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As part of President Obama’s Climate Action Plan, the EPA last week released plans for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and preparing for climate change impacts such as flooding, sea level rise, severe weather and temperature extremes.

Eating Mediterranean-style diets, regularly engaging in physical activity and keeping your blood pressure under control can lower your risk of a first-time stroke, according to updated AHA/ASA guideline published in the American Heart Association’s journal Stroke.

The numbers are sobering: While the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that 3.2 million Americans are currently infected with the Hepatitis C virus (HCV), the World Health Organization (WHO) further estimates that a staggering 130–150 million people globally have a chronic HCV infection and that 350 000 to 500 000 people die each year from HCV-related liver diseases.

Artificial turf fields are now everywhere in the United States, from high schools to multi-million-dollar athletic complexes, states a recent report by NBC News. The tiny black rubber crumbs of which the fields are made -- chunks of old tires -- get in players’ uniforms, their hair, and in their cleats.

The Ecology Center's healthystuff.org tested 106 Halloween-related products, including costumes, accessories, decorations and party favors and released a report documenting the toxic chemicals found in them. "We really want to give folks that information so they can make an educated decision on whether or not they want to bring these products into their home," said Rebecca Meuninck, one of the authors of the Halloween products study.

While severe weather poses risks at the time it’s occurring, the aftermath of a storm can be risky as well, according to an article on nonfatal injuries during the week after Hurricane Sandy in this week’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Morbidity and Mortality Report.

The American Industrial Hygiene Association® (AIHA) has described the potential exposures and health risks associated with the use of electronic cigarettes in a new report. The report reviewed current scientific information and evaluated the effects of chemicals used in e-cigarettes and emitted from them.

Before I talk a bit about our energy and environmental future, let’s take a look at a lesson from the past. Most of you won’t remember this as I do, but in the 60’s, industries and business were growing. Suburbs were sprawling up and the automobile was a symbol of the American dream - “a chicken in every pot and a car in every driveway.” The auto industry set the pace of the American economy.