Yourlawyer.com (Diseases News)

Hepatitis Scare In Colorado Not Over Yet

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0800

The hepatitis scandal that originated in Colorado is not yet over. The Denver Post reports that hundreds of patients remain untested for the dangerous liver disease that was potentially spread due to scrub tech Kristen Diane Parker’s shoddy practices and drug addiction.

Hepatitis C is spread by contact with infected body fluids, especially blood. The disease attacks the liver, and can lead to cirrhosis or cancer of the liver. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C and the incurable disease can be fatal. Hepatitis C is considered the leading cause of liver transplants.

The Denver Post said that Rose Medical Center is still trying to track down about 375 patients who have yet to be tested. Of these, some patients have refused testing or have received private testing and are not sharing results; the Center does not have accurate or current telephone numbers for about 100 patients. After Parker left Rose she worked at Audubon Surgery Center of Colorado Springs; 57 patients from that facility have not yet been reached, said the Denver Post. Both centers are facing at least one lawsuit each as a result of the debacle, said the Denver Post.

Parker, 26, is infected with hepatitis C and recently agreed to a plea agreement on charges stemming from her alleged theft of Fentanyl syringes and was sentenced to 20 years in federal prison. Parker allegedly stole the syringes for her own use, replacing them with saline after injecting herself and potentially infecting others with the disease.

Parker was indicted on July 23 on 42 counts by a federal grand jury: 21 counts of product tampering and 21 counts of obtaining a controlled substance by deceit, reported the Denver Post previously; charges only related to Parker’s alleged activities at Rose, one of several facilities in which Parker worked. Parker was also charged with three criminal counts connected to stealing Fentanyl, the Denver Post noted previously.

The Denver Post reported that more charges could be made and that, if convicted, Parker—who was jailed without bond—could have faced life in prison. The original counts were later reduced because prosecutors were looking to focus on the cases that were “easiest to prove,” said the Denver Post earlier. Parker pleaded not guilty to the indictment of 42 counts but acknowledged guilt on 10 counts, said the Associated Press (AP) earlier. The plea enables Parker to avoid a potential life sentence, noted BizJournals previously.

Fentanyl is a narcotic pain medication used for surgical patients and, as a result of swapping saline for the surgical pain medication, patients who were supposed to receive Fentanyl, clearly were not administered their prescribed medication, noted BizJournals in an earlier piece.

Of the Rose patients tested—some 4,158—15 patients were infected with hepatitis C from Parker, said the Denver Post, citing genetic tests. The Colorado Hospital Association has since implemented a task force, said the Denver Post, in order to look into so-called hospital "drug diversion," which is a term that related to drug theft that stems from staff, patients, or others with access to the hospital. The Association is also looking into hiring and drug policies at hospitals and is also reviewing state and federal regulations and for ways in which to enforce patient safety, said the Denver Post.

Rose is working on installing “drug-dispensing machines,” said the Denver Post, and is posting them in operating rooms; the Center is also conducting training on understanding drug theft and has geared it to managers and employees.

WHO Cell Phone Study Reveals Possible Cancer Link

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The World Health Organization (WHO) will soon unveil the results of a groundbreaking, $30 million investigation into cell phone dangers. According to media reports - the study known as the Interphone investigation- found evidence of a link between cell phones and brain cancer.

According to the U.K.'s Daily Telegraph, a preliminary analysis of the WHO study's data found a "significantly increased risk” of some brain tumors “related to use of mobile phones for a period of 10 years or more." The Interphone project conducted studies in 13 countries, interviewing tumor sufferers and people in good health to see whether their use phone use differed. Interviews were conducted with 12,800 people between 2000 and 2004.

Six of eight Interphone studies found some rise in the risk of glioma (the most common brain tumor), with one finding a 39 per cent increase the Daily Telegraph said. Two of seven studies into acoustic neurinoma (a benign tumor of a nerve between the ear and brain) reported a higher risk after using mobiles for 10 years. A Swedish report said it was 3.9 times higher. An Israeli study found heavy users were about 50 per cent more likely to suffer tumors of the parotid salivary gland.

The Interphone authors did say the study was not definitive, and limited because it depended on subjects' memories to determine frequency of cell phone use. But the study's head, Dr Elisabeth Cardis, said she backed new warnings for cell phones based on its findings. "In the absence of definitive results and in the light of a number of studies which, though limited, suggest a possible effect of radiofrequency radiation, precautions are important,” she said. Dr. Cardis said she would back the idea of restricting cell phone use among children, although she thought banning the devices entirely for kids was a bad idea.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the publication of the Interphone study, which was funded in part by the mobile phone industry, was delayed because its authors could not agree on how to present its conclusion. But the final paper is expected to be published in medical journal before the end of the year.

New Agent Orange Policy Will Make Disability Benefits Available to More Vets

Tue, 13 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

A new proposal on Agent Orange health claims issued this week by the Department of Veterans Affairs will make it much easier for veterans injured by the toxin to make claims for disability payments and health care services. Under the proposal, three illnesses - B cell leukemias, such as hairy cell leukemia; Parkinson's disease; and ischemic heart disease - will be added to the growing list of illnesses presumed to have been caused by Agent Orange.

Agent Orange was widely used during the Vietnam War as a defoliant to remove enemy hiding places. According to The New York Times, Agent Orange was the most common herbicide used in the war. It contained one of the most toxic forms of dioxin, which has since been linked to some cancers.

According to a VA press release, between January 1965 and April 1970, an estimated 2.6 million military personnel who served in Vietnam were potentially exposed to sprayed Agent Orange. Many of those exposed to the toxin continue to suffer health problems.

The decision to add B cell leukemias, Parkinson's disease and ischemic heart disease to the roster of presumed Agent Orange illnesses brings the total number of ailments on the list to 15. Other presumed Agent Orange illnesses include:

Acute and Subacute Transient Peripheral Neuropathy
AL Amyloidosis
Chloracne
Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2)
Hodgkin's Disease
Multiple Myeloma
Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Porphyria Cutanea Tarda
Prostate Cancer
Respiratory Cancers, and
Soft Tissue Sarcoma (other than Osteosarcoma, Chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, or Mesothelioma)

Veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and who have a "presumed" illness don't have to prove an association between their illnesses and their military service. This "presumption" simplifies and speeds up the application process for benefits. According to the Times, it is estimated that about 200,000 veterans might seek benefits under the proposed change in policy.

According to The New York Times, the new Agent Orange policy will apply to some 2.1 million veterans who set foot in Vietnam during the war, including those who came after the military stopped using Agent Orange in 1970. It will not apply to sailors on deep-water ships, though VA says it plans to study the effects of Agent Orange on the Navy.

The decision to expand the list of presumed Agent Orange illnesses was based on an independent study released in July by the Institute of Medicine, the VA press release said.

Florida Hospital Patients May Have Been Exposed To HIV, Hepatitis

Wed, 07 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Another case of potential hospital-spread hepatitis has been discovered in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. According to the Sun Sentinel, police in that city are looking into a long-time registered nurse who, according to her staff—violated infection-control protocols, with full knowledge. The ongoing situation—over 1,800 patients are believed to have been exposed to the shoddy infection practices—took place at Broward General Medical Center.

In addition to hepatitis B and C, patients were also likely exposed to HIV, the virus that leads to AIDS. All three pathogens are blood borne in nature.

Police spokesman Sgt. Frank Sousa said the hospital requested the investigation of Qui Lan, 59, said the Sun Sentinel. Officials at the hospital said they learned that Lan was reusing catheter tubing and saline bags on multiple patients, said the Sun Sentinel. The tubing and bags were meant for one-time patient use during cardiac chemical stress tests. According to the Sun Sentinel, to date, there have been no charges filed or victims named.

It remains unknown if Lan knowingly placed thousands of patients at risk or if the scandal is related to negligence on her part, said the Sun Sentinel. An anonymous report led to the investigation in which at least one nurse said Lan understood that the supplies should not be reused. Sun Sentinel explained that the medical supplies deliver saline solution via IV to enable optimum vein performance during stress testing.

"But we still don't know why she chose to do this," said, Alice Taylor, chief operating officer of Broward General Medical Center, quoted Sun Sentinel. "This is flagrant disregard of basic nursing principles," Taylor added.

In the meantime, 1,851 patients believed to have been potentially exposed since 2004, are being notified and asked to undergo blood screening, which the hospital will pay for, said Sun Sentinel. Specialists, including from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, are being consulted, the paper added.

This is the most recent in a string of similar incidents in which medical supplies have been tampered with or used in ways that expose countless patients to disease. We have been following the scandals with the Department of Veterans Affairs’ centers in three cities in which colonoscopy and endoscopy equipment were reused without being properly sanitized. To date, noted the Sun Sentinel some 50 veterans have tested positive for blood borne pathogens.

Most recently, a surgical tech who worked out of two Colorado hospitals and hospitals in New York and Texas was charged and sentenced after it was discovered she was swapping syringes containing the narcotic pain reliever Fentanyl with saline after injecting herself. She has tested positive for hepatitis.

Lan, has an active Florida nursing license and a clean record, said the Sun Sentinel. She was suspended on September 8 and resigned on the 9th; the hospital reported her to the Florida Board of Nursing, said the Sun Sentinel, which added that authorities believe Lan is no longer in the United States. CEO of Broward Center CEO, James Thaw, told the paper that the hospital notified patients and arranged for off-site testing in the month before it notified the police.

Colorado Hospital Fighting Subpoena In Hepatitis Probe

Thu, 24 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

One of the Colorado medical facilities involved in the hepatitis C scandal linked to a fired operating room tech is fighting a subpoena issued by the U.S. Attorney’s Office. The Gazette wrote that the Audubon Ambulatory Surgical Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado is fighting the subpoena seeking the identity of a patient who may have contracted hepatitis C from the fired technician.

Kristen Diane Parker, 26, who has hepatitis C, allegedly stole fentanyl syringes for her own use and, after injecting herself, replaced the fentanyl with saline. Parker is accused of returning the dirty saline-filled syringes to the hospitals’ supplies, and they were eventually used to treat patients. In Colorado, Parker worked at Rose Medical Center from October 21 to April 13 and at Audubon Surgery Center from May 4 until June 29. Parker also worked at Christus St. John Hospital outside Houston, Texas between May 2005 and October 2006, the Associated Press (AP) previously reported, and at Northern Westchester Hospital in New York’s Mount Kisco between October 8, 2007, and February 28, 2008. Investigations are ongoing in all three states.

Although prosecutors argue that the information is needed in their case against the fired tech, Audubon’s lawyers are looking to quash a subpoena also asking for records for those patients treated when Parker worked there, said the Gazette. State officials have linked 27 hepatitis C cases contracted by former Rose and Audubon patients to Parker, said the Gazette. Parker was fired from Rose prior to working at Audubon.

According to Audubon, reported the Gazette, just two patients tested positive for the same hepatitis C genome as Parker and one of those reported contracting the dangerous blood borne disease from a blood transfusion in 1972. The remaining case has been identified as “Patient B,” whose redacted medical reports have been provided to the U.S. Attorney’ Office, said the Gazette. The patient’s identity was removed from the report and the patient has advised Audubon that he objects to its releasing his data to prosecuting attorneys, reported the Gazette.

According to the center’s attorney, the patient agreed to identification if genome-sequence testing, conducted by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), link his hepatitis to the tech, said the Gazette. Because of this, federal privacy laws prevent Audubon from releasing Patient B’s information and the U.S. Attorney had to limit its request to unedited patient records for Patient B and excluding records for patients treated at the center during Parker’s time there, explained the Gazette.

Parker was indicted on July 23 on 42 counts by a federal grand jury, 21 counts of product tampering and 21 counts of obtaining a controlled substance by deceit, reported the Denver Post previously. These charges, said the Denver Post, only relate to Parker’s alleged activities at Rose. Parker was also charged with three criminal counts earlier in the month that were connected to stealing Fentanyl, the Denver Post noted. The Denver Post reported that additional charges could be made in future indictments and that, if convicted, Parker could face life in prison. Parker is currently jailed without bond. The original 21 counts were later reduced to 19 counts each because prosecutors were looking to focus on the 19 cases that are “easiest to prove,” said the Denver Post. Parker is scheduled to go on trial Monday.

Senate to Look at Cell Phones, Cancer

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0700

There has been much controversy regarding the possible links between cell phone use and cancer. Now, Iowa senator Tom Harkin, Chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee, will be looking into the matter, reported Reuters.

Harkin just replaced recently deceased Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy and said he promised to investigate the situation, specifically the issue surrounding why no one has been able to conclusively prove that cell phones no not lead to cancer, according to Reuters. "I'm reminded of this nation's experience with cigarettes. Decades passed between the first warnings about smoking tobacco and the final definitive conclusion that cigarettes cause lung cancer," Harkin said, quoted Harkin.

Most recently we wrote that medical professionals attending a congressional hearing called for a large-scale study of the long-term health effects of cell phones, especially in children. During a hearing before the House subcommittee on domestic policy, Ronald Herberman, director of the University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute discussed how cell phones affect adult and growing brains. Herberman is known for making news with his much-publicized memo urging his 3,000 staffers to limit their and their children’s cell-phone use. “We urgently need to do a study [to resolve this question],” he told the subcommittee, which was chaired by Representative Dennis Kucinich (Democrat-Ohio).

Cell phone use continues to increase in younger demographics; a very recent survey of over 2,000 teens by market research and consulting firm Harris Interactive (HPOL) revealed 17 million teens, or 79 percent, use cell phones, up 36 percent from 2005, according to CTIA, a wireless industry association. Reuters noted some 275 million people in the United States alone use cell phones.

The activist group, the Environmental Working Group and epidemiologist Devra Lee Davis of the University of Pittsburgh—Davis authored a book claiming the government has neglected to look into an array of cancer sources—have also expressed concern about possible links, reported Reuters. And, according to a staffer, it was a report by the activist group regarding varying rates of radio wave emissions from one phone to another and possible cancer links that increased Harkin’s concern, said Reuters.

Harkin said he “will pursue this beyond this panel, with NIH (the National Institutes of Health)," quoted Reuters. Harkin also noted that while the appropriations committee does not “have jurisdiction over the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the Federal Communications Commission (FCC),” the Health committee does, said Reuters.

Most prevailing research has not looked at long-term cell phone exposure and experts feel current standards require strengthening. Three huge studies published since 2000 only looked at people using cell phones for an average of three years. Many experts believe cell phone use for more than what has been studied, to date, would point to increases in the risks of developing certain types of tumors and cancers. Congress has not examined wireless exposure for at least 15 years, according to Representative Darrell Issa (Republican-California), and large-scale studies of the health effects of cell-phone use in the U.S. since the 1990s are lacking, said David Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health & the Environment at the University at Albany. Other studies have provided inconsistent results, in part because outdated technology was studied.

The Acreage Investigation Points to Elevated Cancer Levels

Mon, 31 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

People living in one Florida community may be experiencing elevated levels of cancer, the state health department says. According to The Palm Beach Post, the findings of a recent study of cancer in The Acreage have prompted the Florida health department to launch a second phase of their investigation.

As we’ve reported previously, residents of The Acreage have been concerned about a cancer cluster since several children living in close proximity to each other were diagnosed with brain tumors. People in the area have speculated that a nearby Pratt & Whitney jet engine plant and/or citrus groves in the area, which used potentially dangerous pesticides for decades, may have tainted well water in the area. There were also concerns about soil contamination.

Earlier this summer, residents’ concerns prompted the Florida Department of Health to begin a study of cancer rates in the area. The results of the first phase were unveiled on Friday. According to the Palm Beach Post, investigators found 1,369 cases of all types of cancer between 1995 and 2007. A similar-sized area elsewhere in Florida could be expected to have 1,055 cases in that time, the Post said. The report revealed six cases of brain cancer in children 14 and younger from 1997 to 2007. Of those, three were diagnosed in 2008, the report said.

The Post is also reporting that while water testing conducted by the State Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) found that water in 48 residential wells met drinking water standards, a sample of untreated water at Seminole Water Plant showed "a minor exceedance” in the naturally-occurring radioactive element, radium 226. The finding prompted the DEP to run additional tests of all five wells that supply the Seminole Water Plant, the Post said.

The health department report was not clear as to whether or not the findings pointed to the existence of a “cancer cluster” in the community. However, the department has now decided to launch a second phase of its investigation of cancer rates in The Acreage. According to the Post, this new phase will involve recalculating cancer rates using more recent population estimates and verifying if any particular brain cancer is more common than expected. Residents also will be interviewed about other risk factors for pediatric brain cancer, the Post said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control, a cancer cluster is defined as a greater-than-expected number of cancer cases that occurs within a group of people in a geographic area over a period of time. Cancer cases are more likely to represent a cancer cluster if they involve (1) one type of cancer, (2) a rare type of cancer, or (3) a type of cancer in a group not usually affected by that cancer, such as a cancer in children.

Unveiling of The Acreage Cancer Cluster Study Delayed

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

A news conference slated for today to discuss the results of a cancer cluster study being conducted in a Florida community, The Acreage, has been canceled.   According to The Palm Beach Post, release of the first phase of the study has been delayed so investigators can review its findings further.

As we’ve reported previously, residents of The Acreage have been concerned about a cancer cluster since several children living in close proximity to each other were diagnosed with brain tumors. In an earlier report, one resident told the Post that she knew of 70 reports of such tumors or suspected tumors diagnosed in Acreage residents in the past 15 years, 14 of which were in children.

People living in the area are concerned that a nearby Pratt & Whitney jet engine plant and/or citrus groves in the area, which used potentially dangerous pesticides for decades may have tainted well water. There were also concerns about soil contamination.

Because of residents’ concerns, the Florida Department of Health has been gathering basic information on people in the area who have had brain cancer. Results of the first phase of the investigation were supposed to be released today. If the study finds either “elevated levels” of cancer in the community, or determines that a cluster exists, the inquiry will continue and would eventually target possible environmental causes.

While that first phase is completed, the Post says the report is still be reviewed by the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), state environmental professionals and epidemiologists, as well as county health personnel.   So today's news conference has been canceled.

A spokesperson for the Palm Beach County Health Department told the Post that it is hoped that county would be able to report back to The Acreage residents by the end of this month, as was originally promised.   But it is not known if the review of the report will be done by then.

Intelence Linked to Stevens-Johnson Syndrome, Other Serious Skin Reactions

Thu, 27 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Intelence (etravirine), an HIV medication made by Johnson & Johnson's Tibotec division, has been associated with serious skin reactions, including Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis. The company recently sent a letter to health care providers informing them that the prescribing information for Intelence would be updated to include information about systemic hypersensitivity reactions, sometimes accompanied by liver failure, that have occurred in some users.

Intelence was approved by the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) in 2008. It is a non-nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor, and is used to treat people who have become resistant to other HIV medications.

According to Bloomberg.com, toxic epidermal necrolysis has killed one patient and injured another since Intelence was approved in January 2008. Another patient reported a hypersensitivity reaction accompanied by liver failure. According to Tibotec, in clinical trails 1.3 percent of people taking Intelence developed moderate to severe rashes, compared with 0.2 percent of people who received a placebo in those trials.

According to the letter from Tibotec, the existing Warning and Precaution regarding Severe Skin Reactions has been strengthened to reflect these reports. Additionally, guidance has been added that Intelence should be immediately discontinued when signs and symptoms of severe skin or hypersensitivity reactions develop.

According to the letter, the hypersensitivity reactions associated with Intelence are characterized by rash, flulike symptoms and sometimes organ problems, including liver failure. Rashes typically appeared within the first six weeks of therapy with Intelence. If the rash becomes severe, the prescribing information warns, individuals using the drug should contact their health care providers immediately to discuss possibly stopping Intelence.

Stevens-Johnson syndrome is a hypersensitivity complex affecting the skin and the mucous membrane. The disorder causes blistering of mucous membranes, typically in the mouth, eyes, and vagina, and patchy areas of rash. Toxic epidermal necrolysis presents with a similar blistering of mucous membranes. However, in addition to blistering, the entire epidermis peels off in sheets from large areas of the body. Both disorders can be life threatening.

Acreage Cancer Cluster Report Due Thursday

Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Residents of The Acreage are anxiously awaiting the result of a study to determine whether or not the Florida community constitutes a "cancer cluster". According to The Palm Beach Post, findings from the first phase of that study are slated to be released later this week.

As we've reported previously, residents of The Acreage have been concerned about a cancer cluster since several children living in close proximity to each other were diagnosed with brain tumors. One resident told the Post that she knew of 70 reports of such tumors or suspected tumors diagnosed in Acreage residents in the past 15 years, 14 of which were in children. However, the Post said that number has not been confirmed.

According to The Palm Beach Post, some residents are worried that a nearby Pratt & Whitney jet engine plant and/or citrus groves in the area, which used potentially dangerous pesticides for decades may have tainted well water. There were also concerns about soil contamination.

Because of residents’ concerns, the Florida Department of Health has been gathering basic information on people in the area who have had brain cancer. An investigation will be launched if cancer rates in The Acreage turn out to be higher than what is normal. Results of the first phase of that investigation will be released at a news conference this Thursday. According to the Post, the conference will be open to the public.

Depending on the findings, the investigation of the potential cancer cluster could take several routes. If nothing unusual is found, the probe would end. If the study finds either "elevated levels" of cancer in the community, or determines that a cluster exists, the inquiry will continue and will eventually target possible environmental causes, the Post said.

Many residents told the Post that they would be skeptical of any findings that indicated there was no problem. Some also expressed concerns that data would be manipulated in order to present a favorable finding.

In addition to Thursday's news conference, the Palm Beach County health director will hold a meeting with residents in about two weeks to go over the report, the Post said.

The Acreage Cancer Scare: Tests Show Water, Soil at Two Schools OK

Fri, 21 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Water and soil samples taken from two schools in The Acreage have tested negative for contaminants, according to a report on WPBF.com. Residents of The Acreage raised concerns earlier this summer that the Florida community might be the sight of a cancer cluster after several residents - including children - were diagnosed with brain tumors.

The water and soil testing at Western Pines Community Middle and Golden Grove Elementary was part of Palm Beach County's investigation into the cancer cases. According to WPBF.com, the samples were tested for chemicals, pesticides and herbicides. County Administrator Bob Weisman told WPBF.com that the water at the schools - which comes from a public water plant - was "remarkably clean".

The Florida Health Department is still waiting for the results from tests of water in area wells and water lines. Those test results could come back in about a month.

While the news of the favorable tests at the schools was met with relief by many residents of The Acreage, they told WPBF.com that they were still concerned that their community is a cancer cluster. Because of residents' concerns, the Florida Department of Health has been gathering basic information on people in the area who have had brain cancer. An investigation will be launched if cancer rates in The Acreage turn out to be higher than what is normal. The results of the Departments' probe should be available in about two weeks.

In June, U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson, D-Fla., called on both the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and the Environmental Protection Agency to investigate a possible cancer cluster after several children, all of whom live a few miles apart in The Acreage, developed brain tumors.

According to the CDC, a cancer cluster is defined as a greater-than-expected number of cancer cases that occurs within a group of people in a geographic area over a period of time. Cancer cases are more likely to represent a cancer cluster if they involve (1) one type of cancer, (2) a rare type of cancer, or (3) a type of cancer in a group not usually affected by that cancer, such as a cancer in children.

21 Hepatitis C Cases in Colorado May be Linked to Indicted Scrub Tech

Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Three more people in Colorado have tested positive for hepatitis C that may be related to one former surgical technician. According to The Denver Post, the Colorado Health Department is now reporting 21 cases of the blood borne disease that may have originated with Kristen Diane Parker.

Parker, who has hepatitis C, allegedly stole fentanyl syringes for her own use, and after injecting herself, replaced the fentanyl with saline. Parker is accused of returning the dirty saline-filled syringes to the hospitals' supplies, and they were eventually used to treat patients.

In Colorado, Parker worked at Rose Medical Center from Oct. 21 to April 13 and at Audubon Surgery Center from May 4 until June 29. Parker also worked at Christus St. John Hospital outside Houston, Texas between May 2005 and Oct. 2006, the Associated Press (AP) previously reported and at Northern Westchester Hospital in New York’s Mount Kisco between Oct. 8, 2007, and Feb. 28, 2008. Investigations continue in all three states and patients continue to be tested.

Parker was indicted on July 23 on 42 counts by a federal grand jury, 21 counts of product tampering and 21 counts of obtaining a controlled substance by deceit, reported the Denver Post previously. These charges, said the Denver Post, only relate to Parker’s alleged activities at Rose. Parker was also charged with three criminal counts earlier in the month that were connected to stealing Fentanyl, the Denver Post noted. The Denver Post reported that additional charges could be made in future indictments and that, if convicted, Parker could face life in prison. Parker is currently jailed without bond.

According to The Denver Post, 20 hepatitis C cases that were a preliminary match to Parker have been found among people treated at Rose. The 21st case is an Audubon patient, but officials there told the Denver Post that the case will eventually prove to be unconnected once more genetic testing is complete.

Last week, we reported that five of over 1,200 former surgical patients at Northern Westchester Hospital in New York have also tested positive for the hepatitis C virus. Three of those patients apparently contracted the disease prior to Parker’s employment at the facility. A former patient has filed suit against the hospital, claiming he contracted the disease from Parker. The plaintiff in the lawsuit underwent outpatient ankle surgery at Northern Westchester in 2007.

NY Hep C Lawsuit

Tue, 04 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

In addition to the numerous hepatitis C cases cropping up nationwide and allegedly linked to former surgical tech Kristen Diane Parker, 26, what appears to be the first lawsuit in New York alleging hep C contamination due to Parker’s practices has been filed.

The New York Post is reporting that David Swift, 53, a former patient at Northern Westchester Hospital is the first patient in New York to allege hep C contamination from Parker. Swift underwent outpatient ankle surgery in 2007 and was recently advised to undergo testing because he was administered Fentanyl when Parker was working in the operating room, said The Post. Last month, the Northern Westchester Hospital advised over 2,700 patients to receive testing, said LoHud.com, previously.

Parker is infected with hepatitis C and, now, so too is Swift. "My wife and I try to live a healthy life. Now somebody else's risky behavior is causing me a lot of hardship,” said Swift, quoted The Post. Swift's attorney filed the lawsuit late last week against both Parker and the Northern Westchester Hospital, said The Post.

Parker allegedly swapped sterile Fentanyl syringes with dirty—potentially hepatitis C-contaminated—saline-filled syringes, endangering countless patients. Hepatitis C is spread by contact with infected body fluids, especially blood. The disease attacks the liver, and can lead to cirrhosis or cancer of the liver. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C and the incurable disease can be fatal. According to LoHud.com, hepatitis C is the leading cause of liver transplants.

Parker worked at Rose from Oct. 21 to April 13 and at Colorado Springs’ Audubon Surgery Center from May 4 until June 29. Parker also worked at Christus St. John Hospital outside Houston, Texas between May 2005 and Oct. 2006, the Associated Press (AP) previously reported and at Northern Westchester Hospital in New York’s Mount Kisco between Oct. 8, 2007, and Feb. 28, 2008. Investigations continue in all three states and patients continue to be tested.

We recently reported that 19 patients from Rose tested positive for the dangerous and sometimes deadly disease. LoHud.com recently reported that five of over 1,200 former surgical patients at Northern Westchester Hospital in New York have also tested positive for the hepatitis C virus, citing hospital officials. Three of those patients apparently contracted the disease prior to Parker’s employment at the facility. One patient from Audubon, said KRDO previously, also tested positive for the virus. More positive hepatitis C results are expected.

Parker was indicted last week on 42 counts by a federal grand jury, 21 counts of product tampering and 21 counts of obtaining a controlled substance by deceit, reported the Denver Post previously. These charges, said the Denver Post, only relate to Parker’s alleged activities at Rose. Parker was also charged with three criminal counts earlier in the month that were connected to stealing Fentanyl, the Denver Post noted. The Denver Post reported that additional charges could be made in future indictments and that, if convicted, Parker could face life in prison.

Although Parker alleges she did not know she was infected with hepatitis C at the time the crimes were committed, the Associated Press (AP) previously reported that Parker tested positive with the virus before she began working at Rose, but that Parker never followed-up on the diagnosis. The Denver Post noted that Parker was told at a pre-employment exam at Rose that she was likely infected with hepatitis C and Parker, herself, told police she shared needles when she used heroin.

NY Hep C Cases Linked to Colorado Scrub Tech

Mon, 03 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

We have been following the hepatitis C debacle that appears to have originated with former surgical technician, Kristen Diane Parker, 26. We recently reported that 19 patients from Colorado’s Rose Medical Center tested positive for the dangerous and sometimes deadly disease. Now, reports LoHud.com, five of over 1,200 former surgical patients at Northern Westchester Hospital in New York, have also tested positive for the hepatitis C virus, citing hospital officials.

Of those whose hepatitis C is linked to Parker, 14 are from Rose and one, from Audubon, said KRDO, previously; 13 are scheduled for sequencing, additional genetic testing, which will provide more confirmation that the virus genotype is the same as Parker’s. “According to the CDC, it’s 99.4 percent certain to be linked to the former employee,” said Mark Salley, Department of Health and Environment spokesman, reported KRDO. The state expects more positive hepatitis C results to come in as a result of the testing, said KRDO.

Last month, the Northern Westchester Hospital advised over 2,700 patients to receive testing, said LoHud.com. Three of the five patients who tested positive for the virus contracted it prior to Parker’s employment at the hospital; therefore their infections are not connected to Parker, reported LoHud.com, citing hospital officials.

Parker was indicted last week on 42 counts by a federal grand jury, 21 counts of product tampering and 21 counts of obtaining a controlled substance by deceit, reported the Denver Post. These charges, said the Denver Post, only relate to Parker’s alleged activities at Rose. Parker was also charged with three criminal counts earlier in the month that were connected to stealing Fentanyl, the Denver Post noted. The Denver Post reported that additional charges could be made in future indictments and that, if convicted, Parker could face life in prison.

Although Parker alleges she did not know she was infected with hepatitis C at the time the crimes were committed, the AP previously reported that Parker tested positive with the virus before she began working at Rose, but that Parker never followed-up on the diagnosis. The Denver Post noted that Parker was told at a pre-employment exam at Rose that she was likely infected with hepatitis C and Parker, herself, told police she shared needles when she used heroin.

Water Testing in The Acreage Set to Start

Sun, 02 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Water tests will soon begin in The Acreage. As we've reported previously, residents in that Florida community became concerned that the area could be a cancer cluster after several residents - including children - developed brain tumors.

According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), a cancer cluster is defined as a greater-than-expected number of cancer cases that occurs within a group of people in a geographic area over a period of time. Cancer cases are more likely to represent a cancer cluster if they involve (1) one type of cancer, (2) a rare type of cancer, or (3) a type of cancer in a group not usually affected by that cancer, such as a cancer in children.

According to a report on WPTV.com, residents of The Acreage estimate that as many as 50 people in the area have cancer. This summer, the Florida Department of Health has been gathering basic information on residents in the area who have had brain cancer. An investigation will be launched if cancer rates in The Acreage turn out to be higher than what is normal.

The state's water testing, which will begin on Tuesday, will encompass 10 square miles of The Acreage. The samples will be analyzed for any industrial and agricultural chemicals. The state says preliminary results from the tests will be available in about two months.

Meanwhile, Palm Beach County is testing the water at two of the community's schools: Golden Grove Elementary School and Western Pines Middle School.

McDonald's Hepatitis A Victims Sue

Tue, 28 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The family of a boy who allegedly contracted hepatitis A after eating at McDonald’s Corporation’s Milan, Illinois, establishment is suing the fast food giant for damages and “other relief,” reports Reuters.

The lawsuit alleges that after eating at a McDonald’s in Milan, Dillon Mrasak, 16, began exhibiting symptoms that included a “very high fever, aches, and fatigue,” said Reuters. The boy required hospitalization last month and tested positive for hepatitis A.

According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), hepatitis A is an acute, contagious liver disease caused by the hepatitis A virus (HAV). The disease is transmitted by the ingestion of fecal matter or contaminated food or drinks or from close person-to-person contact. The ingestion can be, says the CDC, even in microscopic amounts. Such person-to-person contact can occur when, for instance, an infected person does not wash his or her hands properly after going to the bathroom and touches other objects or food, the CDC explained.

Hep A symptoms usually appear anywhere from two-to-six weeks after exposure and develop over a period of several days and can include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine, clay-colored bowel movements, joint pain, and jaundice. Hep A, while not chronic, can last anywhere from a few weeks to a few months and, while most people recover with no long-lasting liver damage, people can feel sick for months. Hep A can cause liver failure and even death in people over the age of 50 or in those with other liver diseases, such as hepatitis B or C.

Personal injury attorneys in Illinois are working on a class action suit, said Justice News Flash that involves one man—Cody Patterson—and thousands of other potential plaintiffs. Patterson and the others all ate at McDonald’s eateries in Milan where an outbreak that involves 19 confirmed illnesses with 11 needing hospitalization or treatment occurred, said Justice News Flash.

Two McDonald’s food handlers are among those sickened, said Reuters, which noted that over 20 people have become sick in Illinois and Iowa. Citing press reports, Reuters reported that one of the workers who was ill on June 16, was later diagnosed with hepatitis A. It seems the worker did handle food while she was infectious, said Reuters.

The two McDonald’s restaurants in Milan were closed on July 15 by the Rock Island County Health Department. The restaurants were closed for health official inspection and cleaning, reported the Denver Post; both sites were reopened on July 18. According to Reuters, citing a McDonald’s spokeswoman, the outbreak’s source has not been confirmed.

Reuters noted that over 4,500 people have been vaccinated against hepatitis A and more than 10,000 people may have been exposed based on traffic information for the two establishments involved.

Justice News Flash pointed out that when patrons fall ill because a restaurant owner fails to maintain “a safe and healthy working environment, as required by state and federal health laws,” those patrons may be entitled to compensation for damages and injuries, including physician visits, hospital stays, medications, and lost income, to name some.

19 Hepatitis C Cases Now Linked to Colorado Surgical Tech

Fri, 24 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Sadly, the number of patients who likely contracted the dangerous, sometimes deadly, hepatitis C from surgical technician Kristen Diane Parker, has risen to 19. Parker, 26, allegedly swapped sterile Fentanyl syringes with dirty—potentially hepatitis C-contaminated—saline-filled syringes, endangering countless patients.

"Nineteen people tested positive for hepatitis C who had surgery at Rose Medical Center, have the same genotype as Parker, and did not have hepatitis C prior to surgery," said Jeffrey Dorschner, spokesman for the U.S. attorney's office in Colorado, quoted the Denver Post. This development, said the Denver Post, represents the first direct link between the contamination and Parker.

Yesterday, Parker was indicted on 42 counts by a federal grand jury, 21 counts of product tampering and 21 counts of obtaining a controlled substance by deceit, reported the Denver Post. These charges, said the Denver Post, only relate to Parker’s alleged activities at Rose. Parker was also charged with three criminal counts earlier in the month that were connected to stealing Fentanyl, the Denver Post noted.

All 19 cases of hepatitis C were discovered at Rose, said the Associated Press (AP). “I am certain the 19 hepatitis C cases to date have been linked to Parker,” said U.S. Attorney spokesman Jeff Dorschner, quoted the AP.

Hepatitis C is spread by contact with infected body fluids, especially blood. The disease attacks the liver, and can lead to cirrhosis or cancer of the liver. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C and the disease can be fatal. The disease is incurable, but can be treated.

Parker worked at Rose from Oct. 21 to April 13 and at Colorado Springs’ Audubon Surgery Center from May 4 until June 29. Parker also worked at Christus St. John Hospital outside Houston, Texas between May 2005 and Oct. 2006, the Associated Press (AP) previously reported and at Northern Westchester Hospital in New York’s Mount Kisco between Oct. 8, 2007, and Feb. 28, 2008. Investigations continue in all three states and patients continue to be tested.

Although Parker alleges, through her attorney, that she did not know she was infected with hepatitis C at the time the crimes were committed, the AP previously reported that Parker tested positive with the virus before she began working at Rose, but that Parker never followed-up on the diagnosis. Prior to the indictment, a federal magistrate ordered Parker jailed without bond, saying she switched the needles even though she knew she had hepatitis C, the AP said. The Denver Post noted that Parker was told at a pre-employment exam at Rose that she was likely infected with hepatitis C and Parker, herself, told police she shared needles when she used heroin.

Meanwhile, yesterday we wrote that the Colorado state health department was apparently fully aware of Parker’s criminal activities at Rose four days before Parker was barred from working as a surgical tech at Audubon, according to the Denver Post, which added that officials knew Parker was feeding her addiction and potentially endangering countless patients.

The Denver Post reported that additional charges could be made in future indictments and that, if convicted, Parker could face life in prison.

Hep C Outbreak Linked to Colorado Surgical Tech Grows

Mon, 20 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The hepatitis C scandal that originated in Denver, Colorado has not only expanded to two other states, but its victim toll has risen to 11. The Denver Post just reported that 11 patients from the Rose Medical Center have contracted the dangerous and sometimes deadly blood borne liver disease. New York and Texas are also investigating the outbreak.

The Denver Post noted that there have been no cases of the disease from the Audubon Surgery Center in Colorado Springs, citing health officials. Nearly, 1,800 patients have been tested for hepatitis C in the past two weeks, since news broke about Kristen Diane Parker, 26, a former employee at both Rose and Audubon, said the Denver Post. Parker has been accused of allegedly swapping sterile Fentanyl syringes with dirty, saline-filled syringes; Parker has tested positive for hepatitis C.

As we’ve reported previously, Parker faces federal criminal charges for her alleged conduct. The former surgical tech worked at Rose Medical Center in Denver from Oct. 21 to April 13 and at Colorado Springs’ Audubon Surgery Center from May 4 until June 29. She was allegedly swapping syringes to feed her addiction. In Colorado, 6,000 patients have been alerted that they may have been exposed to hepatitis C because of Parker’s actions. Now, officials say that the 11 cases may be linked to Parker.

An earlier Associated Press (AP) report said Parker tested positive for hepatitis C before she began working at Rose, but never followed-up on the diagnoses. A federal magistrate has since ordered Parker jailed without bond, saying she switched the needles even though she knew she had hepatitis C, the AP said previously.

The AP also reported earlier that Parker worked at hospitals in New York and Texas, which has since prompted officials in those states to launch their own investigations. In Texas, Parker worked at Christus St. John Hospital outside Houston between May 2005 and October 2006, the AP said. An investigation began there last week; however, officials say that it is too early to determine if any patients are at risk.

According to the same AP article, New York health officials are advising 2,800 patients who underwent surgery at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco between Oct. 8, 2007, and Feb. 28, 2008 to get tested for hepatitis C. It is not yet known if Parker had hepatitis C while she was employed at Northern Westchester Hospital, and, so far, no cases of the disease have been reported.

The Denver Post reported that of the patients tested at the two Colorado facilities, five patients did test positive for hepatitis C, but were not connected to Parker. State health officials in that state are testing the “genetic makeup” of hepatitis C in all the blood samples that come back with positive results, said the Denver Post. Once a positive test is received, the samples are then sent to the labs at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for additional testing, said the Denver Post.

Hepatitis C is spread by contact with infected body fluids, especially blood. The disease attacks the liver, and can lead to cirrhosis or cancer of the liver. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C and the disease can be fatal. The disease is incurable, but can be treated. Symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, pain, and jaundice.

Colorado Hepatitis C Surgical Tech Being Investigated in New York, Texas

Fri, 17 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

A hepatitis C scare that originated in Colorado has now spread to two other states. According to the Associated Press, health officials in New York and Texas are now investigating an allegedly painkiller-addicted surgical technician who is accused of switching new syringes for used, dirty ones at two hospitals in Colorado.

As we've reported previously, Kristen Diane Parker, 26, faces federal criminal charges for her alleged conduct. The former surgical tech worked at Rose Medical Center in Denver from Oct. 21 to April 13 and at Colorado Springs' Audubon Surgery Center from May 4 until June 29. She was allegedly swapping Fentanyl syringes with dirty, saline-filled syringes to feed her addiction. In Colorado, 6,000 patients have been alerted that they may have been exposed to hepatitis C because of her actions. What's more, officials say that 10 cases of the illness may be linked to Parker.

Various media outlets have reported that Parker has admitted to the syringe swaps. An earlier Associated Press report said Parker tested positive for hepatitis C prior to working at Rose, but did not follow-up. A federal magistrate has ordered Parker jailed without bond, saying she switched the needles even though she knew she had hepatitis C, the Associated Press said.

Now the Associated Press is reporting that Parker worked at hospitals in New York and Texas, prompting officials in those states to launch their own investigation. In Texas, Parker worked at Christus St. John Hospital outside Houston between May 2005 and October 2006, the Associated Press said. An investigation began there Wednesday, but officials say that it its too early to determine if any patients are at risk.

According to the same Associated Press article, New York health officials are advising 2,800 patients who had surgery at Northern Westchester Hospital in Mount Kisco between Oct. 8, 2007, and Feb. 28, 2008 to get tested for hepatitis C. It isn't known if Parker had hepatitis C while she was employed there, and so far no cases of the disease have been reported.

Hepatitis C is spread by contact with infected body fluids, especially blood. It attacks the liver, and can lead to cirrhosis or cancer of the liver. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C and the disease can be fatal. The disease is incurable, but can be treated. Symptoms include nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, pain, and jaundice.

6000 Hospital Patients Exposed to Hepatitis

Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0700

A former surgery technician heard a list of criminal charges she faces in a potentially massive hepatitis contamination. The Denver Post said Kristen Diane Parker, 26, is accused of exposing thousands of patients to hepatitis C, “tampering with a consumer product, counterfeiting a controlled substance, and containing a controlled substance by deceit or subterfuge.”

CNN reported that Parker remains in federal custody facing three drug-related charges and could face up to 20 years in prison if she is found to have seriously harmed a patient. Parker could face life in prison if a patient dies as a result of her actions, said CNN. The first count, said the AP, carries a maximum prison term of 10 years, while the second and third could bring 20-year terms each.

Parker worked at the Rose Medical Center in Denver, Colorado until she was fired when she tested positive for the powerful painkiller Fentanyl, said the Denver Post, and is also accused of injecting herself with painkillers designated for patients. Parker would inject herself with Fentanyl, and then refill the tainted syringes with saline, the Denver Post added.

After being fired from Rose Medical Center, Parker worked at the Audubon Ambulatory Surgery Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado, said the Denver Post.

Parker was allegedly found in an operating room where she was not permitted access, said CNN. She later tested positive for Fentanyl. According to the Associated Press (AP), Parker admitted to swapping syringes containing Fentanyl with saline.

CNN reported that Parker admitted to conducting the secret injections in a bathroom while working at Rose Medical Center. Parker, who is infected with hepatitis C, said she thinks she contracted the blood borne pathogen as a result of heroin use and sharing dirty needles in 2008, when she lived in New Jersey, said CNN.

The complaint was filed late last week in U.S. District Court in Denver, said the AP, which also reported that an affidavit by Mary F. LaFrance, an investigator for the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) stated that at least nine surgery patients at Rose Medical Center have tested positive for hepatitis C, which is incurable. Now, said the AP, 6,000 patients are being advised they may have been exposed to the dangerous, sometimes deadly disease, and must undergo testing.

The AP reported that, to date, nine Rose Medical Center patients have tested positive for hepatitis C, but it remains unknown if Parker is the source of the contamination. Hepatitis C is spread by contact with infected body fluids, especially blood, and is a liver disease that can lead to cirrhosis or cancer of the liver. There is no vaccine for hepatitis C and the disease can be fatal. The AP pointed out that while incurable, hepatitis C is treatable; symptoms include “nausea, diarrhea, fatigue, pain, and jaundice.”

About 1,200 patients may have been infected between May 4, 2009, and July 1, 2009, when Parker worked at Audubon Ambulatory Surgical Center in Colorado Springs, said CNN, which added that Audubon is contacting its patients. The remainder of potentially contaminated patients are being advised by Rose Medical Center, where Parker worked from October 21, 2008 until April, said the AP. Parker was suspended on April 13 and was later fired, said the AP.

Tamiflu-Resistant Swine Flu Emerging

Tue, 30 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

A Tamiflu-resistant strain of Swine Flu—the 2009 H1N1 pandemic virus—has emerged in Denmark. According to Bloomberg.com, Tamiflu drug maker Roche Holding AG said a patient treated with the Tamiflu in Denmark exhibited drug resistance, the first time this has occurred in this outbreak.

Bloomberg.com said the swine flu patient received a low and preventative dose of Tamiflu after coming in contact with someone infected with the virus, said David Reddy, Roche’s influenza task force head. Speaking on a conference call, Reddy said that the patient developed flu symptoms and was diagnosed with a virus mutation that showed resistance to Tamiflu, reported Bloomberg.com.

The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) has approved two antiviral drugs for treatment and prophylaxis of the 2009 H1N1 influenza virus: Tamiflu (oseltamivir phosphate) and Relenza (zanamivir). Tamiflu and Relenza, in addition to their approved labeling, have Emergency Use Authorizations that describe specific permitted uses during this public health emergency.

The BBC explained that Tamiflu is the primary drug being used to fight the swine flu pandemic. Also, according to Reddy, said the BBC, drug resistance was not unexpected, citing that the same can occur with the more common seasonal flu.

Bloomberg.com reported that the patient has recovered and there are no other known cases of the resistant strain, citing Denmark’s National Board of Health. Reddy did point out that according to Tamiflu studies, about 0.4 percent of adults and four percent of children who come down with seasonal influenza develop resistance, “We know from seasonal flu that a proportion of patients can develop resistance,” Reddy said, quoted Bloomberg.com. “We fully expect that this also can occur during treatment with a new flu strain,” Reddy added.

According to Reddy, there are no signs of a Tamiflu-resistant strain of H1N1 circulating, unlike the seasonal H1N1 flu in which Tamiflu-resistant strain emerged in 2009 and is now quite common, said the BBC. The BBC pointed out that experts are concerned that if this were to happen, it could cause Tamiflu to become ineffective.

Britain’s Health Protection Agency said it, "continues to watch for antiviral resistance and will be carrying out regular sample testing throughout this outbreak. We have been monitoring antiviral drug resistance since the beginning of this outbreak," quoted the BBC. The swine flu virus has killed over 300 people worldwide and the World Health Organization (WHO) just announced that 70,893 cases have been reported around the world, said Bloomberg.com.

We recently reported that the FDA released another warning about bogus flu products that are targeting consumers via Websites. The agency stated it is enforcing the laws that protect consumers from illegal products marketed through the Internet that claim to diagnose, prevent, mitigate, treat, or cure the 2009 H1N1 flu virus, but which are not approved, cleared, or authorized by the FDA

Also, in late 2006, the FDA alerted doctors and parents to watch for signs of bizarre behavior in children treated with Tamiflu after federal health officials noticed an increasing number of such cases overseas. There have been reports of 596 neuropsychiatric events, including 16 neuropsychiatric-related deaths, among children and adults taking Tamiflu, according to documents posted online at the FDA’s Website. Japan was also the origin of 81 Relenza reports and, according to Health Canada’s adverse reaction database, 27 people reported adverse reactions to Relenza, including one adult who died. One 14-year-old reported nightmares and another six-year-old temporarily lost consciousness. Another 96 people reported adverse reactions to Tamiflu, including 11 adults who died and nine who reported psychiatric problems.

Some Residents of The Acreage, FL Worried Their Community is a

Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Concerns are mounting over a possible "cancer cluster" in a Florida community known as The Acreage. According to a report in The Palm Beach Post, several children and adults in the community have developed brain tumors.

The brain tumor cases included a 5-year-old and a 16-year-old who live within two miles of each other. Within a year of their diagnoses, a 14 year old girl who lives three miles from those children was also found to have a brain tumor, The Palm Beach Post said. And several adults within the small area also had brain tumors, including a man who died in May 2005, according to the report.

One of the mothers of the afflicted children became alarmed at what was happening in The Acreage, and asked the Florida Department of Health to start an investigation into whether the cases constituted a cancer cluster.

According to The Palm Beach Post, the state has begun gathering basic information on residents in the area who have had brain cancer. An investigation will be launched if cancer rates in The Acreage turn out to be higher than what is normal.

The Palm Beach Post report points out that brain tumors are the second most common type of cancer in children. According to the American Cancer Society, brain and nervous system cancers account for about 20 percent of childhood cancers. Nationwide, about 2,000 children under 16 are diagnosed with a brain tumor nationwide, according to the Mayo Clinic.

Zicam Safe, Matrixx Says, But Recall Possible

Wed, 17 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Matrixx Initiatives, the maker Zicam intranasal cold remedies, said in a press release yesterday that it may issue are recall of some of the products, even though it still asserts that they are safe. The press release was issued in response to yesterday's Food & Drug Administration (FDA) warning that use of three Zicam products - Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel, Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, and Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size - could lead to a loss of sense of smell.

According to a posting on its website, the FDA has received 130 reports of anosmia—the loss of sense of smell—associated with use of the three Zicam products covered by its alert. During a conference call to announce the Zicam alert, the FDA also said Matrixx had received an additional 800 reports it hasn’t made available to the agency. The FDA said that many people who experienced a loss of sense of smell say that the condition occurred with the first dose of Zicam, although some people have reported loss of sense of smell after later doses.

The agency said it was concerned that anosmia caused by the Zicam products could be permanent. It warned users not to use any of the three Zicam intranasal products named in the alert, and said anyone who experienced loss of sense of smell or other problems after using any zinc-containing products that are administered into the nose.

The FDA also said it sent a warning letter to Matrixx advising the firm that these products cannot be marketed without agency approval. The warning letter also states that the products do not include adequate warnings about the risk of loss of sense of smell.

In yesterday's press release, Matrixx - as it has done for years - continued to insist Zicam intranasal cold remedies are safe and do not cause anosmia, and called the FDA's actions "unwarranted." The company said it was working to determine a response to the FDA "which may include removing these products from the marketplace."

Zicam, which also comes in melting tablet and liquid form (these varieties were not included in the FDA alert), is Matrixx Initiatives' top-selling product line, and accounts for about 40 percent of its sales. However, there have been concerns for several years now that the nasal varieties of Zicam remedies could lead to anosmia.

Zinc gluconate, the active ingredient in Zicam products, has long been believed to produce a caustic action on the nasal passages that, over time, can lead to a loss of smell. According to Bloomberg.com, the FDA first received reports of a loss of smell linked to Zicam in 1999. In 2006, Matrixx agreed to pay $12 million to settle claims by 340 plaintiffs who said they lost their sense of smell after using the product.

Rituxan - PML Link Could Spark FDA Action

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 00:00:00 -0700

U.S. health regulators are taking a look at the lymphoma drug Rituxan because of its possible association with progressive multifocal leukoencephalitis (PML), an often fatal brain infection. According to The Wall Street Journal, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) is trying to determine if patients should take Rituxan for shorter periods, or take breaks from therapy to lessen the risk that they will develop PML.

Rituxan, a powerful medication that suppresses the immune system, is the most important and widely used cancer drug for lymphoma. It is also approved as a therapy for rheumatoid arthritis, and is used off-label to treat multiple sclerosis, lupus erythematosus and autoimmune anemias.

In February 2006, the labeling of Rituxan was updated to include information about the risks of patients contracting several viral infections, including PML. At present, the Rituxan PML warning is contained in a "Black Box", the FDA's strongest safety alert, The Wall Street Journal said.

PML is a viral infection that affects the white matter of the brain. Patients with PML exhibit neurological symptoms like confusion, dizziness or loss of balance, difficulty talking or walking, and vision problems. PML gets worse over time, and is usually fatal. There is no treatment or cure for the disease. It is often associated with drugs that suppress the immune system.

As we reported last month, a study published in the journal Blood found that 57 patients taking Rituxan had developed PML between 1997 and 2008. The study, conducted by researchers with the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine RADAR (Research on Adverse Drug Events and Reports) project, also found that on average, average, these PML patients died just two months after being diagnosed. In many cases, PML patients taking Rituxan were misdiagnosed with disease like dementia and Alzheimer’s.

The PML patients in the RADAR study were using Rituxan as a treatment for anemia, rheumatoid arthritis or lymphoma. While it is known that a small number of lymphoma patients will develop PML regardless of the treatment they undergo, it is not typically seen in anemia or arthritis patients, the researchers said.

According to The Wall street Journal, doctors at the FDA are trying to determine if long-term, uninterrupted Rituxan therapy may play a role in the development of PML. The agency has discussed whether a "drug holiday" - an interruption in therapy - might mitigate the risk of PML, the report said. But that could be a problem for many lymphoma patient, as a break could lead to a recurrence of the disease that is more difficult to treat. In such a case, higher doses of Rituxan are needed to bring the cancer under control, the Journal said.

The doctor who led the RADAR study, Charles Bennett, told the Journal that he believes that Rituxan should only be used for life-threatening ailments like lymphoma until more conclusion can be drawn about its link to PML. A co-author of the study, Kenneth Carson, is of the opinion that the FDA should consider imposing special prescribing conditions on Rituxan, similar to those imposed on Tysabri, a drug for MS that has been liked to PML.

One thing no one is advocating is the withdrawal of Rituxan from the market because it is often the best option for patients with life-threatening cancer. However, other drugs have been withdrawn because of associations with PML. As we reported in April, the psoriasis drug Raptiva was voluntary withdrawn from the market after three patients died from PML. Tysabri was withdrawn for a time because of its PML link, but reintroduced under current prescribing restrictions.

FDA Sunscreen Rules Could be Ready by Year's End

Fri, 22 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

After spending years promising to do so, federal regulators are said to be near releasing new guidelines for sunscreens. According to WebMD, the new sunscreen labeling rules should be finalized by the end of the year.

More than 1 million Americans are diagnosed with skin cancer every year, all the result of damage caused by the sun's rays. While most skin cancers can be treated effectively, a form of the disease called melanoma is more aggressive and can lead to death.

For best protection, sunscreen should be applied generously, about 20-30 minutes before going outside. It should also be reapplied every 2 hours. Unfortunately, because of confusing - and some say misleading - sunscreen labels, many consumers don't know they should be applying that much, that often.

The Food & Drug Administration (FDA) had first promised to propose new sunscreen labeling regulations more than a decade ago, but the agency kept delaying its proposal. Congress had ordered the agency to finish its proposal by May 2006, but the FDA missed the deadline. Members of congress then mounted a letter-writing campaign in order to pressure the FDA to issue new rules. In 2006, a class action lawsuit was filed against five of the leading U.S. makers of sunscreen lotions and sprays alleging that the products were deceptively promoted as offering protection from the sun’s harmful rays .

According to WebMD, the new rules would for the first time require sunscreen labels to provide information on how well they protect users from ultraviolet A (UVA) rays. These rays don't cause sunburn, but they do contribute to skin cancers and skin aging, the report said.

Makers of sunscreen will also no longer be able to use certain claims on labels, WebMD said. For example, claims of SPFs higher than 50 will be barred unless they can be backed up by scientific evidence. Also terms like “sunblock,” "waterproof,” “sweat-proof,” and “all-day protection” will not be allowed.

Labels will also have to advise consumers to limit their time in the sun, wear protective clothing, and reapply sunscreen at a minimum of every two hours, especially after swimming or perspiring, WebMD said. Sunscreens will also be subjected to lab and human skin tests using a standardized sun simulator.

Once the new regulations are announced by the FDA, sunscreen makers will have 18 months to change their labels. The major manufacturers told WebMD that they planned to comply, although some said they may challenge the 50+ SPF cap.

Study Finds 57 Rituxan Patients Developed PML

Wed, 20 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Patients taking Rituxan may be at risk of developing a serious, and often fatal brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalitis (PML), according to the findings of a new study. The study, published in the journal Blood, reports on 57 cases of PML that developed in patients taking Rituxan between 1997 and 2008.

The study, which is detailed in Science Daily, was conducted by researchers with the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine RADAR project. RADAR ((Research on Adverse Drug Events and Reports) is an international consortium of physicians that collaborate to identify adverse reactions to medications and devices.

According to Science Daily, Rituxan is the most important and widely used cancer drug for lymphoma, and is also approved as a therapy for rheumatoid arthritis. In addition, Rituxan is also used off-label to treat multiple sclerosis, lupus erythematosus and autoimmune anemias.

Last September, the labeling for Rituxan was updated to reflect its association with PML. At the time, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) said that at least two patients given Rituxan as a treatment for systemic lupus erythematosus had died from PML.

PML is a viral infection that affects the white matter of the brain. Patients with PML exhibit neurological symptoms like confusion, dizziness or loss of balance, difficulty talking or walking, and vision problems. PML gets worse over time, and is usually fatal. There is no treatment or cure for the disease. It is often associated with drugs that suppress the immune system.

According to Science Daily, the 57 Rituxan PML patients identified in the RADAR study were using the drug as a treatment for anemia, rheumatoid arthritis or lymphoma. On average, they died just two months after being diagnosed. While it is known that a small number of lymphoma patients will develop PML regardless the treatment they undergo, it is not typically seen in anemia or arthritis patients, Science Daily said.

In many cases, the researchers found that PML patients taking Rituxan were misdiagnosed with disease like dementia and Alzheimer's, Science Daily said.

The head of the RADAR project told Science Daily that considering the study's findings, there is a need for caution in prescribing Rituxan. "The drug has tremendous usefulness in lymphoma, but as its use expands to diseases that are not cancer, we might have to reconsider the risk benefit," Charles Bennett, M.D said. "Some cancer patients take this drug chronically for non-fatal chronic leukemia where the risk-benefit calculations differ from lymphoma."

Bennett told Science Daily that the next step in RADAR's research will be to determine what risk factors might be linked to Rituxan-associated PML.

Swine Flu Victim's Husband Seeks to File Lawsuit Against Smithfield Foods

Mon, 18 May 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The husband of the first U.S. citizen to die of swine flu in this country has filed a petition seeking information from Smithfield Foods Inc., (doing business as Granjas Carroll de Mexico), the part-owner of a commercial pig farm operation in Veracruz, Mexico. The petition seeks to determine whether there is enough evidence to pursue a wrongful death lawsuit against Smithfield Foods Inc.

The commercial pig farm partially owned by Smithfield Foods is located in La Gloria, the Mexican city where swine flu (the H1N1 virus) is thought to have originated. Steven Trunnell, the husband of 33-year-old Judy Dominguez Trunnell, is asking a court in Cameron County, Texas to authorize depositions of company officials, employees and agents to investigate wrongful death claims against Smithfield Foods Inc.

Judy Trunnell died of swine flu complications on May 5. The young school teacher was 8 months pregnant when she became ill, but doctors were able to deliver her daughter by Cesarean-section before she passed.

According to her husband's court filing, the swine flu originated in and around "manure lagoons" of Smithfield Foods' pig farming operation in La Gloria. Her husband's petition states that unsanitary conditions at the pig farm may have caused the development and spread of the flu virus. The petition asserts "that there may be evidence which links the creation of the newest strain of the deadly swine flu...with Smithfield Foods' humongous pig farm operation in Mexico, which under the joint control of Smithfield Foods, has been allowed to lapse into a breeding ground of immense unsanitary proportions for a deadly virus."

Smithfield insists that its pig farming operation in La Gloria played no role in the swine flu outbreak. And over the weekend, UPI reported that health officials investigating the flu have not found a link between the virus and the Smithfield Foods farm. But residents in La Gloria have long blamed that operation for a variety of other problems and illnesses, UPI said.

The swine flu has sickened hundreds of people around the world, raising concerns of a pandemic. In the U.S., the virus claimed a sixth life on Sunday, that of a New York City school principal. There have been three other deaths in Texas, one in Washington state and one in Arizona.

In most people, the swine flu has so far been mild, with victims reporting flu-like symptoms such as fever, cough, sore throat, aches and fatigue. However, people with underlying medical conditions - including pregnant women, diabetics, those with compromised immune systems, the elderly and children - appear to face more danger from the swine flu.

Right now, the World Health Organization's (WHO) pandemic alert level for the swine flu stands at Phase 5, out of a possible 6. This means there is widespread human-to-human transmission of the virus in at least two countries in one region. According to the Associated Press, the current system focuses on how widespread the disease has become without regard to its severity.

Labor Department Plans New Regulations For Diacetyl, Industrial Dust

Tue, 28 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Labor Department is finally making plans to suggest new rules aimed both at limiting exposure to the chemical diacetyl and preventing industrial dust accidents, the Associated Press (AP) is reporting. Diacetyl is the chemical that gives food—specifically, microwave popcorn—a buttery flavor and which has been linked to severe lung disease.

In February 2008, an explosion at an Imperial Sugar Company plant in Georgia that left many dead and injured was blamed on highly combustible industrial dust.

Labor Secretary Hilda Solis is expected to announce details about the plan today and is following up on a promise to increase OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) enforcement and develop safety rules where the Bush administration failed, said the AP. Solis is credited, said the AP, for working to stop an eleventh-hour Bush Administration move to delay setting diacetyl exposure limits for workers.

OSHA is the federal agency responsible for setting and enforcing workplace safety standards and has been criticized for not fully protecting workers and inspecting work sites.

In February, the Department of Labor directed OSHA to speed up establishment of new rules to protect workers in the snack and flavorings industry from the threat of Popcorn Workers Lung, a potentially life threatening ailment, for which the only cure is a lung transplant. Also known as bronchiolitis obliterans, the disease has been linked to diacetyl. In 2003 and 2004, the National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health found a link between diacetyl and the development of Popcorn Workers Lung among hundreds of workers at six Midwestern popcorn factories. In April 2007, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that workers at food flavoring factories, as well as popcorn plants, were at risk for the disease.

Since the link between the disease and diacetyl has been established, hundreds of food industry workers have filed Popcorn Workers Lung lawsuits. In fact, one victim of Popcorn Workers Lung, and his wife, were recently awarded $7.5 million for his injuries. Unfortunately, the victim died from the illness one day before the verdict was rendered. According to an earlier AP piece, over $20 million has been awarded to victims of the disease.

Industrial dust can be extremely combustible. The Imperial Sugar explosion occurred in a silo where refined sugar was stored before being packaged. OSHA classifies plants where a lot of sugar dust is present as “hazardous locations,” the same classification as coal preparation plants and producers of plastics, medicines, and fireworks. Of note, when sugar dust is aerosolized, it can become ionically charged and ignite from just a bit of static electricity.

As we reported at the time, the fatal Imperial Sugar Company plant explosion was not the first-such incident at the Port Wentworth, Georgia refinery that year. According to investigators, just a few weeks prior to the massive plant explosion, a smaller blast occurred when dust became trapped in a piece of safety equipment. No injuries or damage where caused by that small blast, however, 13 people where killed and dozens injured—some critically—by the explosion, which took one week to extinguish.

Following a series of explosions in the 1980s, combustible dust standards were established for the grain industry; however OSHA has not yet implemented similar standards in other industries, said the AP, even though the U.S. Chemical Safety Board made a recommendation to do so in 2006.

Hepatitis Outbreak at Atlantic City Hospital

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Fifteen dialysis patients at a hospital in Atlantic City have been diagnosed with hepatitis C and health officials in New Jersey are unclear about the origin of the outbreak. Philly.com reports that the 15 patients contracted the serious, sometimes deadly, liver disease since 2005 at the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center.

According to Philly.com, administrators from the AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center’s City Campus contacted the state this month after learning about the five recent cases of hepatitis C during an annual federally mandated hepatitis C testing of dialysis patients. The testing took place late last month and early this month and revealed that the five became positive for hepatitis C since they began undergoing treatment at AtlantiCare, said Philly.com, which noted that the Health Department said a link to the hospital has not yet been established.

Hepatitis C is caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and can result in an acute illness, but most often becomes chronic and can lead to cirrhosis of the liver and liver cancer, explains the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); there is no vaccination for hepatitis C. Hepatitis C is transmitted through contact with the blood of an infected person.

The state advised the hospital to review its past four years of patient records, which indicated that 10 other people also have hepatitis C, said Philly.com. The hospital confirmed that the 15 were part of a group of 245 patients. The hospital’s head of the division of nephrology, Mohammed Mourad, said it does not yet know how the patients contracted the liver disease.

According to Philly.com, New Jersey health officials indicate that, in 2007, that state saw over 100 acute and 7,000 chronic hepatitis C cases, adding that the Center’s dialysis unit treats between 70 to 80 kidney patients monthly, with patients visiting the center three times weekly for dialysis. Dialysis involves, says Philly.com, the patient’s blood being pumped into a dialysis machine, where it is filtered and returned to the patient’s body; dialysis machines at the center are inspected once every two years. The hospital maintains it follows “strict guidelines,” said Philly.com, that include disinfection and cleaning of the equipment, according to Rachel Davis Bohs, AtlantiCare's director of infection prevention and control.

The hospital, the state, and Atlantic County health officials are conducing an investigation to determine the cause of the virus, said Philly.com. Meanwhile, data from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) indicates that the dialysis center has a lower-than-average patient survival rate when compared to the state.

Most recently, alleged malpractice at the Siouxland Urology Center in Dakota Dunes, South Dakota seems to be the culprit in exposing 6,000 patients to HIV and hepatitis. As with a variety of other similar contaminations, Siouxland Urology reused single use medical products, potentially passing on serious diseases to other patients. In a similar case in which medical equipment was rinsed—not sterilized—shoddy colonoscopies and endoscopies at Veterans Administration facilities exposed over 10,000 military veterans to HIV and hepatitis B and C following exposure to tainted equipment, with four patients testing positive for HIV, six for hepatitis B, and 19 for hepatitis C. At least one patient consulted with malpractice attorneys and more are expected.

4th VA Patient Has HIV

Mon, 27 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The number of veterans who have tested positive for HIV and other life-threatening pathogens following shoddy colonoscopies and endoscopies at Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals has risen from three to four this week. Now, the Associated Press (AP) is reporting that the Department of Veterans Affairs confirmed a fourth person has tested positive for HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

This brings the number of positive AIDS tests to two from the VA hospital in Miami and one each from Murfreesboro, Tennessee and Augusta, Georgia VA hospitals, said the AP. The VA said it is looking into issues with cleaning medical equipment used for colonoscopies and also for equipment used for ear, nose, and throat examinations at three of its hospitals located in the Southeast, said the AP. And, while the VA says it is unable to confirm if the cases are connected to treatment at its sites, the AP noted that the VA warned nearly 11,000 veterans who received care at those hospitals to undergo blood testing. Many believe dirty equipment is to blame.

HIV and hepatitis B and C are spread by contact with infected body fluids, especially blood. HIV—the human immunodeficiency virus—is the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome); AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection. Hepatitis B and C are liver diseases that can lead to cirrhosis or cancer of the liver. Vaccines exist only for hepatitis B. HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B and C can all be fatal.

The shoddy tests were conducted as far back as five years ago and put patients at risk because they were treated with equipment that was not appropriately sterilized, thus exposing them to the bodily fluids of other patients, noted the AP. The VA acknowledged in its warnings letters to the over 10,000 veterans who received the invasive procedures that they were potentially exposed to other patients’ bodily fluids and should be tested for diseases such as hepatitis and HIV, said the AP in an earlier report. Also, the VA admitted in late March that water tubes and reservoirs it used in colonoscopies and endoscopies were rinsed—not disinfected—between procedures, which could expose subsequent patients to contamination.

According to an earlier VA statement, reported the AP, the number of so-called "potentially affected" patients totals 10,797, including, it said, 6,387 who underwent colonoscopies at Murfreesboro, 3,341 who underwent colonoscopies at Miami, and another 1,069 who were treated at Augusta’s ear, nose, and throat clinic.

In an earlier Washington Times article, the VA admitted that the three hospitals did not appropriately sterilize colonoscopy equipment on a variety of occasions since 2003. Also, WSMV said in an earlier report that, late last year the VA found a wrong tubing valve might have been used during procedures as far back as April 2003, which could have resulted in body fluid transmission between patients.

In addition to the four patients who now test positive for HIV, there have been six positive results for hepatitis B and 20 for hepatitis C at the three VA clinics, said the AP. At least one patient consulted with malpractice attorneys and more are expected.

Tobacco Replacement Products Linked to Mouth Cancer

Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Nicotine-containing tobacco replacement products might be linked to mouth and throat cancers, according to a new study. The Scotsman reported that nicotine chewing gums and lozenges, meant to help consumers quit smoking via nicotine doses, might also be creating the potential for these cancers.

Tobacco is the addictive component in cigarettes and has long been excluded from cancer and heart disease concerns. Because of this, said The Guardian, quit smoking products, such as nicotine patches, inhalers, and chewing gum, have been geared to tapering the nicotine addiction without including the dangerous tar and other carcinogens.

The research was funded by the Medical Research Council and published in the journal PLoS ONE, said the Scotsman, noting that experts in the field are saying that consumers should not stop using nicotine replacement therapies to quit smoking because nicotine—unlike tar and carbon monoxide—has not been definitively linked to cancer or heart disease and is presumed safer than cigarettes, which have been linked to cancers.

The research looked at how head and neck cancers develop, specifically at the gene critical to cell division and reproduction, which is also known to cause a variety of cancers when mutated, said The Guardian. The researchers studied the cells in healthy people and in those with various stages of head and neck cancers while also looking at how tobacco and the betel nut—which is chewed in areas in Asia instead of tobacco—impacted the mutated gene.

The Scotsman said the researchers from the Institute of Dentistry, Queen Mary University London, studied the gene called FOXM1, which is found in early stages of mouth cancer and thought to play a part in initial stages of head and neck cancers, said The Guardian. This means, it explained, that nicotine may be involved certain cancer development when the FOXM1 gene has mutated. Mail Online pointed out the risk for cancer seems to be present if the nicotine replacement products are used long term.

The study was led by University of London scientist Muy-Teck The, said Mail Online, and analyzed 75 patients. The study found FOZM1 gene mutations were likelier with the use of nicotine replacement products, most particularly when an oral lesion was already present, said Mail Online. “This study cautions the potential co-carcinogenic effect of nicotine in tobacco replacement therapies…. Although we acknowledge the importance of encouraging people to quit smoking, our research suggests nicotine found in lozenges and chewing gums may increase the risk of mouth cancer,” said Dr. The, quoted Mail Online.

The Guardian faulted the study saying it looked at skin samples in a laboratory environment and not at people using nicotine replacement products, but did note that researchers found that nicotine, not the betel nut, increased FOXM1’s activity, which increases the rate of cancer cells. Mail Online noted that tobacco cessation products typically advise against long-term use; however, many ex-smokers tend to rely on the products for years. An issue of some concern since the researchers concluded that if a person had a mutated gene present in his/her mouth, use of nicotine replacement products could potentially increase FOXM1’s activity.

Parkinson's Linked to Pesticides

Mon, 20 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Researchers have found a link between pesticide exposure and some cases of Parkinson’s disease. The Los Angeles Times reported that University of California researchers said that “strong new evidence” has found an association between the neurodegenerative disorder and pesticides. Duke University researchers said, "Further investigation of these specific pesticides and others may lead to identification of pertinent biological pathways influencing Parkinson's disease development," reported Reuters.

According to the LA Times, the researchers have long believed that pesticides may cause Parkinson’s Disease. Now, experiments prove that chemicals—specifically maneb, a fungicide and paraquat, an herbicide—cause Parkinson's-like symptoms in animals. The LA Times explained that Parkinson's is a central nervous system disorder that typically affects motor skills and speech, among other functions. While Parkinson’s is not fatal, complications arising from the disease can be deadly, said the LA Times, noting that about 180 in every 100,000 Americans are diagnosed with the disease.

The LA Times said that the California researchers reported in the current issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology and looked at people residing near fields where maneb or paraquat had been sprayed and found that residents were 75 percent likelier—on average—to develop Parkinson’s. The researchers also found that patients who developed early-onset Parkinson’s (prior to age 60), experienced twice the risk for the disease if exposed to either chemical alone, and four times the risk if exposed to both chemicals, reported the LA Times, adding that—generally, the disease followed chemical exposure.

The California research involved epidemiologist Beate Ritz of UCLA and her graduate student Sadie Costello, now at UC Berkeley, who reviewed the public records of pesticide applications in California's Central Valley from 1974 to 1999. In collaboration with Myles Cockburn of the University of Southern California, the group developed a tool to estimate pesticide exposure and identified 368 longtime residents who lived within 500 yards of the fields, said the LA Times. The team compared the residents with 341 “carefully matched controls who did not live near the fields,” said the LA Times. "The results confirmed two previous observations from animal studies. One, that exposure to multiple chemicals may increase the effect of each chemical. That's important, since humans are often exposed to more than one pesticide in the environment. And second, that the timing of the exposure is also important," said Ritz, quoted the LA Times.

Meanwhile, Reuters also reported that the results of a “family-based, ‘case control’” study of 319 Parkinson’s patients and 200 nonParkinson’s-affected relatives found that people diagnosed with Parkinson's disease are more than two times likelier to report pesticide exposure over people not diagnosed with the disease. Dr. Dana Hancock from Duke University, Durham, North Carolina and colleagues concluded that Parkinson's patients were 61 percent likelier to report direct pesticide application than healthy relatives.

Reuters reported that insecticides and herbicides—specifically citing organochlorines, organophosphorus compounds, chlorophenoxy acids/esters, and botanicals—were responsible for increased risk of developing Parkinson’s; study results appear in the online journal BioMedCentral (BMC) Neurology.

The Duke University researchers wrote that, "the strongest associations between Parkinson's disease and pesticides were obtained in families with no history of Parkinson's. This finding suggests that sporadic Parkinson's cases may be particularly vulnerable to the toxic effects of pesticides, but the possibility of pesticides influencing risk of Parkinson's in individuals from families with a history of PD cannot be ruled out,” quoted Reuters.

MRSA on Capitol Hill

Fri, 17 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

A House of Representatives staffer has contracted the dangerous, sometimes deadly, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA), likely from the House’s gymnasium, according to some on Capitol Hill, reports ABC News, citing the Congressional newspaper, The Hill. According to a statement from the House chief administrative officer, the unnamed employee who contracted MRSA is also a member of the House Staff Fitness Center (HSFC), said CBS News.

CBS News also reported that Dr. John Bartlett—past president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine—discussed how MRSA is increasing in frequency worldwide, saying, “This is a huge national and international epidemic. It’s all over.” According to Dr. Gary Simon—director of the division of infectious diseases at The George Washington University—“MRSA is everywhere—30 percent of us carry it around,” adding that, “It’s ubiquitous. You’re going to get it,” quoted CBS News.

MRSA is carried on the skin or in the nose and can affect others, with MRSA carriers exhibiting no symptoms. MRSA can be dangerous if it reaches the bloodstream or organs, but with early and proper diagnosis—when there is a small eruption on the skin and before MRSA reaches the bloodstream—the infection is easily treated with general-purpose antibiotics, the sore is bandaged and kept clean, and the infection is cured. There is no down time and patients can resume activities with no risk of falling ill or contaminating others.

But, without treatment or with incorrect diagnosis and treatment, the infection spreads rapidly and can lead to respiratory failure and surgeries, attacking vital organs like the lungs and heart. Survivors are not always returned to their pre-MRSA condition, losing limbs, hearing, and full use of damaged organs. For instance, well-known but not widely publicized, patients surviving MRSA often require amputations to cure infections.

MRSA now has two main strains, the traditional, hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA), which, said eFluxMedia in an earlier report, is more dangerous due to its overwhelming antibiotic resistance and community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA). CA-MRSA originates from strain ST8:USA300 and, while more potent, is a bit easier to treat, often not needing antibiotic therapy. Science Daily explained earlier, that MRSA are Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that are resistant to the meticillin class of antibiotics.

About 100,000 cases of invasive MRSA occur annually in the U.S. according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and, shockingly, most infections occur in hospitals and other health-care settings. According to research conducted at McGill University Health Center, Montreal, Canada, over 20 percent of its MRSA patients were dead within one year. MRSA, is now considered even more dangerous than previously believed and, once seen chiefly in hospitals, MRSA is now striking healthy people outside of hospitals and nursing homes and has emerged as a community-based—as opposed to hospital-derived—disease.

According to 2005 CDC figures, nearly 19,000 people died in the U.S. from MRSA infections; 94,000 were seriously sickened. Of 19,000 patients studied in 2005, 2,000 were healthy people contracting community-based MRSA. In Canada, about 220,000 people are sickened; an additional 8,000 to 12,000 die annually.

Chicago Hospital Patients Exposed to Tuberculosis

Mon, 13 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Hundreds of patients, including children and infants, have been exposed to tuberculosis (TB) from a resident who worked at several hospitals in the Chicago area. According to eFitness Now, three hospitals in the Chicago area are the likely origin of the outbreak that exposed hundreds of staff and children to the dangerous disease, which can be fatal if left untreated.

Late last week, Chicago’s Department of Public Health announced that a resident—who later was reported to be from Northwestern University—tested positive for TB, said eFitness Now. The resident is a 26-year-old female, said the Chicago Tribune. The resident apparently worked in three hospitals in Chicago over the past year. eFitness Now reported that it is possible that that the resident contracted the disease in the time between required annual screenings, citing Kathleen Keenan, a spokesperson for Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, adding that the resident’s name could not be released. In addition to Northwestern and Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago, Evanston Hospital was also involved in the exposure.

The Chicago Tribune just announced that the pediatric resident worked between November 3 and 19, which is a bit longer than first reported. The Chicago Tribune said the pediatric resident was complaining of symptoms consistent with “active” TB such as “coughing, night sweats, fever, chills, and weight loss.” TB is a bacterial disease, said the Chicago Tribune, which typically affects the lungs, but can affect the “brain, kidneys, spine,” as well as other body parts. The hospitals are notifying patients who might have been exposed to the pediatric resident in the past 10 months, said the Chicago Tribune.

The resident tested negative for TB last July during a mandatory testing prior to starting her clinical rotations at the three Chicago hospitals, said MedPage Today. After being diagnosed, the woman was hospitalized and then released. It was unclear how the resident became ill; however, in 2007, she worked in an African AIDS clinic and it is believed she contracted the disease “during her clinical rotations,” said MedPage Today. The clinic is in Botswana, noted the Chicago Tribune, which added that drug-resistant TB is common in that area.

The Chicago Tribune said the resident was most recently at Chicago’s Children's Memorial Hospital and was in contact with about 150 children and infants and more than 300 workers, with rotations that exposed her to over 100 patients, including 17 newborns, at Northwestern Memorial's Prentice Women's Hospital between November 3 and 21. Also, 80 babies at Evanston Hospital's infant special care unit, including 20 who were still there late last week and some employees were in contact with the resident between February 12 and March 11, said the Chicago Tribune, which noted that the three hospitals are part of Northwestern University's residency training program.

"She did have some time when she was contagious at those three institutions," Dr. Susan Gerber, chief medical officer of the Public Health Department, told the Tribune in an interview. "We are researching the different days and different places that she has been during the time that she would have been contagious," Dr. Gerber added.

TB can be present, but without symptoms for years, noted the Tribune.

MRSA Outbreak at Boston's Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center

Fri, 10 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Dozens of mothers and newborns have fallen ill with dangerous staph infections following release from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Boston.com reports that the increasing trend has sparked a state investigation in Boston that revealed significant problems in how the Beth Israel Deaconess manages infection.

Ten of the 18 mothers and 19 newborns were so sick they needed hospitalization, with two suffering from serious illness and the most recent staph bacterial infections testing as the antibiotic resistant form of the infection—Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, or MRSA—said Boston.com.

In response, the state has asked the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to help locate the cause, reported Boston.com. The CDC said that based on “research from similar outbreaks in maternity wards in other cities,” the Beth Israel Deaconess cluster is likely connected to a person, for instance “a healthcare worker, patient, or visitor” who introduced the bacteria into Beth Israel Deaconess, and that the hospital’s infection practices were insufficient to stop the spread, said Boston.com.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health ordered the hospital to provide "an immediate plan of correction" for its infection control systems by Monday and is mandating that Beth Israel undergo a hospital-wide inspection in order to continue to participate in the federal Medicare insurance program, reported Boston.com.

MRSA is carried on the skin or in the nose and can affect others, with MRSA carriers exhibiting no symptoms. MRSA can be dangerous if it reaches the bloodstream or organs, but with early and proper diagnosis—when there is a small eruption on the skin and before MRSA reaches the bloodstream—the infection is easily treated with general-purpose antibiotics, the sore is bandaged and kept clean, and the infection is cured. There is no down time and patients can resume activities with no risk of falling ill or contaminating others. Without treatment or with incorrect diagnosis and treatment, the infection spreads rapidly and can lead to respiratory failure and surgeries, attacking vital organs like the lungs and heart. Survivors are not always returned to their pre-MRSA condition, losing limbs, hearing, and full use of damaged organs, for instance.

MRSA now has two main strains, the traditional, hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA), which, said efluxMedia in an earlier report, is more dangerous due to its overwhelming antibiotic resistance and community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA). CA-MRSA originates from strain ST8:USA300 and, while more potent, is a bit easier to treat, often not needing antibiotic therapy. Science Daily explained earlier that MRSA are Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that are resistant to the meticillin class of antibiotics.

In 2005—the last year when such figures are available—about 94,000 Americans developed MRSA with most infected in healthcare facilities. Previously limited to hospital and nursing home patients, MRSA is now striking and killing in communities.

Boston.com reported that public health officials there initiated an investigation in December and found what they described as "serious deficiencies" in infection control. The outbreak began in November, it said.

All 37 patients who were sickened with staph come from the Boston area and their only “shared experience” was a stay at Beth Israel Deaconess, said Boston.com.

Veteran Diagnosed with HIV Following Botched Procedure at VA Hospital

Tue, 07 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Late last month we wrote that thousands of military veterans might have been exposed to dangerous, life-threatening pathogens from shoddy colonoscopies and endoscopies they underwent as long as five years ago. Now, the Associated Press (AP) reports one patient has tested positive for HIV following exposure to tainted equipment at a Veterans Administration (VA) medical facility.

HIV and hepatitis B and C are spread by contact with infected body fluids, especially blood. HIV—the human immunodeficiency virus—is the virus that causes AIDS (acquired immunodeficiency syndrome); AIDS is the final stage of HIV infection. Hepatitis B and C are liver diseases that can lead to cirrhosis or cancer of the liver. Vaccines exist only for hepatitis B. HIV/AIDS, hepatitis B, and hepatitis B can all lead to death.

According to the AP, the VA previously stated that hepatitis B and C were diagnosed in 16 patients, but argued that it would be impossible to determine if contamination occurred at VA facilities. At least one patient consulted with malpractice attorneys and more are expected. The man, who is in his 50s, tested positive for hepatitis C; he and his lawyers believe a colonoscopy at the Murfreesboro VA two years prior to be the culprit, said WSMV last month. Now, the long-married father must endure protected sex with his wife for the rest of their lives, it noted.

The VA acknowledged in warnings letters to over 10,000 veterans who had received the invasive procedures in the past five years, that they were potentially exposed to other patients’ bodily fluids and should be tested for diseases such as hepatitis and HIV, said the AP in an earlier report. Also, the VA admitted in late March that water tubes and reservoirs it used in colonoscopies and endoscopies were rinsed—not disinfected—between procedures, which could expose subsequent patients to contamination.

The Washington Times reported that following its confirmation that the first round of tests found one veteran tested positive for HIV, the VA said, "These results do not indicate that there is any relationship between these patients' conditions and the endoscopy procedures they underwent… However, VA is conducting an epidemiologic investigation to look into the possibility of such a relationship." The VA also admitted that three of its hospitals did not appropriately sterilize colonoscopy equipment on a variety of occasions since 2003: Murfreesboro, Tennessee (April 2003 to December 2008), Augusta, Georgia (January 2008 to November 2008), and Miami, Florida (May 2004 through March 2009), said the Washington Times, which also noted that 3,174 test results have been received to date.

WSMV said in an earlier report that late last year the VA found a wrong tubing valve might have been used during procedures as far back as April 2003, which could have resulted in body fluid transmission between patients.

This January, the VA finished a report on the problem in Murfreesboro, including the cause for equipment switches, incorrect equipment use, and improper sterilization processes, said WSMV; however, the VA insisted that, in the majority of cases “unclear product instructions” from Olympus—the equipment provider—are to blame for the potential spread of deadly infections.

NJ Oncologist Linked to Hepatitis Outbreak Has License Suspended

Mon, 06 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The New Jersey oncologist who potentially exposed thousands of patients to serious, life-threatening diseases including hepatitis B and C and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, has had his license to practice medicine suspended, effective immediately, and on an emergency basis, the Associated Press (AP) is reporting.

According to a prior AP article, New Jersey health officials confirmed that about 3,000 people treated by Dr. Parvez Dara must undergo testing for the blood borne diseases after five of his patients reportedly tested positive for hepatitis B. Hepatitis B is a liver infection that can be transmitted through blood and blood products.

The state was looking to temporarily suspend Dara’s medical license said Asbury Park Press (APP) last week and Dara was scheduled to face the state Board of Medical Examiners Friday; regulators were also looking at a number of other health code violations.

While Dara’s attorney claims that the five patients also were seen at the same hospital and could have been contaminated there, health officials argued that the hospital was ruled out as an infection source. “The investigation looked at all sites where the patients received care…. The only common site was the physicians’ office,” said state Health Department spokeswoman Marilyn Riley, quoted the AP, last week.

But, Friday, investigators reported finding blood in a variety of areas in the doctor’s office including the floor of the chemotherapy room and in a bin that held blood vials, said the AP, which noted that the investigators also found open medicine vials, “unsterile saline and gauze” as well as cross-contamination of ”pens, refrigerators, and countertop; use of contaminated gloves; and misuse of antiseptics,” among other violations.

According to Deputy Attorney General Siobhen Krier, who was speaking to investigators, “This was not a one-time episode. This is a case of egregious, bad medical judgment displayed over a long period of time,” quoted the AP. Krier also said that Dara’s history of health code violations not only posed “a clear and imminent danger to the public,” but also was occurring as far back as 2002, said the AP, with Dara paying close to $56,000 in fines for infection control health code violations.

The committee said that Dara showed “a significant and gross deficiency in judgment,” that could not be corrected by merely changing his practices, said the AP. “Dr. Dara’s own testimony has not persuaded the committee that he has an appreciation for the gravity of multiple breaches of basic infection control practices,” the committee said in the license suspension order, quoted the AP.

APP reported last week that a 32-page court order requested late last month by Attorney General Anne Milgram sought “the suspension or revocation of the license of Respondent to practice medicine and surgery. It being alleged in the Complaint that Respondent is presently incapable of safely discharging the functions of a licensee and it being further alleged that the continued practice of medicine and surgery by Respondent pending final disposition of the Verified Complaint represents a clear and imminent danger to the public health safety and welfare.”

Study Suggests "Potent" Link Between NSF, Gadolinium Contrast Dyes

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Another study has found a strong link between the use of gadolinium contrast dyes and the development of Nephrogenic Systemic Fibrosis (NSF). According to researchers at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, patients with advanced chronic kidney disease were 27 percent more likely to develop NSF if they were exposed to a gadolinium contrast dye than those who were not.

Gadolinium contrast dyes are approved for use in MRI procedures, and are sometimes used off-label in MRA studies. These agents were first introduced in the 1980s, and there are currently five such dyes on the market. These dyes include: Omniscan by GE Healthcare; OptiMARK by Mallinckrodt/Tyco Healthcare; Magnevist by Bayer/Schering AG/Berlex; ProHance by Bracco Diagnostics and MultiHance by Bracco Diagnostics.

In September 2007, the Food & Drug Administration (FDA) asked the manufacturers of gadolinium contrast dyes to add a black box warning to the products' labels regarding their association with NSF. The FDA also warned that patients with kidney disease should avoid gadolinium contrast agents.

NSF is a debilitating disease that leads to excessive formation of connective tissue in the skin and internal organs. It is characterized by high blood pressure, burning, itching, swelling and hardening of the skin. Other symptoms include red or dark patches on the skin; pain deep in the hip bones or ribs and muscle weakness. NSF can progress to the point of causing severe stiffness in joints, and it can lead to death.

NSF is a relatively new disease. In fact, the first known diagnosis of NSF only occurred in 1997, but it wasn't until September 2000 that details of the disease were published in the medical journal Lancet. It appears that it only develops in people with pre-existing kidney disease.

Several studies have strongly suggested a link between NSF and gadolinium contrast dyes. This latest study, published in the journal Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, consisted of a systemic review and meta-analysis of seven controlled studies that have examined the association between gadolinium contrast dyes and NSF.

The meta-analysis found very strong evidence of a causal relationship between NSF and gadolinium contrast dyes. According to a press release detailing the University of Pennsylvania study, that evidence included:

consistently similar results and large magnitude of effect shown in all studies analyzed;
a clear temporal relationship found in all but one study;
a dose-response relationship shown in three studies. Two studies did not find this relationship and the other studies did not examine the relationship.

In addition, gadodiamide is excreted renally, so it is biologically plausible for it to cause NSF, the investigators observed. Furthermore, gadodiamide is both detectable and quantifiable in the tissues of patients with NSF. Finally, the researchers cited a case in which a patient who had clinical resolution of NSF developed the condition again when re-exposed to a gadolinium contrast dye.

The authors of the met-analysis concluded that their findings suggest a "potent and significant" association between gadolinium contrast dyes and NSF among patients with advanced chronic kidney disease.

New Jersey Hepatitis B Outbreak Likely Linked to One Oncologist

Fri, 03 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Thousands of patients of a New Jersey oncologist must undergo testing for some serious blood borne diseases such as hepatitis B; hepatitis C; and HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.

According to the Associated Press (AP), New Jersey health officials have confirmed that about 3,000 people treated by Dr. Parvez Dara must be tested for the diseases after five of his patients reportedly tested positive for hepatitis B. Hepatitis B is a liver infection that can be transmitted through blood and blood products.

The first two cases were confirmed in February and the remaining three were confirmed more recently. Dara has offices in Toms River and Manchester, New Jersey, the AP reported. Following the confirmation, health officials sent a letter—dated March 28—to all of Dara’s patients going back to 2002 and warning them of the risks of the blood borne diseases and urging them to receive testing, said the AP.

The source and cause of the transmission remain unclear, said the AP; however, Fox News reported that New Jersey health officials believe shoddy injection practices might be to blame. Dara, who treats cancer patients and patients with blood disorders, said the AP, administers chemotherapy, which is injected, at his offices, said Fox News.

The state is looking to temporarily suspend Dara’s medical license said Asbury Park Press (APP) and Dara is scheduled to face the state Board of Medical Examiners today, said Fox News; the regulators will also look at the possibility of other health code violations. For now, Dara is not performing procedures and is only handling patient consultations, the AP reported.

While Dara’s attorney claims that the five patients also were seen at the same hospital and claims they could have been contaminated there, health officials argued that the hospital was ruled out as an infection source. "The investigation looked at all sites where the patients received care.... The only common site was the physicians' office," said state Health Department spokeswoman Marilyn Riley, quoted the AP.

APP reported that a 32-page court order requested late last month by Attorney General Anne Milgram sought "the suspension or revocation of the license of Respondent to practice medicine and surgery. It being alleged in the Complaint that Respondent is presently incapable of safely discharging the functions of a licensee and it being further alleged that the continued practice of medicine and surgery by Respondent pending final disposition of the Verified Complaint represents a clear and imminent danger to the public health safety and welfare.”

The APP indicated that officials for the state Department of Health and Senior Services and the Ocean County Health Department conducted the investigation. Letters were sent to 2,800 former and current patients of Dara.

Patients in possession of the health department’s letter, an insurance card, and identification can obtain blood testing at one of Community Medical Center’s outpatient labs (contact Ocean County Health Department at 1-732-341-9700 ext 7502 for locations); appointment are not required, said APP. Patients are also free to have blood testing conducted at their own health car provider.

Study: One-Third of EMS Stethoscopes Infected with MRSA

Wed, 01 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0700

A new study found that about one-third of all stethoscopes used by emergency medical services (EMS) providers is contaminated with the dangerous, sometimes deadly, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bacteria.

ABC 7 News reported that investigators looked at 50 stethoscopes from EMS professionals at a New Jersey hospital emergency department and discovered that 16 of the stethoscopes were “colonized” with the super bug. The study also revealed that 16 EMS workers were unsure when their stethoscopes had last been sanitized; and other EMS workers believed it had been anywhere from one to seven days since the stethoscopes were last cleaned, reported ABC.

"Of the 50 stethoscopes, 16 had MRSA colonization, and the same number [of EMS providers] couldn't remember the last time their stethoscopes were cleaned," said study author Dr. Mark Merlin, assistant professor of emergency medicine and pediatrics at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, quoted HealthDay News. The study involved nurses, EMS workers, paramedics, and EMTs who went through the hospital emergency department over the course of a 24-hour period, HealthDay News added.

"I thought maybe one percent of stethoscopes would be infected," said Merlin, who added that, "The longer period of time between cleanings, the more likely it is you have this bacteria," HealthDay News reported. According to Merlin, said HealthDay, all that is needed is to "Provide isopropyl alcohol wipes at hospital emergency room entrances so EMS professionals can clean their stethoscopes regularly." This falls in line with a piece we wrote yesterday in which Science Daily reported that basic, regular hand washing by hospital staff and visitors could drastically help stem the spread of the MRSA super bug.

MRSA is carried on the skin or in the nose and can affect others, with MRSA carriers exhibiting no symptoms. MRSA can be dangerous if it reaches the bloodstream or organs, but with early and proper diagnosis—when there is a small eruption on the skin and before MRSA reaches the bloodstream—the infection is easily treated with general-purpose antibiotics, the sore is bandaged and kept clean, and the infection is cured. There is no down time and patients can resume activities with no risk of falling ill or contaminating others. Without treatment or with incorrect diagnosis and treatment, the infection spreads rapidly and can lead to respiratory failure and surgeries, attacking vital organs like the lungs and heart. Survivors are not always returned to their pre-MRSA condition, losing limbs, hearing, and full use of damaged organs, for instance.

MRSA now has two main strains, the traditional, hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA), which, said EfluxMedia in an earlier report, is more dangerous due to its overwhelming antibiotic resistance and community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA). CA-MRSA originates from strain ST8:USA300 and, while more potent, is a bit easier to treat, often not needing antibiotic therapy. Science Daily explained earlier that MRSA are Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that are resistant to the meticillin class of antibiotics.

In 2005—the last year when such figures are available—about 94,000 Americans developed MRSA with most infected in healthcare facilities. Previously limited to hospital and nursing home patients, MRSA is now striking and killing in communities. According to Merlin, said HealthDay, while the prevailing trend has been to blame hospitals for MRSA’s spread, the study shows that the infections have another route with which to contaminate patients prior to arrival at a hospital.

Hand Washing Is the Best Way to Prevent MRSA

Tue, 31 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

MRSA—Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus—has long been known to be passed via health care workers and equipment and is best known for its ability to fight off the effects of a growing array of antibiotics. Now, Science Daily reports that a preventative measure as simple as regular hand washing by hospital staff and visitors had significant positive effects on stemming the spread of the deadly super bug versus patient isolation.

Dr. Peter Wilson from University College Hospital, London just spoke at the Society for General Microbiology meeting in Harrogate and discussed a yearlong study that took place in two hospital intensive care units (ICUs). The study looked at a six-month period in the middle of the year in which MRSA patients were not isolated, said Science Daily, versus MRSA cross infection rates when patients were moved. The patients were tested for MRSA weekly, with hand hygiene by staff and visitors audited and urged, said Science Daily, which noted that there was no evidence of increased MRSA transmission when patients were not moved and that moving seriously-ill MRSA patients can be dangerous and also involves extra hygiene measures.

In 2005—the last year when such figures are available—about 94,000 Americans developed MRSA with most of them infected in healthcare facilities. Previously limited to hospital and nursing home patients, MRSA is now striking and killing in communities. MRSA now has two main strains, the traditional, hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA), which, said EfluxMedia in an earlier report, is more dangerous due to its overwhelming antibiotic resistance; community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) originates from strain ST8:USA300 and, while more potent, is a bit easier to treat, often not needing antibiotic therapy. Science Daily explained that MRSA are Staphylococcus aureus bacteria that are resistant to the meticillin class of antibiotics.

"If a patient carrying MRSA is critically ill, moving them to a single room is less of a priority than clinical care," said Dr Wilson, quoted Science Daily. "If the criteria are strictly applied, compliance with hand hygiene practices on intensive care units is less than on a general ward because of the very high number of contacts per hour. Another study is needed in a general ward where a high level of compliance with hand hygiene is easier to achieve," Dr. Wilson added.

MRSA is carried on the skin or in the nose and can affect others with carriers exhibiting no symptoms. MRSA can be dangerous if it reaches the bloodstream or organs, but with early and proper diagnosis—when there is a small eruption on the skin and before MRSA reaches the bloodstream—the infection is easily treated with general-purpose antibiotics, the sore is bandaged and kept clean, and the infection is cured. There is no down time and patients can resume activities with no risk of falling ill or contaminating others. Without treatment or with incorrect diagnosis and treatment, the infection spreads rapidly and can lead to respiratory failure and surgeries, attacking vital organs like the lungs and heart. Survivors are not always returned to their pre-MRSA condition, losing limbs, hearing, and full use of damaged organs.

Vets Endangered by Improperly Sterilized Equipment

Fri, 27 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

Even though the Veterans Administration (VA) isn't saying much, it seems as if thousands of military veterans might have been exposed to dangerous, life-threatening pathogens from colonoscopies and endoscopies they underwent as long as five years ago. The Associated Press (AP) reports that military veterans in the southern United States are awaiting word about potential and serious infections.

WSMV reports that no less than 10 patients have tested positive for hepatitis B or C or HIV. At least one man has consulted with malpractice attorneys and more are expected. The man, who is in his 50s, tested positive for hepatitis C; he and his lawyers believe a colonoscopy at the Murfreesboro Veterans Administration two years prior to be the culprit, said WSMV. Now, the long-married father must endure protected sex with his wife for the rest of their lives, it noted.

The VA won’t say exactly what happened, but did acknowledge in warnings to veterans who had received the invasive procedures in the past five years that they were potentially exposed to other patients’ bodily fluids and should be tested for diseases such as hepatitis and HIV, said the AP.

The VA admitted this week that the water tubes and reservoirs it used in colonoscopies and endoscopies were rinsed—not disinfected—between procedures. This practice could expose subsequent patients to contamination, said the Miami Herald. In south Florida alone, over 3,000 veterans underwent medical procedures since 2004 in which the improper processes were followed, said the Miami Herald; Boston.com reported that up to 9,000 patients may have been contaminated. WSMV reported that, late last year, the VA found a wrong tubing valve might have been used during procedures as far back as April 2003, which could have resulted in body fluid transmission between patients.

This January, the VA finished a report on the problem in Murfreesboro, including the cause for equipment switches, incorrect equipment use, and improper sterilization processes, said WSMV; however, the VA insisted that, in the majority of cases—seven out of 10 factors cited—the problem was with the equipment manufacturer, Olympus. According to WSMV, the VA said that "unclear product instructions" from Olympus are to blame for the potential spread of deadly infections.

Now, the government has become involved. "We owe these folks the highest obligation because they have protected our country; we should protect them," said U.S. Representative Jim Cooper (Democrat-Nashville). "So Congress needs to do whatever it takes to make sure all of our veterans are safe," He told WSMV.

Boston.com reported that Senator John F. Kerry (D-Mass) asked the VA’s inspector general to initiate an inspection of sanitation procedures at VA hospitals, saying in a statement that, “The Veterans Administration has inherited a tragic situation, and a full review is needed so we can find out how this happened, correct the situation, and make sure it never happens again…. The Obama Administration has already … taken responsibility.”

The Miami Herald reported that VA hotlines and clinics in Florida received thousands of calls and hundreds of visits from worried veterans looking to schedule testing following the VA’s announcement earlier this week.

OSHA Will Finally Take Action On Popcorn Workers Lung

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The Department of Labor has directed the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to speed up the establishment of new rules to protect workers in the snack and flavorings industry from the threat of a disease known as Popcorn Workers Lung. According to The Wall Street Journal, the directive is an indication that the Obama administration will take a tougher stance on worker protections than its predecessor.

Popcorn Workers Lung is a potentially life threatening ailment, for which the only cure is a lung transplant. The disease - also known as bronchiolitis obliterans - has been linked to diacetyl, a chemical used to give microwave popcorn and other snack foods a buttery flavor.

In 2003 and 2004, the National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health found an association between diacetyl and the development of Popcorn Workers Lung among hundreds of workers at six Midwestern popcorn factories. In April 2007, the Centers for Disease Control reported that workers at food flavoring factories, as well as popcorn plants, were at risk for the disease.

Under the Bush administration, OSHA refused to issue an emergency standard setting diacetyl exposure limits for workers. The next day the U.S. House of Representatives voted to require OSHA to issue the emergency standard, but the bill never won final passage in the Senate.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Labor Secretary Hilda Solis has disposed of a Bush Administration rule- called an advance notice of proposed rule-making-that would have delayed the establishment and implementation of new diacetyl rules. The Bush administration issued the rule-making notice on its last day in office.

According to the Labor Department, diacetyl has been linked to the deaths of three workers exposed while manufacturing food flavorings In a statement, Solis said she is "alarmed" that workers could still be at risk of developing Popcorn Workers Lung from diacetyl exposure. As a member of Congress, Solis said she worked to protect workers from this risk. "These deaths are preventable," Solis said.

Earlier this week, we reported that a victim of Popcorn Workers Lung and his wife had been awarded $7.5 million for his injuries by a federal jury in Iowa. Unfortunately, the victim - who worked at a popcorn manufacturing facility since the 1990s - had died from the illness one day before the verdict was rendered.

According to The Associated Press, more than 300 other Popcorn Lung cases are pending around the country, and verdicts as high as $20 million have been awarded in previous cases.

FDA Issues Injectable Pen Warning

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just issued an alert to health care professionals reminding them that single-patient insulin pens and insulin cartridges should not be used to administer medication to multiple patients because of the potential risk of transmitting blood-borne pathogens such as HIV and the hepatitis viruses.

The FDA explained that insulin pens are pen-shaped injector devices that contain a disposable needle and either an insulin reservoir or an insulin cartridge. Insulin pens typically contain sufficient insulin for one patient to self-administer several doses of insulin before the reservoir or cartridge is empty. The FDA stressed that all insulin pens are approved only for single-patient use; in other words, just one device per patient.

The FDA is aware of incidents at two undisclosed hospitals involving more than 2,000 people in which the cartridge component of the insulin pens were used to administer insulin to multiple patients, although the disposable needles were reportedly changed among patients. “Insulin pens are designed to be safe for one patient to use one pen multiple times with a new, fresh needle for each injection,” said Amy Egan, M.D., deputy director of safety at the FDA’s Division of Metabolism and Endocrinology Products in the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. “Insulin pens are not designed, and are not safe, for one pen to be used by more than one patient, even if needles are changed between patients due to the risk of transmitting blood-borne pathogens.”

Patients exposed to shared insulin pens are being contacted by the two hospitals and are being offered testing for hepatitis and HIV, said the FDA. Some of the potentially exposed patients have reportedly tested positive for the hepatitis c virus, although it is not known if the virus was spread as a result of insulin pen sharing. The FDA is working with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and professional organizations to address infection control issues related to insulin pens.

Meanwhile, Army officials confirmed in earlier, separate reports revealed that that 16 patients have tested positive for hepatitis b (HBV) and hepatitis c (HBC). The Associated Press (AP) reported that the Army said the patients were likely exposed to the dangerous blood-borne illnesses because of improper injection practices.

The 16 patients at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center were just some of the over 2,000 diabetics who might have been exposed HBV and HBC and other blood borne illnesses, said the AP. It seems that multiple patients were administered injections from the same insulin pen, it noted. Smart Brief said that, according to the El Paso Times, the insulin pens were injected into multiples patients from August 2007 until the end of January. Journal Now said the program “systematically” injected multiple patients from the same pen; Lieutenant Colonel Sandy LaFon said that it remains unclear if the HBV and HBC infections originated from the shoddy injections or if there were previously undiagnosed infections.

Earlier this year, the CDC announced that, based on its decade-long review, over 60,000 patients have been placed at risk for potentially deadly, blood-borne infectious diseases. According to the CDC, over the past 10 years, tens of thousands of American patients have been asked to undergo HBV and HCV testing because proper infection control practices were not followed.

Popcorn Workers Lung Victim, Wife Awarded $7.5 Million

Fri, 13 Mar 2009 00:00:00 -0700

A jury has ruled in favor of a plaintiff in a Popcorn Workers Lung lawsuit. According to The Associated Press, the federal jury in Iowa yesterday ordered a flavorings manufacturer to pay the victim - who died just a day before of complications from Popcorn Workers Lung - and his wife $7.5 million for causing his injuries.

Popcorn Workers Lung is a potentially life threatening ailment, for which the only cure is a lung transplant. The disease - also known as bronchiolitis obliterans - has been linked to diacetyl, a chemical used to give microwave popcorn and other snack foods a buttery flavor.

In 2003 and 2004, the National Institute on Occupational Safety and Health found an association between diacetyl and the development of Popcorn Workers Lung among hundreds of workers at six Midwestern popcorn factories. In April 2007, the Centers for Disease Control reported that workers at food flavoring factories, as well as popcorn plants, were at risk for the disease.

Since the link between diacetyl and Popcorn Workers Lung was established, hundreds of stricken workers have filed lawsuits against flavorings manufacturers. According to The Associated Press, more than 300 other cases are pending around the country, and verdicts as high as $20 million have been awarded in previous cases.

According to The Associated Press, 69-year-old Ronald Kuiper and his wife had filed suit in 2006 against four companies that made popcorn flavoring used at the American Pop Corn Co. Kuiper had worked at American Pop Corn Co. in Sioux City as a butter flavor mixer since the 1990s, the Associated Press said. All of the companies, with the exception of Givaudan Flavors Corp. of Cincinnati, had resolved the Kuipers' claims.

The Iowa jury agreed with the Kuipers that diacetyl from Givaudan Flavors' butter flavoring had caused Ronald Kuiper's illness. According to the Associated Press, Ronald Kuiper was awarded $2 million for future pain and suffering and $750,000 for past pain and suffering; $2 million for future loss of function of the mind and body and $750,000 for past loss of function of the mind and body; $500,000 for future medical expenses and $50,000 for past medical expenses. The jury also awarded $1 million for future loss of spousal consortium and $500,000 for loss of past spousal consortium to Ronald Kuiper's wife.

Manufacturer Trying to Block Investigation of Popcorn Lung Chemical

Tue, 10 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Popcorn Lung, or Bronchiolitis obliterans, is making headlines again. Not because the government will finally be taking meaningful steps to look into the chemical that causes an irreversible lung disease, but because a federal investigation into the disease at the Sensient Flavors International plant in Indianapolis is being blocked by the manufacturer.

The chemical that causes Popcorn Lung—Diacetyl—is what artificially flavors cookies, candies, popcorn, cooking oils and sprays, and an array of food products so that they carry a butter-like flavor. In late 2007, reports abounded over how the Bush administration, some business groups, and others argued that there was insufficient evidence to warrant government limits on the dangerous chemical, despite that a federal official who testified at a congressional hearing swore under oath that Diacetyl is suspicious. Also, the doctor who detected the trend in Bronchiolitis obliterans following exposure to Diacetyl has said that the science linking the two is solid.

OMB Watch, a nonprofit advocacy group explained that factory workers, and likely consumers—exposed to Diacetyl are at an increased risk for developing Popcorn Lung, known medically as Bronchiolitis obliterans. The OMB also pointed to a number of damaging assertions regarding the link and states that OSHA has long known about the issue but avoided addressing the serious health problem until the media took hold.

Now, Seattle PI reports that flavor manufacturer Sensient Flavors International and top governmental occupational safety investigators are battling the issue in court with Sensient Flavors working to ensure that federal safety and health officials are unable to protect workers exposed to the deadly chemical. The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health—NIOSH—was called to investigate a Popcorn Lung outbreak at a Missouri microwave popcorn plant in 2000. Since then it has found the disease present in that plant and others like it across the Midwest, said Seattle PI. NIOSH is the worker safety research area of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Sensient apparently altered production processes during NIOSH's diacetyl inspection of its Indianapolis plant. Now NIOSH wants to continue its investigation because, according to Seattle PI, "pulmonary abnormalities" initially revealed demand a "second and more extensive examination.” But Sensient is saying that although NIOSH was within its legal right the first time around, nothing new has been revealed to allow NIOSH to subject it to a "highly invasive process" again and is working to block the investigation.

Sensient claims NIOSH is using its plant as a laboratory. However, Dr. David Egilman, a occupational medicine specialist and Clinical Associated Professor at Brown University, who has been examining patients with the lung disease said, "If any one is experimenting, it is Sensient and the guinea pigs are their workers. It is just outrageous that this company that has never tested the toxicity of any of the chemicals it puts in our food has gall to block government researchers efforts to determine if they stuff they are adding to food will kill or injure us," quoted Seattle PI, which added that Egilman has testified on behalf of injured workers in lawsuits brought against flavoring companies. Meanwhile Huliq News points out that Dr. Cecile Rose, a lung specialist at the National Jewish Medical and Research Center in Denver diagnosed a man with Popcorn Lung which was likely caused by his habit of inhaling and consuming microwave popcorn for years.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), which approved diacetyl use years ago without any agency testing, has not indicated if it will or will not order any testing of the toxic food flavoring now.

Health Workers Expose 60,000 to Hepatitis

Fri, 06 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0800

A recent federal report found that over 60,000 people were exposed and about 400 were infected with hepatitis because of lapses in injection safety practices, reports the Associated Press (AP). The contaminations involved 33 outbreaks and were mostly caused by violations of simple safety standards, said the AP.

It seems that syringe reuse is the major culprit. Apparently, a number of health care workers believed that discarding used needles was sufficient to prevent the transmission of deadly blood borne diseases, and continued administering injections with the same syringe barrel, thus enabling the potential for infection transmission. Contamination can occur in the medicine vial and in the barrel when shots are administered in this manner, noted the AP.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) called the shoddy injection practice trend “a wider and growing problem.” One such example of such a health care practioner cited by Newsday wasHarvey Finkelstein,the Dix Hills, NY doctor who in 2007 was blamed for exposing thousands and infecting at least one because of his negligent practices.

Authors of the study concluded that all the infectious outbreaks were caused by "failure of health care personnel to adhere to fundamental principles of infection control," quoted Newsday. The piece was published in a recent issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine

Mentioned in the piece was Finkelstein, who, in addition to exposing and infecting patients, was observed by health officials reusing syringes in multidose vials. Also cited was the Nevada endoscopy clinic that put 40,000 patients at risk for hepatitis contamination, reported Newsday. In that case, said the Wall Street Journal, six patients contracted hepatitis C.

The researchers also note that the CDC’s findings represent just a small piece of a larger problem and point out that part of the problem has to do with “a lack of oversight,” according to chief study author Nicola Thompson, said Newsday. "Outpatient settings often do not have the same type of focus on prevention and infection control. There's been a lack of oversight," Newsday quoted Thompson as saying.

According to the WSJ and based on CDC data, one of the leading causes of infection in outpatient settings, such as doctors offices and long-term care facilities, is shoddy injection practices. The Journal reported that it is not necessarily healthcare workers understanding that needles cannot be reused, but rather, their knowledge that syringes must be disposed after use, which means that those in the health care industry are not always following the CDC’s guidelines for injection administration. As a matter-of-fact, the CDC and others are kicking off a "One Needle, One Syringe, Only One Time" campaign next week, to bring education around the issue.

Blood borne diseases can be transmitted when an infected person is given a shot and either the needle or syringe is reused. Microscopic backflow can enter the syringe from the contaminated person and then also enter a multi-use medicine vial, which puts future patients at risk from the needle, the syringe, and the multi-use vials explained the Journal. Hepatitis C is the most common chronic blood borne viral infection in the U.S. said the CDC, with about 3.2 million Americans suffering from lifelong, chronic infection; about 1.4 million Americans are infected with chronic hepatitis B. Both forms can lead to liver disease and death.

Caffeine in Pregnancy May Be Linked to Cancer

Mon, 26 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0800

A new study has found that caffeine might be dangerous to unborn babies. Mail Online reported that pregnant women who drink caffeinated drinks might be increasing the likelihood that their babies could develop leukemia.

Leukemia is the most common cancer afflicting children, said Mail Online, which explained that caffeine intake, while a woman is pregnant, could damage a baby’s DNA when in utero. Leukemia, a cancer of the bone marrow and white blood cells, can affect people of all ages and is the most common type of childhood cancer, said Science Daily. Leicester University plans on initiating a detailed review of the caffeine consumption of hundreds of pregnant women, comparing blood samples taken from their babies following birth said Mail Online.

Researcher and study lead, Dr. Marcus Cooke, was quoted as saying that there was a “good likelihood” that the analysis would make the caffeine-leukemia link, said Mail Online, which pointed out that earlier studies have linked caffeine with damage to DNA, interrupting the body’s cells’ ability to fight off “cancer triggers such as radiation.” Also, according to the article, this sort of problem has been seen in the blood of children suffering from leukemia and while experts understand the problem originates in the womb, it is not yet known why.

“Although there’s no evidence at all of a link between caffeine and cancer, we’re putting two and two together and saying: Caffeine can induce these changes and it has been shown that these changes are elevated in leukemia patients,” said Dr. Cooke, quoted Mail Online. “I wonder if caffeine can somehow sensitize cells or increase the risk of leukemia? The idea seems plausible. It is vital for mothers that we either confirm caffeine as a trigger that can make something happen to a child while in the womb or rule it out,” Cooke added.

The Food Standards Agency recently reduced the amount of caffeine from 300 mg to 200mg per day that it says can be safely consumed in pregnancy; the equivilent of about two mugs of instant coffee, four cups of tea, or five cans of cola, said Mail Online.

Science Daily reported that Cooke views the study as an opportunity to locate how chromosomal changes occur in utero, with the goal of reducing pediatric leukemias. "We want to find out whether consuming caffeine could lead to the sort of DNA changes in the baby that are linked to risk of leukemia," said Dr Cooke, according to Science Daily. Science Daily explained that pediatric leukemia could start with changes in the unborn child’s DNA; however, it is widely believed the cancer would only develop with the presence of a second “trigger,” such as caffeine.

Some believe radiation exposure or an uncommon infection response might be to blame, in part, for some leukemias, but no one cause for the disease has ever been confirmed, said Science Daily. And while there are no confirmed links between caffeine and cancer, some studies have linked DNA alterations to caffeine—which can pass through the placenta—and which have been found in infants and are thought to increase the likelihood of developing the disease.

The team will work with over 1,300 pregnant women, said Science Daily.

MRSA A Rising Trend in American Children

Tue, 20 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0800

We have long been reporting on the dramatic rise of the multi-drug resistant staph infection commonly referred to as MRSA. Now, MRSA, or Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, is making headlines across media outlets because of how the deadly disease is attacking young children in this country.

Newsday reports that drug resistant head-and-neck infections are increasing among children, attributing the trend to MRSA traveling through communities, something that has become commonplace, but was considered quite rare in the recent past. Based on current analysis, scientists pointed to the rising trend of MRSA attacking children with head and neck infections, stating that a particularly concerning doubling of cases occurred between 2001 and 2006, from 12-to-28 percent. The team reviewed thousands of cases, confirming what reports have long been revealing: MRSA is increasingly showing up in communities, said Newsday. Dr. Iman Naseri of Emory University looked at nationwide medical records from 300 hospitals for 21,009 MRSA infections in children, specifically in their throats, noses, and ears.

MRSA is passed via health care workers and equipment and is best known for its ability to fight off the effects of a growing array of antibiotics. A little over two decades ago, the deadly infection was a predominantly hospital-acquired, affecting patients who were over-medicated with antibiotics, Newsday explained. Dr. Aaron Glatt, president and chief executive of New Island Hospital in Bethpage and Infectious Diseases Society of America spokesman, said doctors have recently seen a marked rise in MRSA, specifically in communities, which, he said, reported Newsday, calls for better hygiene practices, specifically citing frequent hand washing. “It's not surprising at all that we are seeing more and more MRSA in communities, and when you see it more in communities, there will be more cases in kids, too," added Glatt.

The team added that "The data presented in this study corroborate with other regional data, specifically demonstrating an increasing trend of MRSA prevalence in all regions of the U.S.,” said MedPageToday. The researchers found that 47 percent of MRSA cases in testing were clindamycin-resisitant, as well.

Study authors called for, "Judicious use of antibiotic agents and increased effectiveness in diagnosis and treatment” in order “to reduce further … drug resistance” in children, said Medical News Today. "We certainly found that the emergence of resistant staph head and neck infections in pediatric settings is on the rise," said study co-author Dr. Steven E. Sobol, director of the department of pediatric otolaryngology at the Emory University School of Medicine in Atlanta, reported the Washington Post.

"MRSA doesn't cause a worse infection; it makes treatment options fewer…. In children you are more limited, you can't use the tetracyclines," said Glatt, quoted Newsday. Glatt explained that tetracyclines cause teeth yellowing and affect bone development.

MRSA now has two main strains, the traditional, hospital-acquired MRSA (HA-MRSA), which, said eFluxMedia, is more dangerous due to its overwhelming antibiotic resistance; community-acquired MRSA (CA-MRSA) stems from strain ST8:USA300 and, while more potent, is a bit easier to treat, often not needing antibiotic therapy. eFluxMedia reported that the majority of head-and-neck MRSA infections—60 percent—were CA-MRSA and occurred in the children’s ears.

Diesel Fumes Linked to Lung Cancer

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Recent research suggests that lung cancer risks are higher among trucking industry workers because of diesel fume exposure. According to a new study published in the January issue of the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, workers in the trucking industry with an estimated 20 years on the job have an elevated risk of lung cancer with each increasing year of work due to their diesel fume exposure.

Scientists have long known that diesel fumes might play a role in the development of lung cancer. According to a report on SFgate.com, diesel fumes consist of a toxic stew of about 400 chemicals, including benzene, formaldehyde, arsenic, cyanide and lead. Breathing large amounts of diesel fumes could cause respiratory diseases, and people with asthma, heart disease and emphysema can worsen if exposed to the exhaust. Long-term exposure leads to chronic obstructive lung disease as well as lung cancer.

For the Environmental Health Perspectives study, researchers at Harvard and UC Berkeley analyzed work records for 31,135 male workers employed in the unionized U.S. trucking industry in 1985. They examined lung cancer mortality through 2000 for jobs associated with current and historical use of diesel-, gas- and propane-powered vehicles using the National Death Index. The eight categories of workers studied were long-haul driver, pickup and delivery drivers, dockworker, combination worker in the truck cab or loading dock, mechanic, hostler in a terminal yard, clerks in a terminal office, and other jobs.

According to the study, there were 4,306 deaths and 779 cases of lung cancer from 1985 through 2000. Long-haul drivers, pickup and delivery drivers, dockworkers, and combination workers all had significantly elevated hazard ratios After making allowances for the amount of smoking typical in each job, the researchers concluded that the cancer risk for drivers working short pickup and delivery runs and dockworkers rose a little over 2 percent per year, and grew faster than risks for long-haul drivers.

The authors of the report wrote that the studies results indicated that regulation of diesel emissions was important. "These results along with previous studies support current efforts to reduce emissions from both diesel vehicles and other sources of vehicle and traffic-related emissions," the report said.

The study is already impacting public policy in at least one state. Citing the study, the California Air Resources Board passed the nation’s strictest rules for diesel truck emissions this past December. The new regulations require all truck companies to initially retrofit their fleets with diesel trap oxidizers by 2010. Trucks older than 2010 will have to be replaced, on a staggered schedule, by the year 2020. Companies with fleets of one to three trucks have an extra year to comply. Fines for non-compliance could be as much as $10,000 per day.

Mon, 12 Jan 2009 00:00:00 -0800

Many diseases and disorders are directly related to defective drugs or to exposure to toxins. Some diseases and disorders can cause serious injury and/or death. One example of clear causation is mesothelioma, a rare form of lung cancer directly related to the inhalation of asbestos fibers. Parker Waichman Alonso LLP has been investigating links between diseases and defective drugs and toxins for over 10 years. Please choose a disease, syndrome or disorder from the list below to learn more about the legal remedies available to your family and you. Additionally, fill out the form at the right of each topic for a free case evaluation by a qualified attorney.