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Convenience may be outweighed by safety when it comes to pre-packaged produce.

Although experts disagree on which is better there is some good advice to help avoid contamination and food poisoning:

Bruhn is also a staunch advocate of irradiation, which she says can ensure food safety.
She encourages consumers to take steps to avoid compromising bagged lettuce. Buy only bags kept very cold in the grocery store and pay attention to sell-by dates. Once you’ve got it home, open the bag and dump it directly into a clean bowl.
“Don’t stick your own hands in there,” she said.
She also urges home cooks not to re-wash bagged greens because of the possibility of cross-contamination with other bacteria already in the kitchen.
If you want to use bulk lettuce, make sure to clean it correctly, Bruhn said. First, wash your hands and also the sink with hot soapy water.
Then, break off each lettuce leaf individually, rinse it under cold running water while rubbing gently. Dry in a salad spinner or with paper towels, not with cloth towels, which may transmit bacteria.

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The CDC has alerted the public to an outbreak of salmonella poisoning from mangoes which has sickened 103 people in the United States, mostly in California, including 22 people in Canada.

Salmonella poisoning can cause mild illness in otherwise healthy people 12 to 72 hours after infection.

Symptoms include fever, diarrhea and abdominal cramping.

In those individuals with a weakened immune system salmonella can cause severe illness requiring hospitalization.

Once a specific source is identified, CDC said public health officials will offer advice and take steps to prevent illness.
However, CDC officials did confirm that the genetic fingerprint of the salmonella strain was identical to that found in the recalled mangoes that made people sick in Canada, which were identified as Daniella brand mangoes imported from Mexico.
A U.S. importer of those mangoes, Splendid Products of Burlingame, Calif., has voluntarily recalled nationwide shipments of Daniella mangoes with PLUs #4959, 3114, 4051, 4311 or 4584. Several U.S. grocery stores have pulled the fruit from their shelves, the Food and Drug Administration said Wednesday. They were sold at retail locations across the U.S. from July 12 to Aug. 29.

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Researchers from the State University of New York at Stony Brook, last month, showed in a paper that tiny defects in the bulbs can let through UV light that can damage skin cells and lead to cancer.

The phosphorus coating inside the bulb contains the dangerous UV light rays, however, the curly shape of the bulbs creates opportunity for cracks in the coating allowing harmful rays to escape.

The researchers’ data, published in the journal Photochemistry and Photobiology, is preliminary, and based on experiments in a lab. In other words, there aren’t any known cases of sunburn from light bulbs yet. The researchers say it’s also not that hard to avoid the dangerous rays; they recommend putting the light behind glass or keeping a few feet away from the bulb.

While there is no need to panic it is simply one more thing to consider when trying to keep your family safe.

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Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease caused by the bacterium Neisseria gonorrhea.

Those infected with gonorrhea often show no symptoms, however, the disease can lead to serious complications, including infertility and chronic pelvic pain in women, and in men, a painful inflammation of the ducts attached to the testicles that may cause infertility.

Left untreated, according to the CDC. If the bacteria spread to the blood or joints, the condition can be life-threatening, the CDC says.

Over the last several decades, the bacteria that cause gonorrhea have developed resistance to many antibiotics used to treat the condition, including penicillin, tetracycline and fluoroquinolones.

That left just one class of drugs, called cephalosporins — which include the drugs cefixime and ceftriaxone — to be used as treatment.

But today, the CDC announced it no longer recommends cefixime, an oral medication, as a first-line treatment for gonorrhea, citing data over the last several years that show cefixime has become less effective at treating the infection.

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New technology enables a disposable wristband to read the amount of ultraviolet ( UV ) radiation to which you are being exposed.

In addition to sunscreen, the “UV Dosimeter” let’s you know when you’ve spent too much time in the sun; even with SPF protection.

At .15 cents per bracelet it is an affordable way to protect from yourself skin damage and skin cancer.

The wristbands contain an acid-release agent and a dye that work in concert to pick up UV light and then change color depending on the levels of radiation detected. Different bands will be tailored for people of varying skin types, who have different levels of UV tolerance. The band made for fair-skinned and fair-haired types will change color faster than bands made for darker-complected people.

In the U.S., skin cancer is the most common form of cancer, with more than 3.5 million cases diagnosed each year. Sunburn or overexposure to the sun is a major risk factor for developing skin cancer, and Intellego is betting that the worldwide market for the new wristband will be substantial.