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Tag: Safety

Staying Safe In Hot Weather

Posted on by djbechard

Hot weather makes it harder for the body to regulate its temperature. It can also be challenging for older adults, who typically do not adjust as well as others to sudden temperature changes.

 

Older adults are at higher risk for heat-related illness. Factors that put older adults at greater risk may include:

  • Health problems such as cardiovascular, lung or kidney disease.
  • Any illness that causes weakness or results in a fever.
  • Taking drugs such as diuretics, sedatives and some heart and high blood pressure medicines that may make it harder for the body to cool itself.
  • Being overweight or underweight.
  • Living in places without air conditioning or fans.
  • Dehydration

Things you can do to lower the risk of heat related illness:

  • Drink plenty of liquids, such as water, fruit or vegetable juices or drinks that contain electrolytes. Avoid alcohol and caffeinated beverages.
  • If you live in a home without air conditioning or fans, try to keep your space as cool as possible. Limit use of the oven, keep shades, blinds or curtains closed during the hottest part of the day and open windows at night.
  • If your living space is hot, try to spend some time during the day in a place that has air conditioning such as the library or senior center.

By: Brenda Langdon

What Do Those Dates Mean?

Posted on by djbechard

Most of us don’t want to serve “outdated” food to our families, but we also don’t want to throw food away unnecessarily. So how can we keep ourselves and our families from getting sick from eating food that is past its prime of safety, but also not waste food?

  • The only food product on which expiration dates are federally regulated is infant formula. Therefore, you should NOT buy or use baby formula after its “use-by” date, for both safety and nutritional reasons.
  • Some states do require dating for foods, but other than infant formula, there is not regulated food dating system across the United States. Dates are put on products in a variety of ways. The United State Department of Agriculture (USDA) does provide the following definitions for various terms used on food product labels.
    • “Sell by” date: Tells the store how long to display the product for sale. You should buy the product before that date.
    • “Best if used by (or before)” date: Recommended for best flavor or quality. It is NOT a purchase or safety date.
    • “Use by” date: The last date recommended by the manufacturer for the use of the product while at peak quality.

*Note that these dates generally refer to food quality, rather than safety. However, they can give a general idea of how long the food has been in the market.

  • Many canned foods are required to have a packing code, which enables manufactures to rotate their stock and locate their products in the event of a recall. These codes are NOT meant for consumers to interpret in any way as use-by dates (unless they are clearly marked as a use-by date).

By: Jamie Rathbun

Food Safety While Eating Outdoors

Posted on by djbechard

Picnic and barbecue season offers a lot of opportunities for outdoor fun with family and friends. But these warm weather events also present opportunities for foodborne bacteria to thrive. As food heats up in summer temperatures, bacteria multiply rapidly.

To protect yourself, your family, and friends from foodborne illness during warm-weather months, safe food handling when eating outdoors is critical.

  • Keep Cold Food Cold. Place cold food in a cooler with ice or frozen gel packs. Cold food should be stored at 40oF or below to prevent bacterial growth. Meat, poultry, and seafood may be packed while still frozen so that they stay colder longer.
  • Organize Cooler Contents. Consider packing beverages in one cooler and perishable foods in another. That way, as picnickers open and reopen the beverage cooler to replenish their drinks, the perishable foods won’t be exposed to warm outdoor air temperatures.
  • Keep Hot Foods Hot. Hots foods should be kept at an internal temperature of 140oF or warmer. This is the temperature that is required to keep bacteria at bay. Use a food thermometer to check. Use or keep food hot in chafing dishes, slow cookers, and warming trays.
  • Remember the 2 Hour Rule. Discard any perishable food left out at room temperature for more than 2 hours, unless you are keeping it hot or cold. If the food is being served in a place where the temperature is above 90oF, the safe-holding time is reduced to 1 hour.
  • Don’t Cross Contaminate. Be sure to keep raw meat, poultry, and seafood securely wrapped. This keeps their juices from contaminating prepared/cooked foods or foods that will be eaten raw, such as fruits and vegetables.

By: Jamie Rathbun

Does “Green” Mean Clean?

Posted on by djbechard

Regular use of cloth bags is considered important to “save the environment,” but isn’t personal and family health just as important? The inside and outside of reusable grocery bags can be a breeding ground for dangerous foodborne bacteria which can pose a serious risk to our health.

Reusable bags if not properly washed between uses, create the potential for cross contamination of foods.

When transporting foods, keep food safety in mind. Juices from meats can leak from packaging and contaminate ready-to-eat foods like fruits and vegetables in the cloth bag. A good rule-of-thumb is to put raw meat in a separate plastic bag before packing in reusable bags, or use a separate cloth bag for meats.

Where do you place your reusable bags while putting groceries away? The outside of the bag may be contaminated from the grocery cart, the store counter, or from the floor of your vehicle. If you set bags on the counter when you get home, the germs on the outside of the bag are now on your countertops. Remember to wash and sanitize your countertops before preparing food.

When shopping for reusable cloth bags, look for ones that are washable and remember to launder bags often. Simply washing reusable cloth bags between uses in the washing machine, or by hand, with soap is effective at reducing bacteria by 99.9%.

By: Jamie Rathbun

Preparing for Winter Conditions

Posted on by djbechard

Cold temperatures – cold can bring different dangers. Our bodies aren’t prepared to withstand extreme cold for long periods of time. The cold can quickly have negative effects, especially when we factor in wind chill.

Dress in layers and wear a stocking cap and mittens anytime you face outdoor cold. Frostbite or hypothermia happen very quickly. It can be less than even a few minutes, when you get cold and add wind. Stocking caps help to keep heat from releasing through the head and keeps the overall temperature of your body warmer. Mittens are preferred over gloves because it maintains warmth by keeping the fingers closely together.

Travel safety – The State of Kansas regularly updates road conditions on the website, https://kandrive.org. It’s a good idea to check the forecast along the path you are driving, including road conditions.

 

Here is a list of suggested items to keep in an emergency kit, in case the vehicle gets stalled while traveling.

  • Snow brush and ice scraper
  • Jumper cables
  • Blankets
  • Gloves
  • Cell phone charger
  • Snacks
  • First Aid Kit
  • Water
  • Flashlight and batteries
  • Sand in a small container
  • Chains or other items to help in pulling a vehicle out of a ditch

By: Brenda Langdon

Kansas Radon Action Month

Posted on by djbechard

January is Kansas Radon Action Month.  Winter is an excellent time to test your home for radon gas.

Radon is a naturally occurring colorless, odorless, and tasteless, radioactive gas created by the decay of uranium in the earth’s crust and present everywhere on the planet. Testing for it is the only way of telling how much is present.

Long-term exposure to elevated levels of radon gas increases your lifetime risk for lung cancer.  Residential radon gas exposure is the number one leading cause of lung cancer death in the U.S. for non-smokers. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency recommends actively reducing indoor radon levels when homes are confirmed with 4.0 pCi/L or radon gas or higher.

Quick facts about radon:

  • Radon-induced lung cancer is the #1 cause of death in homes. 1 in 4 Kansas homes has high levels of radon.
  • Kansas law requires that all radon testing performed during real estate transactions be conducted by state-certified radon professionals.
  • The only way to know the radon level anywhere is to test. Radon test kits can be purchased at the Post Rock Extension District offices for $5.50/ea.
  • If your home has elevated radon levels, a radon mitigation system will reduce radon to below 4.0 pCi/L in 95% or more of homes.

 

By: Brenda Langdon

Kitchen Safety

Posted on by djbechard

The kitchen is the heart of the home, especially during the holidays and kids love to be involved in the preparations. Safety in the kitchen is important, especially when there is a lot of activity and people in the home.

· Stay in the kitchen when you are cooking on the stovetop so you can keep an  eye on the food.

· Keep children away from the stove. The stove will be hot and kids should stay 3 feet away.

· Make sure kids stay away from hot foods and liquids. The steam or splash from vegetables, gravy or coffee could cause serious burns.

· Keep the floor clear so you don’t trip over kids, toys or bags.

· Keep knives out of the reach of children.

· Be sure electric cords from an electric knife, coffee maker, plate warmer or mixer are not dangling off the counter within easy reach of a child.

· Never leave children alone in a room with a lit candle.

· Make sure your smoke alarms are working. Test them by pushing the test button.

By: Brenda Langdon