The mission of Environmental Services through Henry and Stark County Health Departments is to protect the public against environmental hazards. We strive to control, preserve and improve the environment in order that there can be optimum health, safety, comfort, and well-being now and in future generations in both counties.
Through Food Protection Program, Potable Water Supply Program, Private Sewage Disposal Program, Tanning Facilities Program, Body Art Program, West Nile Virus Program and Solid Waste Program we identify, reduce and whenever possible eliminate factors that can adversely affect human health.
Consequently, we promote a healthy and safe environment in Henry and Stark counties.Environmental Health programs are basic preventive measures essential to the public health with the goal of reducing, eliminating the incidence of illness, injury and death related to environmental factors.
Henry and Stark County Health Department Environmental Health Director, Dorothy David and Secretary, Jeanne Carlson display a Radon Home Testing Kit and poster promoting January's designation as National Radon Action Month.
NATIONAL RADON ACTION MONTH
The Environmental Health Division of the Henry and Stark County Health Departments note that January has been proclaimed National Radon Action Month in Illinois, by calling attention to the fact that radon is the second-leading cause of lung cancer overall and the leading cause of lung cancer for non-smokers.
Dorothy David, Health Department Director of Environmental Health Services, notes, "It really doesn't matter where you live in Illinois or what type of home you live in, because we've seen excessive radon in every county in Illinois, and in every type of home - old, new, with basements, with a crawlspace or on a slab."
Radon is a colorless, odorless, tasteless radioactive gas that comes from the radioactive decay of naturally occurring uranium in the soil. It can enter homes and buildings through small cracks in the foundation, sump pumps or soil in crawlspaces.
Radon is estimated to cause many thousands of deaths each year. That's because when you breathe air containing radon, you can get lung cancer.
The State of Illinois has enacted the Illinois Radon Awareness Act.
According to this law, anyone buying a home, condominium or other residential property in Illinois must be provided with information about indoor radon exposure and the fact that radon is the leading cause of lung cancer in non-smokers and the second leading cause overall.
Since radon gas is undetectable, specialized radon detectors must be used to measure the amount of radon gas present in the air. You can purchase test kits from your local home improvement, hardware store, or home extension office. You may also call the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) Division of Nuclear Safety Radon Program at 1-800-325-1245 for a list of laboratories that sell radon kits or visit their website at www.radon.illinois.gov.
The Health Department and state officials encourage anyone who discovers their home has elevated levels of radon to contact a licensed radon mitigation professional to correct the problem. Depending on the home, radon mitigation can cost between $800-$1200. IEMA also has a list of licensed radon reduction contractors who can fix your radon problem.
For more information on radon you can visit the our website at
www.henrystarkhealth.com or find us on Facebook at Henry and Stark County Health Departments. Radon information is also available through IEMA at their hotline number and at their website.
TICK & LYME DISEASE ALERT
The Environmental Health Division of the Henry and Stark County Health Departments is warning residents to take precautions against ticks and the diseases they carry.
"Ticks can transmit a number of diseases through bite," warns Dorothy David, Environmental Health Director with the Health Department. "As people are spending more time outdoors during the summer and fall, it is unreasonable to assume that one can completely eliminate tick exposure.
Therefore, prevention methods should include personal protection and frequent full body tick checks."
Ticks live in and near wooded areas, tall grass and brush and, if infected, can spread various diseases, including ehrlichiosis, Lyme disease, Rocky Mountain spotted fever and tularemia. The ticks, often no bigger than a pin head, become active and can spread disease any time of the year when the temperature is 40 degrees Fahrenheit or more at ground level. Ticks, which have sticky pads on their feet, wait in ankle-high grass and other low vegetation for a human, a dog or another animal to pass by.
The following activities and circumstances were cited by patients who have acquired tickborne diseases in areas with vegetation, tall grass or pastures that serve as tick habitats, most notably when no tick precautions were taken: camping, hiking/walking dogs, having a residence in a wooded area or performing yard work/clearing brush/gardening in wooded settings, playing paintball, mushroom hunting, riding all-terrain vehicles in vegetation that could harbor ticks, fishing and hunting. Landscapers and farmers could also be at increased risk.
Several prevention measures can be applied against tickborne diseases.
Performing frequent tick checks and removing ticks promptly reduces the likelihood of transmission of tickborne diseases. While Lyme disease transmission from an infected feeding tick requires a day or more, Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever can be transmitted in as little as 4 hours of feeding. Exposure to ticks in domestic and recreational areas can be reduced 50%-90% through simple landscaping practices like removing brush and leaf litter or creating a buffer pesticides to yards once or twice a year can decrease the number of nymphal ticks 68%-100%.
For more information on tickborne illness prevention contact the Health Department at 852-0197 (Henry) or 852-3115 (Stark)
Foodborne Illnesses We just eat it up!
The Environmental Health Division of the Henry and Stark County Health Department notes that according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), "76 million Americans contract foodborne diseases every year, affecting more people than the common cold." But many of the symptoms of food poisoning mimic those of the garden-variety flu, sometimes leaving people to wonder if the cause was the food they ate or a virus they picked up along the way.
Despite the prevalence of foodborne illnesses, it can be hard to recognize them. Like people with the "stomach flu," those with foodborne illness usually suffer from vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain. There's no real easy way to distinguish between many types of foodborne illness and a flu bug, but with the flu, one might be more apt to see generalized aches and pains and just overall not feeling well.
The telltale sign of food poisoning is usually the quick onset of the symptoms. Foodborne illnesses are, by and large, illness that occur in close proximity to exposure. If a large number of people have the same symptoms at the same time, then the cause is most likely food poisoning.
However, if people are ill at different times their symptoms are more likely to be flu-related, as it takes time to pass the virus from person to person.
Though most foodborne disease outbreaks don't occur during the holidays (they occur most often in the summer), the holidays warrant special attention because certain foods and food practices popular during the season can increase the risk for foodborne illness.
The Health Department staff offers the following food safety suggestions:
* Clean: Wash hands and food -contact surfaces often. Bacteria can spread throughout the kitchen and get onto cutting boards, knives, sponges, and countertops.
* Separate: Don't cross-contaminate. Don't let bacteria spread from one food product to another. This is especially true for raw meat, poultry and seafood. Experts caution to keep these foods and their juices away from ready-to-eat foods.
* Cook: Cook to proper temperatures. Foods are properly cooked when they are heated for a long enough time and at a high enough temperature to kill the harmful bacteria that cause foodborne illness.
* Chill: Refrigerate promptly. Public health officials advise consumers to refrigerate foods quickly because cold temperatures keep most harmful bacteria from growing and multiplying. Refrigerators should be set at 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the freezer at 0 degrees, and the accuracy of the settings should be checked occasionally with a thermometer.
The holidays don't always make it easy for food handlers to follow this advice. One reason is that people get caught up in the hectic pace of the holiday season. People get sloppy. They're busy, and they lose the vigilance that they might follow at other times of the year. The traditional advice should always be applied: Keep hot foods hot and cold foods cold.
For more information on food safety you may contact the Health Department at (309) 852-0197 (Henry) or (309) 852-3115 (Stark)
Home Safety
Ask Americans where they feel safest and most will say their own home.
However, unintentional injuries in the home result in nearly 21 million medical visits on average each year.
The Home Safety Council encourages the public to consider their home's danger areas and take some simple steps to minimize their risk from potential injuries, even death.
Fires/Burns:
* Instill smoke alarms on every level of your home and in or near all bedrooms, and test the batteries at least once a month so you'll know they are working.
* Plan a home fire drill and practice it at least twice a year.
Memorize the fire department's emergency telephone number.
* Use safety covers in electrical outlets and anti-scald devices in faucets in homes with young children.
Falls:
* Make sure all porches, hallways and stairwells are well lit. Use the maximum safe wattage in light fixtures. (Maximum wattage is typically posted inside light fixtures.)
* Use a non-slip mat, or install strips or decals in bathtubs and showers.
* Install grab bars in bath and shower stalls.
Poisonings:
* Keep medicines and household chemicals and cleaners up high, out of the reach of children, preferably in a locked cabinet.
* Install a carbon monoxide detector near sleeping areas in the home.
* Put your poison control center number (1-800-222-1222) near every phone.
Visit the Home Safety Resource Center at
www.homesafetycouncil.org to review and download free information, including safety checklists and additional tips to help safeguard your family.
Compact Fluorescent Light Information
With the increased use of compact fluorescent lights (CFLs) in homes, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) provides the following information that may be useful to you.
CFLs contain about 5 milligrams of mercury, which is about the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen. For comparison purposes, a mercury-based fever thermometer contains about 500 milligrams of mercury. IDPH considers a broken fever thermometer a small mercury spill, and provides instructions for cleaning such spills in our fact sheet available at: http://www.idph.state.il.us/envhealth/factsheets/mercuryspills.htm
The amount of mercury vapor that is released from one broken CFL poses little risk; however, it is best to reduce exposure to mercury. Residents can reduce exposure by following these recommendations for clean up of a broken CFL:
• Windows and outside doors in the area of the spill should be opened to ventilate the area.
• Do NOT use a vacuum cleaner to clean up broken CFL. A vacuum cleaner will rapidly aerosolize the mercury droplets and the resultant mercury vapors can then be inhaled. In addition, the vacuum cleaner may become contaminated with mercury.
• For CFL breakage on a hard surface, you should collect the pieces as you would any broken glass using a broom, two pieces of cardboard or stiff paper. Place the broken pieces in a sealed plastic bag or container. A damp disposable rag or paper towel should be used to do a final wipe of the area. Place the rag or paper towel in the plastic bag or container with the broken bulb pieces and dispose of it outside in your household trash.
• For CFL breakage on a carpet or other soft surface like upholstered furniture, carefully collect and bag the broken parts as described above. Dab the area with the sticky side of duct tape or packaging tape to pick up any powder residue, mercury droplets, and small pieces of glass. Place the tape in the plastic bag or container and dispose of it outside in your household trash. To prevent cuts from any remaining glass, protect the area from contact for two weeks until any remaining mercury has evaporated away and the carpeting can be vacuumed safely. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency suggests persons take used CFLs to a Household Hazardous Waste Collection location rather than disposing of them in household waste:
