Injuryboard Commentary - Toxic Substances

Restaurants a Major Source of Food Poisoning

K.C. Bouchillon — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 12:40:00 GMT

According to the Centers for Disease Control, food contamination or "food poisoning" injures millions of Americans each year, resulting in 300,000 hospitalizations and 5,000 deaths.

Obviously, restaurants are a major source of such contamination. Though the industry is heavily regulated, restaurants regularly fail inspections, often for serious violations.

Before you go to a restaurant, check it out. The results of restaurant inspections are often available online. For example, here in Polk County, you can go to the following link to see how the county's restaurants fared in the most recent inspections:

www.ledgerdata.com/restaurantinspection/

Check it out. It's a real eye-opener.

If you or someone you know has been injured as a result of food poisoning, give me a call.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by K.C. Bouchillon

EPA Issues Rules to Reduce Water Pollution from Construction Sites

Paul Napoli — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:36:08 GMT

November 29, 2009

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has issued a final rule aimed at reducing water pollution from construction and development industries.

The final rule, which takes effect in February 2010 and will be phased in over a four-year period, will require construction site owners and operators who disturb one or more acres to use erosion and sediment control best management practices (BMPs) and pollution prevention measures to prevent run off of pollutants from construction sites into nearby bodies of water.

It also requires construction site owners and operators who impact 10 or more acres to monitor stormwater discharges and comply with a numeric standard for the pollutant turbidity in those discharges. This is the first time that EPA has imposed national monitoring requirements and enforceable numeric limitations on construction site stormwater discharges.

Construction activities like clearing, excavating and grading significantly disturb the land and cause soil and sediment runoff, one of the leading causes of water quality problems nationwide.

“The disturbed soil, if not managed properly, can easily be washed off of the construction site during storms and enter water bodies,” the EPA Final Rule says. “Stormwater discharges from construction activities can cause an array of physical, chemical and biological impacts.”

If you or a family member have suffered illness or your property contaminated by soil or ground water pollution, toxic spillage, chemical seepage, improper waste disposal or other environmental issues from construction, mining or other industrial operations, it is important that you contact an attorney immediately to discuss your legal options. Call Napoli Bern Ripka, LLP today at 888-529-4669.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Paul Napoli

Latent Hazards of Asbestos Exposure

Randy Appleton — Sun, 29 Nov 2009 21:48:00 GMT

Mesothelioma is a common health hazard caused by asbestos poisoning while working in industries that manufacture products made from this deadly material. Symptoms of asbestos poisoning may not show up immediately due to the long period of reaction latency which can cause symptoms not to show up for 10-40 years after initial exposure to asbestos.

If you feel you have been exposed to asbestos in any way, then it’s crucial to get tested. There are common illnesses that show as symptoms related to asbestos poisoning. In the event that your medical tests are positive for asbestos, then you may find yourself diagnosed with mesothelioma, pleural plaque, or asbestosis.

Asbestos poisoning may show gradual effects to the body but it can lead to serious illnesses which can put financial strain on you and your family. Employers have legal obligations to support your medical expenses, but if they do then they would have to confirm that your asbestos poisoning had been acquired from the work place. In many cases, this would imply guilt on their part and that is the last thing they would want to do as to avoid a costly lawsuit.

If you think that you exhibit symptoms of asbestos poisoning and that it was acquired from the line of work directly or indirectly, you need to have a competent personal injury lawyer who will help you receive the right compensation that you deserve. Don’t dilly-dally around and consult with your lawyer right away before it’s too late. Of course, never sign any documents presented to you by your employer until you meet withy your own attorney for their advice in regards to your asbestos exposure.

About the Editors: Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm (VA-NC law offices ) edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard, and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as a pro bono service to consumers.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Randy Appleton

Feds link toxic Chinese drywall to corrosion in homes

Emily Mapp Brannon — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 21:06:00 GMT

Federal officials have found a “strong association” between toxic Chinese drywall and corrosion of electrical systems in homes, according to The New York Times.

The conclusion is one of the few public statements from the federal government that the drywall is at fault for problems in thousands of homes.

The toxic drywall issue is important to many Hampton Roads homeowners, where toxic drywall has forced countless people from their homes.

My colleague John Cooper wrote recently about a number of area homeowners who traveled to Richmond to lobby lawmakers and regulators on the issue.

“The real suspect can now be confirmed,” Jack McCarthy, president of Environmental Health & Engineering, told The Times. His company studied 51 homes for the government. “There’s a strong association with the drywall and hydrogen sulfide and the corrosion that we see in these homes. Temperature, humidity and air exchange rates are contributing factors.”

Homeowners in the South are most at risk, the study found. High temperatures, high humidity, and confined air circulation in well-insulated air-conditioned homes all bring the toxic hydrogen sulfide out of the drywall.

The finding comes from the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the agency that has been the locus of complaints from homeowners. More than 2,000 homeowners have complained to the federal government about the drywall.

The commission declined to link the toxic drywall to the health problems that many homeowners have suffered. However, it is studying how to get homeowners financial aid. It has also asked the Internal Revenue Service to permit deductions of drywall-replacement costs as a casualty loss.

(MM)

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Emily Mapp Brannon

Safe Holiday: Making Thanksgiving Safe

Mike Bryant — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:29:00 GMT

With a week to go before the Thanksgiving holiday, it's important that thoughts turn to food safety before it becomes an issue. More than 200,000 Americans get sick each day from what they eat, and turkey dinner with all the trimmings complicates it all.

The following rules should be observed:

Washing your hands often- Hand washing is one of the best ways to prevent the spread of food borne illness.
Keep raw food separate from cooked food- Either keep it cold or keep it hot.
Use a food thermometer - Salmonella dies at 165 degrees
Store leftovers in small portions in the fridge- Keep the fridge at 40°F degrees or below to keep bacteria from growing.
Wipe down counters, cutting boards and utensils that have had raw meat on them

The Injuryboard has focusing on food issue, a review of these topics can prevent and help with food problems all year long.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Groups Push Congress To Reform Toxic Substance Act

Chrissie Cole — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 11:52:00 GMT

Hundreds of babies are crawling to D.C. to urge Congress to overhaul America’s toxic chemical policy.

Each year, some 1.2 million children under six are unintentionally poisoned at home by everyday items including cleaning products.

The federal law intended to protect people from health-harming chemicals is not working and needs to be overhauled, says event sponsors, which include Seventh Generation. They also say, only 200 of some 800 chemicals require safety testing.

The Million Baby Crawl is one of more than a dozen evens across the country pushing for reform. To join the community to rally in support of the Toxic Substances Control Act reform visit www.millionbabycrawl.com.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Chrissie Cole

Safe Holiday : Cooking The Turkey

Mike Bryant — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 09:27:00 GMT

With the turkey dinner just days away, it's important that consideration go into how the turkey is prepared.

The turkey should be thawed completely.
Enough time must be allowed to cook a whole turkey. (A 20-pound turkey needs two to three days to thaw completely when thawed in the refrigerator at a temperature of no more than 40 degrees Fahrenheit. A stuffed turkey needs 4 ¼ to 5 ¾ hours to cook completely).
A food thermometer should be used so to ensure that 165-180 degrees Fahrenheit is achieved.

The Injuryboard has focusing on food issues , a review of these topics can prevent and help with food problems all year long.

Have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Popular Food Can Make You Sick

Mike Bryant — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 18:46:00 GMT

This past week, the Center for Science in the Public Interest released the list of foods that have the most reported food illnesses. Unfortunately, they may be most people's favorites. This may mean a couple of things:

- All foods can make us sick

- That we don't do a very good job of preparing the foods we eat

- That the more mass produced a food product is, there may be more risks in those processes.

They found that since 1990 the top ten list was:

leafy greens were involved in 363 outbreaks and about 13,600 illnesses.
Eggs, involved in 352 outbreaks and 11,163 reported cases of illness.
Tuna, involved in 268 outbreaks and 2,341 reported cases of illness.
Oysters, involved in 132 outbreaks and 3,409 reported cases of illness.
Potatoes, involved in 108 outbreaks and 3,659 reported cases of illness.
Cheese, involved in 83 outbreaks and 2,761 reported cases of illness.
Ice cream, involved in 74 outbreaks and 2,594 reported cases of illness.
Tomatoes, involved in 31 outbreaks and 3,292 reported cases of illness.
Sprouts, involved in 31 outbreaks and 2,022 reported cases of illness.
Berries, involved in 25 outbreaks and 3,397 reported cases of illness.

The problems were mostly caused by norovirus, E. coli, and salmonella bacteria. Unfortunately, Smith DeWaal the CSPI's head of food safety programs, called the list "the tip of the iceberg" when it comes to food-borne illnesses in the U.S. Because, not all outbreaks are reported to public health authorities.

How do you protect yourself? Sarah Klein, lead author of the report recommends "defensive eating," including keeping food cold and cooking it thoroughly, chilling oysters and avoiding them when raw, and avoiding raw eggs or using them in homemade ice cream.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Safe Holiday: Picking Your Turkey

Mike Bryant — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:25:00 GMT

The key to the whole meal is picking the turkey. A recent government study suggests that that isn't a simple task. “Last year USDA released data on turkey contamination that showed 90% of the turkeys tested in 1996 and 1997 were contaminated with Campylobacter and 18% were contaminated with Salmonella,” said Caroline Smith DeWaal, director of Food Safety for CSPI. “This year, CSPI hoped to document positive changes in turkey safety due to the new mandatory hazard control systems (called HACCP) now used in most turkey plants. Instead, what we found was shocking.”

Tests conducted by CSPI on 50 turkeys from five cities found:

	A total of 16% of all turkeys tested were contaminated with Campylobacter.
	Fresh turkeys in the sample were significantly more likely than the frozen turkeys to be contaminated.
	Turkeys from Los Angeles were more contaminated than turkeys from Washington, DC, New York, Chicago, and Miami.
	None of the turkeys tested were contaminated with Salmonella.

“Consumers can improve their odds of avoiding food poisoning by washing their hands frequently, using safe food-handling practices, such as washing preparation counters thoroughly with hot soapy water before and after handling their turkey, and by cooking the turkey to 180°,” concluded DeWaal. For more safety tips check out suggestions for a safe Thanksgiving

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant

Real Stories Behind Food Poisoning

Mike Bryant — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 09:43:00 GMT

There is a real person behind every food poisoning. I'm reminded of that every time I sit down and talk to a family who has lost a loved one. So many times, we here at the InjuryBoard write this food alert or that outbreak. I try to write each story with an eye toward future safety and what could have been done differently. The point is to prevent another similar incident from happening again. I've appreciated it when I have been contacted after a post by a reader who thanks me for pointing out the safety consideration. I think it comforts people to know that something is being done to prevent future issues and even maybe to save lives in the future.

Locally the story of Stephanie Smith, 22 year old from Cold Spring, Minnesota who suffered severe cramping and diarrhea, then kidney failure and seizures as a result of eating a tainted hamburger. She was in a medically induced coma for nine weeks and since waking up, has not been able to walk. She was known as a dance instructor who loved to work with children.

The New York Times looked at the story and provided not only a heartbreaking video of her loss, but also tracked the story as to what it was that caused this tragedy to happen. How the burger came from frozen hamburger made by Cargill, which saved 25 percent in production costs by using a mix of trimmings and a mash-like product from slaughterhouses in Nebraska, Texas and Uruguay vs. whole meat .

Low-grade ingredients are cut from areas of the cow that are more likely to have had contact with feces, which carries E. coli. Cargill was relying upon the processing plants. The result is the type of product that can sicken people. But in this case changes a young woman's life forever.

A simple example of why we need to work to make the food we eat safer. Too many people have been hurt. Stephanie Smith was one of those.

Originally posted at InjuryBoard by Mike Bryant