In an average year, about 200 Americans die from heat-related illnesses, and during hot summers the toll can double. Many more suffer less severe heat-related problems. The August 2008 issue of Harvard Men’s Health Watch outlines three threats from the heat, along with simple precautions that can help people protect their health, and potentially their lives.
An ongoing red tide episode in northern New England and eastern Canada is likely associated with the current high levels of Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning toxins in lobsters harvested from the waters of the Atlantic Ocean from Northeastern Canada to South Carolina, the agency said.
While there have been no reports of major damage or injuries in Los Angeles, San Diego, or Tijuana, some buildings in downtown Los Angeles reportedly swayed for several seconds, prompting some precautionary evacuations.
The agency says that even though the pesticide is used on only a small percentage of the U.S. food supply, making the likelihood of exposure through food low, it has identified risks that do not meet the agency's rigorous food safety standards.
The 11 contaminants include naturally occurring substances, pesticides, herbicides, and chemicals used, or once used, in manufacturing.
Two companies, one in Bensenville, Ill., the other in Sonoma, Calif., are recalling the made-in-China products that were sold to educational supply distributors nationwide for at least the last five years.
July 31 meeting in Washington, D.C., comes 100 years after the U.S. hazmat transportation safety program began with enactment of the Transportation of Explosives and Other Dangerous Articles Act.
Swimming can pose hidden dangers if proper precautions aren’t taken, according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.
"Because of the way it collects other pollutants, particularly sulfate that is originated from power plants, soot can have much larger effects on visibility and cloud formation," says TAMU Professor Renyi Zhang, adding that it also can result in significant breathing problems for people because particles can be deposited on human lungs.
The Federal Trade Commission is seeking public comment on its proposal to rescind its guidance that generally permits factual statements about tar and nicotine yields when such statements are based on a single standardized test method--the Cambridge Filter Method, also frequently referred to as the FTC Test Method."
The equipment with the recalled engines were sold at outdoor power equipment dealers and tractor supply stores nationwide from January 2007 through June 2008 for between $1,150 and $1,500.
The agency has issued more than 242 citations since the summer began, primarily for failing to have written heat illness prevention plans. During heat waves, special compliance teams are dispatched to outdoor work sites to ensure workers are being properly protected.
"Our big take-home message is, wear self-contained breathing apparatus during all phases of firefighting," said co-author Suzanne Snedeker. "Put on the gear before arriving at a fire and don't take it off until the operation or inspection is completed, even during fire inspections conducted days later when chemicals can still outgas from charred remains."
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has reached a settlement with California hearing device manufacturer Advanced Bionics LLC and its president and CEO Jeffrey Greiner over alleged violations of federal law.
When Keith Cooley, left, ordered a Cease Operation Order to be executed Thursday, it was only the third time the Michigan workplace safety agency had taken this action for a repeated failure to abate hazards.
The new safety video details the 2006 Partridge-Raleigh oilfield explosion in rural Raleigh, Miss., that led to the deaths of three contractors.
Seven repeat offenses for similar fall hazard violations in 2006 and 2007 alone resulted in $100,000 in proposed penalties.
Among the new requirements up for discussion, fumigant registrants will have to adopt more stringent worker protection measures and develop training for fumigation handlers and workers to enhance their knowledge and skills and to promote product stewardship.
"Interstate movers with fraudulent or rogue operations are hereby put on notice: federal investigators will be knocking on your door in the future and you will face serious legal and financial consequences," FMCSA Administrator John H. Hill said.
The incorrectly wired equipment was sold at RadioShack stores nationwide from October 2004 through January 2008 for between $50 and $85.