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Interview: EPA's Stephen L. Johnson
ATLANTA, Dec. 6 (UPI) -- Innovation in protecting the environment and health could come in new energy technologies and a local community approach to problems, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Stephen L. Johnson told United Press International in an interview Wednesday. UPI talked to Johnson, who has led the agency since January 2005, following his speech at the National Environmental Public Health conference Wednesday in Atlanta. Q. In your view, what are the foremost challenges in environmental health? A. From an environmental health standpoint, they are the same as ... the five priority areas for me as administrator. The first is affordable energy and clean air. ... We have to have energy, and it has to be affordable. While we have made great strides -- for example, we recently signed (a law that) went into effect eliminating sulfur from diesel fuel, and moving from 500 parts per million to, in essence, a negligible 15 parts per million sulfur (emissions).
Fresh stroke of good luck
You couldn't strike it out till now. But thanks to new diagnostic tools and introduction of hi-tech scanning facilities, doctors have moved a step ahead in treatment of stroke, aneurysm and spine disorders. In fact, interventional neuroradiologist can now see live images of brain while performing a procedure! That's a leap forward. But before decoding the latest technological innovation, let's first understand why any breakthrough in the treatment of stroke is important. Owing to rapid urbanisation, lifestyle diseases and genetic predisposition, worldwide about 20 million people suffer from stroke every year — claiming 5 million lives and leaving another 5 million people seriously disabled. It claims more than 200 lives every day in India and each year, there are more than 300,000 cases.
Sports letters
I firmly believe Long and his staff will make inroads in the local high school scene and in the next couple of years I think fans will see a different team, one that is tougher, physical, fast and understands the coaches' philosophy and how to win. .
Use of new school fitness centers off to strong start
The new fitness center at Sheboygan South High School has given Jared Zander of Sheboygan a new option for keeping in shape. The 27-year-old Zander has switched from working out at home to using the free weights at the Aurora Health Care-sponsored fitness center at South, which is about a mile away from where he lives. "I think that it has a wide range of equipment, something for everyone to use," Zander said last week as he was preparing a barbell with weights. "It seems pretty convenient for everybody." The centers were built at North and South high schools as part of the $32 million referendum voters in the Sheboygan Area School District passed in 2004. They opened to the public on Nov. 6. The number of people in the general public taking advantage of the fitness center has surprised Karen Davis, recreation supervisor at the Community Recreation Department, which oversees the North and South fitness centers.
Shoveling safely Give injuries the slip this winter
Snow shoveling caused more than 20,000 emergency room visits last year, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. It can be great exercise if you're in shape, the American Heart Association says, but for the sedentary or medically vulnerable, shoveling can trigger heart attacks. It's also a common cause of back injuries.
"Aside from slipping on a banana peel, is there any more traditional metaphor for hurting your back than shoveling show?" said Andrew Cannon, director of sports medicine at Northeast Rehabilitation in Salem, N.H.
In response to these risks, particularly the risk of back injury, entrepreneurs are experimenting with all sorts of shovel designs that attempt to make shoveling safer. You can now buy shovels with bent shafts, a second hand grip or a scoop-shaped blade for pushing snow rather than lifting.
'American Idol' Winner Fronts Fitness Campaign
"American Idol" winner Ruben Studdard is encouraging people in his home state of Alabama to follow in his footsteps and lose unwanted weight. The 28-year-old has lost 100 pounds and is asking the state's overweight residents to shed 10 pounds in eight weeks. The singer is helping to promote the "Scale Back Alabama" initiative, which will see Alabama residents lose a total of 10 million pounds if successful. He explains, "I'm not where I want to be, but I'm on the right track, and I'm excited about encouraging other Alabamians to begin their own weight-loss journeys." Studdard's own weight-loss success was based on a regimen of eating a healthy diet and regular exercise, which were sparked by his effort to avoid a family history of diabetes and high blood pressure.
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