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Friday, June 3, 2011

Preventing E Coli.

E Coli infection can be a foodborne illness and any food that you eat has the potential to be contaminated with E. coli bacteria. Taking precautions in food preparation and when eating out can reduce your risk. These include:

-Wash your hands thoroughly before food preparation and eating and after going to the bathroom and after handling food.
-E. coli bacteria can survive for several weeks on surfaces, so keep countertops clean.
-Wash all fruits and vegetables (including "pre-washed" salads) before eating them.
-Avoid allowing raw meats to come into contact with other foods while cooking
-Make sure meats (such as hamburger patties) reach an internal temperature of at least 160°F when cooking.
-Drink water that has been treated (chlorine, reverse osmosis, or filtered).
-Check with your health department to find out which restaurants have had recent problems with sanitation.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Cell Phone cancer classification - what does it really mean

From the IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer) definition of Category 2b - Possibly Carcinogenic to Humans
This category is used for agents for which there is limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and less than sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals. It may also be used when there is inadequate evidence of carcinogenicity in humans but there is sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals. In some instances, an agent for which there is inadequate evidence of carcinogenicity in humans and less than sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity in experimental animals together with supporting evidence from mechanistic and other relevant data may be placed in this group. An agent may be classified in this category solely on the basis of strong evidence from mechanistic and other relevant data.

Also listed in this group category are a few other items for which people have widespread exposure: caffeine and gasoline.

What does this mean to me? This does not prove any connection, but I am going to go ahead and use caution as I always have.