DOES
STRETCHING REDUCE INJURIES? RESEARCH FINDS MIXED
RESULTS
The benefits of stretching to reduce
injury and improve performance are only partially supported by
research, according to a report in The Physician and Sportsmedicine
journal. What to stretch, for how long, and why are still up for
scientific debate. In a recent study, doctors checked the medical
database Medline and the sports science database SPORTDiscus for
articles on stretching. They found that only one post-exercise
stretch of 15 to 30 seconds per muscle group is needed for most
people, although some people or muscle groups may need more. If
the stretches are intended to relieve post-exercise aches, additional
stretching may provide greater benefits, according to the study.
One of the benefits of stretching is in the mind. Increasing stretch
tolerance reduces feelings of pain for the same force applied
to the muscle, according to the report. Stretching before exercise
isn't as valuable as you might think, researchers reported. An
active warmup such as jogging is more effective in decreasing
injuries. If preventing injuries is your primary objective (safety
and health pros take note), and the range of motion necessary
for an activity is not extreme, the evidence suggests that you
should drop stretching before exercise and increase warmup, according
to the article.
* * *
SOLVENTS
LINKED TO PARKINSON'S DISEASE SYMPTOMS
Jobs involving exposure to common
solvents can put workers at risk for developing symptoms of Parkinson's
disease earlier in life and more severe disease symptoms throughout
its course, according to a recent study in Neurology, the scientific
journal of the American Academy of Neurology. Italian researchers
studying 900 Parkinson's patients found that those exposed to
hydrocarbon solvents, found in petroleum-based products such as
paints and glues, were an average of three years younger at first
sign of disease symptoms. The severity of disease symptoms was
found to be directly related to the amount of hydrocarbon exposure
that was experienced. Researchers identified nine jobs within
the study group that accounted for more than 91 percent of the
hydrocarbon solvent exposure. The most common occupations of those
exposed were petroleum, plastic and rubber workers. Others found
to have frequent hydrocarbon exposure were painters, engine mechanics
and lithographers. Parkinson's disease is a slowly progressive,
neurodegenerative disease caused when a small group of brain cells
die that control body movement. Symptoms generally include tremor
in arms and legs, rigid muscles, slowness of movements and impaired
balance. Parkinson's disease affects more than 500,000 Americans.
* * *
SENATE PASSES
NEEDLESTICK BILL
The Needlestick Safety Prevention
Act passed its final hurdle in Congress on October 26 when the
Senate approved the measure. The bill passed in the House of Representatives
earlier in October. The new regulations to protect eight million
U.S. health care workers from potentially deadly needle injuries
require hospitals and other health care employers to provide workers
with needles and syringes that include safety features. Medical
workers directly responsible for patient care will also have input
in selecting the safe needle devices they will be asked to used.
Needle sticks injure up to 800,000 workers annually and can transmit
HIV, hepatitis and other potentially deadly pathogens. The Clinton
administration has stated that the president is prepared to sign
the legislation.
* **
RESEARCH
STRATEGY PUBLISHED ON ENVIRONMENTAL RISKS TO CHILDREN
EPA's Office of Research and Development
(ORD) today made available a Strategy for Research on Environmental
Risks to Children to strengthen the scientific foundation of the
Agency's risk assessment and management decisions that affect
children. The strategy provides a framework of research needs
and priorities to guide EPA programs over the next five to ten
years. The Agency is committed to promoting a safe and healthy
environment for children by ensuring that all EPA regulations,
standards, policies, testing methods, and risk assessments consider
special childhood vulnerabilities to environmental pollutants.
Children are most susceptible from early gestation through adolescence,
when pollutants may permanently alter the function of a system.
The agency said differences in a child's breathing rate, metabolism,
diets and activities (such as playing on floors) may result in
a higher toxic dose than adults would receive. The ORD strategy
provides a long-term program of research in hazard identification,
dose-response and exposure assessment and risk reduction, as well
as problem-oriented research that addresses current critical needs
identified by EPA offices. Implementation of the program will
involve partnerships between EPA, industry, states, local communities,
tribes, the international community and other federal organizations.
Printed copies of the strategy are available through the EPA.
* * *
CONSUMER INFORMATION
RANKING CLEANEST CARS AVAILABLE FOR FIRST TIME FROM EPA
Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection
Agency made public for the first time ever data that rank all
new-model cars on the basis of their tailpipe emissions. The rankings
are the pollution equivalent to the gas mileage ratings that EPA
issues annually. "Each year the health of millions of Americans,
particularly children, is jeopardized by air pollution. Today,
I am pleased to be able to arm consumers with information that,
for the first time, compares levels of air pollution from new
cars," said EPA Administrator Carol M. Browner. "Millions of Americans
daily try to help protect their health and their environment through
wise consumer choices. This web site provides information that
consumers will find useful to reduce harmful levels of air pollution
in their communities. It is part of the Clinton-Gore Administration's
continuing commitment to expand the public's right to know." Vehicles
account for almost one-third of all smog causing pollution. Nationwide,
the number of miles driven each year is up 140 percent since 1970
to 2.8 trillion. In addition, half of new vehicles sold today
are sport utility vehicles, which currently are allowed to emit
as much as three to five times the pollution as cars. Smog causes
millions of cases of respiratory ailments and is responsible for
triggering thousands of cases of childhood asthma every year.
EPA's new Vehicle Emissions Guide web site is available at: http://www.epa.gov/autoemissions
The site lists pollution levels for all model year 2000 and 2001
passenger vehicles sold in the United States, including cars,
station wagons, pickup trucks, minivans, vans and sport utility
vehicles. An emissions rank from 0 to 10, with 10 being cleanest,
is assigned to each vehicle representing its cleanliness when
compared to all other vehicles and ranges. This comparative rank
is based on the tailpipe emission standards of nitrogen oxides
and hydrocarbons, both of which contribute to the formation of
smog. For convenient comparisons, the web site also shows how
clean a vehicle is compared to similar vehicles in the same class.
The new web site helps consumers make more environmentally informed
choices when purchasing a vehicle. Consumers can select a vehicle
model, determine how clean it is relative to other vehicles, comparison
shop for similar vehicles, and choose the cleanest vehicle that
meets their needs. The web site includes emission information
about more than 2000 individual vehicles for model years 2000
and 2001. For the 2001 model year, only three cars are rated a
10, the cleanest possible. Certain versions, but not all, of the
Nissan Sentra, Toyota Prius and Honda Accord models earned a 10
ranking. These versions meet California tailpipe emission standards
and are only available for purchase in California and some Northeast
states. Designations of 8 and 9 rankings are reserved for vehicles
that meet new standards established by the Clinton-Gore Administration
last year. Under the Clinton-Gore Administration's new rules for
putting the cleanest cars in history on the road, pick-up trucks,
minivans and sport utility vehicles will be 77 to 95 percent cleaner
beginning in 2004 than those on the road today and will have to
meet the same tailpipe emission standards as passenger cars. Manufacturers
can opt to have these cleaner vehicles on the market earlier than
required, beginning with the 2001 model year. Fuel economy is
another important environmental factor to consider when buying
a vehicle because burning fuel adds greenhouse gases to the atmosphere
that lead to global warming. To make a more informed choice about
both emissions and fuel economy, the information included in the
Vehicle Emissions Guide web site can be used in coordination with
the annual EPA/Department of Energy Fuel Economy Guide (www.fueleconomy.gov)
. It allows users to compare fuel economy, greenhouse gas emissions,
and estimated annual fuel costs across models. Building upon the
opportunities provided to consumers in the Vehicle Emissions Guide
Web Site, EPA is developing a voluntary program that will make
it even easier for the public to identify and buy vehicles with
the least environmental impact. This program will recognize the
"best in class" vehicles, based on both fuel economy and emissions,
and will reward continuous improvement in these areas over time.
For more information about vehicle emission standards or the new
web site, you can contact the Office of Transportation and Air
Quality at 734-214-4488.
* * *
REMAINING USE
OF PESTICIDE ETHYL PARATHION CANCELED
EPA and the manufacturer, Cheminova,
have signed an agreement to cancel all remaining uses of the organophosphate
pesticide ethyl parathion. It is one of the most acutely toxic
pesticides still registered for use in the United States. Ethyl
parathion is also one of the most highly restricted pesticides
on the market today according to the agency's revised risk assessments.
The agreement builds on an earlier one reached in 1991 between
EPA and the registrants which limited ethyl parathion use to nine
crop sites and added restrictions to the application and post-application
work practices to reduce acute toxicity risks. Despite the restrictions,
EPA's revised risk assessments for ethyl parathion released earlier
this year indicate that high risks may remain for workers and
wildlife. However, ethyl parathion residues in food crops grown
in the United States and drinking water do not pose significant
dietary risk concerns. The pesticide has no residential uses,
though some exposure may result from spray drift. The new agreement
immediately stops the use of ethyl parathion on corn grown for
seed, which poses the greatest potential risk to workers who reenter
treated fields. It phases out use on other agricultural crops
(alfalfa, barley, corn, cotton, canola, sorghum, soybean, sunflower,
and wheat) over the next three years, ending all use of ethyl
parathion in the United States by Oct. 31, 2003. The agreement
also halts the import of technical grade ethyl parathion into
the United States and cancels registrations of ethyl parathion
used to manufacture other end-use pesticide products. The registrations
of the end-use products will be canceled effective Dec. 31, 2002.
* * *
( Health and safety articles provided
by Industrial Safety & Hygiene News. www.ishn.com)
Safety Articles
