Smoke Screen
global briefs
Tobacco Industry is Big Plastic Polluter
JJ Gouin/AdobeStock.com
New Underwater Maps Track Fish To better track the location and movement of marine fish in U.S. waters, The U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Fisheries is using a new interactive website, the Distribution Mapping and Analysis Portal. It demonstrates that the ranges of many marine species are shifting, expanding and contracting in response to changing ocean conditions. Intended to improve data sharing and collaboration, it will facilitate judgements about fishery management and increase knowledge about species distribution. The portal displays data from NOAA Fisheries bottom trawl surveys for five regions (Northeast, Southeast, Gulf of Mexico, West Coast and Alaska) and includes a map viewer and graphing capabilities for more than 800 marine fish and invertebrate species. Understanding where species are distributed and the factors that drive patterns are important for species conservation and management. Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., NOAA administrator, says, “Changes in fish stocks can have significant economic and cultural impacts for communities and businesses across the U.S. The visualization capabilities of this new tool boost our ability to turn the data NOAA collects into robust decision-making resources for the entire fishery management community, helping build a climate-ready nation.”
The once-common sight of public smoking is fast disappearing from society, but cigarette butts are still the most common source of plastic pollution in the global environment, not bottles, plastic bags or food wrappers. Smokers generate almost 900,000 tons of toxic waste annually, deposited on streets, landfills, rivers and beaches in every country. They take 10 or more years to degrade, releasing more than 7,000 toxic chemicals into the environment. The Ocean Conservancy found partially digested cigarette butts in 70 percent of seabirds and 30 percent of sea turtles sampled in one study. The industry sponsors clean-ups, anti-littering campaigns and other gestures to distract the public, say critics. Cigarettes could theoretically be banned if they were treated as single-use plastics. Smokeless and chewing forms of tobacco like gutka and khaini are sold in South Asia, with millions of their plastic pouches littering the environment. From the mining of materials for batteries to metal and plastic waste leaching into soil and water, electronic tobacco and nicotine products such as vaping are creating a new wave of pollution. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency reported last year that lithiumion batteries are entering municipal waste systems because consumers dispose of these products labeled as disposable in household trash. Brian Yurasits/Pexels.com
Finding Nemo
BENEFITS OF HYPERBARIC OXYGEN THERAPY
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ne of the best-kept secrets in medicine is Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). Here, you breathe pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber. Injured or damaged cells replicate using an eightfold increase in a patient’s own stem cells during this treatment. The pressure pushes oxygen into the plasma to reach injured areas anywhere in the body. HBOT has proven effective for COVID-19 and its long haulers, anti-aging issues like cognitive fog, dementia, and Alzheimer’s. It also treats people who’ve experienced physical and concussive trauma. “It can return these veterans to
their families free of PTSD and other injuries,” says Raymond Crallé, a Registered Physical Therapist who leads the team. “We can help people who think their golden years aren’t so golden.” The outpatient Delray Beach facility offers an effective combination of HBOT and physical therapy. Their hyperbaric chambers are clear acrylic, preventing claustrophobia. Chambers include an entertainment center. Blankets and pillows keep users comfortable. Professionally trained staff are HBOT proficient in safety procedures. “There are 14 Medicare and insurance-approved
conditions. We also treat stroke patients, professional athletes, and others seeking wellness goals,” says Crallé. Crallé has been involved in the breakthrough use of HBOT and in many published studies. He has worked with children and adults and participated in an HBOT study for Veterans. Crallé was recognized by his peers as a pioneer in the field of hyperbaric medicine. Contact Oxygen Rescue Care Centers of America, 525 NE 3rd Ave, Ste 107, Delray Beach, FL 33444, 561-819-0412. —Advertorial — August 2022
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