Fat Tom

FAT TOM
F.A.T.T.O.M. explains what allows foodborne pathogens to grow. You'll also learn some important food safety terms.

FAT TOM will help you to remember these valuable terms:
Food
Acidity
Time
Temperature
Oxygen
Moisture

Food Safety information for consumers, educators, and those working in the food service industry. The information is based on recommendations found in Food Code 2009. Food Code 2009 represents the most recent science-based information about good food safety practices.

Food: There are sufficient nutrients available that promote the growth of microorganisms. Protein-rich foods, such as meat, milk, eggs and fish are most susceptible.

Acidity: Foodborne pathogens require a slightly acidic pH level of 4.6-7.5, while they thrive in conditions with a pH of 6.6-7.5. The United States Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) regulations for acid/acidified foods require that the food be brought to pH 4.5 or below.

Time : Food should be removed from "the danger zone"
within two-four hours, either by cooling or heating. While most guidelines state two hours, a few indicate four hours is still safe.

Temperature: Food-borne pathogens grow best in temperatures between 41 to 140 °F (5 to 60 °C), a range referred to as the temperature danger zone (TDZ). They thrive in temperatures that are between 70 to 104 °F (21 to 40 °C).

Oxygen: Almost all foodborne pathogens are aerobic, that is requiring oxygen to grow. Some pathogens, such as Clostridium botulinum, the source of botulism, are anaerobic.

Moisture: Water is essential for the growth of foodborne pathogens, water activity (aw) is a measure of the water available for use and is measured on a scale of 0 to 1.0. Foodborne pathogens grow best in foods that have aw between 0.95 and 1.0. FDA regulations for canned foods require aw of 0.85 or below.

Herbicide (Make UP)

Herbicide, likewise normally known as weedkillers, are compound substances used to control undesirable plants.Selective herbicides control particular weed species. Non-specific herbicides can be utilized to clear waste ground, mechanical and development locales, railroads and railroad banks as they execute all plant material with which they come into contact. Other essential refinements persistence (How long the item stays set up and stays dynamic), method for uptake (whether it is consumed by over the ground foliage just), and mechanism of action (how it works).

Salt and other metal salts were utilized as herbicides, however these have step by step dropped out of support and in a few nations some of these are banned because of their industriousness in soil, and lethality and groundwater sullying concerns.

More research is expected to know the short-and long term impacts of pesticides on people. Albeit a few studies have discovered associations between some childhood cancers and a pesticides, different studies have not achieved the same conclusions. Numerous pesticides disturb the sensory system of bugs, and research has demonstrated that they can possibly harm the neurological system of youngsters.

This is particularly ture for herbicides to harm other lives, since they are dangerous to a wide assortment of plant species, and not only the weeds. In this way, the broadcast spraying of herbicides results in broad exposures non-target species, which can bring about a unintended yet generous mortality of non-target plants. Just these aggressive plants are weeds, and these are the main focus of a herbicide application.

However, there are numerous other, non-bug types of plants in the field or manor that don't meddle with the development of the product plants, and these are additionally influenced by the herbicide, however not to any advantage regarding vegetation administration. Truth be told, particularly in ranger service, the non-target plants might be advantageous, by giving sustenance and natural surroundings to creatures, and averting disintegration and draining of supplements.

how to find the how tobuild the new sewage treatment system for the homeowners

The city of San Diego water system http://thewatchers.adorraeli.com/2011/09/09/san-diego-power-outage-caused-2-million-gallons-of-raw-sewage-spilled-into-los-penasquitos-lagoon-and-sweetwater-river/

Sewage treatment system in china

The propose of this blog is to show how to find the how to build the new sewage treatment system for the homeowners.

People could find the 6 steps for how to build the new sewage treatment system for the homeowners on the official website of the Ohio department of health. First of all choose the S from the A-Z Index, and then find the link to the sewage. Under the webpage of the sewage, choose homeowner and click the Steps for Constructing a New Sewage Treatment System.

This link will guide people to build a new sewage treatment system.

The first step is to contact neighborhood health district for particular data on STS permitting. We also need the information about when starting to build the land advancement with a STS. Neighborhood health district will visit your site to start the process.

The second step is Obtain a site and soil assessment. A complete assessment of the dirt on the property is expected to decide how much usable soil is available and where it is found. Other site conditions should likewise be resolved, for example, slant, geology and the area of close-by water sources and drinking water supplies.

The third step is to work with a sewage treatment system plan to assess the different types for your parcel. Householders ought to painstakingly assess all kinds of costs including establishment, long operation cost and maintenance and administration contract costs before settling on a final choice.

The fourth step of the plan is to obtain quotes and bids from registered STS contractors.

Step 5: The neighborhood health district  will perform a last examination of your system or object the establishment.

Step 6: Proper operation and support of your new STS is vital to guarantee the system works. Contingent upon the multifaceted nature of your system, an administration contract might be required.

Water quality coliform bacteria

Water quality coliform bacteria

Coliform bacteria are a commonly used bacterial indicator of sanitary quality of foods and water. They are defined as rod-shaped Gram-negative non-spore forming and motile or non-motile bacteria which can ferment lactose with the production of acid and gas when incubated at 35–37°C.

While coliforms themselves are not normally causes of serious illness, they are easy to culture, and their presence is used to indicate that other pathogenic organisms of fecal origin may be present. Such pathogens include disease-causing bacteria, viruses, or protozoa and many multicellular parasites. Coliform procedures are performed in aerobic or anaerobic conditions.

Water pollution caused by fecal contamination is a serious problem due to the potential for contracting diseases from pathogens (diseasecausing organisms). Frequently, concentrations of pathogens from fecal contamination are small, and the number of different possible pathogens is large. As a result, it is not practical to test for pathogens in every water sample collected. Instead, the presence of pathogens is determined with indirect evidence by testing for an "indicator" organism such as coliform bacteria. Coliforms come from the same sources as pathogenic organisms. Coliforms are relatively easy to identify, are usually present in larger numbers than more dangerous pathogens, and respond to the environment, wastewater treatment, and water treatment similarly to many pathogens. As a result, testing for coliform bacteria can be a reasonable indication of whether other pathogenic bacteria are present.

Most coliform bacteria do not cause disease. However, some rare strains of E. coli, particularly the strain 0157:H7, can cause serious illness. Recent outbreaks of disease caused by E. coli 0157:H7 have generated much public concern about this organism. E. coli 0157:H7 has been found in cattle, chickens, pigs, and sheep. Most of the reported human cases have been due to eating under cooked hamburger. Cases of E. coli 0157:H7 caused by contaminated drinking water supplies are rare.

Source: http://secure.environment.gov.au/water/policy-programs/water-quality/index.html Water quality program in Australia.

Source: http://www.epa.state.oh.us/ddagw/gwqcp.aspx water quality of the Ohio

The air quality index

The air quality index

The air quality index (AQI) of a area means that how polluted or clean the air in a particular range is. It is measured to keep the negative health impacts when people come into the area with uncleaned air. The purposes of this blog are to introduce the air quality index (AQI) and compares the AQI in Cincinnati area and Cleveland area in Ohio, and show how air pollution might be controlled.

The air quality index is used to provide the public with an indication of the air quality in a local area on a daily basis. If focuses on health effects you may experience within a few hours or days after breathing polluted air.

We can find the data we need in the home page of the Ohioenvironment protection agency.

According to the application under the Ohio environmentprotection agency, both area in Cincinnati district and Cleveland have good air quality. Moreover, this does not imply that individuals in the district ought not take measures to control air pollution. With the guide of the government and the exertion of people's concerns, air pollution might be in a good control.

There are few suggestions for the control of the air pollution, Puja Mondal believed that there are 5 ways to protect the air environment health. Some of the effective methods to Control Air Pollution are as follows:

(a) Source Correction Methods: Industries make a major contribution towards causing air pollution. Formation of pollutants can be prevented and their emission can be minimised at the source itself.

(b) Pollution Control equipment: it becomes necessary to install pollution control equip­ment to remove the gaseous pollutants from the main gas stream.

(c) Diffusion of pollutant in air: Dilution of the contaminants in the atmosphere is another approach to the con­trol of air pollution.

(d) Vegetation: Plants contribute towards controlling air-pollution by utilizing carbon dioxide and releasing oxygen in the process of photosynthesis.

(e) Zoning: Zoning advocates setting aside of separate areas for industries so that they are far removed from the residential areas.

nuclear power plant

Nuclear plant in Japan

(Source: http://inhabitat.com/japanese-nuclear-plant-rocked-by-earthquake-nuclear-emergency-situation-declared/)

 

Perry Nuclear Power Plant

(source: http://www.lakecountyohio.gov/ema/Preparedness/Nuclear.aspx)

The purpose of this blogger is to explain what are the potential health effects from exposure to nuclear power plant leaks into the environment for Human, Animals, and Plants.

For humans, Kathryn Higley, director of the Oregon State University department of nuclear engineering and radiation health physics, expresses that As radioactive material decays, or separates, the vitality discharged into the environment has two methods for hurting human. It can straightforwardly kill cells, or it can make changes DNA. On the off chance that those transformations are not repaired, the cell might turn cancerous.

Radioactive iodine tends to be absorbed by the thyroid gland and can cause thyroid cancer, said Dr. Lydia Zablotska, an assistant professor in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of California, San Francisco.

Children are most at risk for thyroid cancer, since their thyroid glands are 10 times smaller than those of adults. For Children, there are many ways they can get the radioactive effective. For example, Children were exposed to radioactive material mainly from eating contaminated leafy vegetables and dairy. There have been no detectable health effects from exposure to radioactive cesium after the accident.

Animals are particularly susceptible to radiation exposure. New studies around the Chornobyl reactor accident site have found reduced numbers of certain species and impacts to genetics.

Specialists looked at monkeys from two districts of Japan, one gathering of monkeys from the Shimokita locale, 400 Km north of Fukushima and monkeys from polluted area in Fukushima.

"Fukushima monkeys had significantly low white and red blood cell counts, hemoglobin, and hematocrit, and the white blood cell count in immature monkeys showed a significant negative correlation with muscle cesium concentration. These results suggest that the exposure to some form of radioactive material contributed to hematological changes in Fukushima monkeys."

Zika virus, as a member of the virus family Flaviviridae and the genus Flavivirus, transmitted by daytime-active Aedes mosquitoes. Its name comes from the Zika Forest of Uganda, where the virus was first isolated in 1947. 

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Zika virus is related to dengue, yellow fever, Japanese encephalitis, and West Nile viruses.The infection, known as Zika fever, often causes no or only mild symptoms, similar to a mild form of dengue fever. In January 2016, the CDC issued travel guidance on affected countries, including the use of enhanced precautions, and guidelines for pregnant women including considering postponing travel.

In February 2016, some researcher believed that there is evidence to support that Zika fever in pregnant women can cause abnormal brain development in their fetuses by mother-to-child transmission, which may result in miscarriage or microcephaly.

However, recently a group of Argentine physicians challenged the connection between the Zika virus with the miscarriage. The group believed that the Zika virus is not to blame for the rise in microcephaly cases, but that a toxic larvicide introduced into Brazil's water supplies may be the real reason behind it.

According to the Physicians in Crop-Sprayed Towns (PCST), in 2014, a chemical larvicide that produces malformations in mosquitoes was injected into Brazil's water supplies in order to stop the development of mosquito larvae in drinking water tanks.  The group of Argentine doctors stated that during past Zika epidemics, there have not been any cases of microcephaly linked with the virus.

In fact, about 75 percent of the population in countries where Zika broke out had been infected by the mosquito-borne virus. For example, Colombia, where there are plenty of Zika cases, are no records of microcephaly linked to Zika. 

The Colombian president said that many of the country's citizens were infected with Zika but that there was not a single case of microcephaly. The record shows that 3,177 pregnant women in the country were infected with Zika, but these women all will have or already had healthy babies.

An aedes aegypti mosquito is pictured on a leaf in San Jose, Costa Rica Feb. 1, 2016 source: http://www.telesurtv.net/english/news/WHO-Dispels-Popular-Theories-about-the-Zika-Virus-20160220-0008.html

Photograph by Mario Tama Getty Images source: http://fortune.com/2016/02/16/monsanto-zika-virus-conspiracy/

The Polluter-Pays Principle (PPP)

The Polluter-Pays Principle (PPP)

The Polluter-Pays Principle (PPP) means that the polluter should bear the expenses of carrying out the pollution prevention and control measures, in order to ensure that the environment is in an acceptable state.

 Source: http://www.economicshelp.org/blog/6955/economics/polluter-pays-principle-ppp/

The polluter pays principle  (PPP) is a economic idea that firms or consumers should pay for the cost of the negative externality they create.

The polluter pays principle usually refers to the environmental costs. However, in the general cases, these environment cost could be extended to any external cost, whether than the private cost to the environment, but also the social cost of some goods are greater than the private cost.

This requires some authority or government agency to calculate our external costs and make sure that we pay the full social cost. Petrol tax cold be a good example for the polluter pays principles. When people purchase petrol, they will create the damages or pollution to the environment and the government will need to calculate the expense for the consumers.  The tax means the price we pay more closely reflects the social cost.

The polluter pays principle was incorporated into the 1992 Rio summit The declaration stated:

Principle 16: “National authorities should endeavor to promote the internalization of environmental costs and the use of economic instruments, taking into account the approach that the polluter should, in principle, bear the cost of pollution, with due regard to the public interest and without distorting international trade and investment.” 

Some of the environment issue are hard to be charged by the polluter pays principle. Green gas could be a example. Because the green gas has been slow to recognize the link to the climate change,  and the atmosphere is considered to be a global commons, the government could not find the polluter to pay the expense. Recently,  a new concept called carbon price could help the government to charge the firms.

Haze in Beijing, China 

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2012/jul/02/polluter-pays-climate-change

environmental epidemiology

According to the definition of the epidemiology and genomics research program under the national cancer institute, environmental epidemiology seeks to understand how physical, chemical, biologic, as well as, social and economic factors affect human health. Social factors, that are where one lives, works, socializes or buys food, often influence exposure to environmental factors.

To learn more on the environmental epidemiology, people could visit their website at ephtracking.cdc.gov. The purpose of this blog is to introduce how to get access to the website and what information could be find in the website.

People could go to the home page at http://ephtracking.cdc.gov/showHome.action, than click childhood leading poisoning under the health effects. The website will lead all the information about the childhood leading poisoning.

The data search link could help people to open the networking tool to search the data they want to have. They have four steps to let people finish their search program. The first step is to select the mode, people could choose basic or advanced mode to continue. Step two is to select the connect. People could choose the indicator and the measure for their search. Step three is to choose the geography and time. People could choose the location and the period time they want to go through. The 4th step is the advanced options. People could ask for more detailed question for the program to search, for example if the research require the gender or not. The 5th step is to submit the requirement and check the search result. The result could be print or save as the file.

People could also use this networking tools to do research on other topics on the website like asthma, birth defects, heart disease, heart stress illness, cancer, carbon monoxideposioning, developmental disabilities, and Reproductive and Birth Outcomes.


The purpose of this blog is to introduce how to get access to the website and what information could be find in the website.

hospital in China Source:http://www.avicopter.net/

Hospital in Athens, OHIO Source: http://www.ecihealthcarepartners.com/news/o_bleness_memorial_hospital_in_athens_ohio

The phone number for the American Association of Poison Control Centers is 1-800-222-1222, and the official website address is www.aapcc.org. In the current annul report, it has explained three issues, which are age & gender distribution, reason for exposure and the route of exposure.

Source:http://www.consumermedsafety.org/safe-medicine-storage-and-disposal/babysitters

Age and Gender Distribution

The age and gender distribution of human exposures is outlined in Table 3 in the annul report. 35.6% of exposures are related to the children who under 3 years old. In addition, approximately half (47.7%) of all human exposures are related with the children who are under 6 years old.

The cases analysis shows that for the case with children under 13, most of the predominance was male.  However, this gender distribution was different in teenagers and adults, females are the majority of cases with reported exposures.

Reason by Age

Basically, most exposures related to the children are unintentional and most of the cases related to the adults are intentional exposures.

According to the annul report, Intentional exposures accounted for 16.7% of human exposures. Suicidal intent was suspected in 11.2% of cases, intentional misuse in 2.5% and intentional abuse in 2.2%.

Unintentional exposures outnumbered intentional exposures in all age groups with the exception of ages 13– 19 years. Intentional exposures were more frequently reported than unintentional exposures in patients aged 13-19 years.

In contrast, of the 1,173 reported fatalities with RCF 1–3, the major reason reported for children[1]5 years was unintentional while most fatalities in adults were intentional.

Route of Exposure

According to the annul report, the big three of the most frequency route are Ingestion, Dermal and Inhalation/nasal.

Ingestion was the route of exposure in 83.7% of cases, followed in frequency by dermal (7.0%), inhalation/nasal (6.1%), and ocular routes (4.3%). For the 1,173 exposure-related fatalities, ingestion (81.4%), inhalation/ nasal (10.1%), unknown (7.8%) and parenteral (5.2%) were the predominant exposure routes.

Each exposure case may have more than one route.

China milk poisoning chemical found in Tesco sweets, source: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/3071908/China-milk-poisoning-chemical-found-in-Tesco-sweets.html