Consumer Health

77 oilspill links (con’t)

Continued from here
Mental Health
69. Traumatic Incident Stress: Information for Deepwater Horizon Response Workers and Volunteers ÔÇô CDC

70. Mississippi Dept. of Mental Health ÔÇô oil spill resources

71. Alabama Dept. of Mental Health – Gulf Coast Oil Crisis Assistance

72. Louisiana Dept. of Mental Health

73. The Gulf Oil Disaster: Developing a Positive Outlook in the Face of Tragedy (American Psychological Association)

74. Shore Up Your Resilience to Manage Distress Caused by the Oil Disaster in the Gulf (American Psychological Association)

Mobile apps
75. Oil spill tracker & reporting tool for Android phones

76. MoGo: Mobile Gulf Observatory: Oiled wildlife tracker & reporting tool for iPhone

77. Deepwater Horizon Response Text Message Alerts

And for a little lagniappe, the best related t-shirt money can buy**:

** Solely the opinion of the author. LSUHSC-NO in no way supports, condones or authorizes the purchase of above product.

unhappy anniversary ya’ll. See you in 154 days.

77 oil spill links

courtesy NASA

1. Oil Spill Human Health Research Coordinating Group at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center-New Orleans

General public
2. CDC – Information for Coastal Residents – discusses the effect of the spill on food and water, and describes various oil smells and what health effects you may experience from inhaling them

3. CDC – Dispersants Quick Facts for Coastal Residents: Corexit 9500, 1,2-Propanediol, & other chemicals in the Gulf

4. Light crude oil and your health: CDC

5. Gulf Oil Spill Information for Pregnant Women (CDC)

6. Oil spill issues- Public information: what to do and why (FAQ from the Louisiana Dept. of health and hospitals) ÔÇô English

7. Oil spill issues-Public information: what to do and why (FAQ from the Louisiana Dept. of health and hospitals) ÔÇô Spanish

8. Oil spill issues-Public information: what to do and why (FAQ from the Louisiana Dept. of health and hospitals) ÔÇô Vietnamese

9. What you should and should not do in areas affected by the oil spill (Louisiana Dept. of health and hospitals) ÔÇô English

10. What you should and should not do in areas affected by the oil spill (from Louisiana Dept. of health and hospitals)- Spanish

11. What you should and should not do in areas affected by the oil spill (from Louisiana Dept. of health and hospitals) ÔÇô Vietnamese

12. Questions and Answers about the BP Oil Spill in the Gulf Coast (EPA)

13. Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill ÔÇô Texas Parks & Wildlife Department

14. Oil spill resources ÔÇô Louisiana Dept. of Public Health

15. Resources for individuals affected by oil spill ÔÇô Louisiana (food banks, support for children, BP claims/workforce assistance, homeowners insurance support and more )

16. Pubmed Search on oil spills and health

17. Odors from the BP Oil Spill (EPA) ÔÇô describes the different aromas & health effects, how to report

18. Table of Chemical Constituents Commonly Found in Crude Oil (CDC)

19. Florida Dept. of Environmental Protection ÔÇô Deepwater Horizon Response ÔÇô hotlines, FL response phone numbers, maps & surveillance

20. Disasterassistance.gov: file a BP claim

21. Gulf Oil Spill Health Hazards: chemicals and health effects (From Sciencecorps.org)

22. Crude Oil Spills and Health (National Library of Medicine)

23. Children and the oil spill ÔÇô American Academy of Pediatrics:

24. Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Update (FDA): seafood safety

25. Volunteer ÔÇô Louisiana

26. Volunteer ÔÇô Mississippi

27. Volunteer ÔÇô Florida
28. Volunteer – Alabama

29. What are tarballs and how do they form? (NOAA):

30. Health and Safety Aspects of In-situ Burning of Oil (NOAA)

31. Oil Well
Fires (U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine)

32. Exposure to Oil Fires/Oil Fire Smoke (U.S. Army Center for Health Promotion and Preventive Medicine)

33. Shoreline Assessment (NOAA) Photographs demonstrating oil spill terminology: Oil distribution Surface oiling, Surface oiling types, Sediment types, Shoreline types, Cleanup methods

Response workers
34. Safety and Training of Oil Spill Response Workers (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences) awareness-level health and safety resource training tools in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese for response workers

35. Gulf Oil Spill 2010: Information for Response Workers (CDC)

36. Deepwater Horizon Guidance for Workers (NIOSH/OSHA)

37. Reducing Occupational Exposures while Working with Dispersants During the Deepwater Horizon Response (NIOSH/OSHA)

Maps
38. Beach advisories/status map ÔÇô Louisiana

39. Beach advisories/status map ÔÇô Florida

40. Beach advisories ÔÇô Alabama

41. Beach advisories-Mississippi

42. Beach advisories-Texas

43. Federal Fisheries Closure and Other Information (NOAA)

44. Where the oil is: A daily status of the Deepwater Horizon oil spill (US Fish and Wildlife Service)

45. NOAA interactive map: Environmental response management application (ERMA) ÔÇô (Very, very cool!)

46. Air monitoring on the Gulf Coast (EPA) air quality maps, reports

47. Coastal Water Sampling (EPA): maps, location analysis

48. Coastal Sediment Sampling (EPA): maps, analysis

49. Oil spill trajectory hindcast/forecast (Ocean Circulation Group and the Optical Oceanography Laboratory at College of Marine Science, University of South Florida)

50. OSHA’s Efforts to Protect Workers: interactive maps showing OSHA presence and chemical sampling in the Gulf

51. Oil spill crisis map (Louisiana Bucket Brigade and Tulane University)

Surveillance
52. NIOSH Report of BP Illness and Injury Data (April 23 ÔÇô June 6, 2010)

53. Press Release: REPORTING OF OIL SPILL-RELATED ILLNESSES & INJURIES TO THE LOUISIANA DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH & HOSPITALS (call 888-293-7020 or fax 225-342-8117)

54. Number of Patients Reporting Possible, Suspected, or Known Exposure to Oil in Baldwin and Mobile Counties (Alabama) by Week – link removed Jan.7, 2011
55. Monitoring and sampling information (BP)

56. The Oil Spill and Calls to Poison Centers – American Association of Poison control Centers (so far theyÔÇÖve received 621 exposure calls & 459 information calls. Louisiana has the highest number of calls):

57. Gulf oil spill health surveillance (CDC)

Chemicals and Dispersants
58. Oil Spill Dispersant (COREXIT ?«EC9500A and EC9527A) Information for Health Professionals

59. COREXIT?« EC9527A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

60. COREXIT?« EC9500A Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS)

61. COREXIT?« EC9500A Technical Product bulletin (primary distributors, special handling information, physical properties like specific gravity, pH, toxicity, analysis for heavy metals etc )

62. COREXIT?« EC9527A Technical Product bulletin (primary distributors, special handling information, physical properties like specific gravity, pH, toxicity, analysis for heavy metals etc )

63. NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards

64. NIOSH Topic Page on 2-butoxyethanol (COREXIT EC9527A contains between 30-60% of 2-butoxyethanol, a dispersant chemical):

65. 2-butoxyethanol from the Hazardous Substances Databank: human health effects, emergency medical treatment, animal toxicity studies, environmental exposure, pharmacology, chemical properties, occupational exposure, etc.

66. 2-butoxyethanol from HazMap ÔÇô exposure assessment, adverse effects

67. Pubmed search on 2-butoxyethanol

68. Dispersants: a guided tour (NOAA)

Continue to #69-77, because our blogging software leaves much to be desired.

MedlinePlus Redesign coming this Summer!

Features to look forward to:
ÔÇóEmphasizes search and makes navigation more intuitive
ÔÇóWeb 2.0 technologies that help users share content
ÔÇóDistinctive color schemes for English and Spanish pages

Arthritis Facts!

Arthritis is the nation’s leading cause of disability – Fact

Approximately 46 million people in America have been diagnosed with arthritis, and of them 300,000 are children. Arthritis is a group of?á conditions that affects joints as well as other parts of the body. Avoiding a sedentary lifestyle by walking or doing some other type of exercise is recommended to improve conditions. Inactivity may cause arthritis patients to experience more pain. Nearly everyone over the age of 75 is affected by arthritis in at least one joint, according to the American College of Rheumatology.

The 3 most common types of arthritis are:

• Rheumatoid

• Juvenile

• Osteoarthritis

A few ways to keep moving are stationary cycling, walking and gardening.

For additional information visit:

http://www.arthritis.org/arthritis-awareness-month.php

MedlinePlus Does Anatomy

MedlinePlus.gov, the authoritative government source for consumer oriented health care information, now has Anatomy Videos! Intended for consumers, “these animated videos show the anatomy of body parts and organ systems and how diseases and conditions affect them.” The video narrator’s voice is almost as soothing as the one on the Science Channel show, How It’s Made.

College Health

College life can be overwhelming to some, with all the new responsibilities and challenges that one might face. Medline Plus offers several tips in order for college students to maintain healthy lifestyles, such as:

Getting enough sleep

Eating a balanced diet

Keeping up with vaccinations and checkups

Getting regular exercise

Making smart choices about alcohol and drugs

Practicing safe sex

Seeking help if you are depressed or stressed

Finding the right balance might be tough at first but once you implement these practices into your lifestyle you should remain healthy.

For more information visit:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/collegehealth.html

Seafood Safe?

School of Public Health Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Department Head, Jim Diaz appeared on WWL-TV on Friday night (April 30th) and stated that the general public does not need to be concerned that “with both the chemical sampling and taste testing that the experts do now, he does not think contaminated seafood will make it to your table.”

3-D TV Potential Health Hazards

Before you go out and purchase that 3-D TV to enhance your theatrical home experience, you might want to know that they pose a potential health hazard.?á Although itÔÇÖs a bit too early to determine a full list of hazards, some makers are releasing warnings about watching 3-D television which may cause:

• Nausea
• Dizziness
• Seizures

Other reports include:

• Eye twitching
• Convulsions to disorientation

Dr. Nicolas Bazan, head of the LSUHSCÔÇÖs Neuroscience Center, is concerned about the effects it will have on children. Since the connection between the brain and the eye are still in developing stage, the extent is not known about how harmful it can be. Like most other things, moderation is recommended.

To find out more information, visit:

http://www.abc26.com/news/local/wgno-news-3d-tv-health-hazards,0,3938270.story

Donate Life Month

April is Donate Life Month!

Did you know that as of the beginning of April, 2010, there were 106,759 people on the waiting list to receive donated organs or tissues?

Each day, about 77 people receive organ transplants. However, 19 people die each day waiting for transplants that can’t take place because of the shortage of donated organs.

Signing up to become an organ and/or tissue donor is easy and very important.

You can save a life!

Child Abuse Prevention Month

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month. The CDC states that “in 2007, approximately 794,000 children were confirmed by Child Protective Services as being abused or neglected.” Of that number, over 21,000 are in Louisiana. Prevent Child Abuse Louisiana is a state-wide, non-profit organization dedicated to preventing the abuse and neglect of our state’s children.

2010 County Health Rankings

The County Health Rankings ÔÇö the first time researchers have examined the multiple factors that affect health in each county in all 50 states ÔÇö a collaborative effort by the University of WisconsinÔÇÖs Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The 50 state reports help public health and community leaders, policy-makers, consumers and others to see how healthy their county is, compare it with others within their state and find ways to improve the health of their community.

Louisiana Summary report is available at
http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/sites/default/files/CHR2010_LA.pdf

MedlinePlus goes mobile

You can now access FREE patient health information in both English and Spanish on your mobile phone.

Medlineplus viewed on your mobile browser

Access this new mobile resource at http://m.medlineplus.gov

Go ahead! After all, your US tax dollars pay for it.

Get Your Eyes Examined!

Since January is Glaucoma awareness month it is a good time to schedule an eye exam and get checked for glaucoma.

The Facts: (From the Glaucoma Research Foundation)
Glaucoma is the leading cause of preventable blindness.
Over 4 million Americans have glaucoma.
Nearly half of those are not even aware that they have it.
Glaucoma can gradually steal sight without warning.
There is no cure for glaucomaÔÇöyet.
Medication or surgery can slow or prevent further vision loss.
Early detection is vital to stopping the progress of the disease.

Experts: Grinch likely depressed

A press release issued by the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, reports, “Being irritable, grumpy and seeking social isolation are also hallmarks of depression, and could explain the GrinchÔÇÖs disdain for the Who – the tall and the small – his mistreatment of his dog Max and, ultimately, why he tried to stop Christmas from coming. The Grinch, who lives atop Mt. Crumpet, is likely depressed, says University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill psychologist Cynthia Bulik, Ph.D.” Dr. Bulik makes it clear that she has not officially treated the Grinch but is very familiar with his story.

Click through for an interview with Dr. Bulik.

12 Ways to Health

As the holidays creep up upon us, the CDC offers this festive public service message, sung to the tune of The Twelve Days of Christmas.

The first way to health, said the CDC to me
Wash hands to be safe and healthy…

Listen here (or send an e-card)