Dr. Anthony Fauci says that it may not be safe to attend movie theaters or indoor events until a year after the U.S. has a safe, effective vaccine. Pxfuel
By Jessica Corbett
As the number of confirmed Covid-19 cases in the United States surpassed 6.43 million and the nation's death toll topped 192,600, the federal government's top infectious disease expert warned Friday that life likely won't return to normal until sometime—perhaps late—in 2021.
<p>During a televised interview, <em>MSNBC</em>'s Andrea Mitchell asked Dr. Anthony Fauci, the longtime director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, about his comments earlier this week that it may not be safe to attend movie theaters or indoor events until a year after the U.S. has a safe, effective vaccine.</p><p>Fauci said that he remains confident the U.S. could have a vaccine for Covid-19 by the end of this year or early next year, "but by the time you mobilize the distribution of the vaccinations and you get the majority or more of the population vaccinated and protected, that's likely not gonna happen till the mid or end of 2021."</p><p>"If you're talking about getting back to a degree of normality which resembles where we were prior to Covid, it's gonna be well into 2021, maybe even towards the end of 2021," Fauci added, referencing the local and state level lockdowns and social distancing practices that have been implemented throughout this year.</p>
<div id="38899" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="c876b6251b5bd2514394cc7fcffb6486"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1304450398883807232" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Live now on @MSNBC: @mitchellreports interviews Dr. Fauci.
https://t.co/MPjgQRmzjX https://t.co/qrS4zxbvqZ</div> — MSNBC (@MSNBC)<a href="https://twitter.com/MSNBC/statuses/1304450398883807232">1599840185.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>A White House adviser, Fauci also disagreed with President Donald Trump's <a href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-press-briefing-091020/" target="_blank">claim</a> during a Thursday press briefing that the United States has "rounded the final turn" in the pandemic. Looking at the statistics, "they're disturbing," Fauci told Mitchell. "We're plateauing at around 40,000 cases a day and the deaths are around 1,000."</p><p>The expert expressed hope that the U.S. won't see a post-Labor Day Weekend surge in cases like what occurred after July 4 and Memorial Day, and stressed the importance of driving down infection numbers heading into the fall and winter months.</p><p>"What we don't want to see is going into the fall season, when people will be spending more time indoors—and that's not good for a respiratory borne virus—you don't want to start off already with a baseline that's so high," he said.</p>
<p>Fauci also <a href="https://twitter.com/MSNBCPR/status/1304458897353211904" target="_blank">denied</a> that he has been influenced by the <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/09/emails-show-how-trump-official-hhs-tried-get-fauci-downplay-covid-19-threat-school" target="_blank">reported</a> efforts of a Trump-allied official within the Department of Health and Human Services to muzzle him or otherwise guide what the expert says publicly about the pandemic.</p><p>Regarding AstraZeneca's <a href="https://www.statnews.com//09/08/astrazeneca-covid-19-vaccine-study-put-on-hold-due-to-suspected-adverse-reaction-in-participant-in-the-u-k/" target="_blank">decision</a> earlier this week to halt human trials for a potential vaccine after a participant in the U.K. showed signs of a suspected adverse reaction, Fauci said the development was unfortunate but should also reassure the public that safety concerns are being taken seriously.</p><p>The trial delay came as AstraZeneca joined eight other pharmaceutical companies in pledging to "stand with science" amid alarm that Trump may pressure the industry and the Food and Drug Administration to approve a vaccine ahead of the general election. As <em>Common Dreams</em> <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/08/what-it-has-come-amid-fears-politicization-fda-big-pharma-pledge-stand-science-met" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a> Tuesday, public health experts responded to Big Pharma's promise with cautious optimism.</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/09/11/fauci-warns-pre-pandemic-normalcy-not-likely-until-well-or-towards-end-2021?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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- Fauci Warns Bad Second Wave of Coronavirus Could Hit U.S. ... ›
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There are many different ways to get CBD into your body. While some prefer oils, others love gummies, topicals, edibles, and other methods. But what most cannabidiol enthusiasts are quickly learning is that the fastest way for the body to absorb CBD is through vaping.
Vaping is growing in popularity among people with painful health conditions who want to use a natural remedy that will alleviate their pain fast. CBD vape oil comes in a wide variety of strengths and flavors. If you're new to vaping, then it can be overwhelming trying to find a brand and product that's right for you.
In our guide to the best CBD vape pens, not only will we educate you about CBD and how vaping works, we will also give you our top three picks for the best CBD vape pen brands. But first, you should understand some of the criteria that we measured each brand up against.
<h2>What Our Criteria Was For Creating Our CBD Vape Pen List</h2><p>We knew that there were a wealth of brands to choose from. Likewise, we also knew consumers would be confused by all the brands and products they came upon in their searches. In order to cut through the confusion and overwhelm, we set up a list of strict criteria to follow so that it would be easy to create our initial list of brands. </p>
<p>In order to put our list together, we looked at: </p>
<ul><li>The length of time each brand has been in the industry</li><li>Vape ingredients</li><li>Actual customer reviews</li><li>If the brand used a third-party lab to test all of its products</li><li>If the brand made those lab results available to customers and easy to find</li><li>Hemp sources</li><li>Published reports from niche experts and CBD journalists</li><li>Vape oil purity and effectiveness</li><li>Overall brand reputation</li><li>The pricing of the vapes</li></ul>
<p>As we moved through the different brands, we realized that our list was beginning to get too long. We then further scrutinized each brand even more and cut our list down until only our top three picks were left that we presented to you below.</p><h2>3 Best CBD Vape Pens Online</h2>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzk5MDEwMi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzMjQ5NTY2M30.8zvqp9YGvypZ5FGFPbqJaurGQWYtCRfW7W9Y98NO0XM/img.jpg?width=980" id="cd78a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4501d78feee81149b65a32afc69a838a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><h2><br></h2><h3>#1 <a href="https://canfightbac.org/fab-vape-pen" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">FAB CBD Vape Pen</a> — Most Effective and Best Rated </h3><p>Since 2017, FAB CBD has been on a mission to make high quality CBD products available to everyone. The brand simply wants its customers to stay in the best of health through the natural healing powers of CBD. To that end, the team at FAB is involved with every step of the production process to ensure that every one of its products is clean, potent, and of the very best quality. </p><p>Transparency is a top priority at FAB. Therefore, after each product is tested by ProVerde Labs, a third-party laboratory, the brand makes sure that all of its customers can find those results on its website. During the cultivation, harvesting, and extraction processes, FAB uses state-of-the-art equipment to ensure that all of its extracts are clean and free from dangerous pesticides, herbicides, and other unnatural and unhealthy chemicals. </p><p>Moreover, FAB is well known not only for having great products, but also for having strong customer service. In fact, many verified customer reviews speak to this fact. When the brand set forth to create a brand-new vape oil, the team at FAB knew they wanted to produce one that was even better than the already amazing vapes they put out a few months prior. </p><p>All of <a href="https://canfightbac.org/fab-vape-pen" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">FAB's vapes</a> are fully disposable and ready to use as soon as you receive them. They are made from 500mg of premium hemp extracts, a specially crafted blend of terpenes, and have CBG, CBN, and CBD added into them. All of FAB's vapes have zero PG, VG, MCT, or additives or flavoring agents. </p>
<h2>What To Think About When Selecting A CBD Vape Brand</h2><p>In thinking about what brand or which vape product you want to select, there are a lot of things to consider. In light of that, we've listed some of the most important things to think about below: </p>
<ul><li>Source of Hemp — All of FAB's organic hemp comes from Colorado. In order to get top-shelf extracts from that hemp, the brand uses the industry-preferred and extremely clean Co2 extraction process. </li><li>Reputation — FAB has had, and continues to have a solid reputation since its founding in 2017. A host of verified customer reviews are a testament to the brand's trustworthiness and excellent product quality. </li><li>Price — FAB's vapes are priced accordingly. The cost of the brand's vapes are very much in line with other reputable CBD brands on the market today. FAB regularly offers coupon codes through special sales. </li><li>Effectiveness — FAB specifically designed their vapes to be gentle, calming, and effective. To that end, there is zero PG, VG, MCT, additives, or flavoring agents in the vapes. Instead, what customers will get is 500mg of clean, top-shelf hemp extract, beneficial terpenes, and CBG, CBC, and CBN.</li><li>Our Thoughts and Conclusions — FAB CBD has a solid reputation for not only selling effective, high quality, clean, organic CBD products, but the brand also has a strong reputation for having amazing customer service. From start to finish, FAB truly works hard to ensure that it offers the very best in CBD products to its customers. </li></ul>
<p>==> <a href="https://canfightbac.org/fab-vape-pen" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Buy Fab's Calming CBD Vape Pen here.</a></p>
<h3>#2 CBDfx</h3><p>CBDfx has a mission to deliver the purest, most effective, and finest CBD products in the world to both new and experienced users. The brand strives to bring its customers organic, innovative, and exceptional products by being involved with the process from seed to sale. </p>
<p>The brand was first launched in 2014 under the firm belief that everyone should have access to the benefits of CBD. CBDfx has grown from its original roots in the San Fernando Valley to steadily become the fifth-largest privately held CBD company. To that end, the brand has over 100 employees who are dedicated to creating the best full-spectrum, broad-spectrum, and CBD isolate products for customers. </p><ul><li><h3>CBDfx Vape Pens</h3></li></ul><p>CBDfx sells both vape pens as well as vape kits. We will focus on the vape pens, however, for the purpose of our article. The brand has put a lot of thought into the creation of its vape pen. CBDfx has even put a QR code on the packaging of the pens so that customers can have easy access to the brand's lab reports. </p>
<p>The vape pens are crafted from organic hemp and contain 30mg of broad-spectrum CBD that utilizes the whole hemp plant. CBDfx's vape pens are rich in cannabinoids, amino acids, and fatty acids. The vape pens come in a variety of flavors including strawberry lemonade, mint, and blue raspberry. The brand also has a CBD terpene vape pen that contains a variety of terpenes and 50mg of CBD. </p>
<ul><li>Source of Hemp — CBDfx sources its organic hemp from respected farms across Southern California. The brand uses a clean Co2 extraction method to ensure that the plant's phytonutrients are kept intact before it's used in the creation of its products. </li><li>Reputation — CBDfx has a reputation for having a wide range of innovative products as well as a keen eye for detail. </li><li>Price — The brand's prices for single vape pens are not very expensive at all. As far as bundles go, the prices get a touch more expensive. CBDfx, however, does offer payment plans and coupon codes. </li><li>Effectiveness — All of CBDfx's vapes are both safe and effective. The brand has all of its products regularly tested by a third-party laboratory and those results are made available to customers. </li><li>Our Thoughts and Conclusions — Overall, we feel that CBDfx offers customers a large selection of products at affordable prices. The products are clean and crafted to be of high quality. Moreover, we feel that the brand truly values trustworthiness and transparency with its customers.</li></ul>
<h3>#3 PureKana</h3><p>PureKana's mission is to be a leader in crafting the best quality CBD products available, as well as educating the world about the healing power of hemp. The brand, based in Scottsdale, Arizona, provides customers with a wide variety of products including capsules, beverage enhancers, topical salves, edibles, vape devices, and more. </p>
<p>In creating its products, PureKana uses hemp CBD that's non-GMO and pesticide, solvent, and herbicide-free, as well as free of chemical fertilizers. The brand uses an independent third-party lab to test all of its products to ensure that they are all safe for consumption. </p><ul><li><h3>PureKana CBD Vape Pen</h3></li></ul><p>PureKana's premium-grade vape pens contain over 200mg of CBD per unit (pen). The disposable pens are functional, effective, affordable, and tasty. PureKana's Vape Pens come in four different formulas based on what you're trying to accomplish with your health: Composed, Calm, Recharge, and Comfort and in flavors of Blue Raz, Watermelon Mint, Mint, and Blood Orange. Each vape pen is disposable. </p>
<ul><li>Source of Hemp — PureKana sources its organic hemp from Kentucky and tests all of its products with an independent third-party laboratory. </li><li>Reputation — The brand has a solid reputation among customers for having exceptional customer service as well as thorough knowledge of CBD manufacturing.</li><li>Price — As far as pricing goes for the brand's vape pens, much like the other two brands in our list, PureKana's prices are a touch pricey, but generally fall in line with other top industry brands. </li><li>Effectiveness — All of PureKana's full-spectrum products contain less than 0.3%THC. The brand's vapes, as well as other products, are crafted from organically grown hemp that is free from pesticides, chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and solvents. All products are also non-GMO as well. </li><li>Our Thoughts and Conclusions — PureKana has a steady reputation for crafting clean, organic CBD products.The brand's vape prices are somewhat expensive, but the effectiveness and quality of the product make up for it. PureKana offers various coupon codes as well as a veteran's discount for those that have proudly served in our United States Military. The brand's mood-based vape pens make it easy for customers to select a pen based on their particular need. Overall, PureKana is a reputable brand with effective, safe, and clean vape pen options. </li></ul>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzk5MTYyNi9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY1ODQ0MTc3OX0.b_Q4JtOdAKSZ2NB-MM-95sUJGWktgiyJq7tDl8UGIXw/img.jpg?width=980" id="c62e7" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="de4ab16c62f73fe22346b6a4a4f5672a" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><h1>What are Vape Pens and Why are They Effective?</h1><p><a href="https://thecannabisradar.com/cbd-oil/best-cbd-vape-pens/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">CBD vape pens</a> are devices that hold CBD and that look very similar to pens. The pens use vaporization as a means of allowing users to take in as much CBD as they want to without all of the hazards and burning sensations associated with traditional smoking. </p>
<p>Most vape pens on the market today are disposable. These types of devices contain a battery, an atomizer, and vape juice, and are smaller in size and more discreet than reusable vape kits which tend to be bulky and large.</p>
<p>Out of all the ways that you can get CBD into your body, vaping is by far the most efficient because it allows the CBD to enter the body a lot quicker than if you were to simply eat a gummy or swallow a capsule. It can take over an hour for you to feel the benefits of CBD if you eat a gummy or other edible because the digestive system needs time to break it down and thoroughly absorb it. </p>
<p>Likewise, there are similar issues with topical creams, as the skin also requires some time to absorb and process any CBD that is massaged into it. The main fact to keep in mind when it comes to vapes versus gummies, topical creams, oils, and other methods, is that every CBD product will be better suited to tackle a particular health issue better than another one. </p>
<p>This explains why vapes are the preferred product for people who have difficult health issues and who are seeking for a quicker way to alleviate pain, induce relaxation, reduce anxiety, or who simply do not want to have to wait to feel the benefits of CBD. While topical creams and salves are great for joint pain relief, they are not as effective for restlessness, pain, or anxiety. </p>
<p>Similarly, taking <a href="https://www.ecowatch.com/best-cbd-oil-2020-2647428611.html" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">CBD oils</a> under the tongue is another fast way to get CBD into the body. The issue with this method, however, is that while the CBD does go straight into the blood vessels under the tongue, as the digestive system processes the oil, some potency will be lost. </p>
<h2>Why Vaping is Preferred</h2><p>Vaping gives users a unique opportunity to take CBD in a way that it will be felt almost immediately. If you have ever studied human anatomy, then you know that respiration is an immediate process. When air is breathed in, the lungs work to immediately take oxygen into the body through its thin walls that are packed with blood vessels and other complex organs.</p>
<p>Therefore, when you vape, the CBD will quickly enter the lungs and be taken into the bloodstream and distributed throughout the body. There is no chance for the CBD to be broken down and made less effective by the harsh digestive acids in the stomach. </p><h1>How to Select a CBD Vape Pen?</h1><p>When you begin researching vape pens, you should always look for one that is both safe and effective. The best way to determine this is by closely examining the third-party laboratory results that the brand provides. Never purchase any CBD product unless you are able to both obtain lab results and clear, up-to-date results that are both easy to understand and that prove the product's strength. The next qualities you should look for in a vape pen are potency, price, flavor, and usability.</p>
<p>Most vape pens are created with a mix of CBD and a carrier oil like vegetable glycerine (VG), propylene glycol (PG), or MCT that stems from coconut oil. However, <a href="https://tobaccoinduceddiseases.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12971-015-0038-7" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">many studies</a> are now showing that propylene glycol can be a hazard to your health when heated. The newest generations of vape pens are using a technology called TEC temper to cut down on the irritation that can cause coughing during vaping. </p>
<p>Simply put, TEC temper is a new type of antioxidant and anti-irritant agent that is mixed with CBD instead of PG, VG, or MCT. When the all natural substance is heated, it does not release any hazardous or toxic compounds as it is broken down. </p>
<h1>The Pros and Cons of Disposable Pens</h1><p>Just like with any product that you buy, there are also pros and cons associated with CBD products. Vape pens are no exception. One of the major benefits to using disposable vape pens is that you don't have to invest a ton of money into purchasing a full vape set, as those can get pretty costly over time. Also, using a disposable vape pen is easy because you don't have to fumble around with any of the complicated buttons that reusable vape sets sometimes have. </p>
<p>Overall, there are more advantages to disposable vape pens than disadvantages. Some of the more common pros and cons are listed below:</p><h2>Pros: </h2><ul><li>Affordable</li><li>No maintenance is required</li><li>Lightweight, portable, and easy to use</li><li>Discreet and slim</li></ul>
<h2>Cons: </h2><ul><li>No customization options</li><li>Somewhat less cost-effective over reusable vape pen setups</li></ul><h1>How Vape Pens Function</h1><p>Even though vape pens can look complicated, in reality, they are quite easy to understand once you get to know the basics. Basically, all vaporizers have an electric coil inside them that heats up the hemp in an indirect way. After the hemp is heated, it turns into a vapor that is then easily inhaled. </p>
<p>Vapes are powered by an electric battery that, in the case of disposable pens, is not rechargeable. When the electric coil heats, the hemp that is housed within the vaporizer is heated and then decarboxylated. During decarboxylation, cannabis compounds like CBD and THC are activated through high temperatures, making them readily available through inhalation. </p>
<h1>What is CBD and What are the Benefits?</h1><p>CBD, or cannabidiol, is one of the many compounds found within the cannabis and hemp plants. CBD has a wealth of health benefits associated with it including anxiety and pain relief, improved skin and heart health, and many others. In fact, some of the most notable major benefits that the compound has are: </p><ul><li>Relieves chronic pain</li><li>Reduces inflammation</li><li>Relieves Muscle Spasms</li><li>Reduces and relieves nausea</li><li>Reduces depression and anxiety</li><li>Helps alleviate sleep issues such as insomnia</li><li>Helps to calm acne and psoriasis</li><li>Relieves chronic nerve discomfort and pain</li></ul><p>There are a host of studies that document CBD's success at relieving the <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2503660/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">tough chronic pain</a> that stems from health conditions such as arthritis, multiple sclerosis, chronic inflammation, Parkinson's Disease, nerve-related issues, and others. Everyone has an <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19675519/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">endocannabinoid system</a> that helps to regulate pain response, motor control, immune system, and emotions. When CBD is taken into the body, as inhaled through a vape pen, the compound helps the body in the way that it perceives and responds to pain.The results of CBD's effects have been so positive that scientists and researchers are continuing to look into ways that it can further help to alleviate other conditions. Some of their early discoveries include: </p><ul><li>CBD can potentially <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5289988/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">prevent neurodegeneration</a> that happens in Alzheimer's disease.</li><li>CBD's anti-inflammatory properties may <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3026637/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">potentially prevent heart damage</a>. </li><li>In those diagnosed with severe epilepsy, CBD was able to drastically <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26724101/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">reduce seizures</a>. </li><li>The <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25237116/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">quality of life scores improved</a> in patients with Parkinson's disease </li><li>Encouraging evidence was discovered that CBD can potentially <a href="https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25667194/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">reduce psychotic symptoms</a> stemming from schizophrenia because of how it affects brain activity. </li></ul><p>CBD's health benefits are many, and they continue to grow as researchers make new discoveries through rigorous scientific studies. It's no wonder that the compound is fast growing in popularity among those struggling with difficult health conditions as well as doctors, researchers, and scientists. </p>
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzk5MTY3OC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYwNzA3ODk3NH0.a5p1S-ZagCn_nmCqA3tbLLjmsl5nkn5L3vEvBKm3y0k/img.jpg?width=980" id="3cb27" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="fc338c0aa58a3a1335d069542629a010" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><h1>Our Final Thoughts on Our CBD Vapes List</h1><p>CBD comes in different forms and varieties. No matter which type you choose — vapes, creams, salves, gummies, oils, capsules, edibles, and others — there's no doubt that you will be able to reap all of the compound's many health benefits. What you are looking to accomplish through taking CBD will determine what product you choose. </p>
<p>Vaping is a great way to quickly and effectively relieve tough issues such as nerve pain, joint pain, sleep issues, anxiety, depression, stress, and many others. While it will take some time for CBD to enter your system if you use gummies, oils, or topical creams, the effects from vaping will be felt almost immediately. </p>
<p>Because the respiratory system works quickly to transport oxygen throughout the body, when you inhale CBD through a vape, it will immediately enter the bloodstream to bring about fast relief of chronic and painful conditions. Many avid CBD users are finding that vaping is helping to bring about quick relief and comfort.</p>
<p>Ongoing research not only proves that CBD is successful at treating various medical conditions, but also that it has great potential to tackle many other diseases like Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and more, that have been extremely difficult to get under control in the past. </p>
<p>When it comes to vape pens, there are both refillable/reusable options as well as disposable options. Even though reusable vape kits might seem like a good way to go in the long-run, they tend to be heavy, bulky, and not very portable for those who are looking for a small, light, discreet way to vape CBD. Disposable pens are easy to use, slim, light, and are great to take anywhere and everywhere without drawing a lot of attention to yourself. Moreover, the new generation of pens are better for you and do not contain any troublesome PG or VG that can be hazardous to your health over time. </p>
<p>In choosing a vape pen for yourself, it pays to take the time and do the research. Even though there are a lot of brands and vape options out on the market today, not all of them are created equal. The most important thing to look for when studying vape brands are third-party laboratory reports as they will tell you the purity, cleanness, and effectiveness of the product you're buying. </p>
<p>If you are overwhelmed and are confused as to where to begin in your search, then look no further than our top three suggestions. While FAB CBD's Calm Vape Pen was our clear number one choice, CBDfx came in at a very strong and respectable second place. In taking the time and doing the research, you will be sure to find the best vape pen that perfectly suits your needs and lifestyle. </p>
<p>Finally, if you have any questions or concerns about vaping, CBD, and how it can help your particular condition, never hesitate to call your primary care physician or healthcare provider to talk things over at length. </p>
<p>CBD can be a wonderful addition to your healthcare routine, regardless of whether you are trying to alleviate a health issue or not. There are so many health benefits that you will be able to take advantage of through the simple inhalation of a vape pen. It's worth exploring how CBD vapes can enhance your health. Hopefully our simple guide to the best CBD vape pens will give you a strong first start in the right direction.</p>
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Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder: When Double-Checking Becomes an Illness
06 September
Health + Wellness
Washing hands extremely often can be a sign of obsessive-compulsive disorder. Wikimedia Commons / CC by 3.0
By Gudrun Heise
"Although I hadn't used the stove at all, I touched every ring to check that it was off. Finally I had to keep telling myself: 'Off! Off! Off!'" Michaela says (her name has been changed by the editor).
Even when Michaela was a child, there were rituals that she always had to observe and from which her mind would not permit her to deviate. There were things that were simply not "allowed."
<p>Every evening, for example, the procedure was exactly the same: Her parents always got given four goodnight kisses on each side, no more and no fewer. This number was fixed, as if set in stone. "Two on the right, two on the left and then the other way around: two on the left, two on the right," Michaela says.</p><p>Today she is 48, but her compulsion for rituals and double-checking and symmetry has stayed with her. Everything still has to be exactly symmetrical for her. On her yoga mat, she lies exactly in the middle, with exactly the same distance to the right and left. "If I scratch myself on the right, I have to scratch myself on the left," says Michaela.</p><p>For many people, this may sound strange or exaggerated. But it is a serious mental illness that is not easy to diagnose. "There has to be an impairment in everyday life, either professionally or socially," says <a href="https://www.oberbergkliniken.de/fachkliniken/schwarzwald" target="_blank">Andreas Wahl-Kordon, medical director of the Oberberg Specialty Hospital in the Black Forest.</a> "An important criterion for diagnosis is the length of time consumed by the obsessive thought or the actions taken to deal with it. If you check once whether the coffee maker is really switched off, then that is fine. But if you do this 20 times or more, it is already compulsive."</p><p>For Michaela, compulsions are part of her everyday life. They are exhausting and demand a lot of strength and energy. But things have got much better now, she says. She owes this above all to her psychiatrist, Andreas Wahl-Kordon. He is a person she trusts and has treated her several times as an inpatient.</p>
OCD Is a Common Illness
<p>Checking compulsions often begin at a young age, but can also develop in adulthood. "It is a common mental illness, but it is usually not obvious because it is often made a taboo and concealed," says Wahl-Kordon.</p><p>Sometimes sufferers and the people around them do not really take the somewhat strange behavior seriously. People with this form of <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/are-obsessive-compulsive-disorders-amid-coronavirus-pandemic-on-the-rise/a-54567173" target="_blank">obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)</a> must first become aware that their behavior is not normal and be prepared to start treatment.</p>One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
<p>To find out whether someone has OCD, therapists usually work with various screening questions, such as: "Do you clean or wash extremely often? Are you often concerned with symmetries? Are there thoughts that do not let go of you?"</p><p>Wahl-Kordon says that "what is most significant is the intensity at which such actions are carried out and the time the sufferer actually spends on them or thinks about them," he says.</p><p>"With many sufferers, we can achieve very good results through behavioral therapy. Exposure and confrontation exercises are core elements here," Wahl-Kordon says.</p><p>Michaela has also been taking part in these kinds of therapies, which force her to permit situations that she fears and would otherwise try to avoid. They are meant to help her deal with her compulsions and fears, which often have their roots in the past.</p>'I Thought It Was My Fault'
<p>When Michaela was 16, her sister-in-law died at the age of just 28. For Michaela, this was a traumatic experience and one that triggered severe feelings of self-blame.</p><p>"About a week before my sister-in-law died, I told a friend of mine that there was nothing to look forward to and that I dreamed that my sister-in-law was in the cemetery behind the cemetery wall and could not get out. When my sister-in-law died, I blamed myself a lot. I thought it was because of me, because I had moaned so much for no reason," she says.</p><p>She still has these feelings of self-blame and fears some kind of punishment if she complains about something without there being an obvious reason. And it is just one of many fears that she has developed.</p>Trouble Leaving the Apartment
<p>Michaela studied law; during her time at university, her checking compulsion continued to accompany her and became a never-ending ordeal.</p><p>"My apartment had a kitchenette within sight of the bed. In the evening I always had to start checking from left to right to make sure that all appliances were turned off: stove, coffee maker and kettle. Had I pulled out all the plugs? Then check the fridge door again to see that it was really closed. Then I'd start all over again," she says.</p><p>Sometimes the whole procedure lasted several hours, she says, and on occasion she would go and sit outside the front door at 4 o'clock in the morning in desperation because she had not managed to go to bed.</p>Checking the Checks
<p>During her studies, Michaela met her husband. She immediately got him involved, asking him to help her with her checking. "My husband was my salvation back then. I asked him to do a very last follow-up check after my check-ups. This gave me the feeling that he had taken the responsibility from me in case something started to burn because I had forgotten to check everything thoroughly," she says.</p><p>For about 20 years, Michaela checked every evening whether her husband had checked everything properly — checking the checker, so to speak. Thanks to the therapy, this, too, has now improved.</p>'I Was Afraid of Doing Everything Wrong'
<p>Michaela was a specialist lawyer for criminal law and social law. She was on committees, gave lectures and received requests from various associations to join their boards of directors. She was a successful lawyer, at least on the outside. But her constant self-doubt and her checking compulsion made her life so difficult that she finally had to give up her profession.</p><p>"I was always just afraid of not doing anything right, of not being able to do anything, of being too stupid for everything, and thought that it was just a matter of chance that I had a particular position. In my work, I never felt as though I had done enough preparation," she says. "If, for example, I had an appointment at 2 p.m. on one day, it was not possible for me to do anything else that day. I always thought I had to prepare myself more and more and more for this one thing."</p><p> At some point, her fears increased so dramatically that she was no longer able to go in to work at the law firm at all.</p><p>"At some point, compulsions determine their entire lives," Wahl-Kordon says. "Some sufferers withdraw completely, no longer eat properly and lose weight. Those are the most serious cases — when everything revolves around the compulsions."</p>More Than One Compulsion
<p>In addition to her constant drive to check things, Michaela developed other compulsions. Compulsive hoarding is a particular problem for her. People with this form of OCD collect all sorts of things without any necessity or good reason: small notes, old receipts, papers that are no longer valid. Michaela even finds it difficult to part with daily newspapers.</p><p>After one three-week vacation, the newspapers piled up in the apartment, but throwing them away was impossible for her. After all, something important could be hidden somewhere among the countless pages, and then she wouldn't be able to find it again.</p><p>"It is incredibly difficult for me to throw something away. It takes me a very long time to put things in order. I never finish. There is simply no end. I always think that maybe I could use the things again sometime," Michaela says.</p><p>Your partner doing the cleaning and throwing things away does not work either, says Wahl-Kordon. "That can mean that the world collapses for the sufferer, so it doesn't work at all. Hoarding often has to do with objects that I associate with certain events or experiences and which I simply can't get rid of for that reason alone."</p><p>Disposing of those objects thus becomes a difficult and confronting task that the patient must tackle with the support of a psychotherapist. Often the compulsive need to hoard affects older people in particular. In severe cases, they literally become buried in clutter because they simply cannot bring themselves to throw things away.</p>'But First I Have to Clean Up'
<p>Michaela always tries to organize and prepare everything as perfectly as possible and have control over as many things as she can — even when she had suicidal thoughts because her condition was becoming too much for her.</p><p>"It was on a Sunday, and I had actually managed to organize replacements for my appointments for the entire coming week," she relates. After all, she was planning to not be alive the following week. But then, she says, her husband came home unexpectedly and thwarted her plans.</p><p>"Later, I always thought that I couldn't ever kill myself because I would have to clean up first. The thought of someone tampering with my things is simply unbearable for me!" she says.</p>New Perspectives
<p>Michaela has now taken up other forms of employment, including teaching social law to special education teachers. This is easier for her than her work as a lawyer. She can engage with it in a completely different way and sometimes even uses herself as an example.</p><p>After all, aspiring teachers must learn to deal with disabled people like her, she says. She says everyone in her environment knows about her obsessive-compulsive disorder — with the exception of her family.</p><p>In recent years, she has undergone trauma therapy, depression therapy and exposure therapy, which have helped. "I still check the stove and the refrigerator. I still have to do everything right. I'm still afraid that I am doing everything wrong. But compared to the way it used to be, everything is much, much better now."</p>
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A Lebanese boy cleans a damaged car in Beirut on August 11, 2020, after a huge chemical explosion devastated large swaths of the capital. AFP / Getty Images
By Kathleen Schuster
In the weeks since Beirut's deadly chemical blast, residents have been sweeping up the broken glass and wiping down surfaces caked in dust. And it's this dust that some say poses a major threat to the city.
<p>"The most dangerous thing" right now, according to Greenpeace's Middle East and North Africa program manager in Beirut, Julien Jreissati, is that no one knows "what actually exploded besides ammonium nitrate" and, therefore, how toxic the dust is.</p><p>"We don't know what kind of pollution, what level of pollution, what the potential impact is and, therefore, what the potential countermeasures" should be, says Jreissati.</p><p>On August 4, nearly 3,000 tons of <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/lebanon-beirut-reform-explosion/a-54544805" target="_blank">the highly combustible chemical compound</a> exploded in Beirut's port, shooting a plume of orange smoke into the afternoon sky, followed quickly by a pressure wave that ripped through nearby buildings and blew out windows across the metropolis. </p><p>And while those toxic gases are believed to have dissipated after several days, authorities have yet to confirm what else burned in the port warehouse fire and subsequently exploded. They also don't know the magnitude or composition of the fine particulate matter released from the rubble and broken glass.</p>
Side Effects of Ammonium Nitrate
<p>What is known is that when heated, ammonium nitrate — commonly used in fertilizers and, due to its ability to speed up combustion, also in explosives — melts, releasing toxic gases like nitrogen oxides (NOx) and ammonia gas (NH3).</p><p>These gases, both harmful to the human respiratory system and the environment, in turn break down and react with other chemicals. Nitrogen oxides, for example, when combined with other pollutants and sunlight form "bad ozone," that is to say, <a href="https://www.epa.gov/ground-level-ozone-pollution/ground-level-ozone-basics" target="_blank">ozone at ground level</a>.</p><p>Not only would these gases mix with Beirut's already dangerous air pollution levels — a combination of fossil fuel combustion, <a href="https://acp.copernicus.org/articles/20/9281/2020/" target="_blank">sea salt, and mineral dust</a> — which were estimated at least 150% over the World Health Organization's (WHO) standards before the disaster, but also with demolition dust.</p><p>There's no up-to-date information on the level of air pollution at the moment: Beirut shut down its monitoring system to cut costs in 2019. In previous years, though, Lebanon has averaged roughly 30 micrograms of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) per cubic meter, far above the WHO recommendation of <a href="https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/69477/WHO_SDE_PHE_OEH_06.02_eng.pdf?sequence=1" target="_blank">10 micrograms per cubic meter</a>.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU5Mzg1Mi9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYzNTc3MjQ2MX0.MtdeL2v5Rx1FgEcUcJxPR4oYvpZORDh2FxvCW70wOOs/img.png?width=980" id="4254a" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="0d23f927fc33f9d36e5769086b5fd89c" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p><br>"There's the demolition construction, demolition waste from the buildings, the walls, the concrete. There's a lot of glass, obviously, also from the buildings and some from the high rises that were the curtain wall, so a lot of glass," says Jihan Seoud, who manages the UNDP's Energy and Environment Program in Beirut.</p><p>It's this uncertainty that makes Seoud cautious. There are too many unknown variables to jump to conclusions, she says – and running tests will take time.</p>
Political Instability Holds Up Testing
<p>One person familiar with those tests is Najat Saliba, a professor of chemistry at the American University of Beirut, where she also directs the Nature Conservation Center.</p><p>Her team has been taking air samples with their own sensors and expects results in about a month — double the wait of the usual procedure, she says, due to the economic collapse.</p><p>"We are really running very low on resources like quality standards and equipment to do the tests," Saliba says.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU5Mzg1Ny9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTYyNDk3ODc0OX0.27EJx_2-WCG8HnVr0hBBWkYAveZVrX1a0Mywt_YApc8/img.png?width=980" id="349b8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="1dca42e00bb9d881d6f8f7a387c0aa7e" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" /><p>She emphasizes that <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/beirut-pollution-explosion-lebanon-dust-environment-garbage/a-54704363?maca=en-VAM_volltext_ecowatch-28485-html-copypaste" target="_blank">at the heart of it all is political incompetence</a> — the same kind that has, for example, seen pollution levels worsen with the rise of diesel-powered generators across Beirut, where the power grid is unable to provide electricity for 24 hours a day.</p><p>And while the dust issue has been concerning, Saliba notes that a bigger problem is looming: garbage.</p>
Beirut's Epic Trash Problem
<p>That message doesn't bode well for Beirut, which has been dealing with a <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/trash-crisis-forces-lebanons-environmental-awakening/a-36765579" target="_blank">recurring trash crisis</a> for several years, and is now facing a cleanup to the tune of up to $15 million (€12.6 million). In 2015, the government failed to react quickly enough after a major trash dump was closed, leaving streets and beaches covered in mounds of solid waste.</p><p>In fact, one of the city's main landfills reached capacity in late April, prompting the government to approve a vertical expansion that would hold for roughly three months – or until around the time of the blast.</p><p>The question of what to do with the solid waste has been on the mind of some, like Salam Kabboul, a local freelance journalist and co-founder of "The Tent," a volunteer initiative launched the day after the blast. The name refers to their first project of offering victims snacks and a place to rest with the only thing they had on hand: a tent.</p><p>Now, they repair buildings and homes so life can return to normal. They take precautions for the dust, but when it comes to dealing with trash, they're also in the dark about what to do.</p><p>"It's not clear what happens to the waste," says Kabboul, who, like everyone else is aware of another imminent trash crisis.</p><p>A new aspect of this problem is the type of debris in the cleanup. According to Seoud from UNDP, there's a lot of <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/5-things-you-need-to-know-about-e-waste/a-47210118" target="_blank">hard-to-dispose-of items</a> like air conditioners, compressors, electronics.</p><p>There's also medical waste from the COVID-19 pandemic, and the fear of chemical waste – both of which could cause problems for the city's water. As things stand, Beirut is waiting to find out if all of its pipes are still intact post-explosion, and researchers still aren't allowed to test the already contaminated coastal waters, which are roped off as the search for the missing continues.</p><p>Beirut is facing one pollution problem on top of another. Now, with the magnitude of dust and debris putting the city under even more strain, civilians and NGOs alike hope that this disaster could mark a turning point as it moves forward.</p>
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A reinfection requires genetic testing in both the first and second instances of infection to see whether there are differences in the virus present. ER Productions Limited / Getty Images
A patient in the Netherlands and another in Belgium have been reinfected with the coronavirus, Dutch media reported Tuesday, following reports that scientists in Hong Kong had confirmed the first known reinfection.
<p>The Dutch patient was an older person with a weakened immune system, Dutch broadcaster NOS reported, citing virologist Marion Koopmans. </p><p>Koopsmans said it was more common for people to remain infected with the virus for a long time, but with mild symptoms, before it suddenly flares up again. A reinfection — as is the case with the Dutch and Belgian cases — requires genetic testing in both the first and second instances of infection to see whether there are differences in the virus present, Koopmans said.</p><p><span></span>"That someone would pop up with a reinfection, it doesn't make me nervous," she said. "We have to see whether it happens often."</p>
Belgian Case 'Not Good News'
<p>The Belgian patient displayed only mild symptoms, NOS reported, citing virologist Marc Van Ranst. "It's not good news," Ranst said.</p><p>The development shows that the antibodies the patient developed in the first case were not strong enough to fend off an infection from a slightly different variant of the virus, he said.</p><p>It is not clear if this is a rare phenomenon or if there are "many more people who could have a reinfection after six or seven months," he said.</p>First Reinfection Confirmed in Hong Kong
<p>The European developments follow Monday <a href="https://www.dw.com/en/hong-kong-researchers-report-first-known-covid-19-reinfection/a-54680268" target="_blank">reports of the first confirmed coronavirus reinfection</a>, a man in Hong Kong.</p><p>The 33-year-old, who was infected with the virus in March, returned in mid-August from a trip to Spain infected with a different strain.</p><p>"COVID-19 patients should not assume after they recover that they won't get infected again," said Kelvin Kai-Wang To, a microbiologist at the University of Hong Kong.</p><p>"It shows that some people do not have lifelong immunity" to the virus even if they've already been infected, To said.</p><p>Some experts see the news as a positive development. "If there is a reinfection, it suggests the possibility there was residual immunity ... that helped protect the patient" from getting sick again, said Jesse Goodman, a former U.S. Food and Drug Administration chief scientist, now at Georgetown University, responding to the Hong Kong case.</p><p>The Hong Kong patient did not display any symptoms during his most recent infection. </p>Implications for Vaccine Development
<p>The possibility of reinfection has implications for the global race to develop a vaccine and for key decisions on when people return to school and work.</p><p>Speaking on the Hong Kong case, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine microbiologist Brendan Wren said the case was "a very rare example of reinfection and it should not negate the global drive to develop COVID-19 vaccines."</p>From Your Site Articles
- Can You Get the COVID-19 Coronavirus Twice? - EcoWatch ›
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Cloth Masks Do Protect the Wearer - Breathing in Less Coronavirus Means You Get Less Sick
22 August
Insights + Opinion
Surakiet Ampun / EyeEm / Getty Images
By Monica Gandhi
Masks slow the spread of SARS-CoV-2 by reducing how much infected people spray the virus into the environment around them when they cough or talk. Evidence from laboratory experiments, hospitals and whole countries show that masks work, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends face coverings for the U.S. public. With all this evidence, mask wearing has become the norm in many places.
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I am an infectious disease doctor and a <a href="https://profiles.ucsf.edu/monica.gandhi" target="_blank">professor of medicine</a> at the University of California, San Francisco. As governments and workplaces began to recommend or mandate mask wearing, my colleagues and I noticed an interesting trend. In places where most people wore masks, those who did get infected seemed <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-020-06067-8" target="_blank">dramatically less likely to get severely ill</a> compared to places with less mask-wearing.
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It seems people <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-020-06067-8" target="_blank">get less sick if they wear a mask</a>.
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<p>When you wear a mask – even a cloth mask – you typically are exposed to a <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.7326%2FM20-2567" target="_blank">lower dose of the coronavirus</a> than if you didn't. Both <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2009799117" target="_blank">recent experiments in animal models</a> using coronavirus and nearly a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nri2802" target="_blank">hundred years of viral research</a> show that lower viral doses usually means less severe disease.</p><p>No mask is perfect, and wearing one might not prevent you from getting infected. But it might be the difference between a case of COVID-19 that sends you to the hospital and a case so mild you don't even realize you're infected.</p>
Exposure Dose Determines Severity of Disease
<p>When you breathe in a respiratory virus, it immediately begins hijacking any cells it lands near to <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cell.2020.05.042" target="_blank">turn them into virus production machines</a>. The immune system tries to stop this process to halt the spread of the virus.</p><p>The amount of virus that you're exposed to – called the viral inoculum, or dose – <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/nri2802" target="_blank">has a lot to do with how sick you get</a>. If the exposure dose is very high, the immune response can become overwhelmed. Between the virus taking over huge numbers of cells and the immune system's drastic efforts to contain the infection, a lot of damage is done to the body and a person can become very sick.</p><p>On the other hand, if the initial dose of the virus is small, the immune system is able to contain the virus with less drastic measures. If this happens, the person experiences fewer symptoms, if any.</p><p>This concept of viral dose being related to disease severity has been around for <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.aje.a118408" target="_blank">almost a century</a>. Many animal studies have shown that the higher the dose of a virus you give an animal, the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1258%2Fla.2012.011157" target="_blank">more sick it becomes</a>. In 2015, researchers tested this concept in human volunteers using a nonlethal flu virus and found the same result. The higher the flu virus dose given to the volunteers, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciu924" target="_blank">the sicker they became</a>.</p><p>In July, researchers published a paper showing that viral dose was related to disease severity in hamsters exposed to the coronavirus. Hamsters who were given a higher viral dose <a href="https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2009799117" target="_blank">got more sick than hamsters given a lower dose</a>.</p><p>Based on this body of research, it seems very likely that if you are exposed to SARS-CoV-2, the lower the dose, the less sick you will get.</p><p>So what can a person do to lower the exposure dose?</p>Masks Reduce Viral Dose
<p>Most infectious disease researchers and epidemiologists believe that the coronavirus is <a href="https://doi.org/doi:10.1001/jama.2020.12458" target="_blank">mostly spread by airborne droplets</a> and, to a lesser extent, tiny aerosols. Research shows that both cloth and surgical masks can <a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.7326%2FM20-2567" target="_blank">block the majority of particles that could contain SARS-CoV-2</a>. While no mask is perfect, the goal is not to block all of the virus, but simply reduce the amount that you might inhale. Almost any mask will successfully block some amount.</p><p>Laboratory experiments have shown that good cloth masks and surgical masks could block at least <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/annhyg/meq044" target="_blank">80% of viral particles from entering your nose and mouth</a>. Those particles and other contaminants will get trapped in the fibers of the mask, so the CDC recommends <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/how-to-wash-cloth-face-coverings.html" target="_blank">washing your cloth mask after each use if possible</a>.</p><p>The final piece of experimental evidence showing that masks reduce viral dose comes from another hamster experiment. Hamsters were divided into an unmasked group and a masked group by placing surgical mask material over the pipes that brought air into the cages of the masked group. Hamsters infected with the coronavirus were placed in cages next to the masked and unmasked hamsters, and air was pumped from the infected cages into the cages with uninfected hamsters.</p><p>As expected, the masked hamsters were less likely to get infected with COVID-19. But when some of the masked hamsters did get infected, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa644" target="_blank">they had more mild disease</a> than the unmasked hamsters.</p>Masks Increase Rate of Asymptomatic Cases
<p> In July, the CDC estimated that around <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/planning-scenarios.html" target="_blank">40% of people infected with SARS-CoV-2 are asymptomatic</a>, and a <a href="https://doi.org/10.7326/M20-3012" target="_blank">number of other studies</a> have <a href="https://theconversation.com/can-people-spread-the-coronavirus-if-they-dont-have-symptoms-5-questions-answered-about-asymptomatic-covid-19-140531" target="_blank">confirmed this number</a>. </p><p> However, in places where everyone wears masks, the rate of asymptomatic infection seems to be much higher. In an <a href="https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/greg-mortimer-passengers-to-be-evacuated-after-almost-60-test-positive-for-coronaviru/ar-BB12ie3v" target="_blank">outbreak on an Australian cruise ship</a> called the Greg Mortimer in late March, the passengers were all given surgical masks and the staff were given N95 masks after the first case of COVID-19 was identified. Mask usage was apparently very high, and even though 128 of the 217 passengers and staff eventually tested positive for the coronavirus, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1136/thoraxjnl-2020-215091" target="_blank">81% of the infected people remained asymptomatic</a>. </p><p> Further evidence has come from two more recent outbreaks, the first at a <a href="https://apnews.com/4b9d38f206db9ce5267a5898ac24f238" target="_blank">seafood processing plant in Oregon</a> and the second at a <a href="https://www.tysonfoods.com/news/news-releases/2020/6/tyson-foods-inc-releases-covid-19-test-results-northwest-arkansas" target="_blank">chicken processing plant in Arkansas</a>. In both places, the workers were provided masks and required to wear them at all times. In the outbreaks from both plants, nearly <a href="https://doi.org/10.1007/s11606-020-06067-8" target="_blank">95% of infected people were asymptomatic</a>. </p><p> There is no doubt that universal mask wearing slows the spread of the coronavirus. My colleagues and I believe that evidence from laboratory experiments, case studies like the cruise ship and food processing plant outbreaks and long-known biological principles make a strong case that masks protect the wearer too. </p><p> The goal of any tool to fight this pandemic is to slow the spread of the virus and save lives. Universal masking will do both. </p><p> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/monica-gandhi-1080710" target="_blank">Monica Gandh</a> is a Professor of Medicine, Division of HIV, Infectious Diseases and Global Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco. </p><p> Disclosure statement: Monica Gandhi does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organization that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment. </p><p> <em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/cloth-masks-do-protect-the-wearer-breathing-in-less-coronavirus-means-you-get-less-sick-143726" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em><em></em> </p>
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It is reasonable to make a connection between smoke exposure and risk of viral infection. Needpix
By Luke Montrose
If I dare to give the coronavirus credit for anything, I would say it has made people more conscious of the air they breathe.
<p>A friend texted me this week after going for a jog in the foothills near Boise, Idaho, writing: "My lungs are burning … explain what's happening!!!"</p><p>A wildfire was burning to the east of town – one of dozens of fires that were sending smoke and ash through communities in <a href="https://inciweb.nwcg.gov/" target="_blank">hot, dry western states</a>. As <a href="https://www.boisestate.edu/ceh/luke-montrose/" target="_blank">an environmental toxicologist</a>, I research how air pollution, particularly wood smoke, impacts human health and disease.</p><p>I gave my friend the short answer: The state had issued a yellow, or moderate, air quality index warning due in part to wildfires. The high temperature for the day was expected to reach 100 degrees Fahrenheit, and it was already approaching 90. <a href="https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/how-smoke-fires-can-affect-your-health" target="_blank">That combination of high temperatures and elevated levels of particles</a> from a fire can affect even healthy lungs. For someone with lung damage or respiratory illness, moderate levels of smoke particulate can <a href="http://doi.org/10.1289/ehp.1409277" target="_blank">exacerbate respiratory problems.</a></p><p>That's only the start of the story of how wildfire smoke affects humans who breathe it. The rest, and how to stay healthy, is important to understand as the western wildfire season picks up.</p>
What’s in Wildfire Smoke?
<p><a href="http://doi.org/10.1038/s41370-018-0064-7" target="_blank">What exactly is in a wildfire's smoke</a> depends on a few key things: what's burning – grass, brush or trees; the temperature – is it flaming or just smoldering; and the distance between the person breathing the smoke and the fire producing it.</p><p>The distance affects the ability of smoke to "age," meaning to be acted upon by the sun and other chemicals in the air as it travels. <a href="http://doi.org/10.1021/acs.est.9b01034" target="_blank">Aging can make it more toxic</a>. Importantly, large particles like what most people think of as ash do not typically travel that far from the fire, but small particles, or aerosols, can travel <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.atmosenv.2018.06.006" target="_blank">across continents</a>.</p><img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU3MzYyMC9vcmlnaW4uanBnIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY0NzIwMzAwMH0.boNzt5uWMc0amtWkXnOwz6KV-k_Wqs1Jb7D2mqGl0YE/img.jpg?width=980" id="5aefd" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="ca57ac8fc66ed110ce105819d49700c0" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Smoke from wildfires obscures the California sky on Aug. 19, 2020. Lauren Dauphin/NASA Earth Observatory
<p>Smoke from wildfires contains <a href="https://www3.epa.gov/airnow/wildfire-smoke/wildfire-smoke-guide-revised-2019.pdf" target="_blank">thousands of individual compounds</a>, including carbon monoxide, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), carbon dioxide, hydrocarbons and nitrogen oxides. The most prevalent pollutant by mass is particulate matter less than 2.5 micrometers in diameter, roughly 50 times smaller than a grain of sand. Its prevalence is one reason health authorities issue air quality warnings using PM2.5 as the metric.</p>What Does That Smoke Do to Human Bodies?
<p>There is another reason <a href="https://www.calhospital.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/wildfire_smoke_considerations_for_californias_public_health_officials_august_2019.pdf" target="_blank">PM2.5 is used to make health recommendations</a>: It defines the cutoff for particles that can travel deep into the lungs and cause the most damage.</p><p>The human body is equipped with natural defense mechanisms against particles bigger than PM2.5. As I tell my students, if you have ever <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/mucociliary-clearance" target="_blank">coughed up phlegm</a> or blown your nose after being around a campfire and discovered black or brown mucus in the tissue, you have witnessed these mechanisms firsthand.</p><p>The really small particles bypass these defenses and disturb the air sacks where oxygen crosses over into the blood. Fortunately, we have specialized immune cells present in the air sacks called macrophages. It's their job to seek out foreign material and remove or destroy it. However, <a href="http://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2020.305744" target="_blank">studies</a> have shown that repeated exposure to elevated levels of wood smoke can suppress macrophages, leading to increases in lung inflammation.</p>What Does That Mean for COVID-19 Symptoms?
<p>Dose, frequency and duration are important when it comes to smoke exposure. Short-term exposure can irritate the eyes and throat. Long-term exposure to wildfire smoke over days or weeks, or breathing in heavy smoke, can raise the risk of <a href="https://www.calhospital.org/sites/main/files/file-attachments/wildfire_smoke_considerations_for_californias_public_health_officials_august_2019.pdf" target="_blank">lung damage</a> and may also contribute to <a href="https://health.ny.gov/environmental/outdoors/air/smoke_from_fire.htm" target="_blank">cardiovascular problems</a>. Considering that it is the macrophage's job to remove foreign material – including smoke particles and pathogens – it is reasonable to make a <a href="http://doi.org/10.3109/08958378.2012.756086" target="_blank">connection</a> between smoke exposure and risk of viral infection.</p><p>Recent evidence suggests that long-term exposure to PM2.5 may make the coronavirus more deadly. A nationwide study found that even a small increase in PM2.5 from one U.S. county to the next was associated with a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.05.20054502" target="_blank">large increase in the death rate</a> from COVID-19.</p>What Can You Do to Stay Healthy?
<p>The advice I gave my friend who had been running while smoke was in the air applies to just about anyone downwind from a wildfire.</p><p>Stay informed about air quality by identifying local resources for air quality alerts, information about active fires, and recommendations for better health practices.</p><p>If possible, avoid being outside or doing strenuous activity, like running or cycling, when there is an air quality warning for your area.</p><p>Be aware that not all face masks protect against smoke particles. In the context of COVID-19, the best data currently suggests that a cloth mask benefits public health, especially for those around the mask wearer, but also to some extent <a href="https://theconversation.com/cloth-masks-do-protect-the-wearer-breathing-in-less-coronavirus-means-you-get-less-sick-143726" target="_blank">for the person wearing the mask</a>. However, most cloth masks will not capture small wood smoke particles. That requires an N95 mask in conjunction with fit testing for the mask and training in how to wear it. Without a proper fit, N95s do not work as well.</p><p>Establish a clean space. Some communities in western states have offered "clean spaces" programs that help people take refuge in buildings with clean air and air conditioning. However, during the pandemic, being in an enclosed space with others can create other health risks. At home, a person can create clean and cool spaces using a window air conditioner and a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kH5APw_SLUU" target="_blank">portable air purifier</a>.</p><p><span></span><a href="https://www.epa.gov/pm-pollution/how-smoke-fires-can-affect-your-health" target="_blank">The EPA also advises</a> people to avoid anything that contributes to indoor air pollutants. That includes vacuuming that can stir up pollutants, as well as burning candles, firing up gas stoves and smoking.</p>From Your Site Articles
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Women walk past a free flu shot advertisement outside of a drugstore on August 19, 2020 in New York City. Bryan R. Smith / AFP / Getty Images
By Libby Richards
With the coronavirus still spreading widely, it's time to start thinking seriously about influenza, which typically spreads in fall and winter. A major flu outbreak would not only overwhelm hospitals this fall and winter, but also likely overwhelm a person who might contract both at once.
<p>Doctors have no way of knowing yet what the effect of a dual diagnosis might be on a person's body, but they do know the havoc that the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-the-flu-does-to-your-body-and-why-it-makes-you-feel-so-awful-91530" target="_blank">flu alone can do to a person's body</a>. And, we know the U.S. death toll of COVID-19 as of Aug. 17, 2020 was <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2020/us/coronavirus-us-cases.html" target="_blank">170,000</a>, and doctors are learning more each day about the effects of the disease on the body. Public health officials in the U.S. are therefore <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/16/health/coronavirus-flu-vaccine-twindemic.html" target="_blank">urging people</a> to get the flu vaccine, which is already being shipped in many areas to be ready for September vaccinations.</p><p><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/faq-flu-season-2019-2020.htm" target="_blank">Flu cases</a> are expected to start increasing early in October and could last late into May. This makes <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/faq-flu-season-2020-2021.htm" target="_blank">September and early October</a> the ideal time to get your flu shot.</p><p>But there's reason to be concerned that flu vaccination rates could be lower this year than in past years, even though the risk of getting seriously ill may be higher because of widespread circulation of the coronavirus.</p><p>In an effort to avoid getting sick, millions of Americans avoided seeing their health care provider the past few months. Social distancing and stay-at-home orders have resulted in a decreased use of routine medical preventive services such as vaccinations. Many employers that often provide the flu shot at no cost to employees are allowing employees to work from home, potentially limiting the number of people who will get the <a href="https://ohsonline.com/Articles/2020/08/11/The-2020-Flu-Shot-is-More-Important-than-Ever-Experts-Say.aspx?Page=3" target="_blank">flu shot at their jobs</a>.</p><p>As a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=Pdh4gSgAAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao" target="_blank">health care professional</a>, I urge everyone to get the flu vaccine in September. Please do not wait for flu cases to start to peak. The flu vaccine takes <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/keyfacts.htm" target="_blank">up to two weeks</a> to reach peak effectiveness, so getting the vaccine in September will help provide the best protection as the flu increases in October and later in the season.</p>
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A Lifesaver in Previous Years, but More So Now
<p>Both COVID-19 and the flu are contagious respiratory illness that present with <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/flu-vs-covid19.htm" target="_blank">similar symptoms</a>. Both viruses can impact the<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/symptoms/flu-vs-covid19.htm" target="_blank"> elderly and those with certain chronic conditions</a>, such as heart and lung disease, the hardest.</p><p>Data on flu vaccination rates from 2018-2019 show that only <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/fluvaxview/reportshtml/reporti1819/reporti/index.html" target="_blank">49%</a> of Americans six months of age and older received the flu vaccine. The vaccine's effectiveness varies each season, with early data from the 2019-2020 flu season indicating a vaccine effectiveness rate of <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6907a1.htm" target="_blank">50%</a> overall, and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/69/wr/mm6907a1.htm" target="_blank">55%</a> in youth.</p><p>While some may think this effectiveness rate is low, the flu vaccine remains the single best way to prevent the flu and related complications. For example, during the 2018-2019 flu season, flu vaccination was estimated to prevent <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden-averted/2018-2019.htm" target="_blank">4.4 million flu illnesses, 58,000 flu hospitalizations and 3,500 deaths</a>. Early data from the 2019-2020 flu season estimates there were <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/about/burden/preliminary-in-season-estimates.htm" target="_blank">39-56 million flu illnesses, 18-26 million flu-related medical visits, 410-740,000 hospitalizations and up to 62,000 deaths</a>. Much of this disease burden is preventable from higher flu vaccination rates.</p><p>It is now quite apparent that COVID-19 will still be circulating during flu season, which makes getting a flu vaccine more important than ever. As schools, our communities and our economy continue to reopen, it is vital to get the flu vaccine for personal, family and community protection.</p><p>Severe cases of both COVID-19 and the flu require the same lifesaving medical equipment. This highlights the importance of getting the flu vaccine for not only your own personal health but also the health of your community. Receiving the flu vaccine will help reduce the burden of respiratory illness on our already very overstretched health care system. By increasing flu vaccination rates, we can reduce the overall impact of respiratory illnesses on the population and hence lower the resulting burden on the health care system during the COVID-19 pandemic.</p><p>Because flu vaccination protects against one of these respiratory illnesses, the <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/season/faq-flu-season-2020-2021.htm" target="_blank">CDC recommends</a> everyone (<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/flu/prevent/whoshouldvax.htm" target="_blank">with few exceptions</a>) six months of age and older get an annual flu vaccine. While the flu vaccine will not protect you against COVID-19, the flu vaccine will reduce your risk of developing the flu as well as reduce your risks of flu-related complications including hospitalization and even death.</p><p>While it may seem like there is so much out of our control during this pandemic, getting the flu vaccine, practicing proper hand washing, social distancing and <a href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-make-sure-youre-wearing-your-mask-right-143079" target="_blank">wearing face coverings</a> are within our control and will protect not only you but also your family and community.</p>
<p>If you are not getting the flu vaccine from your employer, think about alternative sources now. Vaccines should be available in most areas by Sept. 1.</p><ul><li>Call you doctor's office to ask how you can get a flu shot.</li><li>Call your local public health department.</li><li>Consider getting a vaccine while you are grocery shopping or picking up prescriptions.</li></ul><p>Mainly, make sure you take advantage of this potentially lifesaving vaccine. Get it on your calendar for early September now. And remember, <a href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-flu-shot-cannot-give-you-the-flu-and-why-you-should-get-one-now-124257" target="_blank">the flu shot cannot give you the flu</a>.</p>
<p>
<em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/libby-richards-843679" target="_blank">Libby Richards</a> is an </em><em>Associate Professor of Nursing, Purdue University.</em>
</p><p>
<em>Disclosure statement: </em><em><em>Libby Richards receives funding from the Kinley Trust Foundation and Purdue University's Center for Aging and the Life Course. She is an active member of the American Public Health Association and the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity.</em></em>
</p><p>
<em><em></em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://theconversation.com/getting-a-flu-shot-this-year-is-more-important-than-ever-because-of-covid-19-144034" target="_blank">The Conversation</a>.</em>
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Honey May Be the Best Medicine for Treating Coughs and Colds, Study Finds
19 August
Health + Wellness
Researchers recommend that honey should be tried first to treat upper respiratory tract infections. Marco Verch / Flickr / CC by 2.0
Worried about the overuse of antibiotics and the emerging trend of bacteria-resistant drugs, researchers recommend that honey should be tried first to treat upper respiratory tract infections (URTIs), according to a new review published by Oxford doctors in BMJ Evidence-Based Medicine.
<p>URTIs commonly include sore throat, congestion, coughing and a stuffy nose.</p><p>The researchers looked at 14 different studies and 1,761 study participants to analyze the efficacy of honey in treating URTIs. They found that honey's antimicrobial properties allowed it to outperform the standard of care when addressing symptoms and reducing a cough's severity.</p><p>Two of the studies revealed that honey shortened infections by one to two days.</p>
<p>"It provides a widely available and cheap alternative to antibiotics," the authors wrote in the study. "Honey could help efforts to slow the spread of antimicrobial resistance."</p><p>The healing properties of honey have been used for thousands of years. Honey is known to treat burns and prevent infection in wounds, <a href="https://news.sky.com/story/honey-better-for-coughs-and-sore-throats-than-conventional-medicine-says-study-12052085" target="_blank">Sky News</a> reported.</p><p>While honey has a deep tradition as a home remedy, medical professionals have also adopted it: It's now part of standard treatment for children's chest colds. Yet, honey's efficacy for treating adults with URTIs had not been thoroughly reviewed until now, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2020/aug/19/honey-better-treatment-for-coughs-and-colds-than-antibiotics-study-clams" target="_blank">The Guardian</a> reported.</p>
<p>The researchers noted that the overuse of antibiotics for treating URTIs is often due to doctors wrongly prescribing them to treat viral infections, which don't respond to antibiotics. On the other hand, honey is cheap, easily found and poses no side effects for most people, <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/health/honey-sore-throat-cold-treatment-effective-a4528151.html" target="_blank">The Evening Standard</a> reported.</p><p>"Upper respiratory tract infections are the most frequent reason for antibiotic prescription," study authors Hibatullah Abuelgasim of the Oxford University Medical School and Charlotte Albury and Joseph Lee of the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences wrote. "Since the majority of URTIs are viral, antibiotic prescription is both ineffective and inappropriate," the Evening Standard reported.</p><p>However, researchers also said that more studies need to be conducted on honey since it's a complex substance.</p>
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A new study links BPA, commonly found in plastic bottles, can linings and receipts, to a greater likelihood of premature death. dobok / Getty Images
The chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, which is ubiquitous in plastic bottles, can linings and receipts, has been linked to numerous health issues because it disrupts hormone function. Besides being connected to low birthweight and brain disorders in babies and children, and obesity, heart disease and erectile dysfunction in adults, a new study has linked the chemical to a greater likelihood of premature death, Newsweek reported.
<p>The study, published in the journal <a href="https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamanetworkopen/fullarticle/2769313?utm_source=For_The_Media&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=ftm_links&utm_term=081720" target="_blank"><em>JAMA Network Open</em></a>, noted that BPA is so common that 90 percent of urine samples from the general population contain trace amounts of the chemical. Newsweek noted that BPA is prevalent in many kinds of plastics and resins. Besides the aforementioned items, it's also found in sports equipment, medical devices and water pipes. <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/BisphenolA_FactSheet.html" target="_blank">The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> cite its presence in dental sealants, compact disks, plastic dinnerware, car parts, impact-resistant safety equipment and even toys. Until a decade ago, it was also present in baby bottles, sippy cups and infant formula containers, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2020/08/17/health/bpa-bisphenol-a-plastics-canned-foods-death-wellness/index.html" target="_blank">CNN</a> reported.</p><p>To understand the role that BPA exposure may play in premature death, a group of researchers led by Wei Bao, an assistant professor in the College of Public Health at the University of Iowa, looked at nearly 4,000 adults who took part in the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2003-2008, Newsweek reported.</p><p>A decade after the study, nearly 10 percent of the participants had died. The researchers found that people with the highest BPA levels had a 51 percent higher risk of death from any cause, whether from cancer, heart disease or an accident, Newsweek reported.</p>
<p>Fred Davis, an associate professor in organic chemistry at the University of Reading, who did not work on the study, told Newsweek, "This paper will add to a growing body of concern about the safety of polymers containing the monomer BPA."</p><p>"This is another puzzle piece that compellingly speaks to the seriousness of the threat posed by these chemicals used in can linings and thermal papers," Leonardo Trasande, director of environmental pediatrics at NYU Langone Health and an author of the study, told CNN.</p><p>The realization that BPA is wreaking havoc on our hormones has led to a dramatic decline in how much is used in bottles for consumer use. So, it's possible that people today have less exposure to BPA compared to 2003, when the study launched. However, the chemical is still commonly used in the linings of aluminum cans and beverage containers. Trasande said people are also regularly exposed to BPA through thermal paper, which is used to print receipts. </p>
<p>"Definitely saying no to that thermal paper receipt is a straightforward way to avoid exposure," he said.</p><p>He added that refusing paper receipts is good practice during the pandemic, because hand sanitizers help facilitate the absorption of chemicals into the body.</p><p>"A study found that if you handle these thermal paper receipts and use hand sanitizer, you absorb almost tenfold more bisphenols into your body," Trasande said.</p><p>That realization is particularly worrying for cashiers who are already working under strenuous conditions during the coronavirus pandemic. Trasande told CNN that while wearing gloves is helpful, stores should transition to non-thermal paper or only issue electronic receipts.</p>
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By Allison Johnson
Most people who buy organic do it because they want to eat healthier. It's true – switching to an organic diet rapidly decreases exposure to a wide range of pesticides, including glyphosate (the main ingredient in Roundup). According to a new study published in Environmental Research, glyphosate levels in families' bodies dropped 70% in just one week on an organic diet. The researchers concluded that diet is a major source of glyphosate exposure and that eating organic reduces exposure.
<img lazy-loadable="true" src="https://assets.rebelmouse.io/eyJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiIsInR5cCI6IkpXVCJ9.eyJpbWFnZSI6Imh0dHBzOi8vYXNzZXRzLnJibC5tcy8yMzU2MDQyNC9vcmlnaW4ucG5nIiwiZXhwaXJlc19hdCI6MTY2MDcxNTUxNX0.b_BV9lltmowMk5Wed_5HmjAcZ8lj9QJrZY06nGjg5iU/img.png?width=980" id="d34c8" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4a67133955312355b2c92de9a53fbfee" data-rm-shortcode-name="rebelmouse-image" />
Friends of the Earth / https://foe.org/the-study/
<p>But the health benefits of organic agriculture extend far beyond our individual dinner plates. Organic farming offers a comprehensive alternative to chemical agriculture, and it protects our soil, air, water, wildlife, and critically – our farming communities – from toxic pesticides.</p><p>The purpose of pesticides is to kill. So it's not surprising that widespread use of these chemicals poses a serious public health threat. Diet alone exposes us to a frightening cocktail of pesticide residues, and toxic pesticides pose much <a href="https://law.ucla.edu/news/exposure-and-interaction-potential-health-impacts-using-multiple-pesticides" target="_blank">more severe</a> health threats to <a href="https://www.organic-center.org/organic-agriculture-reducing-occupational-pesticide-exposure-farmers-and-farmworkers-0" target="_blank">farming communities</a>.</p><p>Food system workers and their families and communities – who are <a href="http://www.pesticidereform.org/environmental-justice/" target="_blank">disproportionately Latinx and low-income</a> – bear the brunt of <a href="https://www.farmworkerjustice.org/sites/default/files/aExposed%20and%20Ignored%20by%20Farmworker%20Justice%20singles%20compressed.pdf" target="_blank">harm from toxic pesticide use in agriculture</a>. Farmworkers are at risk from direct exposure to harmful chemicals when mixing and applying pesticides, as well as while working in fields; as a result, they suffer <a href="http://www.farmworkerjustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/05/aExposed-and-Ignored-by-Farmworker-Justice-singles-compressed.pdf" target="_blank">more chemical-related injuries</a> than any other U.S. workforce. Exposure also extends beyond the workplace. Workers can carry pesticides home on clothes, shoes, and skin, inadvertently exposing their children and other family members, and pesticide drift can harm people living, working, and learning near farms.</p><p>These exposure routes add up. And weaning our agricultural system off its addiction to toxic chemicals is an uphill battle.</p><p>We've seen recent wins on pesticide issues in the <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2020/06/24/business/roundup-settlement-lawsuits.html#:~:text=Just%20weeks%20after%20the%20deal,warn%20consumers%20of%20the%20risk." target="_blank">courts</a> and in <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/media/2019/191009" target="_blank">some</a> <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/media/2020/200320" target="_blank">states</a>, but it can take decades of fighting to end the use of a single pesticide. For example, NRDC petitioned the federal Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to end use of the brain-toxic pesticide chlorpyrifos in 2007; thirteen years later, <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/nrdc/nrdc-takes-epa-court-again-protect-childrens-health" target="_blank">we're still in court</a> demanding that EPA protect public health. Meanwhile numerous similar <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/media/2018/181024-0" target="_blank">organophosphate</a> chemicals also remain in our fields and our bodies.</p><p>This pesticide "whack-a-mole" problem makes organic farming a potent addition to our public health toolbox, especially in farming communities: organic farmers do no use most synthetic pesticides, so organic farming eliminates a wide range of health threats posed by farming with toxic chemicals.</p><p>The health crises facing farm workers and rural communities needs urgent attention, particularly in light of the <a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/covid-19-farmworkers-among-highest-risk-studies-show/" target="_blank">added burdens</a> from the COVID-19 crisis. Kendra Klein and Anna Lappé <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/commentisfree/2020/aug/11/pesticide-danger-organic-food-roundup-study" target="_blank">got it right</a>:</p><p>"As long as we treat organic food as if it's a shopping preference instead of a public good, we will miss the opportunity to fight for a desperately needed shift in how we farm."</p><p>We should all be able to eat without exposing anyone to toxic pesticides. That's why we support more public investment in organic in <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/lena-brook/ca-farm-school-survives-challenging-budget-year" target="_blank">schools</a>, in the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/allison-johnson/farm-bill-can-make-or-break-organic" target="_blank">Farm Bill</a>, in <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/allison-johnson/house-climate-report-food-ag-are-part-climate-solution" target="_blank">climate policy</a>, and beyond. The stakes are high – but the solutions are within reach.</p><p><em><a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/allison-johnson" target="_blank" style="">Allison Johnson</a> is a Sustainable Food Policy Advocate at the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/" target="_blank" style="">Natural Resources Defense Council</a>.</em></p><p><em style="">Reposted with permission from the <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/experts/allison-johnson/organic-farming-protects-communities-toxic-chemicals" target="_blank" style="">Natural Resources Defense Council</a>.</em><em></em></p>
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Florida Sheriff Bans Deputies From Wearing Masks as County Sets Daily Record for COVID-19 Deaths
13 August
Health + Wellness
Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods speaks during a press conference after a shooting at Forest High School on April 20, 2018 in Ocala, Florida. Gerardo Mora / Getty Images
By Jessica Corbett
A sheriff in Florida is under fire for deciding Tuesday to ban his deputies from wearing face masks while on the job—ignoring the advice of public health experts about the safety measures that everyone should take during the coronavirus pandemic as well as the rising Covid-19 death toll in his county and state.
<p>Marion County Sheriff Billy Woods' email to his deputies announcing the mask ban was first <a href="https://www.ocala.com/news/20200811/marion-county-deputies-ordered-not-to-wear-masks" target="_blank">reported</a> by the local <em>Ocala Star-Banner</em>, which noted that the county "<a href="https://www.ocala.com/news/20200811/13-new-covid-19-deaths-one-day-record-tuesday-in-marion-county" target="_blank">set a single-day record on Tuesday</a> for the most deaths related to Covid-19, with 13 more deaths reported," bringing the total to 102.</p><p>Various outlets across the nation then picked up the story on Wednesday—including the <em>Washington Post</em>, which obtained a copy of Woods' email and <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2020/08/12/masks-florida-ban-billy-woods/" target="_blank">pointed out</a> that Florida also set a record in deaths related to Covid-19 on Tuesday. At least 277 deaths were recorded statewide, according to the<em> Post</em>.</p>
<div id="7a571" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="aad9dcf60e7385e6553ff23ffc1ae75d"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1293527664389693447" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">Deaths hit a record in Florida yesterday. This guy's jail system is rife with COVID. And he's banned masks in his s… https://t.co/Cbp2wR32o1</div> — Michael McAuliff (@Michael McAuliff)<a href="https://twitter.com/mmcauliff/statuses/1293527664389693447">1597236002.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>The <em>Post</em> <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2020/national/coronavirus-us-cases-deaths/?hpid=hp_hp-top-table-main_gfx-virus-tracker%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans&itid=hp_rhp__hp-top-table-main_gfx-virus-tracker%3Ahomepage%2Fstory-ans&itid=lk_inline_manual_8" target="_blank">reported</a> that Florida has seen over 542,000 cases and 8,600 deaths out of the nation's total 5.15 million cases and 162,000 deaths. As infections in Florida have soared in recent weeks, Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis has been<a href="https://www.kltv.com/2020/07/28/amid-soaring-florida-coronavirus-cases-governor-criticized/" target="_blank"> widely condemned</a> for rushing to lift restrictions.</p><p>Although some local and state leaders in other parts of the country <a href="https://abcnews.go.com/Health/mask-wearing-sporadically-enforced-nations-major-police-departments/story?id=71341845" target="_blank">have implored</a> police officers to cover their faces while on duty during the crisis or even <a href="https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/07/02/oregon-police-trooper-leave-mask-mandate/5370034002/" target="_blank">issued</a> face mask requirements and punished law enforcement officials for refusing to comply, DeSantis has not mandated masks for anyone.</p><p>But Woods, in his email, prohibited his officers from wearing masks, with limited exceptions for those who are in a local courthouse, hospital, jail, or public school, or otherwise directly interacting with people suspected of being infected with the virus. As the <em>Star-Banner</em> reported:</p>
<blockquote>"For all of these exceptions, the moment that enforcement action is to be taken and it requires you to give an individual orders/commands to comply, the mask will be immediately removed," Woods said.<br><br>Woods said deputies who work special details or special events won't be allowed to wear masks unless it falls under the exceptions he provided.<br><br>"As for special details and/or any special events (paid or not), masks will not be worn. Effective immediately the entity that has requested and has hired a deputy for a special detail will be given clear instruction by Darian Tucker at the time of their written request that masks will not be worn (unless one of the exceptions above applies). In addition, if you are the special detail deputy you will again advise the contact person that a mask will not be worn by you," according to the email.<br></blockquote><p>"Any deputies confronted by community members about not covering their faces should "politely and professionally tell them I am not required to wear a mask nor will I, per the Order of the Sheriff," and walk away, Woods wrote. Regarding the Marion County Sheriff's Office, "effective immediately, any individual walking in to any one of our lobbies (which includes the main office and all district offices) that is wearing a mask will be asked to remove it."</p>
<div id="79024" class="rm-shortcode" data-rm-shortcode-id="4ac086eab58b9713f2ad777c40938252"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet twitter-custom-tweet" data-twitter-tweet-id="1293578984148606977" data-partner="rebelmouse"><div style="margin:1em 0">This actively puts peoples' lives at risk. https://t.co/GKF0Xgjyex</div> — CAP Action (@CAP Action)<a href="https://twitter.com/CAPAction/statuses/1293578984148606977">1597248238.0</a></blockquote></div>
<p>Woods tied his mask ban to a wave of national protests against police brutality toward Black Americans and calls for reform that were sparked by Minnesota police killing George Floyd in May, writing that "in light of the current events when it comes to the sentiment and/or hatred toward law enforcement in our country today, this is being done to ensure there is clear communication and for identification purposes of any individual walking into a lobby."</p><p>The sheriff also claimed—without any supporting evidence and in contrast with the vast majority of messages from public health experts about the importance of<a href="https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2020/07/418181/one-more-reason-wear-mask-youll-get-less-sick-covid-19" target="_blank"> everyone wearing a mask </a>throughout the pandemic to protect themselves and others—that "the amount of professionals that give the reason why we should, I can find the exact same amount of professionals that say why we shouldn't."</p><p>"Now, I can already hear the whining and just so you know I did not make this decision easily and I have weighed it out for the past two weeks," <a href="https://www.kold.com/2020/08/12/florida-sheriff-forbids-deputies-visitors-wearing-face-masks/" target="_blank">wrote</a> Woods, who oversees about 900 employees, according to the local newspaper. "This is no longer a debate nor is it up for discussion. Please keep in mind this entire pandemic is fluid and constantly changing the way things are done. However, my orders will be followed or my actions will be swift to address."</p><p>In addition to denouncing Woods' decision as dangerous and out-of-line with medical consensus on masks and the CDC's official<a href="https://abc7chicago.com/6367385/?ex_cid=TA_WLS_TW&taid=5f34411ed7d51b0001635d5b&utm_campaign=trueAnthem%3A+Trending+Content&utm_medium=trueAnthem&utm_source=twitter" target="_blank"> recommendation</a>, some critics suggested the policy could encounter legal trouble.</p><p>As <em>MSNBC</em> political analyst Richard Stengel <a href="https://twitter.com/stengel/status/1293617005384302593" target="_blank">put it</a> in a tweet Wednesday: "Apart from being monstrous and ignorant and irresponsible, isn't this a violation of the civil rights of officers who want to wear masks?"</p>
<p><em>Reposted with permission from <a href="https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/08/12/florida-sets-daily-record-covid-19-deaths-sheriff-bans-deputies-wearing-masks?cd-origin=rss" target="_blank">Common Dreams</a>.</em></p>From Your Site Articles
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How to Use Ventilation and Air Filtration to Prevent Coronavirus Spreading Indoors
12 August
Health + Wellness
Once the virus escapes into the air inside a building, you have two options: bring in fresh air from outside or remove the virus from the air inside the building. Halfpoint Images / Getty Images
By Shelly Miller
The vast majority of SARS-CoV-2 transmission occurs indoors, most of it from the inhalation of airborne particles that contain the coronavirus. The best way to prevent the virus from spreading in a home or business would be to simply keep infected people away. But this is hard to do when an estimated 40% of cases are asymptomatic and asymptomatic people can still spread the coronavirus to others.
<p><a href="https://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.abc6197" target="_blank">Masks do a decent job</a> at keeping the virus from spreading into the environment, but if an infected person is inside a building, inevitably some virus will escape into the air.</p><p>I am a <a href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?hl=en&user=rU-EO54AAAAJ" target="_blank">professor of mechanical engineering</a> at the University of Colorado Boulder. Much of my work has focused on how to control the transmission of <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0668.1998.00002.x" target="_blank">airborne infectious diseases indoors</a>, and I've been asked by <a href="https://www.colorado.edu/today/newsletter/cbt-exec/covid-19-ready-campus-0" target="_blank">my own university</a>, my kids' schools and even the Alaska State Legislature for advice on how to make indoor spaces safe during this pandemic.</p><p>Once the virus escapes into the air inside a building, you have two options: bring in fresh air from outside or remove the virus from the air inside the building.</p>
It’s All About Fresh, Outside Air
<p>The safest indoor space is one that constantly has lots of <a href="https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/how-does-outdoor-air-enter-building" target="_blank">outside air</a> replacing the stale air inside.</p><p>In commercial buildings, <a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK143277/" target="_blank">outside air is usually pumped in</a> through heating, ventilating and air-conditioning (HVAC) systems. In <a href="https://www.epa.gov/indoor-air-quality-iaq/how-does-outdoor-air-enter-building" target="_blank">homes, outside air gets in</a> through open windows and doors, in addition to seeping in through various nooks and crannies.</p><p>Simply put, the more fresh, outside air inside a building, the better. Bringing in this air dilutes any contaminant in a building, whether a virus or a something else, and <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0668.2010.00703.x" target="_blank">reduces the exposure of anyone inside</a>. Environmental engineers like me quantify how much outside air is getting into a building using a measure called the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/jes.2013.30" target="_blank">air exchange rate</a>. This number quantifies the number of times the air inside a building gets replaced with air from outside in an hour.</p><p>While the exact rate depends on the number of people and size of the room, most experts consider roughly <a href="https://doi.org/10.1034/j.1600-0668.2002.01145.x" target="_blank">six air changes an hour</a> to be good for a 10-foot-by-10-foot room with three to four people in it. In a pandemic this should be higher, with one study from 2016 suggesting that an exchange rate of nine times per hour <a href="https://doi.org/10.1177%2F1420326X16631596" target="_blank">reduced the spread of SARS, MERS and H1N1</a> in a Hong Kong hospital.</p><p>Many buildings in the U.S., <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12403" target="_blank">especially schools</a>, do not meet recommended ventilation rates. Thankfully, it can be pretty easy to get more outside air into a building. Keeping <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0960-1481(99)00012-9" target="_blank">windows and doors open</a> is a good start. Putting a box fan in a window blowing out can greatly increase air exchange too. In buildings that don't have operable windows, you can change the mechanical ventilation system to increase how much air it is pumping. But in any room, the more people inside, the faster the air should be replaced.</p>Using CO2 to Measure Air Circulation
<p>So how do you know if the room you're in has enough air exchange? It's actually a pretty hard number to calculate. But there's an easy-to-measure proxy that can help. Every time you exhale, you <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12383" target="_blank">release CO2</a> into the air. Since the coronavirus is most often spread by breathing, coughing or talking, you can use <a href="https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/dd7e/b2870c38f70e5285e5118ed6f158c091f7cf.pdf" target="_blank">CO2 levels</a> to see if the room is filling up with potentially infectious exhalations. The CO2 level lets you estimate if enough fresh outside air is getting in.</p><p>Outdoors, CO2 levels are just above 400 parts per million (ppm). A well ventilated room will have around <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0668.1999.00003.x" target="_blank">800 ppm of CO2</a>. Any higher than that and it is a sign the room might need more ventilation.</p><p>Last year, researchers in Taiwan reported on the <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12639" target="_blank">effect of ventilation on a tuberculosis outbreak</a> at Taipei University. Many of the rooms in the school were underventilated and had CO2 levels above 3,000 ppm. When engineers improved air circulation and got CO2 levels under 600 ppm, <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12639" target="_blank">the outbreak completely stopped</a>. According to the research, the increase in ventilation was responsible for 97% of the decrease in transmission.</p><p>Since the coronavirus is spread through the air, higher CO2 levels in a room likely mean there is a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12639" target="_blank">higher chance of transmission</a> if an infected person is inside. Based on the study above, I recommend trying to keep the CO2 levels below 600 ppm. You can buy <a href="https://doi.org/10.5194/amt-7-3325-2014" target="_blank">good CO2 meters</a> for around $100 online; just make sure that they are accurate to within 50 ppm.</p>Air Cleaners
<p>If you are in a room that can't get enough outside air for dilution, consider an air cleaner, also commonly called air purifiers. These machines remove particles from the air, usually using <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cap.2005.07.013" target="_blank">a filter</a> made of tightly woven fibers. They can <a href="https://shellym80304.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/miller-leiden-et-al-1996.pdf" target="_blank">capture particles containing bacteria and viruses</a> and can help reduce disease transmission.</p><p>The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency says that <a href="https://www.epa.gov/coronavirus/air-cleaners-hvac-filters-and-coronavirus-covid-19" target="_blank">air cleaners can do this for the coronavirus</a>, but not all air cleaners are equal. Before you go out and buy one, there are few things to keep in mind.</p><p>The first thing to consider is <a href="https://shellym80304.files.wordpress.com/2020/06/air-cleaner-report.pdf" target="_blank">how effective an air cleaner's filter is</a>. Your best option is a cleaner that uses a high-efficiency particulate air (<a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/S0021-8502(05)80214-9" target="_blank">HEPA</a>) filter, as these remove more than <a href="https://doi.org/10.1063/1.2771421" target="_blank">99.97% of all particle sizes</a>.</p><p>The second thing to consider is how powerful the cleaner is. The bigger the room – or the more people in it – the more air needs to be cleaned. I worked with some colleagues at Harvard to put together a tool to help teachers and schools determine <a href="https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1NEhk1IEdbEi_b3wa6gI_zNs8uBJjlSS-86d4b7bW098/edit#gid=1275403500" target="_blank">how powerful of an air cleaner you need for different classroom sizes</a>.</p><p>The last thing to consider is the validity of the claims made by the company producing the air cleaner.</p><p>The Association of Home Appliance Manufacturers certifies air cleaners, so the AHAM Verifide seal is a good place to start. Additionally, the California Air Resources Board has a <a href="https://ww2.arb.ca.gov/our-work/programs/air-cleaners-ozone-products/california-certified-air-cleaning-devices" target="_blank">list of air cleaners</a> that are certified as safe and effective, though not all of them use HEPA filters.</p>Keep Air Fresh or Get Outside
<p>Both the <a href="https://www.who.int/news-room/commentaries/detail/transmission-of-sars-cov-2-implications-for-infection-prevention-precautions" target="_blank">World Health Organization</a> and <a href="https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/daily-life-coping/deciding-to-go-out.html" target="_blank">U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention</a> say that poor ventilation increases the risk of transmitting the coronavirus.</p><p>If you are in control of your indoor environment, make sure you are getting enough fresh air from outside circulating into the building. A CO2 monitor can help give you a clue if there is enough ventilation, and if CO2 levels start going up, open some windows and <a href="https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2020/07/17/outdoor-gathering" target="_blank">take a break outside</a>. If you can't get enough fresh air into a room, an air cleaner might be a good idea. If you do get an air cleaner, be aware that they don't remove CO2, so even though the air might be safer, CO2 levels could still be high in the room.</p><p>If you walk into a building and it feels hot, stuffy and crowded, chances are that there is not enough ventilation. Turn around and leave.</p><p>By paying attention to air circulation and filtration, improving them where you can and staying away from places where you can't, you can add another powerful tool to your anti-coronavirus toolkit.</p>From Your Site Articles
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