To Your Health

© 2007 MSNBC.com
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Jamba Juice Patrons Warned of Hep. A
San Jose employee who tested positive may
have put 4,000 at risk
Reuters -  Aug 23, 2007

SAN FRANCISCO – About 4,000 customers could be
 at risk after a worker at a Jamba Juice store in San Jose,
California, developed  hepatitis A, the chief medical
officer for Santa Clara County said  on Thursday.

“During the time she was infectious, she was also
working at  Jamba Juice, so we were concerned that even
though there is  a corporate policy of good hand washing,
you can’t be 100 percentsure,” Martin Fenstersheib
said in an interview.

“Jamba Juice will pay eligible individuals, who satisfy the
reimbursement requirements, their reasonable, out-of-pocket
medical expenses related to the diagnosis and treatment of
hepatitis A,” Paul Clayton, Jamba Juice’s chief executive, said
 in a statement.

“We acted quickly to resolve this situation and the store is
now open, 100 percent safe and we look forward to getting
back to what we do best, serving up liquid sunshine.”
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READ FULL STORY:
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20415845/
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Copyright 2007 Reuters Limited. All rights reserved.
© 2007 MSNBC.com

FOXNews.com
Toys ‘R’ Us Pulls Bibs As a Precaution

Friday, August 17, 2007
By JEFFREY GOLD, AP Business Writer

NEWARK, N.J. —
Toys "R" Us Inc. on Friday said it was removing all vinyl baby bibs from its
 Toys "R" Us and Babies "R" Us stores as a precaution after two bibs made
 in China for one supplier showed lead levels that exceeded Toys "R" Us standards.

Toys "R" Us, which operates over 1,500 stores, said the result came in testing
this month of bibs supplied by Hamco Inc. and marketed under the Koala Baby,
Especially for Baby and Disney Baby labels.

Tests of Hamco bibs in May were within standards, Toys "R" Us said.

Vinyl bibs made by other companies have been temporarily removed to avoid any
confusion among customers and allow further testing, Wayne-based Toys "Toys R" Us said.

A message seeking comment from Hamco, based in Gonzales, La., was not imme
diately returned.

Childhood exposure to lead can cause learning problems, reduced intelligence,
hyperactivity and attention deficit disorder, studies have shown.

Toys "R" Us, the nation’s second-largest toy seller after Wal-Mart Stores Inc., said
customers can return any vinyl bib purchased from a Toys "R" Us or Babies "R" Us store
 for a full refund.

Information is available at 1-800-869-7787.

The bib removal is the latest in a series of recent problems involving imports from China.
Products including tires, toys, toothpaste, seafood and pet food have been recalled.

The Toys "R" Us move involves about 160,000 vinyl bibs, including some in its warehouses.
Nearly 90 percent of the bibs are from Hamco, and all of them were made in China, Toys "R"
Us spokeswoman Kathleen Waugh said.

The action by Toys "R US" Us came two days after a California environmental group said
 that  some vinyl bibs made in China and sold at Toys "R" Us stores contained lead levels well
above federal safety limits for lead in paint.

Toys "R" Us has said its May tests were prompted by Wal-Mart’s decision that month to
recall lead-tainted vinyl bibs from its stores nationwide. Wal-Mart’s recall came after a lawsui
t brought by the Center for Environmental Health, the California group.

Both the bibs sold by Wal-Mart and Toys "R" Us were manufactured in China for Hamco.

A statement issued by Hamco at the time of the Wal-Mart recall did not address whether their
 bibs contained lead but quoted an industry trade group statement suggesting that the risk of
babies ingesting lead even if the bibs were tainted was slight.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a statement in May saying that the
 lead-contaminated bibs were safe if in good condition. But if a bib "deteriorates to the point
that a baby could pull or bite off and swallow a piece of vinyl containing lead, then the amounts
 of lead consumed could approach levels of concern," the agency said.
___
On the Net:

Toys ‘R US:  http://www.toysrus.com
Hamco Inc.:  http://www.crowncrafts.com
Center for Environmental Health: http://www.cehca.org/babybibs.htm
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Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Copyright 2007 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved.
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  MSNBC.com
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Add a Cup of Coffee to Your Workout
Study: Combination of caffeine, workout protects against skin malignancies
URL: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20038324/
The Associated Press
Updated:   July 30, 2007

WASHINGTON – Can adding a cup or two of coffee to the exercise routine
increase protection from skin cancer? New research indicates that just might
be the case.

The combination of exercise and caffeine increased destruction of precancerous
 cells that had been damaged by the sun’s ultraviolet-B radiation, according to
a team of researchers at Rutgers University.

Americans suffer a million new cases of skin cancer every year, according to
the National Cancer Institute.

Read Full Article:  http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20038324/

1 in 4 NYC Adults Have Elevated Mercury
http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/health/mercury072407
July 24, 2007

NEW YORK (AP) — A quarter of adults in the city have elevated levels
 of mercury in their blood, linked to how much fish they eat, according to
 survey results released Monday by the health department.

Rates were higher among more affluent residents compared to those in
lower income groups and were high among Asians, who eat more fish,
the survey showed.

While mercury at the levels found in New Yorkers doesn’t really pose a
risk for most adults, the city suggested that children under 6 years old and
 pregnant and breast-feeding women avoid fish with high mercury contents
 over concerns that it increases the risk of cognitive problems in children.

Read Full Article:
 http://www.blackamericaweb.com/site.aspx/health/mercury072407