Formaldehyde in Mattresses from China?

Mattress makers get wake-up call Updated: 2013-04-15 07:17By Chen Xin (China Daily) Print Mail Large Medium Small 0 Half of the mattresses sold in Beijing are substandard, the city's consumer watchdog said on Sunday. Of the 50 products tested at the National Center for Quality Supervision and Inspection of Furniture and Indoor Environment, 25 failed for such things as color fading, fabric use, toxic substances and durability. Samples were taken from 50 manufacturers in Beijing and Tianjin, as well as Hebei, Shandong, Guangdong, Guizhou and Zhejiang provinces. Thirteen were palm fiber mattresses and the others were spring mattresses. Seven products faded too easily, three used thin fabric, eight had excessive formaldehyde content and 17 were beneath national durability standards of durability, according to the Beijing Consumer Association, which organized the study. Straw was also used in some products instead of palm fiber. The color of the exterior fabric will run onto sheets or clothes if the mattress's fading resistance does not meet national standards and the fabric will easily fray if it's durability is substandard, Sun Shudong, a division chief overseeing furniture inspection at the National Center for Quality Supervision and Inspection of Furniture and Indoor Environment, was quoted as saying by China Central Television. The formaldehyde content in some products was 30 times acceptable levels, according to Liu Hailing, a division chief overseeing indoor environmental inspection at the center. Under the national standard, formaldehyde emissions from a mattress may not exceed 0.05 milligrams per square meter per hour. "Inhaling formaldehyde could cause constriction in the chest and coughing, and other respiratory diseases. It could also lead to cancers and leukemia in children if the exposure to the formaldehyde is lengthy," said Zhao Ping, vice-president of the Cancer Foundation of China. The consumer association said it informed the manufacturers of the substandard mattresses and commerce authorities are investigating. Qu Shengping, general manager of Beijing Hongdameidi, whose products showed excessive formaldehyde and weak durability in testing, admitted they used cheap glue and fabric to produce mattresses. Qu said the sample the Beijing Consumer Association tested was from the inventory. "We received the test results from the association in February, and, actually, we did not put that batch of products on the market," he said. The test results showed that a product of Beijing Yasili, another furniture producer, was substandard in color fading resistance, fabric used, formaldehyde content and durability. Chen, general manager of Yasili, said the association had the product tested early this year but it took the sample from the company in June last year. "In fact, some customers had called us and complained that the mattresses gave off bad odors and we refunded their purchases," he said. Chen said they recalled those mattresses from dealers at the end of November. "The mattress makers involved should compensate customers, and commerce authorities should fine them," said Ge Youshan, a lawyer who specializes in consumer rights. "More serious penalties, such as suspending or revoking their business licenses, could be used if producers continue to make substandard goods." Related readings:

Car Hazardous Pollutants

If you’re like most people, your car is more than just a means of transportation — much, much more. It represents freedom. Your independence to go places, choose your own path and for the adventurous types, discovering the previously unexplored. For nearly a century the hyper-mobile society we live in has meant we have developed a deep love affair with our automobiles. The social interdependence between human and machine is undeniable, but it goes farther than that. There’s a psychological dependence too. Modern humans have developed a nearly innate ability to see our vehicles as an extension of ourselves. Given the sanctity of that relationship, what I’m about to tell you won’t come easy, but you need to know. Our cars are making us — and perhaps worse, our children — sick. That’s right. Scientific experts have reams of data to show that the nation faces an epidemic of illnesses that are exacerbated by vehicle exhaust. These illnesses include cardiovascular disease, asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), lung cancer and diabetes. The latest study, presented on April 8, 2013 at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) 2013 Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., showed a possible link between exposure to traffic-related air pollution and several childhood cancers. Julia Heck, an epidemiologist at UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health and member of Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center found that increased exposure to traffic-related air pollution during pregnancy was associated with a higher incidence of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (a white blood cell cancer) and two other rare childhood cancers. Specifically, Heck found a link to germ cell tumors — cancers of the testicles, ovaries, and other organs — and eye cancer, called retinoblastoma, particularly the type that affects both eyes. Previous international studies have linked childhood leukemia, lymphomas and brain tumors to vehicle exhaust. The UCLA study is the first to look at vehicle air pollution and rare childhood cancers. The highest increases were found for retinoblastoma and germ cell tumors. Motor vehicles emit millions of pounds of hazardous pollutants into the air each year in the United States that include compounds such as carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, particulates (fine dust and soot), and toxic air pollutants such as benzene. These chemical particulates have been linked to lung cancer and breast cancer in adults as well as a host of other respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. This was reported in a 65-page policy study by the Connecticut nonprofit, Environment and Human Health, Inc. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that vehicle emissions account for as many as half of all cancers attributed to outdoor air pollution, and account for 1.3 million deaths worldwide each year. “The main reason for undertaking this study was that we know much more about the causes of adult cancers than we do of the causes of childhood cancers,” said Heck. “We studied pregnancy exposures because the fetus is likely to be more vulnerable to environmental factors during that time, and we also know that certain childhood cancers originate in utero.” For the study, Heck and her colleagues identified 3,590 children from the California Cancer Registry born between 1998 and 2007 who could be linked to a California birth certificate and who were five years of age or younger at the time of diagnosis. Those kids were then compared to 80,224 randomly selected California children in the control group. UCLA researchers used sophisticated modeling to estimate each child’s exposure to gas and diesel vehicle pollution at home, during each trimester of their mother’s pregnancy with the child and their first year of life. Cancer risk was estimated using a statistical analysis called unconditional logistic regression. Increases in exposure to traffic-related air pollution positively correlated with increases in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia, germ cell tumors and retinoblastoma, according to the study results. The pollution exposure estimates were highly correlated across pregnancy trimesters and the first year of life, meaning that no particular period stood out as a higher exposure time. This made it difficult for the scientists to determine if one period of exposure was more dangerous than any other, the UCLA study points out. Because this is the first study of this type, and these are rare diseases, Heck cautioned that the findings still need to be replicated in further studies. Nevertheless, the results provide new leads to potential causes of serious childhood cancers. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/04/10/car-exhaust-linked-to-childhood-cancers-study-finds/#ixzz2Q4VqbYpT

Sublingual Immunotherapy

Sublingual Immunotherapy Allergy Drops By Daniel More, MD, About.com Guide Updated January 31, 2009 About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by our Medical Review Board .Ads:Allergy DropsAllergy ClinicAllergy or AllergiesAllergies ClinicAllergy ShotsAds Treat Eye Allergies www.Relieve-Allergies.com Get 24 Hour Relief from Red, Itchy, Watery Eyes. Learn More Today! Nightly Nasal Congestion? www.breatheright.com Wake Up Ready To Face A New Day! It's Your RIGHT To Breathe Right® Asthma Symptoms? www.Asthma-Control-Treatment.com Learn About A Treatment That May Help Control Your Symptoms Here. Ads Erectile Dysfunction Help ErectileDysfunction.MedicStop.com Combat Erectile Dysfunction. Firm Advice On Erectile Dysfunction 5 Signs You'll Get Cancer www.newsmax.com These 5 Signs Warn You That Cancer Is Starting Inside Your Body. Updated January 31, 2009 What is Sublingual Immunotherapy? Sublingual immunotherapy, or SLIT, is a form of immunotherapy that involves putting drops of allergen extracts under the tongue. Many people refer to this process as “allergy drops,” and it is an alternative treatment for allergy shots. This form of immunotherapy has been used for years in Europe, and recently has had increased interest in the United States. However, it is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the United States. SLIT is usually delivered one of two ways: drops (or tablets) of allergen extract are placed under the tongue, then either swallowed or spat out. Most studies have looked at swallowing the extract, which seems to work better. Immunotherapy by the oral route (swallowed and not kept under the tongue for any period of time), causes too many gastrointestinal side effects (nausea, vomiting, diarrhea), and therefore is not used. Generally, SLIT is administered daily, or multiple times per week, over a period of years. Most patients are able to self-administer SLIT at home. Studies have looked at giving SLIT before a pollen season, during a pollen season, both, or year-round. It is not yet known what the best dosing regimen is for SLIT. How Does SLIT Work? The immune system of the gastrointestinal tract tends to "tolerate" foreign substances, meaning that it does not respond in an over-active way to swallowed material. This makes sense; otherwise the body would over-react to anything swallowed, including food. When SLIT is administered into the gastrointestinal tract, the immune system tolerates the allergen, instead of the over-reactivity of the immune system, as with allergic disease. This results in less allergy symptoms when the body is exposed to the allergy source, such as airborne pollen or pet dander. How Well Does SLIT Work? SLIT appears to be effective in the treatment of allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis and, to a lesser degree, allergic asthma. While most studies on SLIT do show benefit in the treatment of allergic disease, the results are somewhat inconsistent, with up to one-third of studies showing no benefit over placebo treatment. What is the Safety of SLIT? Over the past 10 years, the safety of SLIT has been well documented. Serious and fatal reactions to SLIT have not been reported to date. Mild side effects, such as an itchy mouth, occur in the majority of people, and moderate side effects have been documented (1 in about every 12,000 doses), including: •lip, mouth and tongue irritation •eye itching, redness and swelling •nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramping and diarrhea •sneezing, nasal itching and congestion •asthma symptoms •urticaria and angioedema Because of the safety of SLIT, people generally treat themselves at home, and are followed in the clinic at close intervals to monitor response to treatment. Who Could (or Should) Receive SLIT? People with documented allergic disease (allergic rhinitis, allergic conjunctivitis and/or allergic asthma) by allergy testing may be considered for SLIT. Young children have been shown to tolerate and benefit from SLIT, as have older adults. Pregnant women, as is considered the general rule of thumb for allergy shots, can continue SLIT during pregnancy, but should not start the therapy while pregnant. People with severe asthma may need to be monitored more closely on SLIT, since asthma symptoms can worsen with SLIT. Most studies on SLIT have focused on people with one type of allergy, such as grass or dust mite allergy. People with multiple allergies, such as to molds, pollens, pet dander and dust mite may not be good candidates for SLIT, given the large volume of different allergen extracts that would need to be taken.

Radon

State lawmakers are considering a measure requiring schools to test for radon. But some districts fear that, while it's a good idea, it could be expensive. Radon is found naturally in Iowa soil, and creeps its way into buildings. At high levels, and with repeated exposure, radon can cause cancer. That's why state lawmakers may require schools be tested for radon gas. Whether it's radon testing or other measures, schools everywhere -- including Waverly -- want to keep students safe. But the big question is: What will it cost? Jere Vyverberg is on his way out, soon retiring as superintendent of the Waverly-Shell Rock School District. But he's still very concerned about the financial picture at the district next year, since legislators still haven't set school funding. "That's what we're waiting for," Vyverberg said. "Just how much allowable growth can we expect or can we hope for? ... One is for 2 percent and one is 4 percent -- but that 1 percent can make a whole whale of a difference, especially coming off the hard times and zero allowable growth we've been going through. So we really need to have a good handle on that." But before those budget decisions are made, the state legislature is voting on other school issues, including education reform and a bill that would require districts to test their buildings for radon. Vyverberg thinks radon testing could be a good thing. After all, radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer. "I can't argue with the validity of doing the testing," Vyverberg said. "Obviously it's something important if it has to do with safety." But in cash-strapped schools, the question is how to pay for testing -- and, if high radon levels are found, how to fund the pricey systems used to fix the problem. "I think anything we do for kids is excellent," Vyverberg said. The problem is that when we're coming into hard budget times, like we have right now -- especially with the uncertainty -- we don't know what we can spend money on." The school testing bill has been approved by the Iowa Senate. It now moves to the House for consideration, and will require the governor's signature before any schools are required to start testing for radon. U.S. Rep. Bruce Braley is also lobbying for a federal law requiring schools to test for radon. That bill would provide grants to help schools with high radon levels to install mitigation systems, which is a provision the state law does not currently include.

The best ever home cleaning tips!

Your home is your refuge-or is it? Dig a little deeper and you may be surprised at what you find. Here's what to do when you spring clean. BREATHE EASY Poor indoor air quality can trigger allergies, irritate your lungs-and even cause cancer. Here, four new ways of improving air quality. GO GREEN You know greenery is good for the air; now research reveals that some specific plant species that may rid your home of various toxins. One study found that weeping figs (ficus) efficiently remove formaldehyde gas-released from some carpets and curtains. Other studies have shown that purple ivies eliminate VOCs (volatile organic compounds) like those in paint fumes, Devil's ivy (money plant) removes ozone, a respiratory irritant present in auto emissions (so place where you park your car), and Gerbera reduces levels of benzene, a solvent used for dry cleaning. home cleaning DON'T FAKE IT Phthalates, a class of plasticising chemicals often used in synthetically fragranced products, fuel cancer growth in some of the most hardto-treat types of breast cancer, says a new study published in The Journal of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. Nix artificially scented toxic air freshener sprays and perfumed candles. Opt for essential oils instead. And if pollen allergy is not a problem for the family, use fresh flowers like tuberose and rose for a natural aroma. UN-BAG YOUR DRY-CLEANING The dry-cleaner may have removed the stains from your fave dress, but he's left it covered in toxic chemicals like perchloroethylene or kerosene. These release VOCs linked with kidney and liver damage, nervous system problems-and even cancer. Do not put dry-cleaned clothes in your cupboard right away. Take the plastic bags off and let the clothes air out for a day or two, till the smell is gone CONSIDER SELF-CLEAN TILES home cleaning Imagine ceramics having a positive impact on indoor air quality. So claims the ISO-certified Active Clean Air & Antibacterial Ceramic tile company. The tile they manufacture contains titanium dioxide micrometric particles which help to break down pollutants under the action of light and oxygen. So nitrogen dioxide and VOCs are converted into innocuous compounds which improves the air quality of air you breathe. In fact the University of Milan study claims that 100 square metre of Active tiles reduce toxic nitrogen oxides like 30 trees (22 square metre of leafage) would. The chemical reaction also decomposes harmful bacteria like E. coli, staphylococcus aureus and klebsiella pneumonia. Titanium dioxide also stops dirt and dust from attaching itself to surfaces, making them easier to clean. Try Somany's Dirt Free "Green" tile that has the Active technology. Secure your home Do ensure basics like adequate lighting both in and around the house, resilient grills on widows (the kind that cannot be unscrewed), solid doors with hinges on the inside and quality locks. Trim hedges and shrubs so they can't be used as hideouts by intruders. The Crime Investigation Department, West Bengal, advises installing an alarm system especially if you are away from home for long hours. Find out about security solutions that suit your lifestyle from reputed brands like Godrej, Zicom and Eureka Forbes. Clean with a Conscience The chemicals you use to clean surfaces and clothes may be causing large-scale ecological damage. "Phenyl and popular washing detergents contain toxic chemicals that eventually find their way to water bodies-drains, streams, rivers, oceans- and kill everything they come in contact with, especially fish," says Goa-based Claude Alvares, director of The Organic Farming Association of India, and editor, Organic Farming Sourcebook. "Switch to EM (effective microorganisms) cleaners to scrub your floors, sinks and toilet bowls, as well as to launder your clothes. You could also use detergents without phosphates (Henko is one such brand) to wash your clothes, or traditional cleaning agents like soapnut," he adds. Contact Maple Orgtech India Limited (09051498600) for EM distributors in your city. Use Safer Paints Lead-based paint is the most significant source of lead exposure at home. Various studies by Toxics Link, Centre for Science and Environment and Quality Council of India have found that popular brands of household paints contain lead that is higher than the 1,000 ppm (parts per million) limit specified by the Bureau of Indian Standards. Why is that important? Because, lead is a dangerous metal that harms every organ in your body, causing the most damage to the brain and the nervous system. "It can affect everyone, but kids below 6 are most vulnerable, mainly because they have developing brains and nervous systems. It leads to lower intelligence, cognitive disabilities, hearing problems and behavioural disorders in them," says Ravi Agarwal, founder-director, Toxics Link, New Delhi. Switch to lead-free paints for your walls. Asian Paints, Nerolac and Dulux are some options. Leadbased paint is a hazard when it chips, peels or cracks. "So when you repaint, make sure that you keep the kids away when the wall is being scraped. Cover your mouth (ask the painter to cover his too), to avoid ingesting the paint dust. Carefully clean the floor, window sills and nooks and crannies, to ensure there's no paint dust left," says Agarwal. "Since paints and varnishes contain other VOCs and harmful chemicals, keep doors and windows open to allow circulation of air," he adds. Rethink Containers to Lose Weight Look around: is your kitchen making you fat? Big plates, wide glasses, transparent cookie jars could sabotage your weight-loss mission. Because most of us have a habit of filling our plates and finishing what's on them, using a smallerthan-dinner-plate size can help you eat less. Swap your old plates for portion plates if you are on a weight-loss mission. Else, 10-inch diameter dinner plates are a good option. Similarly, rethink your glasses. People serve themselves more cola and juice when they pour it out in short, wide glasses than tall, slim ones, according to recent research. "That's because we focus on the height of beverages when pouring a potion. Switch to skinny glasses for sweet drinks and fill wider ones with water and other calorie-free quenchers," says Mumbaibased nutritionist Naini Setalvad. Also, just looking at tempting foods makes people feel hungrier. Plus, it triggers the release of feel-good chemical dopamine that may intensify a particular craving. Use opaque containers to store tempting snacks (cookies, matthi, bhujia) and stash them in an inconvenient spot to make them difficult to reach. Sleep Better Than Ever Your bed may be harbouring dirty little secrets. Dust mites, dander and pollen that thrive on pillows and mattresses not only worsen allergy and asthma symptoms but also aggravate skin conditions like eczema, says a study from the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology. "Stay safe by using fresh sheets and pillow covers every alternate day. Wash dirty ones in hot water and dry in the sun," says New Delhibased Dr Narendra Saini, the India representative, Global Hygiene Council. And for extra protection, invest in mattress and pillow protectors. These water-proof encasements create a barrier to prevent dust and germs from sinking into mattresses, pillows and quilts. Try the ones from Protect-a-Bed and Hush Sleep Studio.

Recall of Lot of Black Licorice containing lead

Please see the attached product recall issued by FDA. The product (Lot A3057 of Lucky Country Aussie Style Soft Gourmet Black Licorice with Natural Ingredients) is manufactured by Lucky Country Inc. of Lincolnton, NC. The recalled products were sold in Costco and Smart & Final stores located in California, Arizona, and Utah. The aforementioned Lot contained lead levels as high as 0.18 parts per million which could provide up to 7.2 micrograms of lead per serving. Lead is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects. Lucky Country Aussie Style Soft Gourmet Black Licorice with Natural Ingredients is packaged in a 1.5lb (680g) gusset bag with zipper. The package is red, white and black in color. Please see the recall notice for specific information for consumers and contact information for the company. You may also contact the CT Department of Public Health Lead Poisoning Prevention & Control Program at 860-509-7299.

Lead in Spices

The Connecticut Department of Public Health, Lead and Healthy Homes Program (LHHP) would like to make you aware of an investigation recently conducted by a local health department (LHD) in collaboration with the LHHP, and the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP). During the LHD’s investigation of a childhood lead poisoning case, no environmental lead hazards were found at the child’s home. However, spices were identified as a potential source of lead exposure, and the LHD collected and analyzed a common Indian spice known as Asafoetida. Lab results indicated the sample of Asafoetida taken from the child’s home contained 31.2 ppm of lead. The brand name of the Asofoetida was LG, manufactured by Laljee Godhoo & Co., Mumbai, India. The LHD in collaboration with the DCP and LHHP, collected six samples of Asafoetida powder which included one sample from the lead poisoned child’s home, three samples from the store where the child’s family purchased the spice, and two from an Asian grocer in a neighboring town. In summary, two different brands and lot numbers of Asafoetida were tested. The sample results ranged from 0.072ppm - 31.2 ppm. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which oversees the safety of food products imported into the U.S. does not have specific guidelines for screening lead in dried products like spices. As a result, the FDA has not set a recommended maximum lead limit for spices or developed regulations to remove lead contaminated products from retail sale. However, it’s common knowledge that there is no safe level of lead in food. As such, if you are conducting an epidemiological investigation as the result of a childhood lead poisoning case and there are no common environmental lead hazard sources found on the property, you should consider imported spices, home remedies, medicines/supplements, Ayurvedic products, and cosmetics as other potential sources of lead exposure. Samples of these products should be collected and submitted to a laboratory for analysis. We advise LHDs to work with the LHHP and the DCP to remove food that is suspected or confirmed as contaminated from retail sales on a case-by-case basis. A director of health may utilize Connecticut General Statutes sections 19a- 206 and 19a-101 for this purpose. If you have any additional questions regarding ethnic remedies and other sources of lead exposure, please contact your regional lead case manager. Laboratory analysis questions can be directed to the DPH laboratory.

What are the Health Effects of Fiberglass?

The main sources of fiberglass particles in indoor environments includes, but are not limited to, ceiling tiles, debris from renovation projects, or degradation of HVAC system liners. Washington 3/12/2013 04:18 PM GMT (TransWorldNews) Pure Air Control Services, Inc. Recent Submissions What are the Health Effects of Fiberglass? Staphylococcus aureus Poses Threat for Indoor Environments Mold, Taxes and Death – What is the Commonality? Fiberglass is a type of fiber primarily composed of glass that is used in a wide variety of applications, and is predominantly used as a residential and commercial thermal insulator. As an insulator, it maintains a resistance to the spread of heat (known as the R-Value), cold and sound in structures, vehicles, aircraft, etc. By trapping pockets of air, it keeps areas warm in the winter and cools in the summer and thereby serves as a excellent way to increase energy conservation all the while maintaining comfort. Glass has been woven into small amounts of coarse fibers for many centuries, even by the ancient Egyptians, but fiberglass did not exist in its modern (insulation) form until 1932 as a result of an accident. An Owens-Illinois researcher named Dale Kleist was attempting to create a vacuum-tight seal between two glass blocks when a jet of high-pressure air turned a stream of molten glass into fine fibers. He had unintentionally discovered an effective method to produce large amounts of fiberglass particles, a method that he would refine in later years. In the United States, the first commercial production of fiberglass was started by Illinois Glass Company and the Corning glass work in 1939. The main sources of fiberglass particles in indoor environments includes, but are not limited to, ceiling tiles, debris from renovation projects, or degradation of HVAC system liners. These particles are very important from health and hygiene point of view. OSHA regulates fiberglass particles as a nuisance dust since 1991. Health implications from these particles may vary depending on the fiber size and type of exposure. Skin/eye irritation, rashes, soreness in nose and throat, asthma like symptoms, upset stomach etc. are some common symptoms due to contact, inhalation and ingestion of relatively larger fiberglass fiber although the smaller fragments (less than 0.5 micron) are capable of reaching the lower part of the lungs increasing the chance of adverse health effects. Health effects from exposure to fiberglass can be different depending on the fiber size and type of exposure. Larger fibers have been found to cause skin, eye and upper respiratory tract irritation. There are other possible health effects: •A rash can appear when the fibers become embedded in the outer layer of the skin. No long-term health effects should occur from touching fiberglass. •Eyes may become red and irritated after exposure to fiberglass. •Soreness in the nose and throat can result when fibers are inhaled. Asthma and bronchitis can be aggravated by exposure to fiberglass. •Temporary stomach irritation may occur if fibers are swallowed. Little information is known about the health effects caused by small fibers. Smaller fibers have the ability to reach the lower part of the lungs increasing the chance of adverse health effects. People who work with fiberglass or who have worn-out duct work lined with fiberglass in their homes or workplace may have long-term exposure to fiberglass. There is no evidence that fiberglass causes cancer in people. Animal studies have shown an increased risk of cancer when fiberglass fibers were implanted in the lung tissue of rats, but these studies are controversial because of how the fibers were implanted. Under a microscope, fiberglass appears as a smooth-walled, colorless or slightly pigmented surrounding, entire margin, elongated tube-like structure with varying size ranges, 1 to > 1000 microns. Ideally, there should not be any air or surface-borne fiberglass fibers in indoor environments. An independent study performed by EDLab at Pure Air Control Services Inc., utilizing over 10,000 indoor air samples, reveals that 99% of the air and surface samples collected were deemed negative for the presence of fiberglass fiber. Samples deemed positive for these particles indicated that the concentration of fiberglass fiber is greater in surface samples (up to 176 cts/cm2) in comparison to air samples (66 cts/m3). Additionally, this independent study suggests the concentration of fiberglass fiber in the air should be less than 5 cts/m3 and 4 cts/cm2 in surface samples.

Lead in Spices; Ct DPH

The Connecticut Department of Public Health, Lead and Healthy Homes Program (LHHP) would like to make you aware of an investigation recently conducted by a local health department (LHD) in collaboration with the LHHP, and the Department of Consumer Protection (DCP). During the LHD’s investigation of a childhood lead poisoning case, no environmental lead hazards were found at the child’s home. However, spices were identified as a potential source of lead exposure, and the LHD collected and analyzed a common Indian spice known as Asafoetida. Lab results indicated the sample of Asafoetida taken from the child’s home contained 31.2 ppm of lead. The brand name of the Asofoetida was LG, manufactured by Laljee Godhoo & Co., Mumbai, India. The LHD in collaboration with the DCP and LHHP, collected six samples of Asafoetida powder which included one sample from the lead poisoned child’s home, three samples from the store where the child’s family purchased the spice, and two from an Asian grocer in a neighboring town. In summary, two different brands and lot numbers of Asafoetida were tested. The sample results ranged from 0.072ppm - 31.2 ppm. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which oversees the safety of food products imported into the U.S. does not have specific guidelines for screening lead in dried products like spices. As a result, the FDA has not set a recommended maximum lead limit for spices or developed regulations to remove lead contaminated products from retail sale. However, it’s common knowledge that there is no safe level of lead in food. As such, if you are conducting an epidemiological investigation as the result of a childhood lead poisoning case and there are no common environmental lead hazard sources found on the property, you should consider imported spices, home remedies, medicines/supplements, Ayurvedic products, and cosmetics as other potential sources of lead exposure. Samples of these products should be collected and submitted to a laboratory for analysis. We advise LHDs to work with the LHHP and the DCP to remove food that is suspected or confirmed as contaminated from retail sales on a case-by-case basis. A director of health may utilize Connecticut General Statutes sections 19a- 206 and 19a-101 for this purpose. If you have any additional questions regarding ethnic remedies and other sources of lead exposure, please contact your regional lead case manager. Laboratory analysis questions can be directed to the DPH laboratory. cc: Suzanne Blancaflor, M.S., M.P.H. Chief, Environmental Health Section Ellen Blaschinski, R.S., M.B.A., Chief, Regulatory Services Branch

The Canary: Innovation in Digital Radon Gas Monitoring

The Canary: Innovation in Digital Radon Gas Monitoring by Corentium AS The Norwegian company Corentium AS has developed a novel digital radon gas monitor for homeowners, workplaces and the public sector. Compared to traditional technology, the battery powered monitor ‘Canary’ makes it much easier to locate the radon entry in the buildings. .The new digital and battery powered monitor ‘Canary’ is a paradigm shift in radon gas measurement procedures Oslo, Norway (PRWEB) March 12, 2013 There are epidemiological evidences that indoor radon exposure is responsible for a substantial number of lung cancers in the general population. The development of the monitor ‘Canary’ (http://www.corentium.com/eu) is largely a response to the 2009 UN World Health Organization report ‘WHO handbook on indoor radon. A public health perspective’ which provided detailed recommendations on reducing health risks from radon gas. (http://www.who.int/ionizing_radiation/env/radon/en/index1.html) Many countries have over the last few years developed national radon programs, also demanding more appropriate technologies for radon measurement and monitoring. This has inspired the Norwegian company Corentium AS to develop accurate and affordable digital instruments for homes, workplaces, schools and kindergartens. In most fields, technology has for long moved from the analogue to the digital age. Not so when it comes to radon gas monitoring technology. The traditional technology – track edge film – is still the most prevalent in the market. The film has to be placed for 2-3 months in the room to be measured, and has then to be sent to a specialized laboratory for development. The new digital and battery powered monitor ‘Canary’ is a paradigm shift in radon gas measurement procedures. It enables people to monitor radon continuously themselves – making radon gas diagnostic much easier, and reducing dependency on third-party services and consultancies. After measuring for a few days, one gets indications about the radon level. Canary gives the possibility to read the average value for 1 day, for 7 days, and the accumulative average up to a year. The Canary is also ideal for measuring the effect of simple mitigation measures – for example increased ventilation. The radon monitor Canary is tested in renowned laboratories like NIRS in Japan, BfS in Germany and SURO in the Czeck Republic, and proved to be within the laboratories' own measurement uncertainty. It is estimated that up to 14% of lung cancers is attributed to radon gas radiation. Radon is the second cause of lung cancer after smoking. Analyses indicate that the lung cancer risk increases proportionally with increasing radon exposure. As many people are exposed to low and moderate radon concentrations, the majority of lung cancers related to radon are caused by these exposure levels. This indicates that in countries where radon is found, most buildings should be monitored for radon as part of general preventive health care. The name Canary emanates from older times, when canary birds were used in mines to warn the workers against dangers. If the level of dangerous gases was too high, the canary birds stopped to sing. The mine workers then had to get out of the mine. To learn more about Canary, visit http://www.corentium.com/eu. About Corentium AS: Corentium AS was established in 2008, and is based in Oslo, Norway. Corentium is researching, developing and manufacturing technology for radiation monitoring. Behind Corentium stand researchers and developers from CERN in Geneva, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, and the Department of Physics at the University of Oslo.

The dirty truth on green cleaning products

By Deirdre Imus Green Your World Published March 11, 2013 FoxNews.com When a product becomes trendy or appealing to consumers, manufacturers respond. It’s why over the last few years, you’ve probably noticed a proliferation of “all-natural” this, “organic” that and “green” as far as the eye can see, whether on food packaging, cleaning product labels, clothing, or furniture. It can be difficult – almost impossible – for the average person to make sense of it all, and to decipher between the good, the bad and the truly awful. After all, the terms “all-natural” and “organic” can easily refer to substances that are indeed both natural and organic – and also bad for your health. For nearly 15 years, I have been manufacturing green cleaning products, which are derived from plants and minerals; free of harmful chemical ingredients; made from biodegradable ingredients; effective; and safe to use in your home, school or office building. I take my responsibility to consumers very seriously, and have had our product line third-party tested and verified so that you can trust they are as healthy as we say. But not all cleaning product manufacturers take this extra step, and some are downright dishonest about being natural, organic, or green. Cleaning product manufacturers are not required by federal law to disclose ingredients on their labels or websites, so the only way for consumers to discover what’s inside is to read each product’s material safety data sheet (MSDS), a federally mandated list of ingredients provided so that workers are aware of chemical hazards in cleaning products used on the job. It is practically pointless, however, for anyone without a working knowledge of the cleaning products industry to read an MSDS, because they are chock full of long, complicated ingredient names that give no indication of whether a product is safe or not. You may know that ammonia is dangerous, but can you identify – or even pronounce – an ingredient called 2-butoxyethanol?But, it is contained in some products that are touted as 'green.' Actually, 2-butoxyethanol is a solvent that can cause eye irritation and damage red blood cells, according to the Environmental Working Group (EWG), one of the nation’s leading environmental health research and advocacy groups. It is hardly a green ingredient, as the product’s name implies. Such misleading nomenclature is exactly why we need a more concise, easily accessible system to help consumers make informed decisions about which cleaning products to buy, and which to avoid like the plague. Currently, you can locate healthy products by searching databases like the EWG Guide to Healthy Cleaning, or checking to see if your favorite product is recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Design for the Environment Program. This can be helpful, but is not entirely effective: Each database, listing or guide requires different criteria to meet its set of unique standards for green validation. Which leads me to this: How can you find the best, healthiest and safest cleaning products to use in your home? Here are some helpful hints of what to look for, regardless of a product’s name, labeling, or database rating: • Full disclosure of all ingredients • Ingredients should be derived from plants and minerals • Must not contain petroleum-derived or petro-chemical ingredients • Label must stipulate the origin of fragrance and whether it is naturally derived or not • All ingredients should be biodegradable • No animal-testing, no animal-derived ingredients • Finished product must be safe for septic tanks and grey water • Must not be corrosive • Must not contain compounds that cause or contribute to the creation of greenhouse gases or ozone depletion • Must be free of any known human carcinogens, mutagens, teratogens, and endocrine disruptors Deirdre Imus, Founder of the site devoted to environmental health, dienviro.org, is President and Founder of The Deirdre Imus Environmental Health Center™ at Hackensack University Medical Center and Co-Founder/Co-Director of the Imus Cattle Ranch for Kids with Cancer. She is a New York Times best-selling author and a frequent contributor to FoxNewsHealth.com, and Fox Business Channel. Check out her website at dienviro.org. 'Like' her Facebook page here. Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/03/11/dirty-truth-on-green-cleaning-products/#ixzz2NFRA5Y6m

PCBs in Schools

BRIDGEPORT, CT -- The city is prepared to have ventilators in every Columbus School room taken apart and cleaned, and then test every classroom to make sure it is PCB-free. The decision late last week by the city's School Building Committee comes after the latest round of testing, received Thursday, still shows levels of polychlorinated biphenyls in some air samples higher than the federal Environmental Protection Agency says is safe for young children. Ray Wiley, an official from O&G, the city's school project manager, said he did not yet have the test results in hand but characterized them as "no worse" than three previous tests conducted randomly throughout the school. Attempts to obtain copies of the report Friday were unsuccessful. The building committee, made up of city and school officials, agreed unanimously to go to the City Council and ask for $253,000 to take apart, clean and reassemble the vents, along with the costs for testing done to date, and another $19,250 to air test all 35 rooms in the school. Officials haven't decided what to do about the thousands of boxes of supplies stored at the school during the renovation or moved in on the first day of school. Testing each one could cost the city $1.1 million. Decontaminating them and their contents would run about $125,000. Complicating the issue is that the budget for the project has run dry, necessitating the return to the city for money. While the cost of the process may eventually be charged back to the contractors or subcontractors, City Attorney Mark Anastasi said the city must foot the bill upfront. PCBs were discovered two years into a protracted three-year code update at Columbus when it was decided to add window replacement to the project. Window caulk was found to contain PCBs, which, under relatively new EPA regulations, must be removed. Wiley said the failed air tests come after several "wholehearted" cleanings of rooms and vents. A test that occurred when vents were turned off is the only one to come back clean. The next step is to take the ventilation units off the walls, clean and reinstall them. Robert Trefry, the school board's new chairman, told the committee at its Thursday meeting he doesn't want to put a child in a room if there isn't certainty it is safe. "I think if the test came back negative, we wouldn't be having this discussion, but there seems like a lingering thing in the air. That has people very concerned. It hasn't gone away," Trefry said. He got no argument. There was discussion, however, about the boxes, none of which have tested positive for PCBs in random testing. Some wondered if cleaning them all, and testing a sample, might be sufficient, if all test negative. City Councilman Robert Curwen Jr. wondered if the school supplies and books in the boxes are worth the money it would cost to test them. Assistant Schools Superintendent Robert Henry promised to get back to the group with an idea of the value. Officials also have no idea how soon Columbus students can move back to the school. They are scattered between five sites, in settings some describe as less than ideal. Mayor Bill Finch, who was not at the meeting, weighed in on the situation via a written statement. In it, Finch said he is outraged with the situation and shares the frustration of Columbus School parents. "We were assured by construction manager O&G that the school would open on time, and I have made it clear that this delay due to contractor error is unacceptable," he said.

4- Phenylcyclohexene

New Carpet, Odors and Health Concerns over 4-Phenylcyclohexene & Formaldehyde Thursday, February 14, 2013 Homes and offices with recently installed new carpeting are usually easily identified by the “new carpeting” smell that is associated with the flooring. This smell is the result of various volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that are emitted from new carpeting. One chemical associated with carpeting that has come under increasing scrutiny over the years is 4-Phenylcyclohexene. 4-Phenylcyclohexene, also known as 4-PCH, is a by-product formed during the polymerization of some carpet backings. There have been some reports that exposure to very low levels of 4-PCH after new carpeting has been installed could result in health complaints from building occupants. There have also been reports that 4-PCH and other volatile carpet compounds can react with ozone in indoor environments to produce formaldehyde. Formaldehyde is a colorless, strong-smelling chemical that is used in the manufacturing process of numerous other building materials and even some household products. “Formaldehyde exposure can cause burning, watery eyes, irritation of the nose and throat, nausea, headaches, and difficulty in breathing in some humans exposed to elevated levels,” said Vincent M. Daliessio, CIH, Project Manager at EMSL Analytical, a leading indoor air quality (IAQ) and formaldehyde testing laboratory. “High concentrations may also trigger asthma attacks in people who suffer from the condition.” The National Toxicology Program, an interagency program of the Department of Health and Human Services, named formaldehyde as a known human carcinogen in its 12th Report on Carcinogens. The International Agency for Research on Cancer, or IARC, also classifies formaldehyde as a human carcinogen.

News Drought could mean more radon leaking into KC homes By RICK MONTGOMERY The Kansas City Star Updated: 2013-03-04T13:06:32Z March 3 By RICK MONTGOMERY The Kansas City Star Five years of a wobbly economy and 20 months of Midwestern drought have some health officials worried about a silent intruder lingering in your basement. Order Reprints File photo by JOHN MUTRUX | Special to The Star Do-it-yourself testing kits are available for about $10 at hardware and home improvement stores. Some are free from county extension service offices and state websites. Once kits have been obtained, you might need to send $10 to $30 more for results to be tested by a lab. Check for radon in your home • Do-it-yourself testing kits are available for about $10 at hardware and home improvement stores. Some are free from county extension service offices and state websites. Once kits have been obtained, you might need to send $10 to $30 more for results to be tested by a lab. • Professionals can inspect your home for $100 to $200. Look for companies certified by Kansas for radon inspection. Missouri has no certification requirement. • If radon levels exceed 4 pCi/L — a baseline set by the EPA — shop for mitigation piping systems that run between $700 and $1,400 for installation. Again, look for radon mitigation firms certified by Kansas or by professional trade groups. More NewsRead more NewsIt’s radon gas, whether or not you care to think about it. Don’t look now (because you can’t see radon or smell it), but conditions this winter are said to be perfect for furnaces to suck in and cough out cancer-causing alpha particles, drawn from parched soil and through drought-driven cracks in foundations. And don’t be fooled by our recent snowstorms. No handful of wet-weather events cancels scientists’ predictions that drought is apt to afflict the Kansas City region at least into spring — all the while reconfiguring underground pathways for natural but slightly radioactive gases to travel. Real estate agents say a sluggish housing market aggravates the situation: Homeowners tend to put off simple radon testing, which can cost less than a bottle of wine, until they’re ready to offer up their houses for sale. When they re-enter the market, they’re thrown by an accumulation of odorless gas that can botch a transaction. “We recommend,” said Kim Steves of the Kansas Department of Health and Environment’s radon program, “that you re-test your home every two years.” The best time to test is right now, when the home is sealed up and furnaces are churning. Here, in one the nation’s hottest spots for indoor radon levels above what federal authorities consider OK, most people pooh-pooh the threat even when buying a house, said Gary Hodgden of Midwest Radon. His Overland Park company tests homes and pipes radon out of them. “We’re seeing a higher percentage of homes coming in with higher readings, and we’ve been seeing it for a year and a half,” he said. Gary Martin of Lee’s Summit-based Integrity Building Inspections sees something similar setting in: “I know of someone who, four years ago, had low levels of radon when he tested. More recently, the test came in at four times that amount.” For the past quarter-century, experts have argued over the harm caused by exposure to radon gas — an everyday reality attributed to the natural decay of uranium present in almost all kinds of soil. We’ve been breathing it in forever. The U.S. surgeon general’s office and the Environmental Protection Agency link indoor radon to 20,000 lung-cancer deaths annually, but the risk is far greater for smokers than for nonsmokers. Even then, the threat in cases of moderate exposure — under 4 picocuries per liter, according to the EPA — is marginal. Outdoor levels commonly are below 1 picocurie per liter. “There’s a whole mess of factors that can affect radon levels,” said geologist Paul Hilpman, a University of Missouri-Kansas City professor emeritus. “Long and short of it, the death rate from lung cancer is much more closely linked to people exposed to smoking, particularly secondhand smoke, than to radon gas.” What seems a big point of agreement, however, is that local homeowners consider testing for radon — especially if they haven’t through these last several years of extreme weather events. Dry weather over several months, along with heavy snows and flooding, can change ground conditions and stress home foundations. For as low as $10, do-it-yourself radon test kits can be purchased from hardware and home-improvement stores. They’re available free from the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services website. High radon exposure probably would take many decades to kill you, say scientists and federal studies. Still, as the spring season of house-shopping approaches, “can high radon muck up a real-estate sale?” asked John Moffitt, a local agent of Coldwell Banker Real Estate. “Absolutely, it can.” Drought can and will create radon problems — or, in some cases, reverse them. Home foundations fracture, sometimes letting in gases routed through underground channels that open up when water tables drop. The opposite often is true when water tables rise, because moisture is a barrier to radon gases leaking into houses. “We know from flooding that occurred in Kansas City in the 1990s, the percentage of homes with elevated levels (of radon) dropped significantly,” said Bruce Snead, director of engineering extension at Kansas State University. Indeed, indoor radon levels fluctuate daily — higher in the winter, lower in pleasant weather, up and down depending on how often windows are opened, attic fans are running or traffic comes in an out of a house. Homes that aren’t constantly sealed tend to gather lower measurements of radon gas. In the Kansas City region, between a third and 45 percent of homes that are tested harbor radon levels higher than 4 picocuries per liter, the level at which the EPA recommends corrective action. (Nationally, the average home tests at a safe 1.3.) For roughly the price of installing a new water heater, or about $1,000, radon mitigation companies can run piping from the ground beneath a basement through a fan that blows radon gas above the roof. Health officials caution against assuming that radon levels measured more than five years ago — say, when you had your house inspected before purchasing it — still hold true. Soils and basement footings shift, especially through weird weather patterns. A new furnace or air conditioning system, altered plumbing, improved insulation and structural additions to a home also can affect the circulation of radon gas. Still, the science of radon is wildly inexact. The World Health Organization calls for dwellings to be fixed when indoor radon levels reach half of what the EPA recommends. And if the EPA’s standards are lax, geologist Hilpman notes they’re predicated on someone spending 18 hours daily in the same home for 70 years. A bill introduced this year in the Kansas Legislature would make radon testing mandatory for every home sale. Laws enacted in Kansas since 2009 have set new standards for certifying radon inspectors and reporting properties where high indoor levels exist. The legislation largely is driven by companies that relocate employees and, in many cases, stand to be held liable if a home tests high for radon. “Employers relocating will demand thorough home inspections partly for liability protection,” said Bill Rounds of Illinois-based HomeBuyer’s Preferred, a relocation company. “High radon is the most serious thing (they’re looking for), because it’s known to be a carcinogen.” Legal protection aside, the Kansas standards allow officials to track radon levels to precise addresses — ultimately enabling the state to compare the reported levels to health problems diagnosed in residents, said Steves of the Kansas Radon Project. “We’re really at the very early stages of this,” she said. “The state has more data than we had a few years ago, and the data we have is better.” Missouri is less vigilant in requiring that home radon levels be reported and that inspectors be certified. But that hasn’t kept one family from doing all it can to reduce radon levels in a house once occupied by a Northland woman — a nonsmoker — who died last summer from lung cancer. After her mother’s death, Linda Jensen and her siblings had the ranch home tested for radon and discovered readings surpassing 20 picocuries per liter, five times the level considered a health concern by the EPA. The mother died at 80 and had lived in the house since the 1950s. “We all agreed, 100 percent, that nobody would acquire the house until it was treated and brought to safe levels,” Jensen said. The family is still working on it. Last month, a radon-mitigation crew visited the house for a fourth time to bring levels down to something as close to nil as possible. To reach Rick Montgomery, call 816-234-4410 or send email to rmontgomery@kcstar.com. Read more here: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/03/03/4097720/drought-could-mean-more-radon.html#storylink=cpy

The Top 5 Causes of Accidental Home Injury Deaths—and How to Prevent Them By Luke Mullins Although we all like to think of our homes as sanctuaries of comfort and security, the typical American house harbors some significant safety risks. In fact, every year more than 18,000 Americans die from accidental injuries that take place in the house, making our homes the second-most-common location—behind only cars on the road—of such fatalities. But even amid the worst recession since World War II, homeowners can take steps to reduce these risks, says Meri-K Appy, the president of the Home Safety Council. In an interview with U.S. News, Appy discussed the five leading causes of unintentional home injury deaths and offered simple, cost-effective ways to increase household safety. 1. Falls: Falling is the leading cause of unintentional home injury deaths; it claims nearly 6,000 lives per year, according to the Home Safety Council. And although there are all sorts of ways to reduce this risk, Appy recommends that homeowners install grab bars in their bathtubs and showers. "The reason I worry about bathrooms is because if you fall in the tub or the shower, you are falling onto such a hard surface," which can result in a more severe injury, Appy says. Although many consumers recoil at the though of grab bars—which are often associated with nursing homes and elderly-care facilities—Appy says such perceptions are outdated. "The new models that are now on the market are much more attractive than they ever used to be," she says. "So let's get rid of the idea that they are going to be ugly." More recent models, she says, are designed to complement the other items in your bathroom and can be easily installed. 2. Poisoning: The second-leading cause of accidental home injury deaths—poisoning—takes nearly 5,000 lives each year. And for young adults and people in their middle ages, it's actually the top cause. "It's kind of the Heath Ledger scenario, where people are perhaps on a prescription drug, or maybe more than one, and then they get a cold and they take a decongestant, and then maybe they add a drink to that," Appy says. "It is the mixing up of things without realizing that that combination can be actually deadly." To reduce this risk, Appy says that anyone mixing medicines should contact the Poison Help hotline at (800) 222-1222. "It is staffed 24 hours a day," she says. Staff members can tell you if a given combination of medicines—say, a prescription drug and NyQuil—is safe or not, she says. In addition, parents should make sure to keep prescription and over-the-counter medicines—as well as other harmful household products—out of the reach of children. 3. Fire and burns: Home fires and burns claim more than 3,000 lives a year, making it the third-leading cause of accidental home injury deaths. "The No. 1 thing I advise people is to have plenty of working smoke alarms and to hold fire drills twice a year," Appy says. In addition, anyone building a new home should have fire sprinklers installed in the house. 4. Airway obstruction: Airway obstruction—which includes choking, suffocation, and strangulation—claims about 1,000 lives a year. It is the fourth-leading cause of accidental home injury deaths and a particular concern for young children. In fact, many deaths that had originally been attributed to sudden infant death syndrome have since been reclassified as airway-obstruction fatalities. "Many of these deaths are actually [due to] suffocation because of an unsafe sleep environment," Appy says. "Either there is a lot of stuff in the crib or maybe blankets or stuffed animals, [which] can cover the baby's airway passages." To create a safe sleep environment, "the crib should be virtually empty, except for the baby," she says. "And the baby should be put to sleep on his or her back." Parents of older children need to be on the lookout for smaller items—like coins or toys—that can clog up air passageways if swallowed. "If [the object] is small enough to fit through a toilet paper roll, it's a danger to a small child," she says. "And often, unfortunately, things are kind of left on the floor, maybe under the sofa cushions, or it could be a coin or an older child's Legos." 5. Water: Drowning and submersions in water account for some 800 deaths a year. Again, water can be a particular threat to children. "People don't realize that a very young child can drown in as little as an inch or two or water," Appy says. "Certainly, a backyard pool, a bathtub, any amount of standing water can be a deadly danger to a small child." There are certain steps parents can take to reduce the threat of water-related deaths, such as installing a fence at least 4 feet high with a self-closing and self-latching gate around their pool. But the best protection against the risk of water is old-fashioned vigilance. "You have to be within an arm's reach of a child and paying attention. We call it touch supervision—you are looking at the child, and you can reach out and touch the child," she says. "Never, never let your guard down if there is water around."

tudying Bed Bug Actions for New Management Tactics By Sandra Avant February 11, 2013 Learning more about the behavior of bed bugs is one approach being used by U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) scientists to identify compounds to help control these pests. The resurgence of bed bugs over the last decade has caused problems in major U.S. cities where they infest homes, apartments, hotels, shelters and even places of work. The small, blood-feeding insects are not known to transmit diseases, but they can cause severe reactions in people who are allergic to them. Bed bugs usually go unnoticed until their numbers increase significantly, and getting rid of them can be costly. Entomologist Mark Feldlaufer and chemist Kamlesh Chauhan at the Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Henry A. Wallace Beltsville Agricultural Research Center (BARC) in Beltsville, Md., have identified two new alarm pheromones—4-oxo-hexenal and 4-oxo-octenal—in immature bed bugs. The releasing of alarm pheromones, which are defensive compounds, causes aggregated bed bugs to scatter. Scientists collected cast skins that retain chemicals from the bed bug's scent glands and then used gas chromatography and mass spectrometry technology to analyze and identify compounds. Swedish researchers subsequently identified the same compounds from a related species, the tropical bed bug, demonstrating that the compounds are biologically active. This indicates that alarm pheromones may have implications in bed bug management, according to Feldlaufer, who works at BARC's Invasive Insect Biocontrol and Behavior Laboratory. By causing insects to disperse, the likelihood of bed bugs coming into contact with a control agent increases. ARS and University of Nevada-Reno scientists also identified 17 compounds in the bed bug's outer protective layer of skin, a discovery they believe may play an important role in bed bug aggregation behavior. Read more about this research in the February 2013 issue of Agricultural Research magazine. ARS is USDA's principal intramural scientific research agency.

Combustion Gases in Your Home — Things You Should Know About Combustion Spillage Are Combustion Gases Spilling Into Your Home? Does your home have any of these combustion appliances? Gas-fired furnace, boiler, or water heater? Oil-fired furnace, boiler or water heater? Wood stove or fireplace? Other fuel-burning device? If so, then combustion gases will be produced as the fuel burns. Normally, these combustion products — which can include both visible smoke and various invisible gases — should be vented to the outdoors through a chimney or vent pipe. Unfortunately, they may instead escape into your home, where they could raise a variety of health and other concerns. Combustion spillage is the term used to describe the unwanted flow of combustion gases into your home. The quantities involved are usually small. However, the number of houses with potentially significant spillage is increasing, and on occasion the results can be extremely serious. This fact sheet provides some important information about combustion spillage. It alerts you to some of the symptoms and outlines practical steps you can take to reduce the risks. In short, this fact sheet is designed to help you keep combustion gases OUT of your home. Why the Concern? Because toxic compounds can be present in combustion gases, sharing your home with these gases can lead to problems ranging from nuisance headaches to serious illness, carbon monoxide poisoning and even death. The most likely health effects are chronic, low-grade, sometimes difficult-to-define ailments, and health deterioration due to long-term exposure to the combustion gases. These effects can occur even if concentrations are low. Toxic and other harmful products in the combustion gases include: Carbon monoxide Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) Aldehydes Hydrocarbons Sulphur dioxide Nitrogen oxides Particulates Carbon dioxide and water vapour, which are relatively harmless, are often present in larger quantities. The exact composition and characteristics of combustion gases, and the severity of their effect on your house and its occupants, depend on several factors. These include the type of fuel being burned and the condition of your system. Understanding Venting and Spillage When Things Go Right A typical oil or gas forced-air heating system is shown schematically in Figure 1. When operating, the system generates two separate air flows: Combustion air Combustion is a process in which air and fuel combine to produce heat and various combustion products. Depending on the type of furnace, the air required for combustion may be drawn into the furnace from the surrounding room, or it may be ducted directly from outside the house. Furnaces should be designed to completely remove the resulting combustion gases from your home. Circulating air The heat generated in the furnace, if it is to have any value, must be transferred to the living areas of the home. In a forced-air system, this is accomplished by circulating heated household air. Cooler air is returned to the furnace, heated in a heat exchanger, and returned to the house via the heating ducts. In a properly operating forced-air furnace, the combustion air and the circulating air both flow through the furnace as it operates, but do not mix at all (as shown in Figure 1). Hydronic heating systems — systems that rely on water and radiators to distribute heat — don’t have a circulating air stream. They do, however, require the same supply of combustion air and removal of combustion gases as the forced-air systems. Similarly, gas or oil water heaters, fireplaces, and wood stoves all require combustion air, and all require the combustion gases to be vented to the outdoors. Basic forced air heating system airflows Figure 1: Basic Forced-Air Heating System Airflows When Things Go Wrong Unfortunately, combustion systems don’t always work as they should, and combustion spillage is the result. Sometimes this spillage is obvious — for instance, if you have a wood stove or a fireplace, you may occasionally see smoke escaping into the room. In other cases, spillage may not be so evident, in part because the furnace and water heater are usually located away from the main living areas of the home. In addition, many combustion gases are hard to detect — they are invisible and have little or no odour. Three major factors, working alone or together, can create conditions conducive to combustion spillage in your home. In addition to these factors, unusual winds can also sometimes be at fault. Factor 1: Chimney Problems Your chimney’s job is to remove combustion gases from your home. However, your chimney won’t work properly if it is poorly designed, poorly installed or poorly maintained. There are many causes of inadequate chimney performance or failure. Here are some examples: A chimney may be improperly sized — too small for the job or too large to maintain an adequate draft. Obstructions such as birds nests, broken bricks and ice can block a chimney’s air flow. Corrosion may become a problem as a result of condensation or poor construction or installation. An uninsulated chimney on an exterior wall is a particular concern because it can become very cold when combustion gases are not present. This can lead to condensation of moisture from the air. When the chimney first fills with moist combustion gases, the condensation may increase, at least until the chimney warms up. Condensation can result in damage to the materials in the chimney and ice formation. This in turn leads to problems such as crumbling bricks, cracks and leaks, blockages, and poor draft. Factor 2: Equipment Problems Your home’s combustion appliances are made up of several components. Like chimneys, they should be well designed, properly installed, and regularly maintained. Otherwise, mechanical problems may prevent combustion gases from venting properly. As an example, your furnace may be causing a spillage problem if the heat exchanger is corroded or cracked. This would allow crossover of circulating air into the combustion chamber or of combustion gases into the circulating air stream. Either way, combustion gases will end up being distributed through your home, as shown in Figure 2. Combustion spillage due to a cracked heat exchanger Figure 2: Combustion Spillage Due to a Cracked Heat Exchanger Factor 3. Pressure Problems In the winter, we close up our homes. At the same time, we run exhaust fans and numerous other devices that pump air out of the house. (In fact, many appliances, particularly fireplaces, exhaust a considerable amount of air even when not operating.) As a result, the air pressure indoors falls below the air pressure outdoors, and the house becomes depressurized. Pressure is balanced as fresh outdoor air is drawn into the house through available openings, such as cracks and gaps around windows, doors, and small openings in the building structure. If your house is sufficiently depressurized, air may be sucked in through the chimney. When this happens, air flows down the chimney, rather than up — a condition known as backdrafting (see figure 3). If you have ever opened the damper before lighting your fireplace and felt the big wash of cold air come into the living room, you have encountered backdrafting. Backdrafting is most common during the “off ” cycle of the combustion appliance. If the appliance starts up while backdrafting is occurring, the downward airflow in the chimney may be difficult to reverse. Combustion gas spillage could persist for as long after start up as it takes for the backdrafting to be reversed. In houses where the “on” cycle is short and the chimney is not insulated, this type of start up spillage may occur frequently, since the chimney has little opportunity to heat up and establish a good draft. Because the combustion products during start-up are particularly dirty, even minor spillage of this type should be considered undesirable. In some circumstances, backdrafting can also take place while the combustion appliance is operating — for instance, in a fireplace with a smouldering fire. (See "What About Fireplaces?".) Backdrafting due to depressurization Figure 3: Backdrafting Due To Depressurization Can We Control Combustion Gas Problems? By reading this fact sheet, you have already made a start toward controlling your combustion gas problems, because increased awareness is the foundation for action. You can build on this foundation by taking measures to prevent, detect, and correct combustion spillage problems. If you follow the recommendations below, you are unlikely to experience hazardous levels of combustion gases in your home. Some of the actions have costs — but that is a small price to pay for improving the quality of the air in your home and for ensuring your health and safety. Preventing Combustion Spillage As the saying goes, prevention is the best cure. Some of the actions described below will be easier to implement if you are building, renovating or replacing existing equipment. Even if you are not, there is still a great deal you can do. Maintain Your Combustion Appliances Start an annual maintenance routine for all your combustion appliances. Get professional assistance to do this. The service person should check for heat exchanger leakage, evidence of start up spillage, and condensation in chimneys. Maintenance should include a tune-up — a properly tuned combustion appliance rarely produces carbon monoxide, the most serious threat. If necessary, have your furnace adjusted so that it operates on cycles that are six minutes or longer (to minimize start up spillage). Remember that a thorough maintenance check may cost a little more than a simple cleaning, but it is money well spent. Inspect and Maintain Your Chimney A blocked chimney will not vent your furnace’s combustion gases. Have a professional check that your chimney is not cracked and is clear of obstacles such as pieces of broken brick, or ice, or dead birds. This check should be done routinely as part of an annual or bi-annual service call. Upgrade Your Chimney Talk to chimney professionals to find out how your chimney’s performance can be improved. If you are building or renovating, try to have the new chimney located on an inside wall. Have a specialist assess the air supply for your combustion appliances. Remember that even a properly designed combustion air duct will not, on its own, solve spillage or backdrafting problems; chimney problems and depressurization should also be resolved. When replacing existing equipment or buying new equipment, invest in appliances that are less prone to spillage. Forced draft appliances, which rely on a fan to establish positive venting of combustion gases, are often resistant to spillage. Sealed combustion appliances isolate the combustion air and combustion gases from the living areas. This further restricts the possibility of spillage. Ask the salesperson for advice. Avoid Conditions that Lead to Backdrafting With a little care, conditions that might lead to backdrafting can be minimized by reducing indoor and outdoor pressure differences. For instance: Be wary of operating several powerful exhaust devices simultaneously. If you install a new range-top barbecue with a powerful exhaust fan, get expert advice on how to balance this on the air supply side. Avoid combinations of appliances that are likely to create depressurized conditions — for instance, a natural draft furnace with a range-top barbecue exhaust fan. If your furnace or water heater is enclosed in a small separate room, allow air to move freely between the furnace room and the rest of the house. Louvred doors may be the answer. If you have a forced-air heating system, be sure you are not drawing return air from the immediate vicinity of your combustion appliances. Make sure the blower door on your furnace is in place. What About Fireplaces? Fireplaces can be a significant combustion spillage threat and should be treated with great respect. Most people with a fireplace have experienced small puffs of smoke when the fire is lit. They may not know that the smouldering embers of a dying fire can release high concentrations of carbon monoxide (CO), a colourless, odourless and extremely toxic gas. This happens because when a fire is burning down, little heat is being released; the chimney draft may be very weak and the CO easily spills into the home, sometimes after the family has gone to bed. Fireplace safety measures include chimney maintenance, warning devices and avoiding conditions that are conducive to backdrafting. Extra air from outdoors should always be provided while the fireplace is burning strongly or smouldering. Keeping fireplace doors tightly shut as the fire burns down can also help reduce the potential for spillage. Consider adding tight-fitting doors if there are none or, better still, install an energy-efficient fireplace insert. Chimney flow test Figure 4: Chimney Flow Test Chimney Flow Test Hold a smoke indicator (such as an incense stick) near the draft hood of a gas furnace or water heater, or near the barometric damper of an oil furnace when your furnace is operating. Watch the direction of the smoke. Now switch on all exhaust fans and other exhaust equipment. Check again for smoke movement at the draft hood or damper. If the smoke moves into the house, you may have a spillage problem.You should immediately call an experienced professional heating contractor for a thorough inspection. Be Careful with Unvented Appliances If you have an unvented gas range in your home, be sure to use your range hood, and provide extra ventilation whenever the appliance is operating. Unvented portable space heaters should not be used except in heat emergencies, and then only with windows open to allow combustion gases to escape. Detecting Combustion Spillage Problems Even with a good prevention program, you should be on the look-out for combustion gas spillage. Watch for warning signs such as: Repeated headaches, skin and throat irritations, and other low grade illnesses Combustion odours anywhere in the house Hot and muggy air around the furnace Soot stains around any combustion appliance, or unusual rumbling sounds when it is operating Do the Chimney Flow Test, a quick and simple procedure that will give you an indication of how well your chimney is working (see Figure 4). (This test is not suitable for sealed combustion appliances.) Install warning devices. Standard smoke alarms are suitable for detecting combustion spillage from oil and wood furnaces and boilers. Carbon monoxide (CO) alarms should be used with gas or oil furnaces and water heaters, and with fireplaces. CO alarms are sold in hardware and electronic stores. Buy one certified to a UL2034 or CAN/CGA6.19 standards. Electric powered units should also bear the CSA logo. These devices can be installed close to the combustion appliance being monitored. Having a CO detector close to bedrooms is also a good idea. Correcting Combustion Spillage Problems If you have a combustion spillage problem, it is important to deal with it. Often, solutions to existing problems and prevention of future problems require similar strategies. Once you have determined that you have a problem and have identified a cause, consider the relevant actions described under Preventing Combustion Spillage. Ensure that all necessary repairs or improvements are done as quickly as possible, and by experienced professionals. If you are unsure about your options, consult the Yellow Pages™ to find professionals who specialize in, for example, ducting, building inspection, indoor air quality, chimneys and heating equipment. Your fuel supply company should also be able to provide assistance. Related CMHC Information Carbon Monoxide

How to Identify and Control Bed Bugs; Guidelines To Help Rid a Home of Bed Bugs. (Compiled by the Housing and Community Environment Program of the Allegheny County Health Department) What are Bed Bugs? bedBed bugs are small wingless insects that feed solely upon the blood of warm-blooded animals. Bed bugs and their relatives have evolved as nest parasites. Certain kinds inhabit bird nests and bat roosts and await the return of their hosts; others have adapted well to living in the ‘nests’ (homes) of people. Hatchling bed bugs are about the size of a poppy seed, and adults are about 1/4 of an inch in length. Looking from above they are an oval in shape, but are flattened from top to bottom when viewing them from the side. Their color ranges from nearly white (just after molting) or a light tan to a deep brown or burnt orange. The host’s blood may appear as a dark red or black mass within the bug’s body. Because they never develop wings, bed bugs cannot fly. When disturbed, bed bugs actively seek shelter in dark cracks and crevices. What Do Bed Bugs Do? Bed bugs seek out people and animals, generally at night while these hosts are asleep, and painlessly sip a few drops of blood. Bed bugs prefer the dark. While feeding, they inject a tiny amount of their saliva into the skin. Repeated exposures to bed bug bites during a period of several weeks or more causes people to become sensitized to the saliva of these bugs; additional bites may then result in mild to intense allergic responses. The skin lesion produced by the bite of a bed bug resembles those caused by many other kinds of blood feeding insects, such as mosquitoes and fleas. How Do Bed Bugs Get In Your Home? Because bed bugs readily hide in small crevices, they may accompany (as stowaways) luggage, furniture, clothing, pillows, boxes, and other such objects when these are moved between apartments, homes and hotels. Used furniture, particularly bed frames and mattresses, are of greatest risk of harboring bed bugs and their eggs. Thus, one should carefully scrutinize and consider the history of any used furniture, particularly ‘street’ items so plentiful at the beginning and end of each academic year. Because they readily survive for many months without feeding, bed bugs may already be present in apparently ‘vacant’ and ‘clean’ apartments. Bed bugs can wander between adjoining apartments through voids in walls and holes though which wires and pipes pass. Bed Bug Feeding Habits howdyBedbugs are generally active only at night, with a peak attack period about an hour before dawn, though given the opportunity, they may attempt to feed at other times of day. Attracted by warmth and the presence of carbon dioxide, the bug pierces the skin of its host with two hollow tubes. With one tube it injects its saliva, which contains anticoagulants and anesthetics, while with the other it withdraws the blood of its host. After feeding for about five minutes, the bug returns to its hiding place. The bites cannot usually be felt until some minutes or hours later, as a dermatological reaction to the injected agents. Although bedbugs can live for up to 18 months without feeding, they typically seek blood every five to ten days. Bed bugs hide in cracks and crevices during daylight hours. They hide in the folds and tufts of mattresses, coils of springs, cracks and hollow posts of bed stands bed rails and headboards. They may be found inside the cabinetry of furniture and the bottom and sides of drawers. They also can be found behind loose wallpaper, behind pictures on the walls, under door and window casings, and behind baseboards. However, they are not restricted to these places. It is important to recognize that not all bites or bite-like reactions are due to bed bugs. Bed bugs or their signs will be present if it is a bed bug bite. Bed bugs do not live under the skin. If you experience biting sensations during the day, it may be an allergy related condition. Bedbugs are often erroneously associated with filth. They are attracted by exhaled carbon dioxide, not by dirt, and they feed on blood, not waste. In short, the cleanliness of the infested environment has no effect on bedbugs. Their numbers may be reduced temporarily by vacuuming, but will recover and require vacuuming again. Health Effects on Humans signgWhile bedbugs have been known to harbor pathogens in their bodies, including plague and hepatitis B, they have not been linked to the transmission of any disease and are not regarded as a medical threat. Some individuals, however, can get skin infections and scars from scratching bites. While bedbugs are not regarded as a vector of transmissible diseases, they are a serious stressor and will create a lot of alarm and distress. With some individuals, it may precipitate mild to moderate cases of delusional parasitosis. How Do I Know If I Have Bed Bugs? You may notice itchy skin welts. You may also see the bed bugs themselves, small bloodstains from crushed insects, or dark spots from their droppings. It is often hard to see them because they hide in or near beds, other furniture, and in cracks. How Do I Search for Bed Bugs? Carefully inspect the bed frame, mattress, and other furniture for signs of bed bugs and their eggs. Although dead bed bugs, cast bug skins and blood spots may indicate an infestation occurred previously; they do not confirm that an infestation is still active. Search for live (crawling) bugs and ensure they are bed bugs before considering treating. Keep in mind the eggs can be as small as a poppy seed and the larvae as small as a grain of rice. Bed bug females lay about 200 eggs, usually at the rate of three or four a day, in cracks and crevices in the floor or bed. Eggs are placed in cracks, crevices and other isolated and protected shelters. Females lay eggs after a blood meal. Eggs will hatch in one or two weeks into Nymphs. Newly hatched bugs(Nymphs) begin feeding immediately. At room temperature, and with an available food supply, the nymphal period will last 14 to 30 days. They shed their skin (Instar)five times before becoming adults. Bed bugs will mate soon after becoming mature, so the time from egg hatch to egg laying will be 4 to 9 weeks, under favorable conditions. Bed Bug Management 1) Look For The Bugs swThe first step to getting rid of bed bugs is to do some investigative work. Remember that bed bugs are visible to the eye. Be prepared to inspect all areas of the room using a bright flashlight and a magnifying glass if you have one available. Bed Bugs can leave reddish- brown spots on mattresses and have a distinct smell. Remember that the bed bug's flat shape and small body enable it to hide easily in cracks and crevices. Bed bugs, eggs, larvae, and fecal deposits will go unnoticed with just a casual inspection. You should leave nothing unturned when doing your inspection for bed bugs and no site should be ignored that may be a bed bug harborage. Bed Bugs could be hiding anywhere! Examples are: wall sconces, behind electrical switch plates, behind wall posters, between books and magazines on shelves and in racks, or even inside an alarm clock, radio or TV. Be prepared to inspect all the places near sleeping areas, which may mean taking the bed frames apart! 2. Prepare The Area A thorough cleaning of the premises will make bed bug control efforts by you and the pest control contractor much more effective. Strip all beds down to the bare sleeping surface. Bedding (sheets, blankets, comforters, covers, and shams) should be washed in very hot water. Very hot water (120+degrees) will kill the bed bugs. Clutter should be removed from furniture tops, bed stands and under/around the bed. Open up the clock radio and phone (that's right, Bed Bugs may be hiding in there too!). Tap the open ends into a bag or on sticky tape so the bed bugs can’t jump and hide. In severe infestations, clothing should be removed from dressers and chests. Utilize a crack & crevice vacuum tool to remove bed bugs from deep harborage such as: under baseboards; under carpet edges (pull up along the tack strip); around switch plates (you may have to remove the plate first); from the bed frame; inside box springs; inside furniture; and from floor cracks. Use a hand-brush attachment to vacuum up most of the bed bugs. Vacuum mattresses and box springs (especially along seams and folds); upholstered furniture; and behind drapes. Also vacuum the floor completely. After vacuuming, remove the bag from the vacuum, tie it tightly, and remove it from the premises ASAP. Remember, really infested bedding may have to be completely discarded. Indirect measures can go a long way in controlling bed bugs: keep bats and birds away from houses; clean furnishings, launder bedding and mattress pads, and steam-clean mattresses. You may also prevent bed bugs from getting into homes by removing debris from around the house, repairing cracks in walls, and caulking windows and doors. 3) Physical Controls. Simple physical control methods include standing the legs of beds in soapy water, coating the legs with petroleum jelly or double-sided sticky tape. Bed bugs cannot climb polished glass or metal easily and they don't fly, so that the legs of beds can also be placed inside glass jars or metal cans. Move the bed away from walls and furniture. Do not use bedding that touches the floor. Wear night clothes/ pajamas with long sleeves and a high neck. 4) Chemical Controls. Chemical control includes the use of common insect repellents on exposed skin (OFF, 6-12, etc.) and applying residual insecticides in cracks and crevices. This can be done to supplement the treatment being applied by a commercial pest control company. Sprays containing natural pyrethrins can be used. Sorptive dusts such as fumed silica (also called diatomaceous earth) are useful in closed, hard-to-reach places. These pesticides can be purchased from local vendors (hardware stores, etc) and from several companies on the internet (see sources below). They can safely be applied by the occupant, as long as the directions on the label are followed. If you feel unsure about using pesticides yourself, they are best done by a professional pesticide applicator. Inorganic materials, such as silica gel, boric acid and diatomaceous earth will provide long term control when used in a dry, indoor environment with low humidity. These materials have very low repellency to insects and can provide good control when applied to cracks and crevices. Diatomaceous Earth is a good example. It is a natural, non-toxic substance made from crushed fossil shells of freshwater organisms and marine life (Old Coral reef). Crushed to a fine powder when seen through a microscope, the particles resemble bits of snowflakes through the lens. It is harmful to any insect and harmless to humans, animals, fish, fowl or food. How it works is that insects have a waxy outer shell covering their bodies and breathing surfaces. The microscopically sharp edges of Diatomaceous Earth and silica gel cut through this waxy layer, causing the bed bug to dehydrate and die. It is especially effective for crawling insects such as bed bugs. The mode of action is strictly mechanical. Bed bugs can not build immunities to this method of pest control such as with traditional pesticides. Liquid and aerosol (aka “Bug Bomb”) pesticide sprays containing either benzalkonium chloride or natural/synthetic pyrethrins can be applied to the whole room and as a spot treatment to cracks and crevices that may harbor bed bugs. These botanical insecticides will repel and knock down bed bugs for a time, but they deteriorate quickly and provide no residual action. The finish on some wooden furniture may also be damaged from the petroleum carriers contained in aerosol pyrethrins. Synthetic pyrethroids like Deltamethrin, lambda-cyhalothrin and others can provide good control if thoroughly applied to bed bug hiding places. They are long lived residuals and will not damage materials that are not harmed by water. Both liquid and dust insecticides are available in hardware stores, pharmacies, mail order catalogues and on-line via the internet. Professional Pest Control contractors can offer a few more pesticide formulations, but to be successful, they all require a very thorough application. There is no magic bullet. A couple of “do it yourself” web sites include www.bed-bug.net, and www.thebugstore.net (external links). Much more information on bed bugs is available from pest control contractors, county agents and university websites (such as this page from the University of Kentucky: www.uky.edu/ag/entomology, external link). Photographs from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Housing and Community Environment Program of the Allegheny County Health Department

Researchers develop vaccine to treat nicotine addiction By Alex Crees Published June 27, 2012 FoxNews.com Researchers have developed a vaccine that successfully treated nicotine addiction in mice, according to a study published Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine. With just a single dose, the vaccine protected mice against nicotine addiction for the rest of their lives, the researchers said. The vaccine works by prompting the animal’s liver to act as a ‘factory’ that continually produces antibodies. The antibodies then absorb the nicotine as soon as it hits the bloodstream, preventing it from reaching the brain or the heart. According to the study’s lead investigator, Dr. Ronald Crystal, chairman and professor of Genetic Medicine at Weill Cornell Medical College, it normally takes nicotine about six to 10 seconds to cross the bloodstream, reach the brain and bind to receptors. This is what produces the calm or relaxed feelings that drive nicotine addiction. By blocking nicotine from reaching the brain, the antibodies prevent those pleasurable feelings from occurring. "As far as we can see, the best way to treat chronic nicotine addiction from smoking is to have these Pacman-like antibodies on patrol, clearing the blood as needed before nicotine can have any biological effect," Crystal said in a released statement. Importantly, the vaccine allows the body to build up its own immunity against nicotine, making it more effective and consistent than vaccines developed in the past. Crystal said previous nicotine vaccines likely failed because they directly injected nicotine antibodies into the body, rather than prompting the body to build its own antibodies. This meant these ‘passive’ vaccines had to be injected multiple times, because they only lasted for three to four weeks, and the dosage level required may have varied from person to person—particularly if the person started smoking again. On the other hand, the researchers knew the second main type of vaccines, known as ‘active’ vaccines, wouldn’t protect against nicotine addiction either. Active vaccines—used to protect people against viruses such as polio or the mumps—work by introducing a piece of a virus into the body, which in turn prompts the body to develop a lifelong immune response against the invading agent. However, nicotine molecules are too small for the immune system to recognize. As a result, the researchers had to develop a third kind of vaccine: a genetic vaccine, which works by binding the genetic sequence of a nicotine antibody to a non-harmful virus. The virus is directed to go to the liver cells, and the genetic sequence of the antibody then inserts itself into those cells, causing the cells to produce a stream of the antibodies along with the other molecules they make. “We can target almost any organ [with this type of vaccine], but the reason for using the liver is that it is a very good secretory organ,” Crystal told FoxNews.com. “The liver is very good at making and secreting many proteins, so we just genetically modified the liver cells to also make antibodies against nicotine.” Crystal said he first thought of the concept behind the vaccine a few years ago while passing by a newsstand. “I saw a magazine cover that said something along the lines of ‘Addiction: We Need Vaccines’ and got this idea to use gene therapy.” The vaccine doesn’t appear to have any negative side effects, though it still must be tested in rats and non-human primates for efficacy before it reaches human trials. Crystal said if the vaccine continues to show promise in animal trials, it will likely be tested in humans in the next two years. Furthermore, if there is proof of both safety and efficacy, the vaccine could even potentially be used as a preventative measure in the future, similar to the HPV vaccine, Crystal added. The concept could also theoretically be used to develop vaccines for other drug addictions, such as cocaine and heroin. Approximately 20 percent of Americans smoke, despite taxes, warning labels and television advertisements warning against the dangers of cigarettes and their associated negative health effects—such as lung cancer, emphysema and COPD. These diseases are responsible for one in every 5 deaths in the U.S. Seventy percent of people trying to quit end up relapsing within six months. “It’s an addiction—it’s very hard to stop and enormously costly to society,” Crystal said. “We need new strategies to help people get past this addiction, and this is a promising, novel approach, so we’re hopeful.” Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/06/27/researchers-develop-vaccine-to-treat-nicotine-addiction/#ixzz2JNShfEXx

January is radon awareness month Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, radioactive gas produced by the natural decay of uranium and radium in the soil, Exposure to elevated radon levels increases the risk of developing lung cancer. The EPA estimates that 21,000 lung cancer deaths each year in the United States are due to radon. Iowa have a very high potential for elevated levels of radon gas, The average indoor concentration In Iowa is 8,5 pd'/L; this is six times the national average. Iowa also leads the nation in the percent of homes over the recommended 4 pd'/L action levels as well as the percent of homes over 20 pCi/L. Based on data collected from radon home tests, the Iowa Department of Public Health estimates that as many as 5 In 7 homes across Iowa have An estimated 400 deaths per year in Iowa are caused by radon-induced lung cancer. Page County Environmental Health can assist you In testing your home for Radon. We offer do it yourself test kits that are low cost and easy to perform. These are short term tests lasting from 3 to 7 days, If the test results show that your home has radon levels above the 4.0 pCi/L it Is suggested that you have a radon mitigation system installed.

Members of Congress Put Formaldehyde in Consumer Products under the Spotlight January 11, 2013 Cinnaminson, NJ, January 11, 2013 Last month, concerns over formaldehyde in a popular hair straightening product once again made national news. In December, three members of Congress sent a letter to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) expressing concern over the presence of formaldehyde in the products. According to reports, the members of Congress first contacted the FDA last year and asked the agency to issue a voluntary recall of the hair straightening products containing dangerous levels of the chemical. The FDA responded with a warning letter to the manufacturer of the product stating they were misbranded and adulterated and requested the company take corrective actions. Last month’s letter came about because the company has reportedly not reformulated their products. Formaldehyde is a colorless, flammable, strong-smelling chemical that is used in numerous building materials and to produce some household products. Its primary use is in the production of resins and as a chemical intermediate. It is also a by-product of combustion and certain other natural processes. The World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has classified formaldehyde as a potential human carcinogen. “Thousands of workers in hair salons may be at risk on a daily basis due to exposure to formaldehyde from these hair straightening products,” reported Joe Frasca, Senior Vice President, Marketing at EMSL Analytical, a leading formaldehyde testing laboratory. “Not only are workers at risk, but customers at hair salons are also being exposed to dangerous levels of this chemical. EMSL provides both product testing, to determine the presence of formaldehyde in consumer goods, as well as air sampling analysis to assist in monitoring for its presence in the air people breathe.”

Decoration Disease-Post renovation (pre-occupancy) IAQ Testing: Indoor Air Quality Challenges of the Green Economy Published : Thursday, January 17th, 2013 By : IAQ Consultants Pte Ltd As more and more buildings are being built and commissioned under Green Building guidelines such as Green Mark and LEED, there is growing recognition that property owners, developers, and architects need to ask the Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) question if they want their building to achieve the sustainability goals they desire. Off-gassing is the name for given when chemicals are released from manmade objects containing volatile organic compounds and formaldehyde from resins, adhesives, sealants. Green building materials must also to be addressed as low levels of air pollutants are still emitted and can cause sensitivities in individuals. IAQ Consultants environmental services provide a variety of IAQ evaluation services, including LEED EQ 3.2 testing, evaluation of moisture and mould in buildings under construction, renovation or existing buildings. IAQ can substantiate new products and finishes with suppliers before installation to ensure levels of VOC emissions and formaldehyde are acceptable prior to fit out. This will help with overall levels of off gassing when in confirmed spaces such as a re-designed office space. This is essential knowledge for the unsuspecting tenant, developer or interior designer, who are reportedly receiving more and more complaints regarding serious health complaints, post refurbishment for up to 6 months in some cases before levels of off-gassed chemicals are expelled. Prior to IAQ test: Prepare the space to operate as intended for occupancy with the HVAC set for the minimal outside air contribution (Fresh Air). The IEQ testing does need to be completed during normal occupancy hours for the new space and with a minimum testing duration of 4-hours continuous monitoring. In a statement from Emma Precious, one of IAQ’s Managers: “We have tested hundreds of offices spaces over the years, and recurrently the same high test results are appearing from the chemical parameters tested during the post occupancy, post renovation stages. – This is too late, and people as already showing signs of poisoning. Our results tell us that so many materials and products are off gassing seriously high levels of VOC emissions especially found during cheap punch list touch-ups. Post renovation (Pre-occupancy) IAQ clearance testing is essential to test that good air quality levels have returned after improvement works, upgrading or renovation works to avoid ‘Decoration Disease’ the worrying new term coined for the health effects caused by chemical pollutant releases from the installation of new composite materials, carpets, paints, and plastic objects and furnishings into enclosed spaces that have not been expunged before occupants return”. The health effects of Formaldehyde, which are classified as a human carcinogen can cause nasopharyngeal cancer and probably leukaemia. As China is the largest producer and consumer of formaldehyde products in the world, it stands to reason that Singaporeans, as a major importer of Chinese goods, are potentially at increased risk for developing cancer and other associated health effects from bringing these products into the office or home where air is confirmed and allows levels to concentrate. More than 65% of the Chinese formaldehyde output is used to produce resins mainly found in composite wood products — on of the major sources of indoor pollution. Every building project is unique so the variables for indoor air quality testing need to be carefully considered to assure the results are representative of the space evaluated. IAQ Consultants has decades of experience performing indoor air quality assessments. Our breadth of experience and tight relationships with our vendors allows IAQ Consultants to customize these evaluations to fit within physical and time constraints of most any planned renovation project.