What's Going on With the Environment..

In the UK and London there are multiple organizations that you can volunteer with if there are any disasters. Most of the organizations you would volunteer with are charities such as: -Red Cross https://www.redcross.org.uk/get-involved/volunteer/volunteer-in-emergencies -Disaster Aid Response Team (DART) UK and Ireland https://disasteraiduk.org/the-path-to-becoming-a-dart-volunteer/ - SERVE on (Firefighters, police, ex-military, EMT's and mechanics) https://disasteraiduk.org/the-path-to-becoming-a-dart-volunteer/ -EMERGENCY https://emergencyuk.org/get-involved/volunteer/ I could not find any way for someone to volunteer through government agencies. When looking at the UK government website they say that you can volunteer at charities or donate to the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) https://www.dec.org.uk/ DEC is a local and international disaster charity that launched in 1963.  I think it is wonderful that people would volunteer in times ...

Climate change in general is a very troubling thing, especially because we can take immediate action to help slow it down but we are barely taking any sufficient steps. Another extremely frustrating aspect is the fact that there are still politicians who deny that climate change is occurring. In my opinion, I do not actually believe that these politicians really do not believe the science, I think they have deals with companies in fields like the oil and coal business and do not want to lose money. To them it is easier to say it is not happening than it is to face the harsh reality of what is occurring and how we humans are responsible. Another troubling part is that companies are still not using renewable energy to it's full potential. We have the capability and technology to have a lesser impact but many companies are still not taking that step forward. We need not only political change but whole different way of doing things. I think the aspect that needs ...

I have heard a lot about the zero waste lifestyle recently and I think it is amazing. The amount of trash that people produce is astronomical and it is harming our planet. If we can all start producing a little less it can help a lot.  There are a lot small things that I do to reduce my waste. I always carry my reusable water bottle and groceries bags with me, I never use single use coffee cups and I try to shop at the farmers market as much as I can. However, since moving to the UK I feel like I have taken a few steps back. For one, I live in the heart of Central London (near SOHO) and the only way we can dispose of our trash is by leaving it on the street (it is collected every morning). This method is easy but it does not allow for composting. When I lived in San Francisco I composted everything I could and my landfill trash was a lot smaller, now all organic waste has to go into the landfill bag. I also do not have a backyard since I am in the city so...

For this blog post I considered the jobs of me and my partner. We both work in office buildings and mostly sit behind a desk everyday so there are not many occupationally hazards from our jobs. We do not have biological or radiological hazards. The only chemical hazard I can think of is everyday office supplies like cleaning supplies or anti-dust sprays. However, in terms of ergonomics we both have very bad back problems. Sitting at a desk all day has been causing both me and my partner a lot of pain. I have recently bought us a "back-buddy" which is a plastic device that helps us roll out "knots" in our back. Also I am trying to stand more at work since my desk can easily be converted into a standing one.  Since we do not face any major hazards at work it is hard to relate our jobs to the  i ndustrial hygiene hierarchy of controls. There is no way our workers can change the fact that we work behind a computer all day long. The only suggestion I have is to initiate...

I went to the CAL/OSHA website and looked up some of their safety programs. One of the safety programs that stuck out to me was directed at safety in the adult films industry. The program mostly discussed the potentially sexually transmitted infections that the actors or actresses could acquire and the best way to prevent them. I thought this program was extremely interesting because I did not expect a government run group to have safety programs for this industry. However, I think that it is a great service that they did and these workers can have free access to this resource.  This obviously relates to health and safety because they talk about prevention of diseases, hygiene, vaccinations and p roph y laxis. This all falls under the umbrella of health and how these workers can be more safe. 

I obtained a MSDS for the chemical Zinc Iodine. The health risks associated with this chemical are that is can be hazardous in case of skin contact (irritant), of eye contact (irritant), of ingestion, and of inhalation.  In this MSDS it states that the carcinogenic effects are not available.  The personal protective equipment that should be used/worn are: splash googles, lab coat, dust respirator (approved/certified), and gloves. If there is a large spill of this chemical these precautions should be taken: splash googles, full suit, boots, dust respirator, and a self-contained breathing apparatus. This chemical was not found in my workplace but a friend and they said they received handling and safety precautions. They also received training on what to do if there was a spill from this chemical.  I looked this chemical up on the ToxNet database and it stated that respiratory burns can be associated and the health risks seem...