Articles Tagged with ''public health''

A collaborative study between the American Cancer Society and the National Cancer Institute finds rates of lung cancer, historically higher among men than women, have flipped among whites and Hispanics born since the mid-1960s. The authors of the study, which appears in the New England Journal of Medicine, say future research is needed to identify reasons for the trend, as the change is not fully explained by smoking patterns.

Love to go to sporting events and cheer on your favorite teams? While you’re sitting in the bleachers or stands, in a stadium or arena watching that football/hockey/baseball/soccer team win or lose, the CDC wants you to use ear protection – and avoid air horns.

For the second time in less than two months, Johnson & Johnson has suffered a big courtroom loss in a case that blamed a rare asbestos-related cancer on long-term use of contaminated baby powder. A state court jury in Southern California today ordered the drug and consumer products giant to pay $4 million in punitive damages to mesothelioma victim Joanne Anderson and her husband, Gary Anderson.

Health advocates are condemning a legislative move made last week by the U.S. House Appropriations Committee that they say will significantly undermine public health by weakening the FDA’s ability to regulate tobacco products. A rider attached to the agriculture funding bill will exempt some types of cigars from FDA oversight and lessen the agency's authority to review the health hazards of thousands of tobacco products.

Air pollution is a serious – and seemingly overwhelming -- public health problem, yet changes that individuals can make could help them both avoid some of the effects of harmful pollutants and reduce the level of toxins in the environment. That’s according to the American Lung Association (ALA) and Dr. Eric Presser, a thoracic surgeon and author of An Empowering Guide to Lung Cancer: Six Steps to Taking Charge of Your Care and Your Life.

Feces (poop) from people or animals is an important source of germs like Salmonella, E. coli O157, and norovirus that cause diarrhea, and it can spread some respiratory infections like adenovirus and hand-foot-mouth disease.

The first line of defense is yourself. At your workplace, you're careful not to touch, or at least wash your hands every time you touch, one of dirty spots in your workplace. But what about the things you don't have any control of?

In the food service business, gloves are good at spreading pathogens. Take Chipotle, for example. It turns out that the company requires all employees wear gloves while working. And that means that the employee (or employees) who contributed to the norovirus outbreak must have been wearing gloves while they were preparing food.

Washing hands with soap and water is the best way to reduce the number of microbes on them in most situations. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer that contains at least 60% alcohol.