Safety

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Use of compact fluorescent lightbulbs can save money, conserve energy, reduce waste and lower greenhouse gas emissions, according to the Environmental Protection Agency. However, CFLs contain mercury – a potent neurotoxin that, in small amounts, can cause serious health problems. At room temperature, mercury is a liquid and can readily evaporate into the air.

Columbus, OH — Nonfatal head and neck injuries related to all-terrain vehicles sent an average of 31 children – nearly half younger than 12 – to U.S. emergency rooms each day over a recent 25-year period, results of a recent Nationwide Children’s Hospital study show.

Newark, NJ — Stricter federal regulations could prevent millions of serious injuries – some life-threatening – associated with glass tables and tabletops, say researchers from Rutgers New Jersey Medical School.

Arlington, VA — Exposures to household cleaning products among young children increased 10% over a recent four-month period compared with the same time frame a year ago, the American Association of Poison Control Centers is warning parents and caregivers.

Phoenix — Most people underestimate the risk of burn injuries stemming from popular summertime items such as fire pits, grills and fireworks, while fewer than half understand common burn injury treatments, results of a recent survey indicate.

Ticks can carry potentially life-threatening infectious diseases. Most active during warmer months (April-September), they reside mostly in grassy, brushy or wooded areas – putting virtually all outdoor workers in the United States at risk of exposure.

Itasca, IL — The American Academy of Pediatrics is asking parents and caregivers to be extra mindful of keeping children and teens safe around water this summer, especially as “children spend more time at home with caregivers who may be distracted by work and other responsibilities.”

Lowell, MA — Regularly lifting objects that weigh 30 pounds or more is one of seven “strong predictors” of – and most correlated to – work-related retinal detachments or tears, researchers are warning.

Washington — Washing foods with bleach, applying household cleaning or disinfectant products to the hands or skin, and intentionally inhaling or ingesting these products are among the “non-recommended, high-risk practices” nearly 2 out of 5 U.S. adults say they have tried to prevent contracting COVID-19, results of a recent survey indicate.

Perth, Australia — Do you self-diagnose your medical problems using online symptom checkers, or “Dr. Google”? If so, you likely aren’t getting the most accurate information, researchers caution.