Category: Quality Control (Page 19 of 74)

Dangers Of Second Hand Smoke Are Real

April 27, 2012 / Staff

For those who doubt the dangers of second hand smoke consider the statistics.

The biggest benefit from limiting secondhand smoke is from the reduction in cardiac disease.

It has been demonstrated several times that towns initiating laws limiting public and workplace smoking see a decrease in heart attack rates within one year of enacting the laws.

Numerous studies of secondhand smoke have been completed over the past 40 years. A meta-analysis of 52 studies prepared for the 2006 Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health showed that nonsmokers who had long-term (more than 20 years) exposure to secondhand smoke were 1.21 times more likely to develop lung cancer compared with nonsmokers who were never exposed to secondhand smoke.
A second meta-analysis of 25 studies showed that nonsmokers who are exposed to secondhand smoke were 20% more likely to develop lung cancer compared with nonsmokers working in a smoke-free environment.

There is no way to “smoke in moderation”.

And there is no amount of “safe” second hand smoke.

Quality Control, Research, Wellness

cancer cardiac disease heart disease lung cancer smoke addiction smoking

Teenagers Using Hand Sanitizer To Get High

April 25, 2012 / Staff

The latest foray into “stinkin’ thinkin’ ” by America’s teenagers has led to drinking hand sanitizer to get high.

The problem is that drinking hand sanitizer will make you ill and land you in the E.R.

A spike in the number of teenagers who became ill after drinking hand sanitizer in Los Angeles County — 16 cases in March and April, according to the California Poison Control System. Now there’s a flurry of reports from other parts of the country, too.
Hand sanitizer kills germs because it’s made with ethyl alcohol. That’s the same stuff that gives a glass of wine its pleasant buzz. I’ve never imbibed hand sanitizer, but my guess is that it lacks the complex bouquet of a good cabernet. Indeed, I’d guess that it tastes nasty.

Quality Control, Wellness

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Canned Or Fresh, Which Is Best?

April 23, 2012 / Staff

Can you get healthy food from a can?

When you calculate cost, waste, availability and nutrition there is a scale on which to measure the value of canned versus fresh foods.

The conclusion: when price, waste and preparation time were factored in, canned foods won out as the most convenient and affordable source of nutrients. For instance, canned pinto beans cost $1 less per serving as a source of protein and fiber than dried beans. That’s because it takes about six minutes to prepare a can of pinto beans, compared to 2½ hours for dried beans, after soaking and cooking. (The researchers calculated meal prep and cooking time at $7.25 an hour, the minimum wage in New Jersey where the research was conducted.)
“While all forms of the foods — canned, frozen, fresh and dried — were nutritious, when you added the cost of the inedible portions and the cost of the time to prepare to the price, in most cases the canned versions delivered nutrients at a lower total cost.”

Nutrition, Quality Control, Resources, Wellness

canned food convenient food diet fresh food Healthy food nutrition in food

Is It Necessary To Wash Pre-Washed Greens?

April 20, 2012 / Staff

The debate roils; wash or don’t wash pre-washed lettuce?

You know the stuff; pre-washed, pre-cut, bagged up and ready to use.

Is it necessary to wash it yet again for safe eating?

Indeed, many (though not all) food safety specialists advise against washing bagged lettuce or spinach. Why? First, because there’s a good chance that if bacteria managed to survive commercial-scale washing with chlorinated water in the processing plant, a lot of them will survive your home washing, too.
Disease-causing E. coli O157:H7 can get trapped just below the surface of a lettuce leaf, and they’re tough to dislodge or kill. Second, there’s a real risk that you’ll end up adding bacteria to greens that were perfectly clean to start with: Your sink or cutting board may be dirtier than the lettuce.

It looks like the only way to truly insure that you are eating the safest lettuce possible would be to cook it!

Nutrition, Quality Control, Wellness

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