Haga clic en la imagen para unirse a la conversación en nuestro blog en español… ¡No olvide de suscribirse!

As we get older, our skin changes.  As part of the natural aging process, it is not uncommon to develop age spots, also known as “liver spots”. Sometimes small growths of skin called skin tags raise to the surface as well. In general, these age tags and spots are harmless. However, some spots and growths might be signs of something much more worrisome than physical appearance alone. These changes may be due to the big “C:” skin cancer.

Studies show that skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States largely due to overexposure to harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays. So how can you tell if that new growth or sore that doesn’t heal warrants a visit to the doctor?

Check the “ABCDE’s.  These letters stand for

A = Asymmetry (one part of the growth looks different than the other)

B = Borders that are irregular

C = Color changes or more than one color

D = Diameter greater than the size of a pencil eraser

E = Evolving. In other words the growth is changing in size, shape, symptoms, shades, or even bleeding.

In this case, you should see your doctor right away.

Last summer, my father who is in his 80’s noticed a skin spot that kept on evolving and sometimes bled. He showed it to my cousin, a dermatologist, who immediately ordered a biopsy. The test results showed that it was basal cell carcinoma (BCC). Luckily, it was in its early stages. During an out-patient procedure, the cancer was removed. My father quickly recovered and now monitors his skin regularly to see if there are any abnormal spots or growths.

What steps can be taken to prevent skin cancer?  Well, there are things you can do. What is Number one on the list? Take every day steps to sun safety.  You can enjoy the sun and outdoor activities with the right sunscreen protection and protective clothing. Seek the shade, especially during the times when the sun’s rays are the strongest between 10 AM and 4 PM. Avoid tanning, whether under the sun or UV tanning booths.  Think of these tips during “Don’t Fry Day” and every day of the year!

Do you have any tips about sun safety that you would like to share with us? We will love to hear from you.

About the author: Lina Younes has been working for EPA since 2002 and currently serves the Multilingual Outreach and Communications Liaison for EPA. She manages EPA’s social media efforts in Spanish. Prior to joining EPA, she was the Washington bureau chief for two Puerto Rican newspapers and she has worked for several government agencies.

I’m always struck by the reasons people have for not commuting by bike.  No shower facilities.  Don’t know the route.  Unsure how to get started.  But the biggest reason cited by most people is the perceived safety of riding a bike in traffic.  In fact, 60% of people in U.S. cities indicate they would ride a bicycle but for their traffic-related concerns, according to Tom Bowden, Chairman of BikeVirginia in his recent National Bike Summit presentation.

Believe it or not, biking is actually much safer than driving or walking.  Biking has significantly less fatalities than driving, walking near traffic, swimming, motorcycling, and flying small planes.  For every hour you ride your bike, you have an incredibly small chance of getting injured—and only a 0.00000041% chance of dying.  Compared to driving a car, bicycling is far safer.  If you drive your car, you have a 15 times higher liklihood of dying than if you ride your bicycle.  You would have to ride your bike about 15,000 hours before you’d risk being killed, a number almost no one reaches.

Looking at the benefits of bicycling, the British Medical Society found, according to Tom, that the health benefits of riding your bike outweigh the risks by 77 to one!  You’ll do your mind and body a favor by bike commuting, arriving at work refreshed and ready to start the day.  And arriving home, having ridden all the day’s stresses out.

Given the incredible safety of biking to work, please come join me and my fellow cyclists and bike to work this summer. If you’re a federal government employee you can join the Federal Bike-To-Work Challenge. All cyclists can participate in events and get tips from the League of American Bicyclists. Start biking to work today and you’ll find out just how easy bicycle commuting really is!

About the author: Joe Edgell is an attorney for the Office of General Counsel. Perched atop the bicycling baby seat, he’s been bicycling since before he could walk.

Haga clic en la imagen para unirse a la conversación en nuestro blog en español… ¡No olvide de suscribirse!

By Lina Younes

In the United States, Memorial Day weekend is considered the kickoff of the summer season when we relax, enjoy outdoor activities and have fun under the sun. Some people even go the extra mile “to get ready” by visiting tanning salons in advance so they won’t seem so pale when they don their bathing suit for the first time. However, did you know that by tanning your skin, whether under the midday sun or in a tanning bed, you are actually damaging your skin? That “frying process” can actually cause skin cancer, one of the most common forms of cancer in the United States?

That’s why EPA,  its federal partners, and the National Council on Skin Cancer Prevention have come together to educate people about what they can do to protect their health and prevent skin cancer. The Friday before Memorial Day has been designated as “Don’t Fry Day” to make sure that people in this country enjoy outdoor activities while protecting themselves from the harmful ultraviolet rays that shine through even on the cloudiest days.

I confess that my attitude towards the sun has changed over the years. I was one of those that in my teens started using those tanning oils that basically “fried” me. However, with time, and increased awareness I’ve realized the harm I was doing to myself and now I use sunscreen instead when I’m going to be active outdoors. I’ve tried to do my best with my children teaching them to where sunscreen, sunglasses, and hats when they were on the swimming team or playing outside. Luckily, my youngest still is following my advice and happens to love wearing hats and sunglasses. While she does it for fashion purposes, I’m happy for the sun safety benefits as well.

Furthermore, the elderly have to take “additional”  steps for protection – simply they need to take steps to protect themselves.  Repeated sunburns during their youth can come back to haunt them in their golden years. Powerful UV rays can also cause cataracts. My parents, both in their 80’s, have lived most of their life in Puerto Rico. While Mom always uses sunscreen and sunglasses, she has been suffering of cataracts and sun-related damage to her eyes.   Dad, on the other hand, rarely uses sunscreen and he just had a basal cell carcinoma removed last year! At least the cancer was detected early and he is fine now.

So, regardless of your natural skin tone or where you live, you should protect yourself from those harmful ultraviolet rays. EPA has developed a free mobile app you can download to your smartphone with your local UV Index forecast. Have fun under the sun safely! Do you have any sun safety tips you would like to share with us?

About the author: Lina Younes has been working for EPA since 2002 and currently serves the Multilingual Outreach and Communications Liaison for EPA. She manages EPA’s social media efforts in Spanish. Prior to joining EPA, she was the Washington bureau chief for two Puerto Rican newspapers and she has worked for several government agencies.

By Phil Colarusso

As summer slowly approaches, the boating season begins. Boat owners spend countless hours and lots of money readying their vessel for the season. They generally spend very little time thinking about the mooring which holds their boat in place all season. They generally spend even less time, if any at all, thinking about the environmental impact their mooring may be causing.

In New England, moorings tend to be a simple block and chain design. A heavy granite block is placed on the seafloor with a metal chain running from the block to a surface buoy, which the vessels ties up to. The size of the block varies with the size of the boat it is supposed to hold. Bigger boats equal bigger blocks. The size and length of the chain also varies, depending on the size of the vessel, the range of the tide and potential exposure to storms. In general, many boaters live by the adage of more chain is better. This often results in long stretches of metal chain sitting on the seafloor. Changes in wind direction and tides cause the chain to be dragged across the bottom. This dragging has a scouring effect on the seafloor often resulting in the loss of seagrass or macroalgae and the resuspension of bottom sediments back into the water column. The resuspension of sediment results in the water appearing cloudy and reduced light penetration, causing further problems for light dependent plants. This becomes especially problematic in crowded mooring fields where tens or hundreds of boats may all be contributing in a small way to a larger problem.

Fortunately, there now exist multiple mooring designs, generally referred to as conservation moorings that will eliminate or reduce many of these impacts. Helical or screw anchors are twisted into the bottom to eliminate the large granite blocks. Chains are replaced with either retractable elastic band systems or have internal floats placed on them to prevent them from contacting the bottom. The price of the conservation moorings vary based on the design and the size of the boat, but generally are in the range of $1500 to $3000. Boaters, who may be willing to spend just a small portion of their boating season budget on their mooring, can make a large difference in the health of our coastal waters.

Connect with EPA Divers on Facebook

About the author: Phil Colarusso is a marine biologist in the Coastal and Ocean Protection Section of EPA New England, and is an avid diver. He’s living the dream in Wenham with wife JoAnn, two kids, dog and white picket fence.

Last week I had the pleasure of joining Michelle DePass, Assistant Administrator for International and Tribal Affairs, as she talked to members of the American Council of Engineering Companies (ACEC) about EPA’s export promotion strategy.

ACEC’s Annual Convention and Legislative Summit was held from April 21-24 at the Grand Hyatt in Washington, DC. It was designed to provide an opportunity to obtain information about and discuss issues affecting the engineering industry through educational and social programs. Assistant Administrator DePass was joined by the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Manufacturing and Services, Nicole Lamb-Hale, in speaking to ACEC’s International Committee. The Assistant Administrator discussed the progress of EPA export promotion work to date and plans for continued progress.

The export promotion strategy was launched last May by former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson. In accordance with this strategy, EPA is working to help improve the domestic economy by facilitating exports of U.S. environmental technologies. The U.S. environmental technologies sector is globally competitive and important to our economy. In 2010, the industry had an estimated $312 billion in revenue, employed 1.7 million Americans, included 61,000 small businesses, and enjoyed an international trade surplus (Environmental Business International).

ACEC represents America’s engineering industry. Its membership represents more than 500,000 U.S. employees and more than $200 billion of economic activity annually. Environmental consulting and engineering involves analyzing, measuring, and developing strategies to address environmental issues. Engineering helps to translate individual environmental products into effective environmental solutions for clients across the spectrum of industries around the world. ACEC members were particularly interested in addressing what they felt were unfair foreign procurement practices and boosting EPA awareness of technological advancements in environmental technologies.

EPA’s Trade and Economics Program works with the Office of the United States Trade Representative and other federal agencies on issues relating to the nexus between trade and the environment. Through this work, EPA encourages transparency, fairness, and cooperation to promote the trade and environment agenda, and advance environmental stewardship. Assistant Administrator DePass explained that EPA’s export promotion strategy is not designed to endorse any specific company or technology, but provides a mechanism to link EPA analysis to U.S. environmental solutions providers and international markets.

We look forward to working with ACEC to emphasize the role of environmental consulting and engineering in international environmental solutions.

About the author: Marc Lemmond works to implement EPA’s Export Promotion Strategy as a part of the Trade and Economics Program in the Office of International and Tribal Affairs.  He has extensive public and private sector experience with the environmental technologies industry.  Marc holds a Master’s degree in Science, Technology, and Public Policy from the Elliott School of International Affairs at the George Washington University.

In 1983, an accidental chemical release in Bhopal, India, killed thousands of people. There quickly came a heightened awareness of chemicals in our communities for fear of the same accident happening here. At that time, few computer programs were on the market to support chemical emergency professionals. So in 1986, together with my colleagues at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), we developed free software to help local governments prevent, prepare, and respond to chemical emergencies. The software, Computer Aided Management of Emergency Operations (CAMEO), was developed as a hazardous chemicals search tool. It now tracks facilities that store chemicals, provides emergency planning contacts and resources, and contains a chemical reference library.

As fire and police departments, industries, universities, environmental organizations, state, local and federal agencies began to use CAMEO, they gave us feedback on the kinds of features they’d find useful. We developed ALOHA, a planning/predictive tool used to investigate the potential impact of a tank rupture, drum spill, truck rollover, or similar incidents. Its modeling capabilities are also used during post-incident investigations. For example, a chemical release air dispersion model can be created after an incident to help investigators determine whether there were contaminants or dangerous areas during the incident.

CAMEO users kept telling us, “We need maps!” Back in 1988, most mapping programs were on mainframe computers, and none were free. So we developed our own – MARPLOT. You might say it’s a Geographic Information System (GIS) for the common man: a PC-based tool that doesn’t require much training. It’s tightly integrated into the CAMEO suite, so you can see the location of chemical facilities, overlay a chemical plume from ALOHA, and even determine the population within the plume, using the latest Census data. An exciting re-write of MARPLOT is due summer 2013, which will integrate online basemaps (like Google, Bing, MapQuest, OpenStreetMaps). It will operate in any browser, on any platform, and will retain the ability to run without an Internet connection,

It’s been very fulfilling to continue CAMEO’s expansion over the years and to see it being used so often, by so many in the United States and in other countries in chemical emergency planning, preparedness, and response activities.

About the Author: Peter Gattuso has developed multiple information systems since joining EPA in 1975. Currently in the Office of Emergency Management, Peter concentrates on emergency planning and response computer systems and is the lead technical consultant on systems for Risk Management Planning.

Haga clic en la imagen para unirse a la conversación en nuestro blog en español… ¡No olvide de suscribirse!

May is not only the month when April flowers bloom, it’s also Asthma Awareness Month.

According to MedlinePlus en español, asthma is a disease that affects your airways. It causes repeated episodes of wheezing, coughing, chest tightness and shortness of breath. It is a condition that could go from being a nuisance to extremely serious. If you don’t suffer from it, you probably know somebody who does.

But, why is asthma a public health concern? There are several reasons. Among them, it’s a chronic disease that can worsen the quality of life for the sufferer. Unfortunately, more and more people are being diagnosed with this condition.

For Latinos, though, asthma is a problem that requires attention because statistics show Hispanics are more vulnerable to it. According to the Office of Minority Health, HHS, we are more likely to visit a hospital because of asthma than non-Hispanics. Asthma is also a big problem for our children. Hispanic children are nearly twice as likely to die from asthma than non-Hispanic children. Asthma is such an important public health issue that the National Library of Medicine published several pages on its bilingual magazine (where you can see the statistics stated before) about this condition.

As a mom of two, these numbers really caught my attention. Is it possible that genetics makes us such a high risk group? There could be other problems besides genes including access (or often, lack thereof) to health information.

But thanks to years of research, there is a growing awareness about detection and management of asthma. According to EPA, it’s important to know what could trigger asthma (allergies, tobacco smoke, pollution, chemicals, upper respiratory infections, etc.) and to avoid these triggers to prevent symptoms from flaring or worsening.

If you have a small child with asthma, it’s important that you learn how to recognize the symptoms and talk to your health care provider. Otherwise, you could experience what happened to me when my son came running to me saying that his chest hurt and he couldn’t breathe. We rushed to the emergency room only to discover that he gulped too many cheese crackers at once.

Be smart: Know the symptoms, know when to get medical attention in case of an attack and, above all, leave cheese crackers out of children’s reach.

About the author: Fedora Cagnoli Braverman is responsible for developing and maintaining MedlinePlus and  MedlinePlus en español, the government web site for consumer health information in Spanish from the National Library of Medicine – NIH.

As we approach the one-year anniversary of the release of The Coordinated Federal Action Plan to Reduce Racial and Ethnic Asthma Disparities, I am excited to be part of this effort to improve the lives of children with asthma

The Action Plan was released on May 31, 2012 by CEQ Chair Nancy Sutley, HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan, HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius and former EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson.  They were joined by other federal representatives and national leaders who helped to unveil the Action Plan to the 100 participants at the event and the 400 participants joining by live broadcast.

The Action Plan outlines strategies to reduce barriers to implementation of guidelines-based asthma care; enhance local capacity to deliver integrated, comprehensive asthma care; improve capacity to identify the children most in need; and accelerate efforts to prevent the onset of asthma.  EPA is leading efforts to equip parents to effectively manage environmental asthma triggers as part of their child’s asthma care.

While the Action Plan is focused on coordinated federal action, this alone is not enough to fully address racial and ethnic disparities in asthma. We are actively engaging non-federal stakeholders to take action at the local community level through interactive webinars, meetings and conferences.

We are creating pathways for community programs and non-governmental organizations to engage with us on this important work.  Headlining this effort is www.AsthmaCommunityNetwork.org–an online peer to peer network that provides access to valuable tools and resources.  This Network, supported by EPA in collaboration with the Merck Childhood Asthma Network and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Allies Against Asthma at the University of Michigan, serves as the communication hub for stakeholders to explore the Action Plan and share the strategies and best practices they are deploying in the field.  Today, the Network has more than 2,000 members representing and supporting nearly 700 asthma programs across the country.

Asthma Awareness Month provides another excellent opportunity to further engage with our stakeholders to promote and adopt best practices and effective strategies for successfully managing asthma.  To learn more, visit www.epa.gov/asthma/childrenstaskforce.

About the author:  Brenda Doroski serves as the Director of the Center for Asthma and Schools in EPA’s Indoor Environments Division.  She leads efforts to improve indoor air quality in homes and schools.  Brenda has twenty-five years experience developing and leading domestic and international environmental health programs with the EPA and the Peace Corps in Latin America.

Mostafa (Safa) Shirazi recently turned 80 years old. However, age has not kept Safa off his bike while working as a environmental research scientist with the Environmental Protection Agency’s National Health and Environmental Effects Research Laboratory Western Ecology Division facility in Corvallis, Oregon; Safa has biked to work daily since 1969. He estimates he’s bike commuted 132,000 miles, more than most cars on the road today!

Safa initially had a 6 mile round trip bike to the EPA. For the last 28 years, his commute has been 15 miles round trip by bike. What motivates him? Safa says “Just do it! Don’t think about it. Rain? Fine. Snow? Just walk, or walk your bike.” Safa wants to “live within his means – the nation needs to do that. We consume too much energy.” Just as Safa still chops the wood that heats his house to this day, his bike commuting helps him stay healthy. Asked how he stays safe, Safa says “you learn to be safe on a bike – take your time. Be careful.” He recommends reflective clothing and blinkers; Safa even wears blinker lights strapped to his trousers to encourage greater visibility. While segments of his commute have worried him in the dark and rain, local drivers look out for him since “everybody knows in town that I ride”.

Biking 132,000 miles to his federal job, Safa has saved about 129,360 pounds of carbon dioxide emissions. Last year, Safa was a member of an EPA bike to work team logging miles during a month-long challenge. He logged more miles than his younger, fellow team members – 285 miles over 19 round trips – and achieved a 100% bike commute rate. EPA and other federal riders can still join this May’s Federal Bike-To-Work Challenge to be like Safa – see details here.

About the author, Max Sevareid, NHTSA Region 10 of the USDOT.  In partnership with the EPA Region 10 and local bicycle advocacy groups, Max encourages bicycle commuting and safety among federal agencies through bicycle commute challenges.  Max and his wife, Tiffany, try to incorporate bike commuting into their lives every day.

I have never considered myself very “green.” Sure, I ride a bicycle to work every day. In doing so, I avoid emitting well over a ton of CO2 into the atmosphere per year than I would if I drove to work instead, which is nice. But before I began riding regularly, any concern that I had for the environment was rather vague. I started riding primarily to avoid the nearly $10,000 a year needed to own and operate a car, and to keep myself healthy without having to carve out extra time from my day to exercise.

But as the miles on the bike piled up, I started becoming more aware of the natural environment around me. I noticed it in ways that one cannot from behind the wheel of a car, or from the seat of a bus, or speeding under the city on a subway. On any given day, I might see the deep-amber sunrise of a low-air-quality day, a milky-brown river from storm runoff, or the first cherry blossoms sprouting in springtime. Perhaps an offshore weather system shifted the breeze from its usual northwesterly direction, or the summer humidity sent steam rising off of asphalt.

In my days before the bike, I never would have noticed any of these things. My bike ride to and from work transformed ecology and the environment from an abstract concept into something that I saw, heard, and felt for 40 minutes, twice a day, for every day I went into the office. This remains one of the most surprising, and rewarding, aspects of bike commuting for me.

Whether this coming Bike to Work Day is your first time trying a bike commute, or just the latest of many, I would heartily encourage you to take a few moments on your ride to look around for the things that would otherwise fly by your window. I do on every ride, and it is often the highlight of my workday. Though, saving all that money and avoiding the gym is not bad, either.

Brief bio: Darren Buck is a marketing specialist with the US Department of Transportation’s Federal Highway Administration, and has also published research on bicycle transportation planning topics. He has been using a bicycle to get around the Washington, DC area for nearly 12 years.