CO Makes Many Sick

Power outages and subzero temperatures have prompted many in Southwestern PA to turn to alternative heating sources but Environmental Protection agency Environmental Engineer Cristina Schulingkamp says that can be deadly if done wrong. A father and daughter from McKeesport died early Sunday of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning. An autopsy is pending. More than 30 people attending a church service in Sugar Grove PA were made ill by high levels of CO and many more suspected cases are turning up in area emergency rooms. Schulingkamp says any device that burns fuel that is not properly vented steals oxygen from the room and pumps carbon monoxide into the house. She stresses that you should never use a stove or oven to heat a house. Carbon monoxide is a colorless and odorless gas that can kill. Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include headache, nausea and sleepiness. Eventually the victim will lose consciousness. Schulingkamp says the best treatment is to get out into some fresh air. She says if the symptoms go away then you need to stay out of the house. She says venting a room will help keep the CO levels down but she admits that defeats the purpose of using the heater in the first place. Schulingkamp recommends that everyone have a carbon monoxide detector and if it goes off you should get out of the house and call your local fire department.

Tobacco Free Allegheny Holds Meeting

Tobacco Free Allegheny held their quarterly meeting on Thursday at The United Way Headquarters on Thursday. The meeting focused on the connection between the brain, smoking and gambling.

Casinos in Pennsylvania allow smoking which experts say fuels the urge to gamble in the brain. Two addiction specialists from Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic made presentations.

In September, data from a casino air quality report revealed that nearly 300 nonsmoking casino workers in the state will die from illnesses stemming from secondhand smoke.

Blood Donations Likely to Drop

The Central Blood Bank predicts a drop in blood donation this holiday season. Spokesperson Lisa Cassidy says its a perennial problem caused by the bustle of the holidays.

"Traditionally, the busiest time for everyone else is the slowest time for us," says Cassidy.

The blood bank tries to counteract this by sponsoring special events and drives. The Enjoy Book Drive is around Thanksgiving, the Steelers Locker Room Drive is after Christmas, and January is National Blood Donors Month. Cassidy says these special programs try to help resuscitate declining winter donation levels.

People interested in donating can call 866-366-6771 or visit the Central Blood Bank website.

Mobile Hospital Demonstrated

Hospital administrators and Emergency Response officials gathered in Allegheny County Monday to learn about the “Surge Resources” available in the Commonwealth. A “surge resource” is capital in the state that is at the ready to help in the case of a medical emergency such as a flu outbreak, natural disaster or biological attack. Tom McElree is the Executive director of the regional E-M-S council in southwestern Pennsylvania. He says a great example is the 50-bed mobile hospitals the state acquired about two months ago. He says they have their own generators, heating and cooling systems and air handling systems. McElree says the mobile hospitals can take the overflow from a hospital and can even serve as an isolation unit. Along with the hospitals the EMS regions have access to Medical Surge Equipment Trailers that have all the equipment needed to turn a gym or other large building into a 50-bed hospital. There are also ten-bed short-term triage stations ready to be deployed to provide emergency care as patients are waiting to be transported to other facilities. All of the equipment will be used in a biological attack drill next month. Listen to a 15-minute tour of the facilities here.

Heart Association Lobbies for Health in Harrisburg

The American Heart/Stroke Association lobbied in Harrisburg Tuesday to promote awareness and improve health throughout Pennsylvania. According to their statistics, heart diseases claims one victim every 34 seconds and killed over 43,000 Pennsylvanians in 2006. State Senator Christine Tartagalione of Philadelphia says women have to realize their risk for heart disease is just as great as the risk for men. The Heart Association projects heart disease and stroke will cost the nation $475.3 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity in 2009.

Poison Prevention Week Begins March 15

With National Poison Prevention Week set to kick off on March 15, the Pittsburgh Poison Center is offering tips to help avoid accidental poisoning. Over 2.5 million poisonings are reported each year across the United States with about half occurring in children under the age of six. Ed Krenzelok, Director of the Pittsburgh Poison Center, says adults are at risk as well and offers the following tips:

-Everything can be a potential poison, so keep all medication, household cleaning products, and automotive products out of the reach of children.

-Favor medication bottles with child resistant lids.

-Though children are the most susceptible to poisoning, senior citizens are most at risk for poisoning deaths. Utilize a labeled pillcase with the days of the week and time of day written on it to prevent accidental overdose, but be sure to keep these cases out of the reach of children as many are not child resistant.

-Teach children the risks of poison and label harmful products with Mr. Yuk stickers to signify their danger. Stickers can be obtained on the web at www.upmc/mryuk.

-Finally, keep the poison center phone number available in case of emergency. That number is 1-800-222-1222.

The Pittsburgh Poison Center answers calls 24-7 regarding any type of poison emergency.

PA applies for abstinence only funds

The Pennsylvania Department of Health is applying for $1.7 million in federal grants for abstinence-only sex education. In the past the Rendell administration has not applied for the grants partially because the administration does not think anything short of a comprehensive sex education is adequate. Health Dept. spokesperson Claudine Battisti says this does not represent a shift in policy. She says the state is still not spending any of its money on abstinence only education it is only serving as a conduit for the federal dollars. The federal grants require a 43-percent match and the applicant will have to provide those funds without state assistance. Battisti says the department wants to be fair to schools and community groups that want to emphasize only avoiding sex before marriage.

Director of UPCI announces possible consequence of long-term cell phone use

The director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute and UPMC Cancer center plans to warn approximately 3,000 faculty and staff about the possible health risks associated with cell phone use.

Dr. Ronald Herberman said long-term cell phone use can potentially cause brain cancer.

"The main thing that we're concerned about are the electromagnetic waves," said Dr. Herberman. "There's indication that if you hold a cell phone to your ear that waves penetrate the skull and go into your brain."

Dr. Herberman said he understood how vital cell phones are to many people today, however he advised to limit time on cell phones or keep cell phones away from the ear by using a speaker phone, a head set, or by using text messaging instead.

Although other domestic research organizations such as the American Cancer Society do not acknowledge the effects because there is no definitive link, Dr. Herberman said some research organizations abroad have recently issued similar advisories.