Many women have questions about what is safe and healthy to eat when they’re pregnant. The information about eating fish can be confusing. The good news is the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) have issued new advice regarding fish consumption. The information is meant for women who [...]
Halloween is loved by children and adults alike. As Halloween approaches, the Arizona Department of Health Services encourages families to celebrate in a safe and healthy way. Parents should talk to their children about Halloween food safety. Tell children not to accept – and especially not to eat – anything that isn’t commercially wrapped. Inspect [...]
The Food and Drug Administration’s 50 State Food Safety Twitter Tour is underway and Arizona will be featured on August 4th. This tour aims to encourage engagement through social media by promoting the best content the 50 state agricultural and/or health agencies have on food safety. The Food Safety Tour kick-off was on April 7th, [...]
There’s no substitute for evidence when it comes to public health decision-making. Over the last couple of years the public health community has been asking itself whether electronic cigarettes can play an important role in getting folks to kick their tobacco habit. We haven’t had much evidence to answer that question so far… but a [...]
Last week an FDA panel unanimously recommended rejecting a new drug that’s a combination of morphine and oxycodone – two very strong painkillers. The panel, Anesthetic and Analgesic Drug Products Advisory Committee, said the company didn’t provide data to prove that Moxduo is more effective or safer than using one of the already available drugs. [...]
It’s no public health secret that tobacco use continues to be a dominant cause of preventable disease and death in the US. While the trend has been encouraging (Arizona’s smoking rate is down to 17%), there’s still much work to be done- and continued efforts to provide creative and effective ways to help adult smokers [...]
It’s no secret that misuse and abuse of opiate painkillers like OxyContin and Vicodin are a large and growing public health threat in Arizona- misuse and abuse of these medicines are now killing more Arizonans than car crashes. Last week the FDA approved a prescription treatment called Evzio that can be used in medical emergencies caused by prescription [...]
There was good news this week about preconception health. A report just out from the EPA found that more women of childbearing age have been avoiding eating the kinds of ocean predators that typically contain mercury (Hg). This is important because mercury can affect the baby’s brain being developed during pregnancy. Mercury is found in [...]
The FDA made a preliminary determination that partially hydrogenated oils (the primary dietary source of trans fat in processed foods) are not "generally recognized as safe" for use in food. Their review of the research has led them to conclude that consuming trans fat raises LDL, or "bad" cholesterol, and increases the risk of coronary heart disease. The FDA opened a 60-day [...]
Poisoning (including alcohol and prescription drugs) causes more deaths than car crashes in AZ. Committed folks across the state are taking action on this issue. We’re part of the Arizona Prescription Drug Misuse and Abuse Initiative, a multi-agency, multi-systemic approach to addressing the epidemic. As part of this initiative, new guidelines have been issued for prescribing [...]
