Policy statement by American Academy of Pediatrics seeks to curb shooting deaths. The statement, published in the journal Pediatrics, noted that the number of gun-related deaths among youths has dropped nationally since the mid-1990s, but is still many times higher than rates in other wealthy countries. One of the authors also pointed out that most children who get injured or killed from guns — which are widely used in teen homicides and suicides — get their firearms from home. An academy panel also called for restoration of a controversial U.S. ban on assault weapons that expired in 2004. As of 2009, between 11 and 12 of every 100,000 older teens were being killed annually by gunshots. Reuters
Study provides more evidence that air pollution regulations reduce respiratory illnesses. Researchers found that hospitals in some parts of New York State admitted fewer patients with respiratory problems after regional rules required by the federal Clean Air Act helped cut smog levels. According to the study, published in the Journal of Exposure Science and Environmental Epidemiology, ozone levels were down by as much as 9 percent from 2004 through 2006, dovetailing with a decrease of as much as 11 percent in the respiratory-related hospitalizations. People on public assistance appeared to benefit the most. Environmental Health News
Eastern Europeans are the world’s biggest cigarette smokers. Figures from 71 countries compiled by the World Lung Foundation and American Cancer Society show the highest rate globally is in Serbia, where 2,861 cigarettes are consumed per person annually. Russia — which took a preliminary step Thursday to ban smoking in public places and to limit tobacco ads — came in fourth place, with an annual rate of 2,786 cigarettes per person. The only Eastern European nation that isn’t among the world leaders is Romania, which saw a decline after enacting tough anti-smoking laws in 1997. The biggest smokers outside of Eastern Europe are the South Koreans, Kazakhs and Japanese. The U.S. ranked in the middle. The Washington Post, Reuters
Health officials confirm presence of a deadly fungus in vials of steroid shots tied to meningitis outbreak. Federal authorities, who found the fungus in a batch of the back pain shots made in August, still are testing two additional lots of the drug. They also are examining other injectable drugs that were supplied by the New England Compounding Center, or NECC, the Massachusetts company at the center of the controversy. In addition, officials reported that the death toll from the meningitis outbreak climbed by one to 20, while nine new cases brought the national total to 254, including the first in New York, the 16th state with confirmed infections. Reuters, The Associated Press
Fine of $5,040 proposed against Texas firm for safety violations related to worker’s death. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration accused Symmetry Turf Installations of Mount Pleasant, Texas, with two violations for failing to protect employees working in excessive heat. OSHA investigated after a forklift operator for the firm who was resurfacing a football practice field at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, Ark., died of complications from a heat stroke he suffered on the job in June. “If this employer had provided water, rest and shade, and had been familiar with the symptoms of heat stroke, this unfortunate incident could have been avoided,” an OSHA official said. OSHA
Compiled by Stuart Silverstein
