Tag: public safety (Page 3 of 6)

Cargill Recalls 30,000 Pounds Of Ground Beef Fearing Salmonella Contamination

July 24, 2012 / Staff

According to a news release by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service, Cargill Meat Solutions Corporation is issuing an immediate recall of approximately 29,339 pounds of ground beef bases on concerns that it may be contaminated with Salmonella Enteritidis.

The agency was made aware of the potential contamination during the course of an ongoing investigation of a multi-state outbreak of Salmonella Enteritidis involving 33 patients from seven states.

The recall includes 14 pound chub packages of “Grnd Beef Fine 85/15” and bears the establishment number “EST. 9400” inside the USDA mark of inspection. The meat was produced on May 25, 2012, and shipped to centers in Connecticut, Maine and New York for further distribution. The products are no longer available for purchase and the use-by date has passed, but the agency expressed concerns that the meat may still be present in consumers’ freezers.
According to a notification on the Cargill website, consumers with questions may review their ground beef recall information or call the company’s toll-free consumer relations line at 1-888-812-1646.

Proper handling is imperative when dealing with meat and meat products.

Quality Control

Cargill ground meat recall Cargill Inc.cargill salmonella meat safety public health public safety salmonella salmonella poisoning

FDA Bans BPA From Baby Bottles And Sippy Cups

July 18, 2012 / Staff

The FDA has finally publicly recognized the dangers of BPA in plastics and the environment.

The ban is based on concerns voiced by the American Chemistry Council which encouraged the FDA to phase out use of BPA in these particular products.

This was designed in part to counter years of negative publicity from consumer groups.

The dangers of BPA in the environment and their effect on all humans have raised red flags for years.

Previous research in animals has associated BPA exposure to disruptions in reproductive and nervous-system development in babies, but the FDA has long maintained that such findings cannot be applied to humans. Other observational studies in humans have associated prenatal exposure to the chemical with behavior problems and childhood asthma. Just this week, the journal Pediatrics published a study linking BPA in dental fillings to problems like depression and anxiety in kids.
Some 96% of pregnant women have measurable levels of BPA, according to a 2011 study by University of California, San Francisco, researchers; in fact, data show that nearly every American has traces of BPA in their urine from exposure to food and beverage packaging.
For now, the federal government maintains that BPA does not harm humans, but it is spending $30 million on its own studies to assess the chemical’s health effects on humans.

Quality Control, Research, Wellness

BPA child safety children's health dangers of BPA FDA FDA ban on BPA health effects of BPA infant health infant safety public health public safety

Fans May Not Be The Way To Beat The Heat

July 13, 2012 / Staff

Electric fans may do more harm than good in heat wave.

And the reason is because we don’t know exactly how the body’s cooling system really works.

In an editorial accompanying a review of studies from around the world on the effectiveness of electric fans, researchers writing this week in the The Cochrane Library say there’s no evidence that fans are the way to go during a heat wave.
In fact, they say, that when temperatures rise above 95 degrees, or roughly body temperature, the fan might actually make you even hotter, unable to sweat and sick. There’s some disagreement as to how, but some researchers have found hot air blowing on a hot body can cause an increase in the rate of dehydration or heat exhaustion.
Kay Dickersin, director of the Center for Clinical Trials and the U.S. Cochrane Center, based at Johns Hopkins University, says how the body copes with heat is very complex.

Public health officials have a responsibility to help the public cope with heat waves, however, large randomized testing is difficult given the nature of weather.

Not having the right answers leads health officials to be conservative when suggesting that using electric fans in temperatures greater than 95 degrees fahrenheit may not be helpful and could actually be harmful.

Research, Wellness

dangers of summer heat waves electric fans heat wave public health public safety safe ways to stay cool in the summer heat summer heat

Summer Heat Can Be Deadly But Why?

July 5, 2012 / Staff

Record heat has claimed 23 lives and the weather shows no signs of letting up.

But what is it that causes people to succumb to high temperatures?

The ability to sweat is what keeps the body cool.
Once high humidity becomes part of the equation, sweating is no longer as effective.

Extreme temperatures make it difficult for a heat-stressed individual to be aware of the danger since the brain and central nervous system are particularly sensitive to high internal temperatures.

Hot weather alone is not dangerous, said Chris Minson, an environmental physiologist at the University of Oregon, Eugene. Instead, it’s a combination of hot temperatures, high humidity, and often preexisting health conditions that can push a person’s core body temperature to reach the danger zone of 104 F. At that point, the nervous system goes haywire, the heart experiences excessive stress, and organ systems begin to fail.

Research, Wellness

dangers of heat heat heat stroke heat wave public health public safety

Bloomberg’s Ban On Supersize Soft Drinks

May 31, 2012 / Staff

Mayor Bloomberg of New York City has proposed new legislation which would ban ‘super-size’ sugary drinks served in cups greater than 16 ounces.

Many applaud the efforts as one solution to the growing problem of obesity and type 2 diabetes which is crippling the health care system.

There have been studies that have found correlations between food portion sizes and rates of obesity, blood pressure and heart disease. A report by the CDC found portions increased 75 percent between 1977 and 1991 – unsurprisingly, we’ve observed huge jumps in obesity rates as well.
Studies have shown that people with more on their plates eat nearly 50 percent more than people who are served smaller portions.

Quality Control, Wellness

banning fattening foods High fructose corn syrup Mayor Bloomberg New York City ban on supersize sugary drinks obesity Portion control public health public safety soft drinks type 2 diabetes