Friday, May 24, 2013
E. coli is a marker for fecal contamination, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
A recently-released study of public pools done during last summer’s swim season found that feces are frequently introduced into pool water by swimmers. Through the study, released last week by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, researchers found 58 percent of the pool filter water samples collected tested positive for E. coli, bacteria normally found in human feces. The E. coli is a marker for fecal contamination, the CDC said. “People, when they swim, obviously their whole body goes in the water, so anything that is on their bodies is likely to end up in the water,” Dr. Ronald Voorhees, the acting director of the Allegheny County Health Department, told KDKA-TV. The CDC reports that a high percentage of E. coli-positive …
Tuesday, January 15, 2013
A Pine-Richland parent discovers a video on his child's cell phone showing teens participating in the dangerous activity, also known as the Pass-Out Game.
First in a Series "It looked like she was dying right in front of us." That's what a Pine-Richland father said after recently watching a video of his daughter playing the Pass-Out Game with a group of friends from middle school. He saw his child hyperventilating, then someone grabbing his daughter from behind and squeezing until she passed out. The PR parent said it took only seconds for his teenage daughter to wake up, but watching it felt like an eternity. The father, who asked for his name and that of his daughter to be withheld, said he recently found the recording during a routine check of the teen's cell phone. Also known as the Choking Game, the Pass-Out Game is anything but a game. It is more aptly described as a strangulation …
Monday, June 25, 2012
Sewickley residents urged to eliminate potential breeding grounds for mosquitoes.
Sewickley area residents are being urged to check their property for standing water, which could become breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which can carry the West Nile Virus. Since May, the Allegheny County Health Department has caught 10 mosquitoes in various neighborhoods, which have tested positive for the virus, the Post Gazette reported. “Mosquitoes breed in standing water, even in small amounts, so people should make every effort, especially after wet weather, to seek and eliminate accumulations of water,” said Interim Health Director Dr. Ronald E. Voorhees in a statement on the health department’s web site. Approximately 80 percent of people who are infected with West Nile Virus will not show any symptoms at all, according to the …
