New report lists contaminant, treatment violations at Kentucky's 461 public water systems

Reporters can now find out if their local public water systems were recently cited with violations related to contaminants in the water or inadequate treatment.

The Kentucky Division of Water's annual compliance report was released last week. Statewide, it shows that maximum contaminant level and treatment violations decreased from 116 in 2010 to 96 in 2011. "The majority of violations at Kentucky's public water systems last year involved administrative infractions rather than problems with water treatment," said Julie Roney, coordinator of the DOW Drinking Water Program. "These results are encouraging."

There are 461 public water systems in Kentucky, which are tested on a regular basis for bacteria, nitrate and other inorganic chemicals, radiological elements and more than 100 industrial chemicals and pesticides.

The report is detailed and quite dense. Reporters can call Natalie Bruner at 502-564-3410, ext. 4987 for help interpreting the results for their water systems. (Read more)

With more than 2,000 product recalls in 2011 alone, consumers may be suffering from 'recall fatigue'

Regulators, retailers and manufacturers are getting worried that the public is suffering from "recall fatigue."

Last year, there were 2,363 recalls, according to data from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the Department of Agriculture and the Consumer Product Safety Commission. That's a 14 percent increase over 2010 when there were 2,081 recalls. In 2007, there were 1,460.

"We have this growing concern for safety, but with there being so many recalls going on, [is the public] paying attention to them and responding to them in a manner that is necessary for the recalls to be handled effectively?" asked Mike Rozembajgier, a vice president of Stericycle ExpertRecall.

There have already been hundreds of recalls this year. Pfizer recalled birth-control pills after it was discovered they could have been packaged out of sequence, increasing chances for pregnancy. Nearly 170,000 Ikea customers were asked to return high chairs after it was found the restraint buckle opened unexpectedly. Today, Samsonite recalled suitcases because they were made with high levels of compounds linked to cancer.

Experts believe "the increase is the result of a combination of greater oversight by regulators, better testing procedures and the use of social media where consumers can quickly point out and discuss problems with other people," reports Christopher Doering of the Des Moines Register. (Read more)

Black lung affects Kentucky surface miners more than those in other states, CDC study finds and Courier-Journal reports

Photo by Getty Images.

Nearly 4 percent of surface coal miners who work in Central Appalachia who were tested for a study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have black lung disease, compared to 2 percent of all U.S. surface miners and 3.2 percent of underground coal miners.

Though the study didn't test Kentucky separately from the 14 other states assessed, Laura Ungar of The Courier-Journal in Louisville asked about it and found that "13 of 230 Kentucky surface miners tested — or 5.7 percent — had black lung," she reports, quoting Cara Halldin, a CDC epidemic intelligence service officer, as calling that number " a disproportionate burden."

It's not clear why the incidence is higher in Central Appalachia than other parts of the country, but Halldin suspects it has to do with "more years spent mining, area geology or the safety culture at mines," Ungar reports. One study showed miners who work in Central Appalachia typically work 28 years in the mines while non-Appalachian miners work average 20 years.

Black-lung disease, or coal workers' pneumoconiosis, is the result of miners repeatedly inhaling the dust that comes from extracting coal. That dust occurs whether the miner is under- or above-ground. "Coal mining is really, really dusty. Don't matter what you do, you're in the dust," said John Bud Ritchie, a retired surface miner who has black lung disease. "It's real rough. You can't hardly keep the dust down on hot days."

The federal exposure limit for "respirable dust" in underground and surface mines is 2 milligrams of coal dust per cubic meter of air. That limit was set in 1969, along with a law that set up "a surveillance system for assessing prevalence of black lung among underground coal miners," Ungar reports. "But the requirement for surveillance doesn't extend to surface miners." Haldin said, "Industry should recognize this is a problem and their workers are at risk and bring down the levels." (Read more)

States with helmet laws have far fewer motorcycle-related deaths; Kentucky doesn't require bikers to wear protective headgear

Petersburg (Tex.) Volunteer Fire Dept. photo

“Fewer motorcyclists die in states that require helmets, and the costs to society are lower too,” reports Mike Stobbe for The Associated Press. About five times as many no-helmet biker deaths occur in states with less restrictive laws.

Kentucky once had a helmet law for motorcyclists, but repealed it several years ago. Nationwide, 20 states had universal motorcycle helmet laws in 2010, but Michigan has since reversed course and allowed helmets to be optional for riders over 21.

The study, conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, looked at 14,283 motorcycle-related deaths from 2008 to 2010. Of those, 6,027 bikers did not wear a helmet. “Only about 12 percent of those deaths occurred in the 20 states that required everyone on motorbikes to wear helmets,” Stobbe reports.

The study also found that helmet use saved $3 billion in U.S. medical expenses. Another $1.4 billion could have been saved if all states had helmet laws, the CDC concluded. Motorcycles account for about 3 percent of vehicles on the road, but 14 percent of deaths caused by traffic accidents. (Read more)