Miscellaneous News

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ANSTO radiation worker records unusual dose

During a normal monthly health physics check, the radiation monitoring badge of an Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO) worker recently registered an unusual dose of 66 millisieverts or the equivalent of five abdominal CT scans. Other workers’ badges were normal.

26 Oct 2005

China has become the 89th country to ratify the global tobacco treaty

...the Framework Convention on Tobacco Control (FCTC). Countries that ratify the treaty commit themselves to stringent tobacco control measures, including advertising restrictions, clean indoor air laws, higher tobacco taxes, and bigger warning labels on tobacco packaging.

26 Oct 2005

Obese workers discriminated against in the workforce

According to a new report, overweight workers are discriminated against when applying for positions, passed over for promotions, and more likely to loose their jobs.

26 Oct 2005

US Congress has wasted an opportunity to tackle the rising numbers of chronically hungry people in the world

On World Food Day, Oct 16, the World Food Programme (WFP) delivered some disquieting news: the number of chronically hungry people is rising again after decades of decline. Almost 6·5 million people have died so far this year from hunger and related diseases, which claim more lives than AIDS, malaria, and tuberculosis combined.

20 Oct 2005

How hurricanes impact public health long term

A Johns Hopkins emergency physician who spent the past five weeks working on public health issues in the Gulf Coast region following hurricane Katrina warns that the disaster's potential for wreaking havoc and damage to people's health may continue for months after the hurricane has passed.

19 Oct 2005

New publication on nutrition and an active life

Nutrition and an Active Life: From Knowledge to Action is an new anthology produced by leading public health experts from the Pan American Health Organization and the international development community.

19 Oct 2005

Northern Ireland bans smoking in pubs and restaurants

Northern Ireland has become the first region in the UK to introduce a smoking ban in pubs and restaurants.

19 Oct 2005

When it comes to keeping clean, old fashioned soap and water may be best

Over the last decade the popularity of soaps and cleaning products claiming to have anti-bacterial properties has mushroomed as consumers are persuaded, by clever marketing, that they offer a defense against household illnesses.

19 Oct 2005

Hertfordshire group to adopt a new approach to weight loss

A new group which will help women who are seriously overweight to lose weight and keep it off run by the University of Hertfordshire will start in Stevenage in January.

18 Oct 2005

Cannabis smoke less likely to cause cancer than tobacco smoke

According to a leading U.S. expert, cannabis smoke is less likely to cause cancer than tobacco smoke.

18 Oct 2005

Kenneth Clarke needs to quit tobacco industry for party leadership

Prospective candidate for the Tory party leadership, Kenneth Clarke, is "unfit" for the role because of his continued connection with the tobacco industry, says a contributor to this week's British Medical Journal.

13 Oct 2005

Rapid urbanization is a huge challenge to food production

Swedes eat on average twice as much meat, and considerably more fruit and vegetables in the early 21st century than in the 1870s. Nevertheless, the surface area required to produce our food has decreased, measured per person. But this decrease is largely based on non-sustainable use of resources.

5 Oct 2005

Cost-effective technique for reducing mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants

Researchers at Lehigh University's Energy Research Center (ERC) have developed and successfully tested a cost-effective technique for reducing mercury emissions from coal-fired power plants.

3 Oct 2005

High rates of musculoskeletal injuries among poultry workers

A survey of poultry workers in western North Carolina reveals high rates of injuries, as well as significant differences among poultry companies in numbers of injuries and how workers view company emphasis on safety.

28 Sep 2005

British Medical Journal publishes euthanasia opinions

Next month's debate in the House of Lords could begin the process of changing the law on euthanasia and physician assisted suicide. To help doctors decide where they stand, the British Medical Journal has published a range of opinions.

26 Sep 2005

Center for Law and the Public's Health receives important global designation

The Center for Law and the Public's Health at Georgetown and Johns Hopkins Universities has been designated a World Health Organization (WHO) and Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Collaborating Center on Public Health Law and Human Rights , making it the only academic center of its kind to receive this global status.

19 Sep 2005

British Government's strategy on alcohol will do nothing to tackle problem drinking in Britain

The British Government's strategy on alcohol will do nothing to tackle problem drinking in Britain, because it "embraces the industry's diagnosis and preferred remedies", says an editorial in this week's British Medical Journal (BMJ).

10 Sep 2005

Funding the "war on terror" could cost the lives of millions of Americans

Professor Erica Frank argues that the US government's decision to shift funds away from basic public health services towards preventing terrorism has cut funding for common diseases and for disaster relief, resulting in enormous numbers of unnecessary deaths.

10 Sep 2005

At last, the seven secrets of eternal youth!

There are it seems seven different factors which we should be concentrating on in our search for eternal youth and they have nothing to do with plastic surgery and crazy diets!

10 Sep 2005

Radiation oncologists around the country open their doors to Gulf Coast patients

Many victims of Hurricane Katrina are also cancer patients undergoing radiation therapy treatments. To help patients displaced by the storm, the American Society for Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology is compiling a list of radiation therapy facilities around the country who are willing and able to treat patients who have been evacuated from the area.

7 Sep 2005