According to a recently-completed, decades-long study published in the journal Health Physics, exposure to low-levels of radon commonly found in homes in the United States does not appear to contribute to the development of lung cancer and may actually reduce a person's risk of developing lung cancer.
Continue Reading...Spring and Summer are great seasons for cookouts and get-togethers of all kinds with friends and family. Unfortunately, they're also seasons when rodent populations reproduce continuously. Mice and other rodents are particularly effective carriers of a number of dangerous diseases, including hantavirus. This year, take some precautionary steps to protect yourself and your friends and family, and to ensure that unwanted, furry guests don't spoil your party. The following rodent prevention tips are provided courtesy of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC):
Continue Reading...Outdoor play equipment and playgrounds provide kids with great opportunities for fun and exercise, but they also pose a few safety hazards. Improper playground surfaces, faulty recreational equipment and dangerous behavior can all put playful children on a fast track to the emergency room.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) recently released an update to its Handbook for Public Playground Safety. Additionally, the agency has offered the following safety tips to avoid playground hazards and injuries, and to help make National Playground Safety Week the official kick-off of a safe and fun summer season:
Continue Reading...Contractors working on homes built prior to 1978 will soon be forced to take extra safety precautions to protect children from the dangers of lead paint, thanks to a new rule set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) which will take effect in April 2010.
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...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...A recent study by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) demonstrates that high levels of formaldehyde have been found in some travel trailers provided to disaster victims by the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). There is some reason to believe that long-term exposure to formaldehyde could lead to serious health problems such as cancer. Unfortunately, travel trailers are not the only places where formaldehyde exposure could be a danger. To contribute to public understanding regarding the industrial uses of formaldehyde and its risks, the National Cancer Institute has issued the following fact sheet with questions and answers related to formaldehyde exposure:
Continue Reading...Snow-covered, icy, or cluttered stairways are a nuisance, but more importantly, they're dangerous. According to the Home Safety Council (HSC), falls account for approximately one-third of all home injury deaths annually, and falls involving stairs or steps are the second leading cause of fall-related death. Stairs are particularly dangerous this time of year, when the heights and depths of steps are often obscured by snow, and staircases may be wet or covered in ice. You can help to safeguard your health and the health of those around you by familiarizing yourself with the following stairways safety tips, courtesy of HSC:
Continue Reading...While the topics of water safety and drowning prevention typically receive some public attention during summer months, there are many people who prefer to use hot tubs, whirlpools and spas throughout the winter, when the weather is at its coldest. Although winter can be one of the most enjoyable seasons for hot tub use, it is equally dangerous. To help prevent personal injuries related to hot tubs, whirlpools and spas, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) offers the following historical data and recommendations for children and adults alike:
Continue Reading...Walking is a great way to exercise and experience the beauty of the winter season first-hand. On particularly snowy days, it may even be the only reliable mode of transportation! Walking over snow and ice can easily lead to injuries, however. Before you bundle up and trudge your way to work or school, take time to review these winter walking safety tips, courtesy of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):
Continue Reading...Radon poisoning kills 100 times as many people each year as carbon monoxide poisoning, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Furthermore, the agency warns that:
Alpine snowboarding and skiing are popular winter activities across the U.S., but a recent study published in the peer-reviewed journal Injury Prevention suggests that the incidence of Traumatic Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Injury associated with these sports has steadily increased in every country that reports injury data.
Continue Reading...Changes to popular skiing areas over the past decade, from open slopes to more wooded areas, mean that more snowboarders and skiers are moving slowly enough to benefit from the added protection a helmet can provide. The finding is one result of research recently published in the peer-reviewed, quarterly medical journal, Wilderness and Environmental Medicine.
Continue Reading...Historically, approximately five children are killed each year as a result of tip-over accidents involving televisions or large furniture and appliances in the home, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). In most recent years, the incidence of these events has been significanlty higher than normal -- since 2000, 100 such fatalities have been reported. If you or someone in your family acquired a new television or large household item this holiday season, or if you simply have large furniture items that you've never stabilized or secured, please take time to familiarize yourself with the following safety tips regarding potentially dangerous household items:
Continue Reading...According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), approximately 2.5 million children are killed or injured as a result of basic home safety hazards. Most of those deaths and injuries are entirely preventable, and in fact, many of them can be prevented relatively easily, by purchasing and properly utilizing the following 12 commercially-available home safety and child-proofing devices:
Continue Reading...Winter weather often brings snow, sleet and ice, and consequently, power outages. Although portable generators can offer life-saving benefits during power outages, they can also be dangerous. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), the best way to avoid accidents and injuries related to portable generators is to become familiar with their proper operating procedures. The agency recommends the following tips for staying safe around portable electric generators:
Continue Reading...If you're hosting a holiday party this season, keep in mind that a responsible host protects his or her friends and loved ones by planning in advance to prevent drunk driving. To help with that advance planning, Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) offers the following holiday party safety tips to help ensure that your seasonal get-together is both successful and safe:
Continue Reading...Winter weather brings a higher incidence of home fires every year, many attributable to heating equipment. Many winter fires are also caused by holiday cooking, decorating and entertaining, however. This holiday season, protect your home and family by familiarizing yourself with the following winter home fire facts and safety tips, courtesy of the National Fire Protection Association:
Continue Reading...An estimated 15,600 home fires were ingnited by candles in 2005, according to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA). Worse, those candle fires claimed the lives of 150 people, and injured another 1,270. If you plan to decorate with candles this holiday season, do yourself a favor and take time to familiarize yourself with the following candle fire data and safety tips, courtesy of the NFPA:
Continue Reading...Decorating for the holidays is one of the most common, most effective ways to express the festive mood of the season. Many holiday decorations pose safety threats when not used properly, however. This holiday season, take steps to ensure that your decorating traditions don't put you or your loved ones at risk. The U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC) offers the following holiday decorating safety tips:
Continue Reading...If you're planning a holiday party or celebration this season, you may also be planning to hire a babysitter. In the absence of parental supervision, children face a greater risk of personal injuries. Before you leave your kids at home with a sitter this season, take a minute or two to review this downloadable Babysitter Safety Inspection Checklist, courtesy of the American Red Cross. Double checking the following items will help ensure that your holiday season isn't ruined by a preventable injury:
Continue Reading...Regan Zambri & Long urges all of their readers to practice fire safety guidelines in their homes. One of the most important is to keep smoke detectors in good working order. Common sense guidelines are listed in the following release by Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs, which is quoted in its entirety.
"Use Daylight Saving Time to Keep Your Loved Ones Safe
Remember to Change Your Batteries on November 4
ST. LOUIS, MO--(Marketwire - October 23, 2007) - Twenty years ago, the people from Energizer® Batteries and the nation's firefighters came up with an idea that likely has saved thousands of homes and perhaps as many lives.
The idea connected two unrelated activities -- changing clocks for Daylight Saving Time and changing the batteries in smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors. Residents could change their batteries on these important safety alarms almost anytime, but in fact, many didn't. It's a sad fact that approximately 80 percent of fire deaths result from fires in homes without working smoke alarms. Since hardly anyone neglects to change their clocks, Energizer and the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) decided to urge Americans through the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery® program to use the "extra hour" to change their smoke alarm and carbon monoxide detector batteries.
This year, the day to set your clocks back and change batteries in your smoke detectors is November 4.
The program started in 1987 with just two fire departments in St. Louis and Atlanta. Now as the Change Your Clock Change Your Battery program celebrates its 20th anniversary, more than 5,900 fire departments across the country are participating in the program. And as a result, many Americans have adopted the habit of changing their batteries at the same time they change their clocks.
"We have no way of knowing exactly how many lives and homes have been saved as a result," said Chief Steven P. Westermann, president of the IAFC. "What we do know is that each year more Americans are replacing their batteries before they wear out and that helps make each alarm safer."
Having a working smoke alarm can cut the odds of dying in a home fire nearly in half by adopting this simple habit. Most American homes -- 96 percent in fact -- have smoke alarms; however, more than a quarter of those homes have at least one nonworking smoke alarm, mostly due to worn out or missing batteries. The IAFC estimates more than 25 million homes are at risk.
Five common reasons home smoke alarms do not function properly are:
-- Batteries are not replaced in a timely fashion.
-- Batteries are removed due to unwanted activation from situations such
as cooking fumes.
-- Batteries are removed due to a "chirping sound," which actually
indicates the battery needs to be replaced!
-- Alarms and detectors are not cleaned regularly.
-- Alarm is aged and possibly contains outdated parts or technology.
Each of these reasons is easily remedied by either simply replacing the battery or the device.
"Many people mistakenly believe they will either see the flames or smell the smoke when a fire breaks out," Chief Westermann said. "But most fire fatalities happen while families are asleep. Smoke by itself doesn't provide a wake-up call, but a working smoke alarm surely does."
Westermann also noted that November usually brings the onset of severe weather, a time when power outages are more frequent. He urged residents to avoid using candles, which are often the cause of home fires and to instead use flashlights. Daylight Saving Time is a good time to check batteries in flashlights as well.
The IAFC (www.iafc.org) is a non-profit association representing nearly 13,000 chief fire officers and emergency services leaders worldwide. Its members are the world's leading experts in firefighting, emergency medical services, terrorism response, hazardous materials spills, natural disasters, search and rescue, and public safety legislation.
Energizer Holdings, Inc. (
Falls are the leading cause of personal injury to U.S. senior citizens, and most of those falls occur in the home. Anyone can accidentally fall in a home, however, and the costs associated with the treatment of those fall injuries exceeds $20 billion per year. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) offers the following guidelines for safeguarding the health of your family and friends by acting to prevent falls in your home:
Continue Reading...We recently posted safety tips for trick-or-treaters here on the DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog, but adults play a significant role in making Halloween safe, as well. Following are some simple suggestions from the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) on making your home and neighborhood a safer place this Halloween evening:
Continue Reading...Bunk beds are a common feature of many children's rooms, especially in homes where floor space carries a premium. Each year, however, thousands of children sustain injuries related to bunk beds -- and not always predictable injuries.
Continue Reading...Pool and spa safety is a year-round concern that cannot take a back seat after Labor Day. Regan Zambri & Long previously highlighted the importance of pool safety in an earlier posting on the DC Metro Area Personal Injury Law Blog.
Recently, an Anne Arundel County, Maryland jury awarded the parents of a five-year-old boy a verdict in excess of $4 million dollars in damages related to their son's drowning in 2006 wherein he was found floating on the surface of Crofton Country Club's outdoor pool, as reported by The Baltimore Sun.
Continue Reading...Trampolines are popular recreational devices. Trampolining is even an official Olympic event. Used improperly, however, trampolines can contribute to serious personal injuries. Having a trampoline on your property can carry important premises liability connotations. According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) 91,870 people received treatment for trampoline injuries in U.S. emergency rooms in the year 2001, alone. Ninety-three percent of those visits involved children under 15 years of age. Following were the most common trampoline-related injuries:
Awareness of potential home and neighborhood hazards is an important part of personal injury prevention, and apartments and condominiums pose their own unique hazards. If you're in the market for an apartment or condominium this fall, the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) offers these tips for assessing the safety of a potential unit in a rental complex:
Continue Reading...An influx of new students and the expiration of many residential leases makes fall a good time to highlight the rights of tenants and the obligations of landlords in preventing personal injuries in rental properties. In D.C., the Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) helps to protect the interests of tenants -- both residential and business -- through the enforcement of safety codes, and by conducting inspections and regulating land use and development. The DCRA may conduct on-site inspections of a property if concerns are raised relating to the following circumstances:
Many major do-it-yourself home improvements or repairs can be unsafe, and in the District of Columbia they're often illegal, as well. Construction performed without required building permits is a public danger that can harm innocent people, not to mention property values and your ability to sell your home. The D.C. Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) is responsible for issuing licenses and permits, conducting inspections, and enforcing rules related to buildings and housing. According to the DCRA, proper permits are required to perform any of the following work within the district:
Continue Reading...Accidental deaths in the U.S. are increasing at an alarming rate according to data recently released by the National Safety Council (NSC). Over the last 10 years, the rate of accidental death has jumped by more than 20%. In fact, accidents are the number one cause of death for people between the ages of 1 and 41, with approximately one death occuring every 5 minutes. The top-ranking causes of accidental death are as follows:
Many families who own guns admit they don't store them safely according to a recent study published in the medical journal Pediatrics. The study involved more than 3.700 parents with children between 2 and 11 years of age, interviewed in the offices of pediatricians in 45 states and Puerto Rico. About half of all families with guns reported that they were not kept locked and roughly 20% failed to store firearms and ammunition in separate locations.
Continue Reading...Clothes dryers contribute to approximately 15,600 house fires, 400 injuries and 15 deaths each year, according to the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), a division of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Failure to clean lint from those dryers is a leading cause of fires. Improper installation and maintenance are also common contributing factors. Clothes dryers force hot air through a revolving drum to dry clothes. The lint that accumulates during this drying process is mostly caught in a filter trap, but some also accumulates in both the dryer and the dryer vent. This accumulation of debris reduces airflow through the machine, raises temperature levels, and provides a highly flammable source of fuel for a residential fire.
Continue Reading...Roughly 3,800 injuries -- and even 34 deaths -- occur every year due to scalding injuries from tap water that is too hot, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Most of these injuries involve senior citizens, children, and water heater thermostats that are turned up entirely too high. Don't take hot water temperatures for granted. The Home Safety Council offers the following tips to help reduce the risk that anyone suffers a scalding injury in your home:
Continue Reading...Approximately seven students die and 47 more are injured each year in college dorm fires, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). Worse, data suggests that the number of fires has been increasing. The new data triggered an alarm at CPSC, and the organization issued a public warning this week, as thousands of students head toward campus to begin the new academic year.
Continue Reading...
According to the U.S. National Safety Council (NSC), children under the age of 6 are at the greatest risk of lead poisoning. Most significant, perhaps, is that it is difficult for parents to identify that their children are suffering from lead poisoning. The symptoms are often subtle, and differ according to age.
Though lead occurs naturally in the soil, it can be toxic to humans, particularly in high concentrations. Those higher concentrations are most typically associated with industrial products made with refined lead. For instance, prior to 1978, house paint commonly contained lead; until recently, so did gasoline. Lead poisonings are all too common, and frequently involve children, who ingest chips of lead paint commonly found in older homes, or who simply breathe the dust of deteriorating, lead-based paint.
Continue Reading...A web-based Dangerous Dog Registry has been launched by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The database, modeled after the state's sex offender registry, can be searched by zip code or locality, and is designed to alert Virginians to the whereabouts of dogs with an established history of violence. Each dog listing includes a description of any attack(s), primary and secondary breed information, photos of the offending animal, the address at which it resides and other pertinent information.
Continue Reading...More than 33 million Americans are injured in their homes each year, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). While some home-based hazards arise from new trends or technologies, many are age-old dangers -- the unanchored stove that tips forward and burns a curious child, for example. To help increase awareness of preventable home injuries, CPSC recently published its list of "Top Five Hidden Home Hazards." A serious injury can change your life, or the life of your child, forever. Your own awareness of these "Top Five" dangers can be your best protection from personal injury:
Continue Reading...Metro area neighborhoods will observe the 24th Annual National Night Out -- a crime and drug prevention and awareness event sponsored by the National Association of Town Watch (NATW), a national nonprofit crime prevention organization. The event occurs each year on the second Tuesday in August. Thirty-four million people are expected to participate in "America's Night Out Against Crime" this year. In D.C., Mayor Adrian Fenty and Police Chief Cathy Lanier will kick off the event at the Ledroit Park Market in the Northwest. In Montgomery County, community events include parades, free food and other recreation. In Fairfax County, a kick-off event will be held at Camelot Elementary School in Annandale, from 3pm to 5pm, with refreshments and child fingerprinting among other activities.
Continue Reading...After a local incident of carbon monoxide poisoning, D.C. Fire and Rescue officials say the episode was likely related to a malfunctioning hot water heater in the basement of a house. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, tasteless and practically odorless gas, and is highly dangerous.
Continue Reading...Potomac River health and safety guidelines are inconsistent across local jurisdictions, according to a recent article in the Washington Post. The District of Columbia bans swimming in the Potomac, Montgomery County says it's generally safe, and Prince George's County advises people to stay out, stopping short of a ban. Environmental groups suggest that all of that advice could be prudent, depending on weather conditions.
Continue Reading...Dog bite injuries send approximately 800,000 Americans to the doctor each year and half of those are children, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Among those injured, approximately 386,000 go to emergency rooms, and nearly a dozen die.
Continue Reading...The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) reports that each year, 260 children under the age of 5 drown in swimming pools, and many are entrapped by the suction from dangerous pool and spa drains. To help keep people safe in a season when many people seek relief from the heat in pools, the American Red Cross offers the following swimming safety guidelines:
The American Academy of Pediatrics, among other recommendations, advises the following:
The CPSC advises that the dangers of drain-related entrapment can be reduced by heeding this advice:
Area residents of Montgomery County, MD are also encouraged to call that county’s Pool Safety Hotline this year to request a free evaluation of their private swimming pool. The hotline number is (240) 777-2239.
If you or a family member has suffered injuries from defective swimming pool conditions, please contact Regan Zambri and Long at 202-463-3030 or contact us on line.
For many years, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, insurance companies, and defendants generally have settled cases with the caveat that the settlement and facts of the case be kept secret forever. Although their wrongdoing may have seriously, if not fatally, injured victims, their goal was to shield the rest of the world from their misconduct. In a recent decision governing the professional conduct of lawyers, the District of Columbia Office of Bar Counsel has made clear that a settlement agreement “may not compel counsel to keep confidential . . . public information about the case, such as the name of the opponent, the allegations set forth in the complaint on file, or the fact that the case has settled.” Bar Counsel rightly determined that, among other things, suppression of this information works to keep important information from other victims who deserve to know that their injuries may have been caused by the wrongdoing of others.
For the complete text of the rule governing lawyer conduct, please click here.
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