Flu + You: A Look At the Numbers

 Source: Education Database Online

The Weight of Nations

Heaviest 5 Countries

Country           Number of Adults Per ton      Average Daily Calories Consumed

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United States                12.2                                              2874 

Kuwait                          12.9                                              2982 

Croatia                          13.1                                              2741 

Qatar                            13.0                                              3007 

Egypt                            13.5                                              2826 

Source: The Weight of Nations: Adult Biomass, BMC Public Health

What's Next for Bloomberg's Bans?

The New York City mayor has not been shy in using his position to nudge people toward healthier lives. We are sure there are some Manhattanites crossing state lines to buy crispy fries.

December 2006: Signs ban on artery-clogging artificial trans-fats.

April 2009 - Launches campaign to cut salt in restaurant and packaged foods by 20%.

February 2011: Bans smoking in bars and restaurants.

February 2012: Signs ban on smoking in outdoor public spaces like beaches and parks.

May 2012: Proposes ban on drinnks larger than 16 ounces.

Daily Dose of Radiation

If you are worried about airport body scanners, here's something else to think about. According the EPA, the annual radiation from cosmic rays created at the Big Bang is 26 times more than a single airport scan; average exposure from a mammogram is 200 times more; and a single CT scan creates 2000 times more radiation exposure than an airport body scan.

Radiation exposure can vary according to radiation-intensive activities (ie medical imaging), occupation or where a person lives (Albuquerque, New Mexico is reportedly quite radioactive as a result of altitude and lots of rock emitting radon). The EPA provides a radiation calculator on its website, where individuals can plug in their details and get an estimate of annual radiation.

Total U.S. Average Annual Absorbed Radiation:  360 (millirems per year)

Average Annual Absorbed Radiation by Source (millirems per year):

Radon (air)                                                200

Mammogram                                             200

Food and water (e.g. potassium)                  40

Standard Medical X-rays (chest x-ray = 10)  40

Cosmic Radiation (outer space)                    26 

Airline Travel                                   1 for every 1000 miles traveled

Airport Body Scan                               1 for reach full body scan  

Watching TV                                                1

The Great Chemical Unknown

According to a report in Scientific American, only a tiny fraction of the compounds around us have been tested for safety. Those tested have mostly been evaluated in isolation, rather than in combination with other chemicals, which is how people are routinely exposed in their daily lives:

Chemicals used by U.S. consumers and industry: 50,000

Chemicals tested for safety: 300

Chemicals restricted as a result of current testing standards: 5

Environmental Defense Fund estimate of chemicals that would require more regulatory control under stricter safety testing laws: 5,000 to 15,000.