Articles Tagged with ''public health''

Today is National Heatstroke Prevention Day (July 31st), a good time to focus attention on precautions that should be taken against extreme heat and humidity. Employees who are new to outdoor work at at greatest risk for heat-related illnesses. Cal/OSHA found that of 25 incidents of heat-related illness they investigated, almost half of the cases involved a worker on their first day of work.

Four major automakers have reached an agreement with California on fuel economy standards that would reduce emissions – and the American Lung Association (ALA) approves. Ford, Volkswagen, Honda, and BMW this week agreed to increase the average fuel economy of their new vehicle fleets to nearly 50 miles per gallon by model year 2026 - an increase of 3.7 miles per gallon per year.

With recent bouts of extreme heat affecting large parts of the nation – and more likely up ahead - heat stroke – when the body’s cooling system fails - has gained considerable attention as a risk for outdoor workers. Symptoms include a rapid heartbeat, hot, red skin due to the inability to sweat and internal temperatures rising to dangerous levels.

There is a broad scientific consensus that alcohol is a carcinogen, and that even moderate drinking increases one’s chances of getting cancer. But surveys show that most Americans remain unaware of that fact. Now a coalition of consumer and public health groups have launched a long shot effort to put a cancer warning on alcohol bottles and cans.

Two major health organizations are suing the EPA over the agency’s repeal of the Clean Power Plan – the first-ever federal policy aimed at reducing harmful carbon pollution from power plants – and the move to replace it with the “Affordable Clean Energy” rule. The American Lung Association and the American Public Health Association, represented by attorneys from the Clean Air Task Force, claim that the EPA has abdicated its legal duties and obligations to protect public health.

Although some outdoor workers are required to perform their labors during certain hours, if you’re off duty, the American Heart Association (AHA) advises you to avoid being out of doors in the early afternoon (from noon to 3 p.m.) because that’s when the sun is usually at its strongest, putting you at higher risk for heat-related illnesses.

Does vaping have a long-term impact on someone’s lungs? Does the air quality where a person grows up put them at higher risk for respiratory conditions later in life? These are among the issues that will be examined in a large, first-of-its-kind longitudinal study of lung health led by Northwestern Medicine scientists in partnership with the American Lung Association (ALA).

The rise of measles cases overall in the U.S. has been widely reported on and includes, this year alone, outbreaks in California, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, New York, Pennsylvania, and Washington. Although the disease was thought to be eradicated in the United States at the start of the 21st century, a resurgence has occurred in recent years, attributed in part to a resistance to vaccinations that stems from a study linking vaccinations to autism which has since been discredited.

The Affordable Clean Energy (ACE) rule finalized by the EPA this week is coming in for heavy criticism from leading health and environmental organizations, who are calling it “a dangerous replacement” for the Clean Power Plan. "EPA's decision to finalize the ACE rule means that more Americans will experience illness and early death – plain and simple. Furthermore, this rule will allow power plants across the nation to continue to be a major source of emissions that are driving climate change."