As the United Nations climate change summit in Copenhagen heads into its final week, nearly half of Americans — 49% — say they are only slightly or not at all concerned about climate change, while 35% are somewhat or highly concerned, a new Zogby Interactive survey shows.
After the first several weeks of uncertainty, most of the news about the 2009 H1N1 "swine flu" pandemic has been reassuring, according to the Harvard Health Letter, December, 2009 edition.
Every winter, millions of people catch influenza "a viral infection of the airways”and about half a million people die as a result. In the U.S. alone, an average of 36,000 people are thought to die from influenza-related causes every year.
Through November, 2009, approximately 99% of typed influenza viruses have been 2009 H1N1. The vast majority of 2009 H1N1 viruses tested for drug resistance have been susceptible to oseltamivir and zanamivir but resistant to the adamantanes (amantadine, rimantadine). Surveillance data, updated weekly, are available at www.cdc.gov/flu/weekly These recommendations will be revised as needed to adapt to new information on risk factors, antiviral availability and resistance, or the circulation of other influenza viruses.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) developed a method to provide an estimated range of the total number of 2009 H1N1 cases, hospitalizations and deaths in the United States by age group using data on flu associated hospitalizations collected through CDC’s Emerging Infections Program. On November 12, 2009 CDC provided the first estimates for April through October 17, 2009 and committed to updating those estimates approximately monthly.
American Industrial Hygiene Association Government Affairs Director Aaron Trippler reported yesterday that it looked as though the Senate was nearing approval of the 2010 omnibus appropriations bill, possibly during the Sunday session. Trippler says, “While they are still debating health care, they have removed the final obstacle to approving the omnibus appropriations bill so I expect the vote to take place with no further debate. This bill combines all remaining appropriations bills yet to be passed by Congress.”
EPA has released its annual national analysis of the Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), and the analysis of the 2008 data, the most recent data set available, shows that 3.86 billion pounds of toxic chemicals were released into the environment, a 6 percent decrease from 2007.
As a result of the largest environmental bankruptcy in U.S. history, $1.79 billion has been paid to fund environmental cleanup and restoration under a bankruptcy reorganization of American Smelting and Refining Company LLC (ASARCO), the Justice Department, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Department of the Interior and Department of Agriculture announced last week.
Crespac Inc. in Tucker, Ga., has been cited with 34 safety and health violations by the OSHA, according to an agency press release. Proposed penalties total $266,400.
American Industrial Hygiene Association Government Affairs Director Aaron Trippler reported yesterday that it looked as though the Senate was nearing approval of the 2010 omnibus appropriations bill, possibly during the Sunday session. Trippler says, “While they are still debating health care, they have removed the final obstacle to approving the omnibus appropriations bill so I expect the vote to take place with no further debate. This bill combines all remaining appropriations bills yet to be passed by Congress.”
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