Submerged debris from "superstorm" Sandy

The local news in NY has been covering this story since Sandy hit. The storm dragged many surprising things into the waters of NJ, NY and CT -- and they pose a danger to boaters and swimmers. Here's an excerpt:

Cars and sunken boats. Patio furniture. Pieces of docks. Entire houses. A grandfather clock, deposited in a marsh a mile from solid land. Hot tubs. Tons of sand. All displaced by Superstorm Sandy...

The sunken debris presents an urgent safety issue. Swimmers could cut themselves on submerged junk, step on one of thousands of boardwalk nails ripped loose, or suffer neck or spinal injuries diving into solid objects. Boats could hit debris, pitching their occupants overboard, or in severe cases, sinking.

The story focuses on NJ and CT but the problem is equally bad in the waters off Long Island. Think of the effort needed to clean this up. The income of many storm-battered residents depends on the trade generated by idyllic shorelines and marinas. This is an additional disaster for them.

Note: I lost the link to the original story. The link provided above leads to a much shorter story. Drat!

So much for Dial soap

Triclosan is the active ingredient in deodorants, deodorant-soaps, etc. We've been using it for a long, long time and it is everywhere in our homes (and our waterways). Today's news at physorg suggests this is dangerous:

"The effects of triclosan on cardiac function were really dramatic," said Nipavan Chiamvimonvat, professor of cardiovascular medicine at UC Davis and a study co-author. "Although triclosan is not regulated as a drug, this compound acts like a potent cardiac depressant in our models." 

In addition, the mice had an 18-percent reduction in grip strength for up to 60 minutes after being given a single dose of triclosan. Grip strength is a widely used measure of mouse limb strength, employed to investigate the effects of drugs and neuromuscular disorders. 

Finally, the investigators looked at the effects of triclosan exposure on fathead minnows, a small fish commonly used as a model organism for studying the potential impacts of aquatic pollutants. Those exposed to triclosan in the water for seven days had significantly reduced swimming activity compared to controls during both normal swimming and swim tests designed to imitate fish being threatened by a predator.

Not sure where this will go, but it's important. If anyone is suffering from congestive heart failure, I suggest they get this stuff out of their home immediately.

Something else to worry about

For years, I've been telling friends not to use sunscreens that go on as a spray. This goes triple for kids. There are nanoparticles in most sunscreens these days and we have no clue how harmful they are once they get inside the human body. 

Here's an excerpt from the linked article:

Scientists don't yet know how long nanoparticles remain in the human body or what they might do there. But research on animals has found that inhaled nanoparticles can reach all areas of the respiratory tract; because of their small size and shape, they can migrate quickly into cells and organs. The smaller particles may also pose risks to the heart and blood vessels, the central nervous system and the immune system, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

The old, creepy white zinc sunscreens that lifeguards used to use on their noses are safe. And okay, they're ugly too -- but they have no nanoparticles. If you really want to protect yourself and your kids, be very careful with sunscreens. They're not labeled as having nanoparticles in them because the US is a third world country that doesn't pay attention to anything anymore.

If you have kids, make sure you don't spray sunscreen on them. They'll breathe it in and it will never come out of their bodies. (I know the article says they're not sure how long the nanoparticles remain in the body, but I've read that they never leave and there is no way to remove them once you've breathed them in.) If there's no other choice, cover the kids' faces as you spray them. It's also dangerous if they lick skin that has sunscreen on it, so watch that too. Protect your kids (and yourself, too).

And don't worry, our crack FDA team is on it:

Though nanomaterials have been used in consumer products for more than a decade, the FDA acknowledged for the first time in April that they differ from their bulk counterparts and have potential new risks that may require testing.

Duh.

Updated to fix link. Lost the original story, substituted a similar one.

City boy reports from wilds of America

ou know what's creepy about living in the country? Nighttime.

Unless there's a full moon, once night falls you can only go out in a car -- unless you just want to walk around your own property. That much you can do (but bring a stick).

The first of two huge problems is that there are no sidewalks. This seems insane to me. We're people; we walk. Therefore we need sidewalks. This is not optional. Alas, this bit of common sense hasn't reached my area.

It's bad enough walking around during the day, because the roads aren't level. Every single road either rises or falls because the area is built on hillsides. The problem for pedestrians is that when you're approaching the top of a hill, you have no idea what might be barreling at you from the other side. It's a bit iffy for the last few yards. Try this at night and you'll come back from your walk dead.

Not only are there no sidewalks, there are no lights -- not one streetlight anywhere. It's strange to walk off into a pitch black night. Even when you use a flashlight you can't see beyond the beam. And there are all sorts of animals roaming around in the dark. You don't mind the deer, which are absolutely everywhere, but there are also strange packs of animals, weird creatures, possibly from Venus. I've seen them. I know.

In the city, you can walk all night and see everything around you. That's something I miss living out here in the sticks. I like living here, don't get me wrong. I like it a lot. But there are drawbacks to this rustic existence.