PLASTIC BOTTLES

For the past couple months, I’ve been back at community college taking pre-requisites for an environmental science grad school program. One of my professors recently had us watch a documentary called “Tapped” (featuring Capt. Moore), which discusses, among other issues, the negative environmental and health effects linked to disposable plastic water bottles, from their initial creation and bottling to their inevitable disposal. In addition to their contributions to ocean pollution and waste accumulation, there are a few other things I think we should all be aware of when it comes to the one-time use plastic items.

To recap a bit from previous posts, disposable plastic bottles (as well as other disposable plastic items) never fully biodegrade once they are thrown away. Bottles that aren’t recycled and are improperly disposed of often end up in landfills and the ocean. Though a combination of light rays and/or water help to degrade the bottles, tiny pieces of plastic still remain. It’s those tiny pieces that contain many of the harmful chemicals that were involved in manufacturing the bottles and that end up in the stomachs of countless marine animals and shorebirds. When we eat fish that have eaten plastic, we’re taking in traces of that plastic too.

But what do water bottles have to do with air quality? As the documentary also discusses, water bottles are manufactured in petrochemical plants that release harmful air contaminants. Various citizens interviewed who live near these plants reported numerous health problems, such as respiratory issues, that they believe were caused by the air pollutants emitting from the plants. Beth Terry’s “What’s Plastic Got to Do With Clean Air?” on the Moms Clean Air Force website offers additional information on the types of air contaminants involved in the plastic manufacturing process. (Link will be included at the end of this post).

What makes the use of plastic water bottles even harder to swallow are the chemicals we’re potentially ingesting with every sip. If harmful chemicals are going into plastic bottle production, it makes sense that those chemicals would still be present in the plastic once the manufacturing process is over. Plastic water bottles are known to leech or release harmful chemicals into the water they contain, especially when left in warm/hot environments (like in the trunks of our cars for soccer games, or in our garages until we need another case). The documentary particularly focuses on the bottles’ tendency to contain and release Bisphenol A, better known as BPA. BPA is a compound that imitates hormones in our bodies, and has been linked to a variety of health problems, such as breast and prostate cancer and low sperm count.

The good news is that we have the ability to keep from exposing ourselves, others, and the environment to the harmful effects associated with plastic water bottles. We can choose to invest in safer, sustainable alternatives, such as BPA-free reusable bottles and do away with harmful disposables for good.

By: Capt. Charles Moore

JUST A STORY IN LIFE

A 24 year old boy seeing out from the train’s window shouted… “Dad, look the trees are going behind!” Dad smiled and a young couple sitting nearby, looked at the 24 year old’s childish behaviour with pity, suddenly he again exclaimed… “Dad, look the clouds are running with us!”

The couple couldn’t resist and said to the old man… “Why don’t you take your son to a good doctor?

”The old man smiled and said…“I did and we are just coming from the hospital, my son was blind from birth, he just got his eyes today.

Every single person on the planet has a story.

Don’t judge people before you truly know them;

The truth might surprise you.

#Shared by: MKR#

SAFETY PROCEDURES IN FILLING STATION PETROL OIL

Just for sharing.

WARNING about safety procedures when filling gasoline at gas stations:

 1) Turn off your engine before you start filling petrol.

2) Keep the fuel source from children. Never allow children to gasoline vehicles. Follow directions petrol station which is only 16 years old and above are allowed to refuel.

 3) No smoking. Remember, do not pluck a fire or turn a match at a petrol station. Any 'ignition' will cause a fire.

4) Give full attention during refuelling. This is because you are transferring hazardous materials. Do not do lightly.

5) Do not use any communication materials, especially electronic hardware such as mobile phones, laptops and so on during refuelling.

6) Do not fill the oil completely. Avoid spilling liquid as it is very easy to switch to gas and flammable.

7) Also avoid refuelling properly because of heat stress on a full tank can explode if there is no room to expand.

8) After filling let 'nozzle' moment in the hole to prevent the fuel tank from dripping. Do not knock 'nozzle' on the tank due to fear of 'ignition'.

9) “Park” the 'nozzle' to its original place very slowly.

10) In case of fire in the tank, do not move 'nozzle' is. Save the passengers who were in the vehicle. Please get help from a petrol station staff immediately.

11) Do not get in and out of the vehicle refuelling. This is because the change in charge on the body can occur and may cause a fire.

12) If you want to fill gasoline into a container, make sure the container is removed from the vehicle in advance and filled out the vehicle. Be sure not filled completely to make room for the expanding gas petrol.

Notes ** Petrol means any fuel derived from petroleum, including diesel and natural gas (NGV).

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DISASTER MANAGEMENT SYSTEM (DMS)

1.    What is Disaster Management System?

a)    The United Nations defines a disaster as a serious disruption of the functioning of a community or a society.

b)    Disasters involve widespread human, material, economic or environmental impacts, which exceed the ability of the affected community or society to cope using its own resources.  

c)     The Red Cross and Red Crescent societies define disaster management as the organisation and management of resources and responsibilities for dealing with all humanitarian aspects of emergencies, in particular preparedness, response and recovery in order to lessen the impact of disasters.

2.    Types of disasters:  There is no country that is immune from disaster, though vulnerability to disaster varies. There are four main types of disaster.  

a)    Natural disasters: including floods, hurricanes, earthquakes and volcano eruptions that have immediate impacts on human health and secondary impacts causing further death and suffering from (for example) floods, landslides, fires, tsunamis.

b)    Environmental emergencies: including technological or industrial accidents, usually involving the production, use or transportation of hazardous material, and occur where these materials are produced, used or transported, and forest fires caused by humans.  

c)     Complex emergencies: involving a break-down of authority, looting and attacks on strategic installations, including conflict situations and war.

d)    Pandemic emergencies: involving a sudden onset of contagious disease that affects health, disrupts services and businesses, and brings economic and social costs.

3.     Any disaster can interrupt essential services, such as health care, electricity, water, sewage/garbage removal, transportation and communications. The interruption can seriously affect the health, social and economic networks of local communities and countries.

4.    Disasters have a major and long-lasting impact on people long after the immediate effect has been mitigated.

5.    Poorly planned relief activities can have a significant negative impact not only on the disaster victims but also on donors and relief agencies.

6.    So it is important that physical therapists join established programmes rather than attempting individual efforts.

7.    Local, regional, national and international organisations are all involved in mounting a humanitarian response to disasters.

8.    Each will have a prepared disaster management plan. These plans cover prevention, preparedness, relief and recovery.

9.    Disaster prevention:  

a)    These are activities designed to provide permanent protection from disasters. Not all disasters, particularly natural disasters, can be prevented, but the risk of loss of life and injury can be mitigated with good evacuation plans, environmental planning and design standards.

b)    In January 2005, 168 Governments adopted a 10-year global plan for natural disaster risk reduction called the Hyogo Framework. It offers guiding principles, priorities for action, and practical means for achieving disaster resilience for vulnerable communities.

10.        Disaster preparedness:

a)    These activities are designed to minimise loss of life and damage – for example by removing people and property from a threatened location and by facilitating timely and effective rescue, relief and rehabilitation. 

b)   Preparedness is the main way of reducing the impact of disasters. Community-based preparedness and management should be a high priority in physical therapy practice management.

11.       Disaster relief:
 

a)    This is a coordinated multi-agency response to reduce the impact of a disaster and its long-term results. Relief activities include rescue, relocation, providing food and water, preventing disease and disability, repairing vital services such as telecommunications and transport, providing temporary shelter and emergency health care.

b)    Disaster recovery: Once emergency needs have been met and the initial crisis is over, the people affected and the communities that support them are still vulnerable.
 

c)     Recovery activities include rebuilding infrastructure, health care and rehabilitation.

d)    These should blend with development activities, such as building human resources for health and developing policies and practices to avoid similar situations in future.

e)    Disaster management is linked with sustainable development, particularly in relation to vulnerable people such as those with disabilities, elderly people, children and other marginalised groups.

f)      Health Volunteers Overseas publications address some of the common misunderstandings about disaster management.

#Shared by: MKR#

SICK BUILDING SYNDROME (SBS)

1.    Sick Building Syndrome (SBS) describes a range of symptoms thought to be linked to spending time in a certain building, most often a workplace, but no specific cause can be found.

2.    The symptoms of SBS may include:

a)    Headaches and dizziness.

b)    Nausea (feeling sick).

c)     Aches and pains.

d)    Fatigue (extreme tiredness).

e)    Poor concentration.

f)      Shortness of breath or chest tightness.

g)    Eye and throat irritation.

h)    Irritated, blocked or runny nose.

i)       Skin irritation (skin rashes, dry itchy skin).

j)       The symptoms of SBS can occur on their own or in combination with each other, and they may vary from day to day.

3.    Different individuals in the same building may experience different symptoms.

4.    They usually improve or disappear altogether when you leave the building and often return when you re-enter the building.

5.    Who's affected by SBS? Anyone can be affected by SBS, but office workers in modern buildings without opening windows and with mechanical ventilation or air conditioning systems are most at risk.

6.    The likelihood of experiencing SBS symptoms can be higher if you're employed in routine work that involves using display screen equipment.

7.    If you or your employees use computer equipment at work, you should ensure that both the equipment and work area are set up correctly and are in line with the Health and Safety Executive’s Display Screen Equipment Regulations.

8.    Read more tips about how to use a laptop correctly and safely.

9.    Women are more likely to develop the symptoms of SBS than men. This may be because more women work in offices, rather than women being more susceptible to the condition.

10. SBS environments: SBS seems to be associated with certain       types of buildings.

11.   Most cases occur in open plan offices, but people sometimes develop the symptoms while in other buildings that are occupied by lots of people such as:

a)    Schools

b)    Libraries

c)     Museums

12.There have also been anecdotal reports of people experiencing symptoms such as headaches, tiredness and dizziness at home.

13.  Although these symptoms aren't necessarily related to SBS, it's important to ensure your home is a safe environment.

14. Make sure you have working smoke alarms fitted and that gas appliances, such as cookers and boilers, are regularly serviced.

15. Make sure you can open the windows to allow you to ventilate your home, and keep your home as dust-free as possible.

16.  Keeping the rooms free of clutter and in good decorative order will also help make your home a pleasant environment in which to live.

17.Read more about preventing carbon monoxide poisoning and  keeping your home clean.

18.  Risk factors: Since the 1970s, researchers have tried to identify the cause of SBS. As yet, no single cause has been identified.

19. Most experts believe that it may be the result of a combination of things.

20. Possible risk factors for SBS may include:

a)  Poor ventilation

b)  Low humidity

c)   High temperature or changes in temperature throughout the day.

d)  Airborne particles, such as dust, carpet fibres or fungal spores.

e)  Airborne chemical pollutants, such as those from cleaning materials or furniture, or ozone produced by photocopiers and printers.

f)   Physical factors, such as electrostatic charges.

g) Poor standards of cleanliness in the working environment.

h)  Inadequate ventilation when using chemical cleaning products.

i)    Poor lighting that causes glare or flicker on visual display units.

j)    improper use of display screen equipment.

k) Psychological factors, such as stress or low staff morale Advice for employees.

21. If you think your working environment is making you ill, talk to your colleagues to see whether they have similar symptoms.

22.  If SBS appears to be a workplace issue, you should raise it with your line manager.

23. They'll be able to investigate the matter further with the help of your health and safety representative.

24.   Your employer has a duty of care to investigate the problem.

25.   For further advice, your employer should have access to an occupational health service.

26.   The environmental health services of your local authority or your local Health and Safety Executive (HSE) office may also be able to provide help and advice about how to deal with SBS.

27.    Employer’s responsibilities: The HSE recommends that employers take the steps outlined below to investigate the possible causes of SBS.

a)  Carry out an employee survey to find out whether symptoms are occurring more often than expected. It may also help to identify any obvious causes that can easily be fixed, such as adjusting the office temperature. See below for more information.

b)  Check the general cleanliness of the building, including checking that the vacuum cleaners are working properly and are regularly emptied and their filters are clean.

c)   Check that cleaning materials are being used properly and stored correctly.

d)  Check the operation of the heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system. In particular, the system that supplies fresh air should be checked.

e) Check the condition and cleanliness of air filters, humidifiers, de-humidifiers and cooling towers. The HSE recommends humidity of 40-70% should be maintained in office environments.

f)   Check heating, ventilation and air-conditioning system maintenance schedules.

28.   Make sure they're being followed properly.

29.   Once the above steps have been completed and any necessary actions have been taken, employers should carry out another employee survey at a later date to find out whether employees are still experiencing the symptoms of SBS.

30.  If the SBS symptoms are still present, a more detailed investigation will be needed.

31. This can be carried out by a building services engineer or another similarly qualified consultant.

32.  Employee surveys: There can be advantages in employers being proactive about SBS and asking individual workers informally whether they have any concerns about their working environment.

33. If there are credible reports of symptoms, a survey should be arranged in a way that tries to avoid employee discussion, which can distort the findings.

34. A simple survey should cover the frequency of symptoms and whether they improve outside of the building.

35.  Conducting this type of survey can help identify any issues which can then be dealt with before they become more serious problems.

36.   Workplace health: There are a number of measures you can take at work to help prevent the symptoms of sick building syndrome. For example, you can:

a)  Open windows to avoid getting too hot

b)  Organise and prioritise your workload to help prevent stress

c)  Take regular screen breaks of five to 10 minutes (if you use a computer) for every hour that you're sitting at your desk

d)  Go outside for some fresh air and a walk during lunchtime and break time

e)  Eat healthily and exercise regularly to help maintain high energy levels and good posture while at work

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MIDDLE EAST RESPIRATORY SYNDROME (MERS)

1.  As reported by BBC, as at 07 June 2015, the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak in South Korea had caused 6 death, 87 confirmed contracted the diseases, and with 2,300 been place under quarantine.

2.  HSEQM department would like to advise all staff to be alert of this outbreaks, and take necessary step or precaution to avoid the risk of contracted and spreading of the said disease within our working environment.

3. Please inform HRAD or your superior if you are returning from South Korean recently in current school holiday break. Also as a precaution step, please do visit to clinic immediately should you experience fever, cough or shortness of breath after in contact with person whom had visited to South Korea recently.

4.  Below are the extract from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention about MERS. You may visit to the following website for further information about MERS.

 5. Syndrome (MERS) is an illness caused by a virus  called Middle East Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus (MERS-CoV).

6. MERS affects the respiratory system (lungs and breathing tubes). Most MERS patients developed severe acute respiratory illness with symptoms of fever, cough and shortness of breath.

7. About 3-4 out of every 10 patients reported with MERS have died.

8. Health officials first reported the disease in Saudi Arabia in September 2012.

9. Through retrospective investigations, health officials later identified that the first known cases of MERS occurred in Jordan in April 2012. So far, all cases of MERS have been linked to countries in and near the Arabian Peninsula. MERS-CoV has spread from ill people to others through close contact, such as caring for or living with an infected person.

10. MERS can affect anyone. MERS patients have ranged in age from younger than 1 to 99 years old. CDC continues to closely monitor the MERS situation globally and work with partners to better understand the risks of this virus, including the source, how it spreads, and how infections might be prevented.

11. CDC recognizes the potential for MERS-CoV to spread further and cause more cases globally and in the U.S. We have provided information for travelers and are working with health departments, hospitals, and other partners to prepare for this. Symptoms and Complications Most people confirmed to have MERS-CoV infection have had severe acute respiratory illness with symptoms of:

a)  Fever

b) Cough

c) Shortness of breath.

12. Some people also had gastrointestinal symptoms including diarrhea and nausea/vomiting.

13. For many people with MERS, more severe complications followed, such as pneumonia and kidney failure. About 3-4 out of every 10 people reported with MERS have died. Most of the people who died had an underlying medical condition.

14. Some infected people had mild symptoms (such as cold-like symptoms) or no symptoms at all; they recovered. Based on what researchers know so far, people with pre-existing medical conditions (also called comorbidities) may be more likely to become infected with MERS-CoV, or have a severe case.

15. Pre-existing conditions from reported cases for which we have information have included diabetes; cancer; and chronic lung, heart, and kidney disease. Individuals with weakened immune systems are also at higher risk for getting MERS or having a severe case.

16. Based on information we have to date, the incubation period for MERS (time between when a person is exposed to MERS-CoV and when they start to have symptoms) is usually about 5 or 6 days, but can range from 2-14 days.

17. Transmission MERS-CoV, like other coronaviruses, is thought to spread from an infected person’s respiratory secretions, such as through coughing. However, the precise ways the virus spreads are not currently well understood.

18. Person-to-person spread of MERS-CoV, usually after close contact, such as caring for or living with an infected person, has been well documented. Infected people have spread MERS-CoV to others in healthcare settings, such as hospitals.

19. Researchers studying MERS have not seen any ongoing spreading of MERS-CoV in the community.

20. All reported cases have been linked to countries in and near the Arabian Peninsula. Most infected people either lived in the Arabian Peninsula or recently traveled from the Arabian Peninsula before they became ill.

21. A few people became infected with MERS-CoV after having close contact with an infected person who had recently traveled from the Arabian Peninsula. Public health agencies continue to investigate clusters of cases in several countries to better understand how MERS-CoV spreads from person to person.

22.  Prevention and Treatment Prevention Currently, there is no vaccine to prevent MERS-CoV infection.

23. The U.S. National Institutes of Health is exploring the possibility of developing one. CDC routinely advises that people help protect themselves from respiratory illnesses by taking everyday preventive actions:

a) Wash your hands often with soap and water for 20 seconds, and help young children do the same.

b) If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.

c) Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then throw the tissue in the trash.

d) Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

e) Avoid personal contact, such as kissing, or sharing cups or eating utensils, with sick people.

f) Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and objects, such as doorknobs.

g)  If you are caring for or living with a person confirmed to have, or being evaluated for,


24. MERS-CoV infection, see Interim Guidance for Preventing MERS-CoV from Spreading in Homes and Communities.

25. Treatment There is no specific antiviral treatment recommended for MERS-CoV infection.

26. Individuals with MERS can seek medical care to help relieve symptoms.

27. For severe cases, current treatment includes care to support vital organ functions. If you think you may have been exposed MERS-CoV, see People at Increased Risk for MERS.

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