  • Use insect repellents containing DEET.
  • Wear protective clothing, and light colored clothes so you can see ticks on your clothes.
  • Stay away from overgrown brush and tall grass if possible.
  • Do not touch antlers, bones, hides or other parts of dead animals.

Now, more safety tips for hunters:

  • Be sure you take your cell phone and tell someone where you plan to hunt and when you plan to return home.
  • Don’t hunt alone.
  • Wear hi-visibility vest  and cap – hunter orange.
  • Keep your equipment in good condition.
  • Be sure of your target before you pull the trigger.
  • Watch for snakes, and keep your distance.
  • Be sure to carry a first-aid kit.
  • Never wave to another hunter; shout loudly and clearly.
  • Be sure treestands are in good condition; use a harness to climb in and out of stand.
  • Unload your rifle when you get back to camp; assume that every gun in the camp is loaded until you can see the action is open and  it is safe to handle.

Remember: Your safety is your responsibility! 

 

Texas DSHS

USDA Forest Service

General Safety Issues

SEPTEMBER IS CHILDREN’S CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

We are all familiar with the pink ribbons that promote breast cancer awareness.  The National Children’s Cancer Society asks schools and communities to recognize the month of September by wearing a gold ribbon on their lapel, to bring awareness of the battle with cancer that thousands of America’s children are fighting. 

Pediatric cancer is the leading cause of death by disease in children under the age of 15.  It causes more deaths in children than asthma, cystic fibrosis, muscular dystrophy, and AIDS combined.  According to Kristie McNealy, M.D., one in 330 children will develop cancer before they are twenty years old.  Each school day, 46 children are diagnosed with some type of cancer.   There are between 30,000 and 40,000 child cancer patients undergoing treatment in the U.S.  On average, 12,500 children will be diagnosed with cancer this year.  

Cancer is an ugly word for anyone; cancer in a child is unthinkable.  But it happens.  I know of a very brave young man,  who, at age 14 has battled this disease off  and on since he was three years old.  He has had 2 other relapses, and continues to fight, following a double cord transplant this past year.  This determined youngster has gone through more than most of us will experience in a lifetime.  It is his hope that people will realize what this disease is doing to our children by donating money, volunteering for cancer fund-raisers, or getting involved in other ways. 

We have veered away today from our usual format of safety – at home, at work, or play, but many times we do focus on health issues.  This important message needs to be spread.  Money is spent on research for breast cancer, and other types of cancer; however, research funds are scarce for pediatric cancer.  In the past two decades, one new cancer drug has been approved for pediatric treatment. 

Professional athletes visit kids in hospitals and rehabilitation facilities, and their presence can make all the difference in the world.  You can help, too, by giving of your time and/or money.  If you know of a family that is going through treatment for their child, consider giving them gift certificates to restaurants, to be able to pick up food when there’s no time to prepare meals between work and hospital visits.  You can do many thoughtful things just by giving your time.  Be thankful if this disease hasn’t affected your family; wear that gold ribbon and remind folks what it is all about.

General Safety Issues, Respiratory Safety

BLACK LUNG ON THE RISE

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Almost one-half of the power used in the United States is generated by coal; more than 130,000 miners put their lives at risk to provide it. Coal Workers Pneumoconiosis (CWP) is caused by prolonged breathing of dust in coal mines.  Another name for CWP is Black Lung Disease.

Years ago, Congress ordered Black Lung to be eradicated from the coal industry, under the Federal Coal Mine Health and Safety Act of 1969.  This act was to protect miners by posing limits on exposure to dust, as well as adding increased benefits for families of coal miners.  For several years following this legislative enactment, the proportion of coal miners with Black Lung Disease went down.  However, in the last ten years, it is again on the rise.  Approximately 10,000 miners have died with CWP in the past decade, with younger workers developing severe and advanced cases.

Black Lung is a deadly, but preventable occupational disease.  It causes chronic coughing and shortness of breath.  Coal operators are required under the law to adhere to dust standards.  They have the necessary tools to control each miner’s exposure to respirable dust and silica.  Industries and miners must both ensure that control measures are applied and dust levels are accurately measured.

According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, possible reasons that this disease is once more increasing are:

  • Inadequacies in mandated coal mine dust regulations;
  • Failure to comply with regulations;
  • Lack of disease measures to accommodate changes in mining practices brought about by depletion of richer coal reserves;
  • Effects of working longer hours in recent years;
  • Missed opportunities by miners to be screened and take action to reduce dust exposure.
  • New mining techniques and machinery that create more hazardous exposure to dust.

NIOSH also has set up mobile screening units that travel to locations where mining takes place and offer free x-rays, and other free health evaluations to miners.  When early disease is suspected, miners should request transfer to a job where there is less dust exposure.

A set of rules is being considered by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) that would require some miners to use a new technology, the continuous personal dust monitor.  These real-time monitors would allow the miners to know what they are exposed to and respond to it right away.  The cost is $10,000 per monitor, so it’s a pricey proposition.  However, mining-industry representative Bruce Watzman says the industry supports MSHA’s efforts.  “The statistics concern us.  We need to understand and address this problem.”  NIOSH states that the first priority to all men and women miners is their health and safety.

General Safety Issues

LET’S KNOCK OUT THE SUPERBUGS!

With all the talk about the H1N1 virus, there are some other bugs out there, and we’re not talking about big cockroaches!  These bugs can be anywhere: at your home, grocery store, the gym, and your place of work.  Because they have developed a resistance to antibiotics, more and more persons are becoming infected with various germs that the antibiotics once knocked out with ease.  Helen W. Boucher, M.D., a specialist in the division of infectious diseases at Tufts Medical Center in Boston, says “drug resistant bacteria have developed mainly because of our overuse and misuse of antibiotics, leading us to a crisis point.” She also said that they are seeing bugs today that resist all antibiotics.

Here are a few supergerms that you may not be aware of, and what to do:

  • Strains of flu: bird flu, swine flu, and seasonal flu.  Get flu vaccines when available, and practice good hygiene, especially washing your hands very often with soap and water.  Stay away from crowds when you don’t feel well.
  • Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).  There has been much more said about staph infections in the last few years.  Staph can be a deadly infection.  Athletes need to be careful not to share towels or equipment.  In a gym, don’t hesitate to wipe down equipment you plan to use with an antibacterial wipe.  Daycare centers and schools may harbor this bug, so teach kids to wash, wash their hands!  Any public place you visit, especially hospitals, we caution you to be extra vigilant about what you touch.  Most of us carry staph on our skin, without ever developing a problem.  Staph causes skin and soft-tissue abcesses.  Cover the places and seek medical attention to ensure this infection doesn’t get into your system.
  • Clostiridium difficile (C.diff.) This is one that most people don’t know anything about, unless they have worked in a hospital or had a family member that has experienced it.  C.diff. is a very aggressive killer of hospitalized patients.  Persons who have had a single dose of antibiotics for a sinus or urinary tract infection may come down with this bug, which is a toxic bacteria in the intestines.  Bleach is one of the best things to wipe surfaces in order to kill this bug.  Hospitals and nursing homes are facilities where this germ thrives.  Wash your hands often and don’t touch anything the patient has touched.

One way to help keep your body from becoming antibiotic resistant, is to not take them unless you absolutely have to.  Ask your doctor for the shortest course of antibiotics.  Be proactive: if you have to take an antibiotic, take a probiotic at the same time to build up the healthy bacteria in your body. Wash your hands the right way.  And if you or someone you know is hospitalized, don’t be shy about asking the caregiver to wash their hands, as if their hands are not clean before they put on gloves, the gloves will be contaminated, as well.

Now that we’ve warned you about some of the “little monsters” lurking out there, we hope you have a great day, and a “germ-free” one!

General Safety Issues, Uncategorized

SALMONELLA OUTBREAK

Since September 8, 2008, there has been an outbreak of persons becoming ill from Salmonella.  The last report we found was there had been 7 deaths and almost 500 persons sickened.  A news release January 23 reported that the sole source of the bacteria is from Peanut Corporation of America, in Blakely, Georgia.  PCA distributes peanut butter and paste in bulk to manufacturers for cakes, candies, crackers, cookies, and ice cream.  Employees of the company have been laid off while the Food and Drug Administration conducts a complete investigation.  Three managers of the company have remained to assist the investigators.  It is unknown if all employees will return once the investigation is done.

Salmonella causes diarrhea, fever, and abdominal cramps 12-72 hours after eating contaminated food.  According to the Centers for Disease Control, most people recover without treatment.  However, elderly persons, infants, and those with improper immune systems are more likely to develop severe illness.  Salmonella may spread from intestines to bloodstream, then to other body sites, and can cause death unless the person is treated promptly with antibiotics.

Dr. Stephen Sundlof is the Director of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition.  He states that it is not the consumer’s responsibility to ensure the products they purchase are safe; the food industry is the responsible party for ensuring the safety of the products.

It is reported that the ready-to-eat type products are the ones causing concern.  Even some pet foods are affected.  If you are unsure of the contents of your jar of peanut butter, call the toll-free number on the label.  You may check the USFDA website, and many others, for a complete list of products that have been recalled.  Recalled products can be found by searching by brand name, UPC Code, description, or any combination of these.