What does the smoke from a fire and a cabinet full of chemicals have in common? They often contain the same dangerous materials. During a fire, firefighters must brave not only flames, but a slew of other hazards as well: gas, smoke, heat, blood, body fluids, toxins, contaminants... Fortunately, these risks are reduced by wearing...
Does the thought of eating undercooked chicken make you shudder? It should, because there’s a real risk of becoming contaminated with salmonella. Salmonella is the bacteria that cause salmonellosis, an infectious food-borne zoonotic disease that can lead to serious health problems in some people. (Zoonoses are diseases that can be transmitted directly or indirectly between...
Introducing babies to the pleasures of being in water can sometimes be a little daunting – often more so for the parents than for the children themselves! While it’s normal for the first experiences with pools to be met with a certain degree of fear and anxiety, a growing number of parents are eager for...
Greeting someone with a friendly hello and a handshake is something most of us do by reflex. In fact, the average person will shake hands roughly 15,000 times during his or her lifetime. But as antibiotics become increasingly ineffective and the fear of infectious outbreaks of the past making a comeback continues to grow, perhaps...
The benefits of hot water therapy have been known to people since ancient times. In fact, hot water therapy has been widely used in some countries as an effective form of rest and relaxation for thousands of years. The word spa means “health through water”. No wonder then that spas are growing in popularity here...
The places where children play – whether it’s at the local park or the neighbourhood daycare – tend to be crawling with germs. That’s because children have not yet figured out how to prevent spreading germs. Most adults cover their mouth when they cough or sneeze. Young kids? Not so much. And what about thoroughly...
Who doesn’t enjoy eating French fries or potato chips from time to time? After all, frying is one of the oldest and most popular forms of cooking. It gives food that taste, colour and texture we love so much. Of course, most fried food is not exactly what you could call “healthy”. Partially hydrogenated oils...
Listeriosis is a foodborne illness primarily caused by ingesting food contaminated with a bacterium called Listeria monocytogenes. Approximately 150 Canadians are infected with listeriosis each year. Though rare, listeriosis can sometimes lead to death, especially in people with weakened immune systems, such as the elderly, pregnant women (and their fetuses), and very young children. How...
Biofilms are a sticky matrix of proteins and sugar polymers created by bacteria as a way of protecting themselves. More specifically, biofilms consist of bacteria, moulds, yeasts and fungi, viruses and microscopic algae, and frequently show up inside pipes and in other very humid locations. Biofilms are ugly, smelly and uncomfortable to touch. But more...
As people become more aware of the health and environmental risks of red meat, a growing number of Canadians are looking to curb the amount of meat in their diets. Some are adopting a more plant-based diet; others are giving up meat altogether (roughly 4% of the population is currently vegetarian). The most popular alternative...
