Protecting Your Health
July 1st, 2011
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other health-related organizations have recently come out with various new regulations and studies that could potentially help prevent health issues for the majority of the population and especially those who are exposed to every day health risks. Whether at the workplace or walking around town, people are exposed to much more harmful activities than most even know possible. Although it is impossible to prevent every bad thing from happening to you, it is important to be aware of the potential risks and to take the necessary steps to protect yourself.
Everyday activities, like sitting at your office desk, for instance, can prove to be harmful for people’s health. As The Wall Street Journal reported, “A sedentary lifestyle, long believed to contribute to chronic conditions such as heart disease, can increase the risk of colon cancer, according to a stud in the American Journal of Epidemiology.” This is just one of the health risks facing many people both within the United States and throughout the world today. Office work also makes it much more difficult for people to stay active during the day. The FDA is constantly trying to enact reforms that will better protect the population as a whole.
More recently, the FDA has made drastic changes to one industry in particular. Now, as The Wall Street Journal reported this controversial change, “cigarette makers must add large, graphic warning labels depicting diseased lungs, a man exhaling smoke through a hole in his neck and other images to packaging and advertising in the U.S. by October 2012.” This move is already proving to be extremely contentious, as tobacco companies are upset and afraid that this may reduce their sales and put an even worse image on their companies.
There has also been an ongoing debate with this issue as well. Although other countries have already beat the United States and put labels like these on their cigarettes, the United States has faced many issues with various companies like “Reynolds American Inc., Lorillard Inc., Commonwealth Brands Inc. and others, who sued the FDA in 2009, arguing that the graphic-labeling rule and other marketing provisions in the new federal tobacco law violate their constitutional rights to free speech,” according to The Wall Street Journal. Although the judge ruled in favor of the government, there is still much debate surrounding this particular issue.
For years now, the debate of whether or not certain sunscreens are actually effective has been up in the air. With the summer season upon us, it is extremely important to protect yourself against the rays and the risks associated with being in the sun. As The Wall Street Journal reported, some of the new regulations require that “sunscreens that don’t offer enough protection against UVB and UVA rays will be required to carry a warning label stating that the products haven’t been shown to prevent skin cancer.” These new regulations recently put into place by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are another attempt to make it easier for consumers to choose the right sunscreen for their skin. With the health risks of the sun at full strength during the summer months and with other changes being made to the tobacco industry, it is imperative to know what is best for your body and health. The FDA can only go so far in trying to prepare the population for these risks.
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