Carbon Monoxide

Recently one person in a New York restaurant was killed and several others were hospitalized due to inhaling carbon monoxide.  How can you avoid exposure to dangerous levels of this colorless, odorless, poisonous gas?  The Consumer Product Safety Commission has several tips in its Carbon Monoxide Information Center: 

http://www.cpsc.gov/en/Safety-Education/Safety-Education-Centers/Carbon-Monoxide-Information-Center/

At home you need to keep a close eye on any equipment or appliance that burns fuel.  In a public building like a restaurant you can inquire about their most recent safety inspections, but you may also want to consider the charms of dining on the patio.

Bermuda Triangle

Many ships and planes have disappeared over the last several years in an area of the Atlantic Ocean commonly referred to as The Bermuda Triangle.  Speculation about the causes of these disappearances has ranged from aliens, to sea monsters, to wormholes.  The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has a few theories to offer which are somewhat more firmly rooted in science: 

http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/bermudatri.html

Although, "oceanic flatulence" is certainly something I wish was science fiction rather than science.

Surgeon General's Report on Smoking

1964 was an important year for America.  It brought us not only the Beatles, but also the Surgeon General's first report on the dangers of smoking.  In recognition of the 50th anniversary of the original report, a new report has been issued to review the progress we've made: 

http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/reports/50-years-of-progress/index.html

The report reveals that in 1964, 42% of the adult population smoked.  In 2014 that number has dropped to 18%.  Still, "5.6 million children alive today will ultimately die early from smoking if we do not do more to reduce current smoking rates."  George Harrison died from lung cancer.  Let's hope the mega-talents of tomorrow will avoid the pitfalls of smoking and survive to see the 50th anniversaries of their legendary bands.

BusinessUSA

Are you a small business owner, or do you hope to be one some day?  Do you need help or advice on how to grow your business or obtain financial assistance?  If so, you may want to explore the BusinessUSA site: 

http://business.usa.gov/

It's a joint venture of the White House and 13 other federal agencies.  It will direct you to resources such as government loans, the Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE), and the Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) in your area, as well as providing you with information about hiring, exporting, and taxes.  So, make it your business to check out BusinessUSA.  It will be a good investment of your time.

Weather and Road Conditions

Have you driven on ice or snow this week?  Were you involved in an accident?  If so, you might be interested to know that, according to this page from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), "thirteen (13) percent" of weather-related crashes "occur on icy pavement and eleven (11) percent...take place on snowy or slushy pavement:" 

http://www.ops.fhwa.dot.gov/weather/q1_roadimpact.htm

But, don't think that summer driving is safer, because "the vast majority of most weather-related crashes happen on wet pavement and during rainfall: seventy-five (75) percent on wet pavement and forty-seven (47) percent during rainfall."  So, even though "on freeways, light rain or snow can reduce average speed by 3 to 13 percent," you may want to reduce your speed more than 13 percent so you can avoid being in that 75 percent.

U.S. Chemical Safety Board

As we've recently seen in West Virginia, chemicals seem to have a knack for escaping from their containers and wreaking havoc on the environment.  When that sort of thing happens, who investigates?  In addition to agencies like the Environmental Protection Agency and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, there's an independent agency called the U.S. Chemical Safety Board that leaps into action: 

http://www.csb.gov/

Their site tells you not only about their mission and the incidents they're investigating, it also has a running list of chemical accidents in the news.  It's a frighteningly long list.

Antibiotics

If you are bravely battling a cold or the flu right now, you may be wishing you had some antibiotics to help you with your fight, but would they really help?  According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's "Get Smart: Know When Antibiotics Work" page, "Antibiotics cure bacterial infections, not viral infections such as colds or flu; most coughs and bronchitis; sore throats not caused by strep; or runny noses:" 

http://www.cdc.gov/getsmart/

It can, in fact, be dangerous to take antibiotics when they aren't necessary because it may lead to more antibiotic-resistant strains of bacteria and viruses.  Read all about it here, then take some over-the-counter painkillers and a nap.