June 4, 2010
TOPIC ALERT:
Gulf Oil Spill (continued, 3 experts)
EXPERT ALERTS:
1. Health: Healthier Workforces are Key for American Businesses
2. Health: Pathologists: The Unsung Heroes of the Healthcare Industry
3. Learning: Using Artifacts to Improve History Education
4. Travel: Reducing the Negative Impact of Summer Travel on the Environment
GULF OIL SPILL:
Following are additional experts who are available to discuss health-related issues surrounding the Gulf oil spill. To view the original Topic Alert, distributed last week, that featured 60+ experts, see: http://budurl.com/spillexperts
**1. Dr. Frank J. Bia, medical director, AmeriCares, is available to comment on the potential health risks associated with the massive spill: "The oil spill poses a whole host of health problems, not the least of which is chemical pneumonia from inhaling thick oil residues. Inhaling hydrocarbon vapors can also cause nausea, vomiting, eye irritation, headaches, dizziness and breathing difficulties. Fumes and inhaled residue are especially dangerous for children with asthma and other breathing problems." AmeriCares has been providing aid to people devastated by natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires for over 25 years. News Contacts: Peggy Atherlay, [email protected] Phone: +1-203-658-9626, or Donna Porstner, [email protected] Phone: +1-203-658-9579
**2. Robert Emery, Dr.P.H., vice president of safety, health, environment and risk management at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, is an expert in health and safety programs, occupational radiation protection, hazardous waste management and emergency preparedness: "Oil spread out over a large surface area and heated by the sun can produce very high levels of exposure to any of a variety of potentially harmful crude oil compounds. Persons working around the oil, either out on the water or on land, should exercise extreme caution and avoid vapor inhalation and skin contact. The short-term effects of exposure to high levels of crude oil vapors can include eye and upper airway irritation, dizziness and nausea. The longer-term health concerns are linked to exposures to the chemicals in crude oil, such as benzene, toluene and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, all of which are classified by the EPA as carcinogens. Skin exposure to crude oil can result in the skin reddening, swelling and burning if the oil is not rinsed off in a timely manner. Prolonged skin exposure has been shown to cause cancers of the skin, sinuses, gastrointestinal system and bladder. An important note: The oil has a tar-like consistency and does not rinse off easily. Individuals should only use cleaners that are intended for use on the skin to remove oil, such as soap and water, or approved degreasing gels. Do not use unapproved solvents such as gasoline to remove the oil, as this can lead to other skin complications and possible skin absorption and associated toxicity. It will also be important for persons seeking medical attention to tell their healthcare providers if they had been exposed to the oil. This reporting will help the various health departments monitor for possible health effects from oil exposures, and, in turn, will help establish worker and community safety and health criteria." News Contact: Rob Cahill, [email protected], or the UTHealth Media Hotline: +1-713-500-3030
**3. Christoph Gorder, vice president of emergency response, AmeriCares, is available to comment on how families in the Gulf Coast can prepare for the upcoming hurricane season. In preparation, AmeriCares has stocked disaster aid in key areas prone to hurricanes, including Gulf Coast communities: "One of the biggest lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina is to be prepared. AmeriCares continues to strengthen our relationships in the region to ensure rapid response in the event of another devastating hurricane. We're also reaching out to partners to plan additional deliveries of medicines and supplies needed to treat asthma and other respiratory conditions potentially worsened by the oil spill." AmeriCares has been providing aid to people devastated by natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires for over 25 years. News Contacts: Peggy Atherlay, [email protected] Phone: +1-203-658-9626, or Donna Porstner, [email protected] Phone: +1-203-658-9579
EXPERT ALERTS:
**1. HEALTH: Healthier Workforces are Key for American Businesses. Christopher Boyce, CEO, Virgin HealthMiles: "Between rising healthcare costs and the Milken Institute's estimated $1 trillion in lost economic output associated with chronic health problems, American businesses are facing an economic crisis of epic proportions if more isn't done to create a healthier workforce -- healthcare reform alone won't make for a healthier America." June is National Employee Wellness Month, an initiative created by Virgin HealthMiles with support from the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance and the Institute for Health and Productivity Management, to raise public awareness about the benefits of workplace wellness and how prevention in the workplace can help to improve health and combat our nation's rising healthcare costs. Boyce can discuss innovative ways employers are leveraging incentives-based wellness programs to create a healthier and more productive workforce, as well as share responses from a new survey of employers' and employees' perspectives on workplace wellness. News Contact: Kathy Wilson, [email protected] Phone: +1-781-862-9937 Website: http://www.nationalemployeewellnessmonth.com
**2. HEALTH: Pathologists: The Unsung Heroes of the Healthcare Industry. Dr. George Hollenberg, Acupath Laboratories, a specialty medical lab based in New York: "A doctor you never meet may be the one who saves your life. Pathologists, doctors who specialize in the diagnosis and classification of diseases by analyzing cells under a microscope and through medical laboratory tests, often detect a disease in its infancy. Being able to treat a malignancy in its early stages increases the chance of recovery. Pathologists are the unsung heroes of the healthcare industry. According to the American Society for Clinical Pathology, laboratory services may be allotted 5 percent of a hospital's budget, but they leverage 60-70 percent of all critical decision making, such as admittance, discharge and medication. They generate data that physicians use to make their diagnoses on infectious diseases ranging from cancer to the H1N1 virus, which is expected to resurge this fall. Pathologists are on the cutting edge of proteomics, the study of all proteins in a cell, tissue or organism. The hope is that proteomics may revolutionize methods for the early detection, diagnosis and prognosis of cancer." News Contact: Melissa Chefec, [email protected] Phone: +1-203-968-6625 Website: http://www.mcprpublicrelations.com
**3. LEARNING: Using Artifacts to Improve History Education. Amelia Jeffers of Garth's Auctions Inc. in Delaware, Ohio, is among the educators who are using outside sources with a creative take on education to stimulate learning: "American educators are still struggling to improve poor history scores, following a 2007 analysis that showed more than half of high-school seniors had a failing understanding of even basic facts. Showing children authentic artifacts provides them with tangible examples of their history and gives the story life. They tend to better remember lessons that are tied to something they can see, touch and smell. It is like bringing the museum to them." Among the topics she can discuss are: 1) The Oregon Trail: what items were taken and what were not. For example, furniture in the West is usually newer than furniture in the East because it was not carried along; 2) The Civil War: weaponry, clothing, etc.; 3) Folk art: itinerant artists -- trained, untrained, European -- and 19th century folk portraiture. This encourages children to take more risks as young artists and be more forgiving of their own style; 4) Rewards of Merit: the teachers who made them and why; 5) Fraktur: birth records and the printing process; 6) The evolution of the desk -- how form follows function and how "old" styles may become new again, based on changing needs. News Contact: Lisa Biank Fasig, [email protected] Phone: +1-513-231-5115
**4. TRAVEL: Reducing the Negative Impact of Summer Travel on the Environment. Gary Gero, president of the Climate Action Reserve, the most rigorous and fastest-growing offset registry in the North American carbon market: "Many high-quality offsets are available to travelers to make their long weekend trips and extended vacations more eco-friendly. Plus, carbon offsets let individuals address climate change in a meaningful and immediate way. With well-established standards for transparency and quality, the old stigma of offsets being smoke and mirrors just doesn't hold true anymore." Purchasing carbon offsets is an inexpensive way for environmentally conscious Americans to reduce the carbon footprint of their trip. Gero can discuss tips to help people determine which offsets are legitimate and which will really help the planet, including: how to calculate your carbon footprint; buying offsets that have been reviewed by an independent party to verify they are legitimate; looking for offset credits with a seal of approval from the Climate Action Reserve, the Gold Standard or Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS); and finding a project that sparks your interest so that your offset purchase is more meaningful to you. There is a wide range of activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate offsets, including planting trees, converting food waste into energy, trapping methane from farms and destroying ozone-depleting substances. News Contact: Ashley Greer, [email protected] Phone: +1-310-473-8090 Website: http://www.climateactionreserve.org
PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire. To submit a request for experts: http://budurl.com/profnetquery To consult the ProfNet Experts Database: http://profnet.prnewswire.com To contact ProfNet by phone: +1-800-PROFNET, ext. 1 To share a thought on Expert Alerts: [email protected]
/PRNewswire – June 4/
SOURCE ProfNet
TOPIC ALERT:
Gulf Oil Spill (continued, 3 experts)
Advertisement
EXPERT ALERTS:
1. Health: Healthier Workforces are Key for American Businesses
2. Health: Pathologists: The Unsung Heroes of the Healthcare Industry
Advertisement
3. Learning: Using Artifacts to Improve History Education
4. Travel: Reducing the Negative Impact of Summer Travel on the Environment
GULF OIL SPILL:
Following are additional experts who are available to discuss health-related issues surrounding the Gulf oil spill. To view the original Topic Alert, distributed last week, that featured 60+ experts, see: http://budurl.com/spillexperts
**1. Dr. Frank J. Bia, medical director, AmeriCares, is available to comment on the potential health risks associated with the massive spill: "The oil spill poses a whole host of health problems, not the least of which is chemical pneumonia from inhaling thick oil residues. Inhaling hydrocarbon vapors can also cause nausea, vomiting, eye irritation, headaches, dizziness and breathing difficulties. Fumes and inhaled residue are especially dangerous for children with asthma and other breathing problems." AmeriCares has been providing aid to people devastated by natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires for over 25 years. News Contacts: Peggy Atherlay, [email protected] Phone: +1-203-658-9626, or Donna Porstner, [email protected] Phone: +1-203-658-9579
**2. Robert Emery, Dr.P.H., vice president of safety, health, environment and risk management at The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, is an expert in health and safety programs, occupational radiation protection, hazardous waste management and emergency preparedness: "Oil spread out over a large surface area and heated by the sun can produce very high levels of exposure to any of a variety of potentially harmful crude oil compounds. Persons working around the oil, either out on the water or on land, should exercise extreme caution and avoid vapor inhalation and skin contact. The short-term effects of exposure to high levels of crude oil vapors can include eye and upper airway irritation, dizziness and nausea. The longer-term health concerns are linked to exposures to the chemicals in crude oil, such as benzene, toluene and polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, all of which are classified by the EPA as carcinogens. Skin exposure to crude oil can result in the skin reddening, swelling and burning if the oil is not rinsed off in a timely manner. Prolonged skin exposure has been shown to cause cancers of the skin, sinuses, gastrointestinal system and bladder. An important note: The oil has a tar-like consistency and does not rinse off easily. Individuals should only use cleaners that are intended for use on the skin to remove oil, such as soap and water, or approved degreasing gels. Do not use unapproved solvents such as gasoline to remove the oil, as this can lead to other skin complications and possible skin absorption and associated toxicity. It will also be important for persons seeking medical attention to tell their healthcare providers if they had been exposed to the oil. This reporting will help the various health departments monitor for possible health effects from oil exposures, and, in turn, will help establish worker and community safety and health criteria." News Contact: Rob Cahill, [email protected], or the UTHealth Media Hotline: +1-713-500-3030
**3. Christoph Gorder, vice president of emergency response, AmeriCares, is available to comment on how families in the Gulf Coast can prepare for the upcoming hurricane season. In preparation, AmeriCares has stocked disaster aid in key areas prone to hurricanes, including Gulf Coast communities: "One of the biggest lessons learned from Hurricane Katrina is to be prepared. AmeriCares continues to strengthen our relationships in the region to ensure rapid response in the event of another devastating hurricane. We're also reaching out to partners to plan additional deliveries of medicines and supplies needed to treat asthma and other respiratory conditions potentially worsened by the oil spill." AmeriCares has been providing aid to people devastated by natural disasters such as hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires for over 25 years. News Contacts: Peggy Atherlay, [email protected] Phone: +1-203-658-9626, or Donna Porstner, [email protected] Phone: +1-203-658-9579
EXPERT ALERTS:
**1. HEALTH: Healthier Workforces are Key for American Businesses. Christopher Boyce, CEO, Virgin HealthMiles: "Between rising healthcare costs and the Milken Institute's estimated $1 trillion in lost economic output associated with chronic health problems, American businesses are facing an economic crisis of epic proportions if more isn't done to create a healthier workforce -- healthcare reform alone won't make for a healthier America." June is National Employee Wellness Month, an initiative created by Virgin HealthMiles with support from the Strategies to Overcome and Prevent (STOP) Obesity Alliance and the Institute for Health and Productivity Management, to raise public awareness about the benefits of workplace wellness and how prevention in the workplace can help to improve health and combat our nation's rising healthcare costs. Boyce can discuss innovative ways employers are leveraging incentives-based wellness programs to create a healthier and more productive workforce, as well as share responses from a new survey of employers' and employees' perspectives on workplace wellness. News Contact: Kathy Wilson, [email protected] Phone: +1-781-862-9937 Website: http://www.nationalemployeewellnessmonth.com
**2. HEALTH: Pathologists: The Unsung Heroes of the Healthcare Industry. Dr. George Hollenberg, Acupath Laboratories, a specialty medical lab based in New York: "A doctor you never meet may be the one who saves your life. Pathologists, doctors who specialize in the diagnosis and classification of diseases by analyzing cells under a microscope and through medical laboratory tests, often detect a disease in its infancy. Being able to treat a malignancy in its early stages increases the chance of recovery. Pathologists are the unsung heroes of the healthcare industry. According to the American Society for Clinical Pathology, laboratory services may be allotted 5 percent of a hospital's budget, but they leverage 60-70 percent of all critical decision making, such as admittance, discharge and medication. They generate data that physicians use to make their diagnoses on infectious diseases ranging from cancer to the H1N1 virus, which is expected to resurge this fall. Pathologists are on the cutting edge of proteomics, the study of all proteins in a cell, tissue or organism. The hope is that proteomics may revolutionize methods for the early detection, diagnosis and prognosis of cancer." News Contact: Melissa Chefec, [email protected] Phone: +1-203-968-6625 Website: http://www.mcprpublicrelations.com
**3. LEARNING: Using Artifacts to Improve History Education. Amelia Jeffers of Garth's Auctions Inc. in Delaware, Ohio, is among the educators who are using outside sources with a creative take on education to stimulate learning: "American educators are still struggling to improve poor history scores, following a 2007 analysis that showed more than half of high-school seniors had a failing understanding of even basic facts. Showing children authentic artifacts provides them with tangible examples of their history and gives the story life. They tend to better remember lessons that are tied to something they can see, touch and smell. It is like bringing the museum to them." Among the topics she can discuss are: 1) The Oregon Trail: what items were taken and what were not. For example, furniture in the West is usually newer than furniture in the East because it was not carried along; 2) The Civil War: weaponry, clothing, etc.; 3) Folk art: itinerant artists -- trained, untrained, European -- and 19th century folk portraiture. This encourages children to take more risks as young artists and be more forgiving of their own style; 4) Rewards of Merit: the teachers who made them and why; 5) Fraktur: birth records and the printing process; 6) The evolution of the desk -- how form follows function and how "old" styles may become new again, based on changing needs. News Contact: Lisa Biank Fasig, [email protected] Phone: +1-513-231-5115
**4. TRAVEL: Reducing the Negative Impact of Summer Travel on the Environment. Gary Gero, president of the Climate Action Reserve, the most rigorous and fastest-growing offset registry in the North American carbon market: "Many high-quality offsets are available to travelers to make their long weekend trips and extended vacations more eco-friendly. Plus, carbon offsets let individuals address climate change in a meaningful and immediate way. With well-established standards for transparency and quality, the old stigma of offsets being smoke and mirrors just doesn't hold true anymore." Purchasing carbon offsets is an inexpensive way for environmentally conscious Americans to reduce the carbon footprint of their trip. Gero can discuss tips to help people determine which offsets are legitimate and which will really help the planet, including: how to calculate your carbon footprint; buying offsets that have been reviewed by an independent party to verify they are legitimate; looking for offset credits with a seal of approval from the Climate Action Reserve, the Gold Standard or Voluntary Carbon Standard (VCS); and finding a project that sparks your interest so that your offset purchase is more meaningful to you. There is a wide range of activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions and generate offsets, including planting trees, converting food waste into energy, trapping methane from farms and destroying ozone-depleting substances. News Contact: Ashley Greer, [email protected] Phone: +1-310-473-8090 Website: http://www.climateactionreserve.org
PROFNET is an exclusive service of PR Newswire. To submit a request for experts: http://budurl.com/profnetquery To consult the ProfNet Experts Database: http://profnet.prnewswire.com To contact ProfNet by phone: +1-800-PROFNET, ext. 1 To share a thought on Expert Alerts: [email protected]
/PRNewswire – June 4/
SOURCE ProfNet
