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Only one in six adults -- and only one in four binge drinkers -- says a health professional has ever discussed alcohol use with them even though drinking too much is harmful to health, according to a new Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Particle pollution, or particulate matter, consists of particles that are in the air, including dust, dirt, soot and smoke, and little drops of liquid. Some particles, such as soot or smoke, are large or dark enough to be seen. Other particles are so small that you cannot see them.

Twenty-five million children in the U.S. ride the bus to and from school, spending an average of an hour and a half on a bus each day. Depending on the design of your child’s bus, it could be emitting harmful particles.

Obesity is associated significantly with the development of asthma, worsening asthma symptoms, and poor asthma control. This leads to increase medication use and hospitalizations. In 2010, the obesity rate among adults with current asthma (38.8%) was significantly higher than the rate among adults without current asthma (26.8%).

Tests done this morning at a West Virginia water treatment facility show some improvement in water quality – a sign that area residents may soon be able to drink water from their own taps.

Want to learn more about OSHA’s proposed rule on occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica? The agency will host a live web chat tomorrow from 1 – 1:30 p.m. EST to discuss it.

Older firefighters who are chronically exposed to heat stress on the job may be more heat resilient over time. A recent study published in the December issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (JOEH) found that older firefighters may be able to tolerate more challenging or arduous work environments before they feel affected by the heat, compared to non-heat-exposed workers who would need to stop work prematurely. 

State and federal authorities continue to descend on Charleston, West Virginia in the wake of a devastating chemical spill Thursday that has left 300,000 residents of nine counties unable to drink tap water and has forced the closure of schools and businesses.

Last fall, I taught my first collegiate sustainability course for the University of Iowa’s Evening MBA Program. If you’re like me — a recovering perfectionist — you can relate to this story. When environmental issues you care about can often (literally) seem like life or death… the end of the world, etc… then every decision feels like it carries a lot of weight.

Myth #1: Flu shots cause the flu. Fact: The flu vaccine used in the United States is made from inactivated viruses that cannot cause the flu.