Simply listening to a caller on a cell phone while driving may distract the brain enough to contribute to an accident. The finding is the result of a new study conducted at Carnegie Mellon University and published in a recent edition of the journal Brain Research.
Continue Reading...Older people should walk cautiously on escalators and perhaps consider taking the elevator if they have trouble balancing. These recommendations and others are the result of new research into escalator safety conducted at the Indiana University School of Medicine and recently published in the journal Accident Analysis & Prevention.
Continue Reading...An increasing presence of insects and other pests is one of the earliest and most frustrating signs of Spring. While many people use pesticides to control insects in and around their homes, not all pesticides are safe -- particularly those which are only available on the street or in small neighborhood stores. Many such pesticides (for instance, Chalk or Tres Pasitos) are illegal and commercially unavailable precisely because they're too dangerous to use. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the following pest products are particularly dangerous, illegal, and unfortunately commonly available:
Continue Reading...According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), an emergency call is made to U.S. poison control centers every 13 seconds, and 40% of those calls involve injuries to children under three years of age. More than 77,000 of those calls typically involve poisonings by common household pesticides. The EPA recognizes March 16 - 22 as National Poison Prevention Week, and offers the following home safety information to help prevent poisonings in the home this year:
Continue Reading...Eggs are an important part of Spring religious holidays, both as decorations and for dining. If you're planning an Easter egg hunt or cooking eggs for your Passover Seder, take time to educate yourself about the following common health and safety issues specific to eggs, courtesy of the Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS), a division of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA):
Continue Reading...Parents can help to reduce their children's risk of problem drinking during college by keeping a more watchful eye on them during high school. The finding is the result of new research published in a recent edition of Substance Abuse Treatment, Prevention, and Policy.
Continue Reading...A head injury traumatic enough to cause unconsciousness can result in widespread, permanent destruction of brain tissue. The finding is the result of research recently published in the journal Neurology -- the official journal of the American Academy of Neurology -- and helps to explain why some people who suffer Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) often experience irreversible personality changes following their injuries.
Continue Reading...Each year, approximately one third of all senior adults in the U.S. fall, and the likelihood of their falling increases substantially with each year of age. Nearly 16,000 people 65 years of age or older died as a result of injuries from falls in 2005 alone. The number of older adults who fall without injury or who don't seek medical care is unknown. These findings were recently published by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Continue Reading...This month is Brain Injury Awareness Month -- a time designated for building public awareness and promoting education regarding brain injuries and their prevention.
Continue Reading...Teenage passengers involved in an automobile accident are more likely to die than other passengers in the same circumstances -- particularly if the driver is young and inexperienced. The finding is the result of new research published in a recent edition of Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.
Continue Reading...Most of the United States will be changing to Daylight Saving Time (DST) on March 9, 2008. This will be the first season when the time change occurs so early in the spring. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and local fire departments remind consumers that DST changes are also the best times to change smoke detector batteries and reviewing home fire safety guidelines.
The following news release from the CPSC for March 6, 2008 is reproduced in its entirety for our readers:
NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 6, 2008
Release #08-211
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7800
CPSC Daylight Saving Time Alert: Working Smoke Alarms Are Key to Surviving Home Fires
WASHINGTON, D. C. – Smoke alarms are proven life savers. There are more than 300,000 residential fires every year, so when there is a fire, smoke alarms buy families valuable escape time.
Unfortunately, about two-thirds of fire deaths take place in homes with no smoke alarms or with non-working smoke alarms. The most common reasons why alarms did not work were missing, disconnected, or dead batteries. Consumers need to make sure that they have a working smoke alarm.
For better warning of fire, consumers should install smoke alarms on every level of the home, outside sleeping areas, and inside bedrooms. Replace batteries annually, and test the smoke alarms monthly. A good time to remember to replace batteries is when turning clocks ahead for daylight saving time on Sunday, March 9.
When shopping for smoke alarms, consumers should be aware of the two different types of smoke alarms: ionization and photoelectric. While both types are effective smoke sensors, ionization type detectors respond quickly to flaming fires, while photoelectric type detectors respond sooner to smoldering fires. Since consumers can’t predict what types of fires might break out, CPSC staff recommends (pdf) installing both ionization and photoelectric type smoke alarms (pdf) throughout the home for the best warning of a fire. This recommendation is also supported by the United States Fire Administration, the National Fire Protection Association, Underwriters Laboratories, and by research conducted by the National Institute for Standards and Technology. There are also dual sensor smoke alarms that have both ionization and photoelectric sensors in one unit.
Consumers should also consider interconnected smoke alarms. Interconnected alarms are connected to each other by a hard wire or by wireless technology. If one alarm is triggered, all interconnected alarms in the home sound, alerting consumers to the fire earlier.
Many residential fires are preventable. CPSC recommends consumers follow these safety steps:
Injuries inflicted by playground bullies are often much more significant than black eyes and scraped knees. New research conducted at King's College London and published in a recent edition of the medical journal Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine demonstrates that bullying often leads to the development of depression and anxiety.
Continue Reading...A difficult-to-diagnose and once rare ankle injury is becoming more common with the increased popularity of snowboarding, according to a recent report by Reuters Health.
Continue Reading...The General Assembly for the State of Virginia recently amended and reenacted its driving laws relating to underage drinking and driving. According to House Bill No. 719, the penalties for underage drinking and driving "provides that "zero tolerance" (0.02% BAC) underage drinking and driving is punishable as a Class 1 misdemeanor. Currently, the punishment is loss of license and a fine of no more than $500. This bill provides for a forfeiture of such person's license to operate a motor vehicle for a period of one year from the date of conviction and a mandatory minimum fine of $250.00. Punishment set forth in the bill mimics punishment for DUI."
Full details: Section 18.2.266.1 of the code of Virginia
All states have some version of "zero tolerance" laws for underage drinking and driving. Virginia just took a step to strengthen its laws relating to this on-going problem.
Teenagers may consider drinking as a necessary rite of passage activity to fit in with the crowd. In reality, teens who drink are endangering themselves and others. Teens who drink and drive are breaking the law.
Familydoctor.org highlights the dangers of teen drinking in Drinking: It Can Spin Your World Around: Facts for Teens. The article also includes links to a number of other safety organizations focusing on teens and alcohol.
March is Spring Break season for many college-age Americans, and one of the first opportunities of the year to set aside the books and vacation with friends. Too often, those vacations turn dangerous or deadly, due partly to risky behaviors frequently associated with Spring Break festivities. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has identified some common Spring Break risks, and recommends the following to keep you and those around you safe and healthy this spring:
Continue Reading...Spring weather and gardening season are just around the corner. While gardening can improve your sense of well-being and promote physical health, staying safe while working outdoors is still important. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 67,000 U.S. consumers visited emergency rooms due to injuries from push mowers, and 14,600 were injured by garden tractors in 2004 alone. The agency offers the following tips to help make your gardening season safe and enjoyable:
Continue Reading...People whose work requires heavy lifting, frequent exposure to vibration, and routine repetition of the same movements are significantly more likely than others to develop shoulder problems 20 years later in life. The finding is the result of recent research published in the medical journal Annals of Rheumatic Disease.
Continue Reading...Public Citizen announced passage of the "Cameron Gulbranson Kids and Safety Act of 2007." The announcement by Public Citizen appears below in its entirety.
"Yesterday afternoon President Bush approved the first auto-safety law since 2005, when he penned his signature to a bill specifically designed to protect children from non-traffic related automobile accidents.
The "Cameron Gulbransen Kids and Transportation Safety Act of 2007" is now law. The Senate earlier this month passed the bill H.R. 1216 by unanimous consent, while the House passed the bill by voice vote in late December. This is a much-needed step to promote automobile child safety.
The Act will help prevent accidental injuries to children occurring in non-traffic accidents. Safety group Kids and Cars, strong advocates of the Act, reports that in 2007 an average of four children were killed every week in non-traffic related incidents, such as accidental rollovers, power window strangulations, or accidents occurring when an unattended child inadvertently knocks a car into gear.
The Act will also focus attention on a segment of fatalities and injuries that has been traditionally overlooked by the National Highway Safety Administration (NHTSA). Two-year old Cameron Gulbransen, for whom the Act is named, was killed when his father accidentally backed over him in the family’s driveway.
Safety measures
The Act requires the Department of Transportation (DOT) to research auto safety issues to which children are especially vulnerable. Under the Act the DOT is specifically directed on these safety issues:
* Auto-reverse for power windows:Initiate rulemaking to consider issuing or amending Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to require that power window mechanisms be equipped with an automatic reverse feature activated if the window's path is obstructed
* Blind spots:Initiate rulemaking to consider issuing or amending Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards to reduce a vehicle's "blind spot," by establishing requirements for different types of motor vehicles that could be met through the integration of additional mirrors, back-up cameras, sensors or other technologies
* Brake transmission shift interlock:Require that all vehicles all vehicles manufactured after September 1, 2010 and equipped with an automatic transmission system using a 'park' position also be equipped with a system that prevents the vehicle from being shifted out of 'park' unless the brake pedal is depressed
Closing information gaps
In addition, the Act requires that NHTSA for the first time establish a database that stores information about injuries and fatalities that occur in non-traffic and non-crash related situations. Specifically, the Act directs NHTSA to gather information about:
* The make and model and year of the vehicle involved
* The number and type of injuries or fatalities
* Potential causes of the injuries or fatalities
All information gathered and contained in the database would be made public and searchable over the web. Under the Act this information would also be used as one element of a comprehensive consumer awareness program that would make information on ways to reduce non-traffic related automobile risks available to parents and caregivers."
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