August 2009 HealthierYou Calendar

Nanotechnology in Healthcare

Key to the Matching Activity

• National Pain Awareness Month
• Psoriasis Awareness Month
• National Immunization Awareness Month

Fact or Fiction

Nanoparticles occur naturally but they can also be engineered.

Fact: People have been putting together different materials throughout time, and now they are doing so on the smallest scale known to man, at the nanoscale. Engineered nanoparticles refer to those that do not occur naturally.

Nanotechnology offers great potential for benefit to humankind. However, one must always examine carefully the risks and possible toxicity of nanoparticles. The benefits are vast and numerous including environmental repair; clean, cheap, and efficient manufacturing; medical breakthroughs; immensely powerful computers; and easier access to space.

The NIOSH Publication No-2008-112 Safe Nanotechnology in the Workplace: An Introduction for Employers, Managers, and Safety and Health Professionals addresses the following questions:

1. Are nanoparticles hazardous to workers?
2. How can workers be exposed?
3. Can nanoparticles be measured?
4. Can worker exposures be controlled?

For more information please visit these sites:

1. www.crnano.org
2. nanosense.sri.com
3. nanosense.sri.com
4. www.nytimes.com

NASA in Your Life

Prosthesis Material

Responding to a request from the orthopedic appliance industry, NASA recommended that the foam insulation used to protect the shuttle's external tank replace the heavy, fragile plaster used to produce master molds for prosthetics. The new material is light, virtually indestructible, and easy to ship and store.

For more information please visit www.sti.nasa.gov.

Down-To-Earth

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle & Rethink!

Produce less waste by practicing the Three R's - Reduce, Reuse, Recyle.

Rethink Electronics! Electronics improve the way we live, work, and play. However, there's one place where electronics should not have an impact; that is the environment. Through responsible use, reuse, and recycling of electronics, the electronics industry and the consumers can protect and preserve the environment.

• Reduce - Preventing the generation of waste is the most preferred method of waste management. This is also called Source Reduction.
• Reuse - Repair what is broken or give it to someone who can repair it. Reusing products, when possible, is even better than recycling because the item does not need to be reprocessed before it can be used again.
• Recycle - Recycling is one of the best environmental success stories of the late 20th century. Recycling generates a host of environmental, financial, and social benefits and prevents emissions of many greenhouse gases and water pollutants. Buy products with recycled content.

Next time you go shopping and just before you pull a potential purchase off the shelf ask the Three R’s-Questions:

1. Is it over packaged or wasteful? If so, refuse it. You are sending a message about reducing the generation of waste at it’s source.
2. Is it made of or packaged in recycled material and can you reuse it in some way? If so, do so and reuse it.
3. Can it be recycled easily? If so, recycle it.

The Resource Conservation Challenge (RCC) is EPA's national effort to conserve natural resources and energy by managing materials more efficiently. For more information please visit these sites:

• www.epa.gov
• www.geocities.com

Rethink!

Make smarter, more environmentally-friendly choices by purchasing green electronics. Find electronics and accessories that use less energy, are made with recyclable and recycled materials and are easier to upgrade, fix, and recycle. More information at www.mygreenelectronics.org.

HealthierYou by Choice

August is National Catfish Month!

Ninety-four percent of all U.S. Farm-Raised Catfish are raised in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi. There are approximately 2,000 different species of catfish, many of which live in South America. Most catfish thrive in freshwater.

Nutritional Highlights of Catfish:

• Catfish (farmed), 1 fillet (5oz or 141.5g)
• Calories: 217
• Protein: 26.7g
• Carbohydrate: 0.0g
• Total Fat: 11.5g
• Fiber: 0.0g
• Excellent source of Vitamin B12 (4mcg)¹
• Good source of Potassium (459mg), and Niacin (3.6mg)²

Notes:

1. Foods that are an excellent source of a particular nutrient provide 20% or more of the Recommended Daily Value.
2. Foods that are a good source of a particular nutrient provide between 10% and 20% of the Recommended Daily Value.

For more information please visit these sites:

• www.nutritiondata.com
• housing.k-state.edu