Dole has recalled more than 1000 bags of romaine lettuce in more than 6 states from stores in Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. A sample of lettuce tested positive for listeria.
More than 30 people died in 2011 from listeria contaminated cantaloupes that were linked to Jensen Farms in Colorado.
I did not find any news on Dole’s website concerning this recall.
If you live in the South, this past weekend was a reminder of how hot it can get. Thankfully it looks like today will be our last really hot day for a bit. We all can do ourselves a favor by acclimating to the summer heat slowly. Heat illness can come on you like a ton of bricks and be fatal if not treated properly. Everyone likes to think of themselves as tough enough to work outside especially if you’ve lived down here for any length of time but in reality we are all susceptible to the heat and humidity.
Two of the more severe heat illnesses are heat stroke and heat exhaustion. I won’t bore you with my details on handling heat emergencies mostly because I’m not qualified. Here’s a great article I ran across that can explain the signs, symptoms and proper treatment of heat stroke and exhaustion.
Also, don’t forget to take precautions for your pets by ensuring they have shelter from the heat and a plentiful clean source of fresh water.
Just wanted to share this article I found from the CDC on helping prevent cervical cancer – what they call the preventable gynecologic cancer.
All women are at risk for cervical cancer, occurring mostly in women over age 30. According to CDC, most cases are “easily preventable with regular screening tests and follow-up”.
SCREENING : two tests can help find it early or prevent it altogether
1. Pap test or Pap Smear looks for precancerous cell changes
2. HPV test – detects the virus that can lead to the precancerous cell changes
HPV Vaccines: there are several vaccines available that protect against the types of HPV that most commonly cause cervical cancer. Two are approved by the USFDA – Cervarix and Gardasil.
Other prevention steps
1. Don’t smoke
2. Use condoms
3. Limit your sexual partners
For more information, read the CDC article and/or contact your gynecologist.
Even if you haven’t been outside yet today, you probably have realized that winter cold has arrived in earnest. With temperatures expected to fall quickly below freezing shortly after sunset and bottom out in the teens possibly, everyone’s desire for warmth will be priority number one.
For those of you that supplement your heat in your home with portable electric heaters, please be careful in their use.
Here’s some info from the CPSC on the setup and use of portable heaters thst should help in the prevention of injury or wrongful death.
The Commission estimates that half the deaths and one-third of the injuries resulting from electric heater fires occurred at night when family members were asleep and the heater unattended. The Commission is also concerned about the use of power or extension cords which can be too small to supply the amount of current required by the typical portable electric heater.
You should be able to respond “yes” to the following safety statements.
| Yes | No | ||
| 1. | The heater is operated at least three feet away from upholstered furniture, drapes, bedding and other combustible materials. | ___ | ___ |
| 2. | The extension cord (if used) is marked #14 or #12 American Wire Gauge (AWG). | ___ | ___ |
| 3. | The heater is used on the floor. | ___ | ___ |
| 4. | The heater is turned off when family members leave the house or are sleeping. | ___ | ___ |
Stay warm tonight and stay safe. Don’t forget to check on neighbors, pets and plants.
The US Department of Transportation held its second annual distracted driving summit yesterday. All the pertinent facts can be found through the government’s official website at www.distraction.gov.
I won’t bore you with the statistics that their related studies show other than to say distracted driving is on the rise and the number of distractions are constantly increasing. Automobile manufacturers are making important safety changes in an effort to minimize potential distractions but ultimately the onus is on us to combat these distractions and prevent car accidents.
Texting and teenagers seem to be the most obvious target of concern but from my own observations during my drive to work on the roads of Jacksonville (study to be rel’d at a later date), texting and just basic cell phone use is by no means just a teenage problem. Yes the teenagers are not as experienced behind the wheel but neither are a lot of you adults out there. It only takes a moment to completely change your life, your family’s life or that of a complete stranger and their friends and family. In less than 6 hours one day this week, I read about three tragic accidents that lead to untimely deaths on our local roads and highways. Not all were caused by distractions but we may never know if distracted driving played a role in any of those car accidents.
Hang up and drive is the best solution. Pull over and take that important call or read that e-mail. Unless you are carrying the nuclear football it can wait. In my humble opinion, it’s only going to get worse as our smart phones and mobile devices get even more advanced.
Cell phones are not the only common driving distractions. Here’s a sample list of other common distractions:
Please take some time to think about your normal driving routine and maybe even write a list of your own distractions you create every day. Share and compare with other drivers in your household and workplace and let’s make Jacksonville a safer place to drive.
Besides the fact that the law requires seat belt use, here are ten reasons why you should wear your seat belt based on statistics from a James Mason University study:
A seat belt may very well save your life in the case of a car accident. If that is not enough, it may save your child. Just as importantly, it could minimize physical injuries.There many more good reasons for wearing a seat belt and none that would suggest otherwise.
This past weekend we had a tragic reminder of why seat-belt use is so vital to our well-being. Two teeenagers in separate accidents sadly lost their lives on the roads of North Florida. One vehicle swerved to miss an animal and a young girl was ejected and killed. The other accident involved a young man who failed to negotiate a curve and was killed on impact.
Both of these accidents involved the wrongful death of a young teenager filled with lots of promise and potential. Neither of them were restrained by a seat-belt. I can’t say for certain if a seat-belt would have changed the outcome but my hunch is that both of these kids would still be with their friends and family enjoying the waning days of summer had they taken a few seconds to buckle up!
Don’t start the car until you and your passengers are properly restrained by a seatbelt or secured in a car seat.
DON’T BECOME A STATISTIC – WEAR YOUR SEAT-BELT!
According to the 2009 Recreational Boating Statistics report released today by the US Coast Guard’s Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety, fatal accidents for recreational boaters increased by 3.8 percent in 2009. The actual number of boating accidents decreased by 1.2 percent.
Two of the more shocking statistics are the fact that nearly 75 percent of of the 736 deaths from boating accidents were as a result of drowning and 84 percent of those victims were not wearing a life preserver. The other shocking statistic is that 86 percent of boat operators involved in an accident had not received any boat safety instruction. According to Admiral Kevin Cook “the two most important things boaters can do to prevent the loss of life is to wear a life jacket and take a boater’s education course.”
Would you ride in a car with someone that had never driven before? Better yet, how about fly with a pilot that has never soloed or taken flying lessons? I’m guessing MOST of you would say no.
You can’t just park the boat when bad weather rolls in and wait for it to clear like parking on the side of the highway in your car. Also, if you haven’t noticed your boat or personal watercraft doesn’t have any brakes.
Check into a local boat safety course and if you have any question about your own swimming ability or your passengers ability – please wear a life jacket. They are much more comfortable and less bulky than the old orange pull over your head life jackets our parents wore.
Happy and Safe Boating!!
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission in cooperation with Sprout Stuff of Texas has announced a recall of their infant ring slings. Sadly this is due to the wrongful death of a ten day old boy while in the Sprout Stuff ring sling.
Sprout Stuff is notifying the consumers directly.
Don’t settle for less than you deserve – www.harrellandharrell.com
The deaths of two children have prompted Family Dollar Stores, Inc in conjunction with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) to announce the recall of close to two million toy dart guns.
Family Dollar received reports of two asphyxiation deaths of a nine year old and ten year old boy. The soft pliable darts can be inhaled into the throat and prevent a person from breathing. Please click on the recall link for more information including pictures of the recalled product which was sold exclusively by Family Dollar from 2005 until 2009.
