Remake Mag: Health

The Bad Air in Our Gyms

3:38 π.μ. RemakeMag

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With chilly weather settling in and darkness arriving before most people’s workdays end, many of us are shifting our workouts indoors, a practice that is much better for us than abandoning exercise for the winter. But a new study of air quality in gyms raises some interesting questions about whether the places in which we work out are as healthy as they should be. 
 
Science and common sense tell us that exercising in polluted air is undesirable. People who frequently run alongside heavily trafficked freeways and breathe great lungfuls of exhaust have been shown to have an increased risk of heart disease, even if they are otherwise in admirably good shape. 
 
But few studies systematically have examined the air quality inside gyms. 
 
So for the new study, which will appear next month in the journal Building and Environment, researchers at the University of Lisbon in Portugal and the Technical University of Delft in Holland decided that they would place air-quality monitoring equipment in gyms throughout Lisbon. 
 
Portuguese fitness sites are similar to those in the United States, said Carla Ramos, a graduate student at the University of Lisbon who led the new study. Most feature a weight room and multiple, smaller studio spaces for aerobics classes, yoga sessions and similar programs. 
 
For the new study, Ms. Ramos obtained permission from 11 Lisbon gyms to position air-quality monitors in each site’s weight room and several studios. The machines were set to measure pollutants during the late afternoon or evening hours, when the gyms were at their most crowded. 
 
For about two hours at each gym, the monitors measured the levels of commonly found indoor pollutants. These include carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, ozone, airborne particulates such as dust, and various chemicals released by carpeting, cleaning products, furniture or paint, including formaldehyde. 
 
To gain even more detailed readings, the scientists subsequently placed additional monitors in three of the gyms, which measured air quality throughout the building and throughout the entire day. 
 
Then they checked the pollutant levels from all of the gyms. 
 
Their findings were disquieting. In general, the gyms showed high levels of airborne dust, formaldehyde and carbon dioxide. The concentrations of these substances generally exceeded most accepted standards for indoor air quality. (No government agency in the United States formally monitors air quality in gyms.) 
 
The levels were especially high during evening aerobics classes, when many people were packed into small studios, stirring up dust and fumes and puffing heavily, producing carbon dioxide with every breath. 
 
The high concentrations of dust and chemicals like formaldehyde in the air at the gyms represent perhaps the greatest potential concern, Ms. Ramos said. In sufficient concentrations, these substances can contribute to asthma and other respiratory problems, she said. Almost all of the gyms in the study had levels of these substances that significantly exceed European standards for healthy indoor air standards. 
 
Carbon dioxide, though not toxic to people, could also be cause for concern. In high concentrations, Ms. Ramos said, it has been found to contribute to bodily fatigue and cognitive fogginess, neither of which is desirable during a high-intensity aerobics class. 
 
Elevated levels of carbon dioxide can also indicate a poorly ventilated building, she said, especially if they remain inflated for hours, as they did in her study. 
 
“We consider that the gymnasiums meet the criteria for a poor indoor quality,” Mr. Ramos said. 
 
Poor indoor air quality is a particular issue in gyms, of course, because people there tend to be breathing heavily. “When we exercise, we take in more air with each breath and most of that air goes through the mouth, bypassing the natural filtration system” in the nostrils, Ms. Ramos said. “The pollutants go deeper into the lungs compared to resting situations.” 
 
The findings should not, however, discourage anyone from visiting a gym, Ms. Ramos said. None of the sites in the study had measurable levels of carbon monoxide, she pointed out, one of the most dangerous of known air pollutants. 
 
The data might, though, prompt diligent gymgoers to perform a sniff test. If the air at your fitness center smells chemical-laden and stale, consider talking with the site manager, Ms. Ramos said. Ask about ventilation and if the building has undergone a recent indoor-air-quality assessment. 
 
Inquire, too, about the types of cleaning products used at the gym and whether floors are swept or mopped; the latter is better at reducing airborne dust, Ms. Ramos said. 
 
For her part, Ms. Ramos conducted a formal air-quality assessment at the gym she attends (separately from her study) and offered the manager advice about how to reduce some of the pollutants that turned up. “I prefer to be indoors to practice physical activity,” she said, as long as the air is as healthy as the activity.</div>

With chilly weather settling in and darkness arriving before most people’s workdays end, many of us are shifting our workouts indoors, a ...

Vaccination, hand-washing can help prevent spread of flu

1:03 π.μ. RemakeMag

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With the flu season having just begun, Dr. Kevin Slavin, chief of Quality and Safety for the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hackensack University Medical Center, recently spoke to The Star-Ledger about influenza, particularly the steps one should take to stop its spread. 
 
Q: What is influenza? 
A: Influenza, or flu, is an infection caused by a virus. Typical symptoms begin suddenly, usually with fever, chills, body aches, headaches and fatigue as the first signs of disease. Respiratory symptoms, such as runny nose, sore throat and cough, may not occur in the earliest stages of the disease. Children are more likely than adults to have vomiting and diarrhea. 
 
Q: When is flu season? 
A: In the northern hemisphere, flu typically occurs during the late fall and winter. In New Jersey, peak activity usually is in January and February. In recent years, flu has occurred as early as September and as late as June. 
 
Q: How is flu spread? 
A: Flu is spread mostly through the air. When an infected person talks, coughs or sneezes, the virus may travel as far as six feet, landing on someone else’s mouth or nose. Less often, virus on a surface (such as a doorknob) can get on someone’s hand and they might accidently get infected by touching their mouth or nose. 
 
Q: How can the spread of flu be stopped? 
A: Hand-washing with soap and water or using hand sanitizers can prevent the spread of infection. Frequently touched surfaces should be cleaned often. Avoid touching your mouth or nose. Eating utensils and drinking glasses should not be shared and should be washed with soap and water. Practicing “cough etiquette” is another way to prevent the spread of infection to others. Cough or sneeze into a tissue and wash hands afterward. If a tissue is not available, coughing or sneezing into the upper sleeve or elbow is a way to decrease spread of virus to others. People who are sick with the flu should stay home until they recover. 
 
Q: How can I keep from getting sick? 
A: Influenza vaccination is the best way to prevent flu. The vaccine has been shown to prevent hospitalization and severe complications for adults and children with chronic illnesses, including diabetes, chronic lung disease and heart disease. Pregnant women are at high risk for severe influenza. Vaccination during pregnancy has been shown to be safe and provides protection for newborns, who are too young to be vaccinated. 
 
Q: Who should be vaccinated for influenza? 
A: Flu vaccine is recommended for everyone age 6 months and older. 
 
Q: Is there treatment for influenza? 
A: Antiviral drugs may be helpful for some people with influenza, especially people with certain chronic conditions. The antiviral drugs work best if they are started very early during the illness. If you think you might have the flu, see a doctor as quickly as possible to discuss treatment options.</div>

Health Vaccination, hand-washing can help prevent spread of flu

With the flu season having just begun, Dr. Kevin Slavin, chief of Quality and Safety for the Joseph M. Sanzari Children’s Hospital at Hac...

What Americans fear the most

12:03 π.μ. RemakeMag

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A new survey on the “fears, worries and concerns of Americans” was released this week — just in time for Halloween. 
 
Conducted by researchers at Chapman University in Orange, California, the survey involved a representative sample of more than 1,500 adults. The information gathered was divided into four basic categories: personal fears, crime, natural disasters and “fear factors” (the factors that are the strongest predictors of Americans’ fears). 
 
Here are the top five personal fears of Americans, according to the survey: 
 
Walking alone at night 
Becoming the victim of identity theft 
Safety on the Internet 
Being the victim of a mass/random shooting 
Public speaking 
And here are the top five worries or concerns of Americans: 
 
Having identity stolen on the Internet 
Corporate surveillance of Internet activity 
Running out of money in the future 
Government surveillance of Internet activity 
Becoming ill or sick 
A persistent fear of violent crime 
Violent crime elicited high levels of fear among the survey’s participants, despite the fact that, as the Chapman researchers point out, the overall incidence of violent crime in the U.S. has been declining for two decades. 
 
“What we found when we asked a series of questions pertaining to fears of various crimes is that a majority of Americans not only fear crimes such as child abduction, gang violence, sexual assaults and others, but they also believe these crimes [as well as human trafficking, mass riots, pedophilia, school shootings and serial killings] have increased over the past 20 years,” said Edward Day, a sociologist at Chapman University, in a press statement released with the survey. 
 
The crime that Americans are most optimistic about, according to the survey, is “mass riots.” About 23 percent of the people polled said that the prevalence of mass rioting has decreased in recent years. 
 
Regional variations 
When it came to natural disasters, the ones most feared by Americans in the survey were the following: 
 
Tornados/hurricanes 
Earthquakes 
Floods 
Pandemics or major epidemics 
Power outages 
The survey also found that the vast majority of Americans — even ones living in regions hardest hit by natural disasters — are unprepared for such emergencies. Only 25 percent of the people surveyed, for example, said they had emergency kits containing food, water, clothing and medical supplies to help them through a natural disaster. (I actually find that number to be surprisingly high.) 
 
Not surprisingly, perhaps, is the finding that the levels of concern about natural disasters — and the types of disasters that elicit concern — vary from region to region. While 35 percent of the survey’s participants who lived in western states said they were “worried” or “very worried” about natural disasters, only 19 percent of those living in the Midwest expressed that level of concern. 
 
And the survey’s Midwest participants listed their fears of natural disasters in a slightly different order: 
 
Tornados/hurricanes 
Floods 
Pandemics or major epidemics 
Earthquakes 
Power outages 
Two key ‘fear factors’ 
The final part of the survey focused on what types of people tend to fear certain things and what factors might play a role in those fears. 
 
Two factors were found to be the most consistent predictors of fear: having a low level of education and watching a lot of television, particularly talk shows and shows that feature real-life crime. 
 
Of course, as the Chapman researchers point out, that doesn’t meant that these factors cause people to be more fearful. For example, people who regularly watch talk and true-crime shows may already harbor a lot of fears about the world — fears that draw them to those types of shows on TV. 
 
One final interesting tidbit from the survey: Republicans expressed higher levels of fear about “today’s youth, the government and immigrants,” while Democrats had higher levels of fear about “personal safety, pollution and man-made disasters.” 
 
You’ll find an expansive explanation of the survey and its findings on Chapman University’s website. The researchers plan to conduct the survey every year. It will be interesting to see how our fears and concerns change over time. 
 
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Health What Americans fear the most

A new survey on the “fears, worries and concerns of Americans” was released this week — just in time for Halloween. Conducted by rese...