January 26, 2007 by Larry.

Are you label literate? Here is an easy way to find out. Put all the cleaning products that you use to clean your house in front of you and examine the labels. Now, take a few moments and read them carefully. If you are feeling a bit confused or you are seeing anything for the first time, you are not alone. In fact, if it is a product that you have used for years, you may never read the label.

In 1996, the EPA, was concerned enough about label literacy for consumer cleaning products that they formed a task force of government agencies and started a process known as the Consumer Labeling Initiative. After ten years, numerous studies, and 2 major reports, they the CLI has been the driving force behind efforts to simplify the language and standardize safety claims on cleaning product labels. In 2000 the CLI kicked off their “Read the Label First” program in an effort to get us, the consumer, to read the label on every cleaning product that we buy or use, before we buy or use it. However, despite their good efforts to simplify the label, consumer label literacy has not changed much so rather than learn the code, many avoid reading them entirely.

This is not to suggest that CLI was a failure, quite the opposite, it is much easier to read and understand the labels today because of the CLI. I suspect the difficulty that we have with these labels is that, like maps, trains schedules, or the instructions for your new cell phone, label literacy is a skill. And because labels are not compelling reading, containing “code” words and jargon, it is a skill that doesn’t come naturally to many consumers. When using products, or types of products, that we have been using for years, we tend to feel comfortable and studies by the EPA have found that we are much less likely to read the label. On the other hand, when considering new products, or a new product type, most consumers will make an effort to read the label but still find it a real challenge. Fortunately for you we live in an information age these challenges are easily overcome.

Label literacy an hour or less.

Here is a simple exercise that should take less than an hour and will make you a master of label literacy, clean up the clutter under your sink, and make your home safer and healthier for you and your family. First, there are many excellent resources on the web (Links). Start with the CLI, but also look through the industry trade organizations, and consumer advocacy groups have created excellent resources (Links provided). I would urge you to look through these and find those that work for you. Bookmark them or add them to your favorites. Take each of those cleaning products in front of you and read the label again, using the website(s) that you have chosen as a guide whenever you encounter code, jargon, or confusion. If you are still comfortable with it, keep it, if not, dispose of it according to the instructions on the label. When you are done, don’t be discouraged if you find that you are uncomfortable with many or most of the products that you have been using for years, there are better and safer alternatives and now that you have your masters in label literacy, you are ready to find them.

Upcoming Post: Cleaning Product Alphabet soup - EPA, FIFRA, TSCA

All cleaning products are required by one or more federal agencies to have a label that clearly identifies the product, the manufacturer, what it does, how to use it safely, and in plain language, any required safety warnings and a caution word. If the product is a disinfectant, sanitizer, or insecticide, or makes a public health or antimicrobial claims are regulated by the EPA and are required to list the “active” chemical ingredients by name. These are those long scary names you can’t possibly pronounce. All of this is on the label to help the consumer select and use the product safely, but the typical consumer finds most of it confusing.

Upcoming Post Topic: A Hunter-Gatherer in the Cleaner Aisle of the Supermarket

If you have a bit of time in the supermarket, stand in the aisle where cleaning products are sold and observe the other shoppers as they select products. Pay attention to what they do and notice how much (if any) time they spend reading the label. You will probably notice that there are just a few patterns of behavior that are repeated over and over, but most are very brief and the whole thing is over in just a few seconds. Before you jump to any conclusions, let’s consider what’s on the labels and why it is there. Then we can come back to the behavior patterns of shoppers.

Upcoming Post Topic: Do you really want 6-(hydroxymethyl)oxane-2,3,4,5-tetrol in your brain? (Absolutely!)

Every time you bring a cleaning product into your house, you bring in all of the chemicals in the product. Within seconds of spraying the product, trace amounts are in your circulation.

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January 8, 2007 by Larry.

A major wave of outbreaks caused by food-borne diseases has hit the US throughout 2006. It has not been brought to our attention at the moment of this writing whether 2006 will break new record high like temperatures but a few indicators point in that direction.

For one the CDC’s Vessel Sanitation Program has been publishing all cases of outbreaks on board ships carrying over 100 passengers and cases in which 3% or more of passengers or crew reported symptoms of gastrointestinal illness. If 2005 saw a sharp decrease, 2006 has at least matched the alarming 2004 season of 36 outbreaks. Then, the number of produce-related outbreaks of food-borne illness has increased from 40 in 1999 to 86 in 2004. Over the past three months spinach, tomatoes and now possibly green onions have made the headlines and seem to confirm this trend. Finally, the cases of outbreaks reported by the media and the CDC seem to be hitting a larger number of people for a longer period of time as seen in Santa Rosa, CA and Tewksbury, MA.

Gastrointestinal illnesses, also known as upset stomach, are fairly common. The main pathogens are Salmonella, E-coli, Listeria, Campylobacter (all bacteria), Rotavirus and Norovirus. Diarrhea is second only to the common cold as a cause of lost working time, with about 25 days lost from work or school each year for every 100 Americans. 4 out of 5 children under 5 will develop Rotavirus. The overall cost has been estimated at $6.9 billion for bacterial infections (Department of Agriculture) and $1 billion for Rotavirus alone. Although no estimate have been publicly released, the economic impact of Norovirus can be estimated between $4 and $8 billion, as the CDC believes that over 50% of all food-borne diseases are due to this virus.

A very good illustration of the snowball effect of the spreading and consequences of food-borne pathogens can be seen here, in the Bay Area that has been plagued with cases of gastrointestinal outbreaks, most of them attributed to Norovirus. This is happening “back East” as well, following a very similar pattern. A December 16^th, 2006 Boston Globe article does a very good job at describing the chain reaction.

A significant proportion of gastrointestinal outbreaks have also been linked to bacterial pathogens present in fresh produce. A surge of these cases that indicates this is more than an epiphenomenon. In its December 10^th, 2006 edition, the Washington Post describes the actual situation as worrisome to say the least for two main reasons: a) the FDA and the states are the main regulatory authorities in regards to the safety of fresh produce (Department of Agriculture has jurisdiction over meat and diary products), and there is very little if no will to regulate that part of the industry (lack of resources and expertise). Second, if the presence of bacteria or virus in meat can be overcome by thorough cooking, it is different with fresh produce, which the American public consumes in greater quantity and more often than ever before.

The Royal Caribbean is one of many organizations that are factoring the costs of disease outbreaks that will require major clean-ups and delay sailing. The norovirus outbreak that was recently reported on board of Freedom of Seas will put the company’s earning per share down by about 3 cents.

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January 5, 2007 by Larry.

It is cold and flu season and with infectious disease, getting sick is like a really bad date – it takes two – a germ and a host. You’re the host. If you want to avoid getting sick – become a lousy host. (Don’t worry, your mother would approve.)

Here are five simple ways to be a lousy host and avoid getting sick:

• Be unavailable. Personal hygiene and avoiding high risk environments and behaviors. So what are high risk environments? If it is the height of the flu season, or there is a lot of coughing and sneezing around you, or you have a lot of contact with the public, you are probably in a high risk environment and you should respond accordingly. Wash your hands more frequently, ramp up your use of a hand sanitizer, avoid touching your face, and whenever possible keep your distance from anyone who looks like they have something you don’t want to catch.
• Be uninviting. By keeping your defenses up, you raise the bar for infection. No surprise here - getting enough sleep, exercise, and avoiding overindulgence and stress when possible. All of these things contribute to a healthy and active immune system.
• Shoot first. Take defensive action – get vaccinated. Vaccination for influenza is inexpensive, readily available, and on any given year does a pretty good job of protecting both the person who get the vaccine and the people around them. Although the topic vaccination is not without controversy, it is really a matter of public health and as flawed as our public health system may be, vaccines are a very effective tool to prevent illness and save lives. Most of the population understands and accepts that the benefits of vaccination more than offset the extremely rare risks. In fact, we all take much greater risks every time we get in a car.
• Eat well and don’t share. Eat good food and eat reasonably, take a good balanced multivitamin, and drink plenty of hot fluids. There is ample evidence for the benefits of good nutrition and green tea is a great source of antioxidants. Make a thermos of green tea and sip on it throughout the day or keep an insulated mug on your disk. And in case it wasn’t obvious don’t share drinks, utensils, lip balm, or cosmetics.
• Be selfish. This is one of these times when being selfish is good manners and it is better to neither give nor receive. Don’t introduce your germs to your friends. If you do get sick, stay home. If you are a manager, make it clear that you have a zero tolerance for any visibly sick employee in the workplace. Sent them home unless you want a whole lot more of them.

We all know that as simple as these may appear, it is never simple to follow through with our good intentions. This is especially true during the holidays and when winter makes everything harder. Find the middle ground, do what you can, and try not to beat yourself up over the rest. Remember, just because you can’t do everything doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do anything.

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