Blog Merger

I intend to merge this blog with Pause to ponder. This is to enable me treat the topic ‘hazards’ more often than it is now.

Sorry for this mix up.

Hazards of Using Ipods

Listen to an iPod during a storm and you may get more than electrifying tunes.

Jason Bunch, 18, (Picture above) holds his burned shoe and his mother, Kelly Risheill, his burned shirt in their Castle Rock, Colo., home. Bunch was listening to Metallica on his iPod while mowing the lawn when he was hit by lightning. He has suffered mild hearing loss.

A Canadian jogger suffered wishbone-shaped chest and neck burns, ruptured eardrums and a broken jaw when lightning traveled through his music player’s wires.

Last summer, a Colorado teen ended up with similar injuries when lightning struck nearby as he was listening to his iPod while mowing the lawn.

Emergency physicians report treating other patients with burns from freak accidents while using personal electronic devices such as beepers, Walkman players and laptop computers outdoors during storms.

Michael Utley, a former stockbroker from West Yarmouth, Mass., who survived being struck by lightning while golfing, has tracked 13 cases since 2004 of people hit while talking on cell phones. They are described on his Web site, www.struckbylightning.org.

Contrary to some urban legends and media reports, electronic devices don’t attract lightning the way a tall tree or a lightning rod does.

“It’s going to hit where it’s going to hit, but once it contacts metal, the metal conducts the electricity,” said Dr. Mary Ann Cooper of the American College of Emergency Physicians and an ER doctor at University of Illinois Medical Center at Chicago.

When lightning jumps from a nearby object to a person, it often flashes over the skin. But metal in electronic devices — or metal jewelry or coins in a pocket — can cause contact burns and exacerbate the damage.

A spokeswoman for Apple Inc., the maker of iPods, declined to comment. Packaging for iPods and some other music players do include warnings against using them in the rain.

Lightning strikes can occur even if a storm is many miles away, so lightning safety experts have been pushing the slogan “When thunder roars, go indoors,” said Cooper.

Jason Bunch, 18, says it wasn’t even raining last July, but there was a storm off in the distance. Lightning struck a nearby tree, shot off and hit him.

Bunch, who was listening to Metallica while mowing the grass at his home in Castle Rock, Colo., still has mild hearing damage in both ears, despite two reconstructive surgeries to repair ruptured eardrums. He had burns from the earphone wires on the sides of his face, a nasty burn on his hip where the iPod had been in a pocket and “a bad line up the side of my body,” even though the iPod cord was outside his shirt.

“It was a real miracle” he survived, said his mother, Kelly Risheill.

The Canadian jogger suffered worse injuries, according to a report in today’s New England Journal of Medicine.

The man, a 39-year-old dentist from the Vancouver area, was listening to an iPod while jogging in a thunderstorm when, according to witnesses, lightning hit a tree a couple of feet away and jumped to his body. The strike threw the man about eight feet and caused second-degree burns on his chest and left leg.

The electric current left red burn lines running from where the iPod had been strapped to his chest up the sides of his neck. It ruptured both ear drums, dislocated tiny ear bones that transmit sound waves, and broke the man’s jaw in four places, said Dr. Eric Heffernan, an imaging specialist at Vancouver General Hospital.

The injury happened two summers ago and despite treatment, the man still has less than 50 percent of normal hearing on each side, must wear hearing aids and can’t hear high-pitched sounds.

“He’s a part-time musician, so that’s kind of messed up his hobby as well,” Heffernan said.

Like the Colorado teen, the Canadian patient, who declined to be interviewed or identified, has no memory of the lightning strike.

In another case a few years ago, electric current from a lightning strike ran through a man’s pager, burning both him and his girlfriend who was leaning against him, said Dr. Vince Mosesso, an emergency doctor at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center.

Eardrum ruptures are considered the most common ear injury in lightning-strike victims, occurring in 5 percent to 50 percent of patients, according to various estimates — whether or not an electronic device is involved. A broken jaw is rare, doctors say.

Another hazards of Football Fanaticsm

A fan of English Premiership club, Liverpool, has been arrested by a team of plain clothes policemen from the State Criminal Investigation Department, Panti, Yaba, Lagos for allegedly stabbing a Chelsea fan to death.

P.M.News learnt that an argument ensued between the suspect, Nbige Akpabio, 26, and Boma, while watching a recent encounter between the two premiership sides.

Akpabio confessed to P.M.News that the argument started between him and Boma after Chelsea had conceded some goals to Liverpool.

“Emotions were very high because he had expected his team to win. When Liverpool scored the second goal, Boma was visibly angry and went out to fetch a broken bottle. As I wrestled with him, I mistakenly slashed at his throat,” Akpabio said.

Boma died on the way to the General Hospital, Badagry. His body has been deposited in the mortuary.

Akpabio, as at the time of filing of this report, was still being detained by police pending further investigation.

Soccer tragedy has taken a turn for the worse in recent times across the country, especially in Lagos where soccer fans are crazy about the English Premiership clubs they support. On 29 January, Dodiki Anjorin, a fan, was stabbed in his skull.

Anjorin, 26, who lives at 68 Adeniji-Adele Street, Lagos, loves the English Premiership League (EPL) and supports Arsenal Football Club, popularly called “The Gunners.” His 24-year-old neighbour, Akeem Salami, supports Bolton Wanderers FC.

With an impending English FA Cup clash between both teams, Dodiki and Akeem bragged about their team’s chances. Dodiki, naturally, tipped Arsenal, while Akeem gave the game to Bolton. Soon, passions started flaring. Unaware that he was working Akeem into a murderous rage, Dodiki continued to talk up Arsenal’s chances. Akeem responded by pouring lumps of hot coal on his friend’s body.

Dodiki turned away in pains, trying to knock the coal off his body. But before he could do that, Akeem produced a kitchen carving knife, buried it into Dodiki’s forehead and fled immediately.

He was rushed to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), where the knife was surgically removed.

Before this incident, another one had taken place on 20 January at a viewing centre in FESTAC Town, Lagos. Happy that Liverpool had beaten Chelsea 2-0, a Manchester United fan started taunting a Chelsea fan, who responded with a violent attack. In the process, the Chelsea fan broke over 65 beer bottles for which he was forced to pay before leaving.

Last December at a viewing centre in Ojodu-Abiodun, a community on the boundary between Lagos and Ogun states, an Arsenal fan was beaten up by other viewers, including fellow Arsenal supporters. While watching Arsenal play Sheffield United (with Arsenal trailing by a goal and playing abjectly), the Arsenal fan, frustrated, switched off the television set. Incensed by the action, other viewers set upon him. He was, however, saved by the intervention of a few peace-loving watchers. But immediately the game ended, the fight resumed when the Arsenal fan attacked the first man to hit him with a broken bottle.

Last year on Marian Road, Calabar, Cross River State, over 50 persons were injured in a fight that broke out while watching the UEFA Champions League final between Arsenal and Barcelona.

The fight was provoked by a Barcelona fan’s decision to pull out of a bet he had with an Arsenal fan. With Arsenal scoring the first goal of the match, the Barcelona fan realised he could lose his bet and told the Arsenal fan he was no longer interested.

The Arsenal fan disagreed, arguing that he could not withdraw from the bet since the game was already underway and his team leading by a lone goal. For that, he was attacked by other Barcelona fans. Arsenal fans at the centre decided to save their colleague and it became a free-for-all.

Five years ago, students of Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, went wild after an F.A. Cup semi final in which Arsenal defeated Chelsea. The destruction yielded by the rampage forced the university’s authorities to close the school for two weeks.

Eye Hazards and Computer Monitor

Of late, due to almost 10 years of using PC Monday to Friday, of 8 hours each, I have discovered that my eyesight is not as sharp as it used to be. I just noticed that I have difficulty in seeing small readable materials that are poorly lit especialy at night. It means that for me to be able to read very well at night, I have to put in more light especially directly to the material I need to read. I have similarly linked this short coming to constant use of Computer Monitor, now refer to mostly as Computer Vision Syndrome.

The first thing to note here is that the hazards is more associated to a “habitual” computer user. That’s not to say that the occasional computer user won’t have the hazard, everyone’s level of sensitivity is different No doubt, looking at the monitor for extended periods can cause eyestrain. Eyestrain means different things to different people. It may be experienced as burning, tightness, sharp pains, dull pains, watering, blurring, double vision, headaches, and other sensations depending on the person. Hazards associated with Computer Monitor can include any or all of the following symptoms:

• Temporary myopia, the inability to focus clearly on distant objects for a few minutes to a few hours after using the computer;

• Eyestrain or eye fatigue, a tired, aching heaviness of the eyelids or forehead;

• Blurred vision for near or far objects, and sometimes double vision or after images;

• Dry, irritated or watery eyes;

• Increased sensitivity to light; and

• Headaches, neckaches, backaches and muscle spasms from holding the body in awkward positions to maintain a desirable angle between eyes and screen.

A number of workplace factors can lead to it, chiefly among them includes:

• Poor position in relation to the computer;

• Lighting that produces glare or reflections, fuzzy images or images that are too dim or too bright;

• Failure to blink often enough to moisten the surface of the eyes;

• Use of corrective lenses that are inappropriate for the user’s position and distance from the screen;

• Minor visual defects that might go unnoticed if not exaggerated by intense computer use.

Anit hazard preventive measures should include the following:

• Any windows should be at right angles to the computer screen, rather than behind it or in front of it;

• There should be enough light to read the words on the screen without straining;

• There should be no reflections on the screen from overhead lights, windows or desk lamps;

• The screen contrast should be adequate to produce sharply defined images.

Another hazard is the headache produced by the almost invisible ‘flicker’ of the monitor as the image on screen is refreshed. The solution is to increase the refresh rate of the monitor to at least 75hz. Your monitor driver or control panel should offer you a choice of refresh rates. To find out if your monitor is flickering, pay attention only to the view in your peripheral vision. If you see a faint flicker, or find yourself getting frequent headaches, increase your refresh rate, reduce the contrast on screen, sit further from the screen, and increase the ambient lighting around your workstation.

Standard flourescent lights also flicker and can cause headaches or dizziness. If you can, use reflected light from halogens or daylight-spectrum flourescents – shine the light onto the ceiling or wall, never toward your eyes. Best of all is reflected daylight, but don’t allow glare on the screen.

The position of your head is also important. Your monitor should be placed below the level of your head, and tilted slightly upward, so your gaze is slightly downward, putting your neck in a more natural, relaxed position.

Hazards of being an Arsenal Fans

Like I always said in this blog, hazards abode everywhere in our daily life, we hardly noticed, but this blog will support some of them with real life occurences.

In Nigeria a boy has to pay dearly for supporting Arsenal. You need to read everything as reproduced below. The irony thing is, he still love Arsenal and even proclaimed the slogan of “Arsenal for life” despite the fact that he tread the path of death, after just regaining consciousness.

Arsenal for life! Screamed Dodiki Anjorin, immediately he regained consciousness after the major operation to remove the kitchen knife buried in his skull. Dodiki, a staunch Arsenal fan did not even ask after his own health but was more pre-occupied with the fortunes of his darling team which at that point in time was engaged in an exciting match with Tottenham. Arsenal won 3-1.It was under similar circumstances in which he was supporting his favourite English football team a few days earlier, that Anjorin was stabbed in the head by another fanatical fan of a rival football club, Bolton FC. Read more in this link
href=”http://www.vanguardngr.com/articles/2002/sports/february07/02022007/sp102022007.html”></a>
or if you are lazy to go to the link. see the full story in the comments below.

Hazards in Food

Food hazards is the process of looking at your food eating activities and habits and identifying potential problems which may harm you and thereby ensuring the necessary controls that are in place.

Such hazards include:

• Contaminated soils;
• Grazing of livestock, use of the field for disposal of waste;
• Microbial or chemical contamination on crop;
• Presence of bacterial pathogens, parasites, viruses, or environmental contaminants, e.g. pollutants in irrigation water;
• Inappropriate use of pesticides;
• Presence of E. coli etc. in irrigation water;
• Microbiological and chemical contamination of harvested crops;
• Biological, physical and chemical contamination of harvested crops;
• Temperature and condition of harvested crop.

 As food consumers, we can monitor food safety by the following way:

• Be aware of benefits and risks, when making food choices.
• Vary what we eat. Eat foods which are fresh, canned, dried, and frozen, and prepare them in different ways. Eat foods grown or raised in different places and made by different companies. This minimizes exposure to food hazards. Demand that more choices be provided.
• Properly store, handle, and cook food.
• Learn more about food safety with information from reputable sources .

With NAFDAC (National Food, Drugs and Administrative Control) in Nigeria who are very efficient nowadays, check expiry dates on canned food, tins, or bottle and check for the manufacturing date and manufacturer address. Any food that does not possess these according to NAFDAc, is not good for consumption and are hazardous to your health.

Happy New Year

Am deeply sorry for wishing you a belated new year greetings. This is my first post in this blog in this year and I can only but wish my reader an hazardous free year and abundant blessings. Happy New Year.

Hazards of losing Someone

This blog is launched to the public today to commemmorate 1 year of the death of my son (see picture above) who died as a result of hazards associated to swimming. To forestall and serves as a caution, this blog was started in his memory.

His death opened my eyes as to what people goes through when they lose closed ones. Those of us that has passed through this scenarios knows exactly what I am talking about, while those who had never lost someone closed to them (I prayed they never) should learn one or two from this topic.

Death is innevitable, once it happened, there is no remedy, that is why caution must be observed when showing our sadness and sorrow. The onus of doing this lies with those who are closer to the person who lost someone by making sure certain precautions are taken to forestall further damages. Although grieving the death of someone is a normal reaction, at times grief can feel enormously painful, overwhelming, and exhausting.
Here are several common, typical grief reactions:

* SHOCK/DISBELIEF
This is the numbing, disorienting sense that the death has not really happened, not really occurred. This reaction can be intensified and complicated if the death is sudden, violent, or unanticipated. Your mind may be telling you “there must be some mistake,” or “this can’t be true.” These symptoms typically last from several hours to several days.

* ANGER
Your anger may be targeted at a number of sources. You may feel waves of anger at the doctors who treated your loved one, anger at your family members for not rallying together, anger at God over what seems senseless or unjust, even anger at yourself or the person who died and “left” you.

* GUILT
You may blame yourself for not doing more, not being there enough, or not being there when the death happened. You may feel regret over “unfinished business” — conflicts you and the deceased never resolved, or feelings between the two of you that were never fully discussed or shared.

* SADNESS
You may experience a deep sense of loss. There may be moments when you find yourself at a loss for words, weeping, or bursting uncontrollably into tears.

* FEAR
There may be anxiety or panic; fears about carrying on, fears about the future. If the person who died was an adult (partner, sibling, parent), it may bring up fears about your own sense of mortality or sense of being left behind.

* DEPRESSION
You may go through periods of melancholy, or “blueness,” where you feel inclined to withdraw or isolate yourself. You may lose interest in your usual activities, or feel helpless or hopeless.

In recovering from losing someone close to you, the first thing to do is to accept and fully experience your loss, including feeling and expressing your pain and sorrow. Second, is to let go of your attachment to your loved one and your accompanying grief. Third, is to start to form new relationships or attachments in your life. This third phase is where you feel you are moving through our healing and recovery, and can start to develop new commitments and ties to people and activities.
Grieving the death of someone does not have a particular timetable. Mourning your loss may take weeks, months, or even years. From many individuals, the death of their loved one is carried with them throughout their lives. Although there is no “cure” for grief, here are several ways to help you cope with your loss, and begin to ease the pain.

* TIME
Take time alone and time with others whom you trust and who will listen when you need to talk.

* CARING
Try to allow yourself to accept the expressions of caring from others even though they may be awkward. Helping a friend or relative suffering the same loss may bring a feeling of closeness with that person.

* REST, RELAXATION, EXERCISE, DIVERSION
You may need to give yourself extra amounts of things that nourish and replenish you. Hot baths, afternoon naps, a short trip, a project helping others — any of these may give you a lift. Grief can be an emotionally and physically exhausting process.

* GOALS
For a while, it will seem that much of life is without meaning. At times like these, small goals are helpful. Something to look forward to — like lunch with a friend that day, a movie the next week, a trip next month — helps you get through the time in the immediate future. Sometimes living moment by moment, or one day at a time, is the rule of thumb. As time passes, you may want to work on longer range goals to give yourself some structure and direction to your life.

* SECURITY
Try to reduce or find help for financial and other stresses in your life. Allow yourself to be close and open up to those you trust. Developing or getting back into a routine helps. Focus on doing things at your own pace.

* PERMISSION TO BACKSLIDE
Sometimes after a period of feeling better, you find yourself back in the old feelings of extreme sadness, despair, or anger. This is the nature of grief — one moment you’re up, and next, you’re down. Sometimes when you backslide, you are simply remembering, re-experiencing the trauma or enormity of your loss which starts to flood back and overwhelm you.

* HOPE
You may find hope and comfort from those who have experienced a similar loss. Knowing what helped them, and realizing that over time they have recovered, may give you the hope and strength to envision that you, too, will eventually heal from your grief.

* SMALL PLEASURES
Do not underestimate the healing power of small pleasures. Sunsets, massage, a walk near the ocean, a favorite food — all are small steps toward giving to yourself and regaining your pleasure in life itself.

* BE AWARE OF DRUG AND ALCOHOL USE
The use of drugs, alcohol, and even prescription medications may prolong and delay the necessary process of grieving. You cannot prevent or cure grief. The only way out is through the grief process.

* PERMISSION TO CHANGE YOUR MIND
Grieving can shake you up inside. You may have difficulty concentrating; or find yourself constantly reevaluating your priorities. You may be unsure or uncertain what you want in numerous aspects of your life. When you make commitments or plans, be sure to let people know you may need room to cancel or change your mind.

* BE PREPARED AROUND HOLIDAYS AND ANNIVERSARIES
For many people, holidays, birthdays, or the anniversary of their loved one’s death can bring up painful memories or revive feelings of longing and sadness over their loss — even for those who believe they have “finished” their grieving and moved on. This “anniversary” reaction is a common part of the grieving process, but you may be still be surprised by the flood of emotions that may be reactivated during this period. You might want to be especially aware and gentle with yourself around this time. You may also want to allow more private time for yourself, or arrange to spend more time around family and others close to you.

In many instances, people can move through their grief on their own, or with their existing supports and resources. However, sometimes you need outside help or assistance to keep yourself from “going under,” or getting “perpetually stuck” in your grief. These conditions can happen especially if you are experiencing multiple stressors, or coping with cumulative grief. These warning signs include continuing bouts of depression, social withdrawal and isolation, suicidal thoughts, or continuing feelings of helplessness, hopelessness, and despair.
But the best lines I love to remedy my loss which may be useful is thus:

Don’t cry for me now I am gone, I did not die, my life goes on. For all we shared throughout the years, send me your love without your tears. I couldn’t stay, and so instead, I’ve walked a little way ahead.

The hazards of Thunder & Lightening

It was the second time running when I had to suffer some loss as a result of hazards associated with thunder and lightening.  My house probably was not well earthed, and the first time it happened to me all my electtronics were all affected, I had to coughed out unbudgeted substantial sum of money for their repairs.  That was last year, I thot I had remedied the situation until it happened to me again this year, even though my wife who was at home had contributed the habit of unplugging the electronic equipment as as it is raining, but this particular occasions, she was several seconds late. She had successfully unplugged the sitting room applicances, she was on her way to unplugged the bedroom, when lightening struck, thereby affecting my Decoder, satellite LNBs and of course the bedroom TV.

No doubt about it, the above occurence is one of many hazards associated with lightening and thunder.  One just needs to be careful especially during the raining seasons, that is why it is always advisable sometimes to pack besides the road when driving, until the rain stop or the thunder and lightening subsides.

There are three main ways lightning enters a building:
1. A direct strike
2. Through wires or pipes that extend outside the building
3. Through the ground
Once in a structure, the current from a lightning strike can travel through electrical lines, plumbing, phone lines,
and radio or TV reception systems. Lightning can also travel through any metal wiring or bars in concrete walls
or flooring.
AVOID CONTACT WITH CORDED PHONES Phone use is the leading cause of indoor ightning injuries. Cordless phones are safe, as long as lightning does not strike while you are removing the phone from the charging cradle.
STAY AWAY FROM WINDOWS AND EXTERIOR DOORS Windows and doors can provide a path for a direct strike to enter a home.
AVOID CONTACT WITH ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT OR CORDS Direct strikes and power surges due to lightning cause significant damage to personal property each year. If you plan to unplug any electronic equipment, do so well before the storm arrives. Do not forget to disconnect
televisions and radios from outdoor antennas.
STAY AWAY FROM PLUMBING AND PLUMBING APPLIANCES Avoid contact with pipes during a thunderstorm. Do not take a shower or bath. Avoid appliances such as dishwashers, washing machines, and electric hot water heaters, since they utilize both water and electricity.
BE ALERT FOR DIRECT LIGHTNING STRIKES If your home, or a neighbor’s home is directly struck by lightning, call the fire department immediately! If your home has been struck by lightning, have the electrical wiring inspected by a qualified electrical contractor as soon as possible.

Mobile Phone Hazards

Though there is a growing concern about the number of Base Stations in the country being erected by Telecom companies, Nigerians are worried about the hazardous effects these might pose to their health. Studies had shown that there could be increase in fatigue and headaches for heavy mobile handset users or increase in the sensation of heat on the user’s ear, face or head. What about a team of Hungarian scientists, based on its research, that carrying a phone in hip pocket or in a holster on the waist could cut sperm count by nearly 30 percent?.

However, the Nigerian Communications Commission came out with an official statement on the above when it publishes in its website that “there is no known conclusive scientific evidence at present to indicate that radiation from telecommunication masts or handsets could cause such dangerous diseases as cancer among humans”
The truth however is that, it is urgently required that a more research should be commenced by the government into probable hazards this emission from Masts and Handsets has on humans. This is not because there is concern about health effects, but that such research makes sense to quell any public concern.

Although scientific evidence for health hazards of low level cellphone radiation is weak, the World Health Organization has recommended a risk management policy applied in circumstances with a high degree of scientific uncertainty, reflecting the need to take action for a potentially serious risk without awaiting the results of scientific research.

In conclusion, although much more research needs be carry out, regular mobile-phone use is likely to have adverse health consequences in many people who use them. The newer, digital, ones (especially 3G) are likely to have more biological effects than the older, analogue, ones. Although existing evidence does not yet conclusively prove that there are any long-term adverse health implications, we feel that there is the need to advise people to use them as little as possible.