T.J. Samson | Destination Health | June 2020

Safe summer June 2020 5 60 85 90 95 100 105 110 120 140 150 48 MILLION Number of Americans with hearing loss in one or both ears. It’s a noisy world out there No i se exposure adds up over t ime HOW LOUD ARE EVERYDAY SOUNDS? Normal conversation dB dB dB dB dB dB dB dB dB dB Heavy city traffic Gas lawn mower Motorcycle Woodshop Portable digital music player at max volume Loud concert Siren Jet taking off Firecrackers and firearms Over time, exposure to sounds at or above 85 dB can cause hearing loss. 2 THE SHOUT TEST Having to shout to be heard over a loud noise means it could be hurt- ing your hearing. Number of minutes it takes for hearing loss to happen when sounds are 110 dB or higher (like at a rock concert). SOUND ADVICE To protect your hearing from loud sounds: Lower the volume. Wear earplugs or earmuffs. Move away from the noise. Source: National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders 1 2 3 Sound is measured in decibels (dB). Sunglasses: Pick the perfect pair Slipping on the right pair of shades can make you feel celebrity cool. But sunglasses are more than a fashion statement. Their main purpose is to protect your eyes from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays, which can cause cataracts and macular degenera- tion, a leading cause of blindness. To choose wisely, remember these tips: Keep it 100. Look for a tag that says the sunglasses block 99% to 100% of UVA and UVB rays. Go big. Oversized and wraparound shades help block UV rays from the side. And that can mean less sun damage to your eyes. Know what matters. Dark lenses, tints and mirror coatings don’t affect UV protection. Always check the label to be sure. Sources: American Academy of Ophthalmology; National Eye Institute Simple steps for safe grilling Summer and grilling go hand-in-hand. But summer is also a prime time for food poison- ing because the bacteria that cause foodborne illnesses multiply faster in warm weather, and cooking outdoors poses more challenges for handling food safely. These six simple steps can help protect you and your family from food poisoning the next time you fire up the grill: 1 Start with a clean grill. Always remove charred food from the grill before cooking. This reduces the risk that fresh foods will be exposed to bacteria. 2 Refrigerate. Keep meat, poultry and fish in the fridge until you’re ready to grill. Then only take out what you’ll cook right away. 3 Separate. Don’t use the same platter, cutting board or utensils for raw and cooked foods. For example, use one plate for bringing raw meat, poultry or fish to the grill and a different one for taking cooked food off the grill.That way bacteria in raw food and its juices can’t contaminate cooked food. 4 Use a food thermometer. That ensures that you’re cooking meat, poultry and fish to a high enough temperature to kill bacteria. Cook whole cuts of red meat, like beef and lamb, to 145 degrees, and then let it rest for three minutes before serving. Also cook: ●  ● Fish to 145 degrees. ●  ● Hamburgers and other ground beef to 160 degrees. ●  ● Poultry to 165 degrees. 5 Mind your marinade. Marinades are a good way to flavor raw meats, fish and poultry. It may be tempting to use any leftover marinade on the food after it has been cooked. But marinade may harbor harmful bacteria. If you don’t want leftover marinade to go to waste, boil it before you reuse it. 6 Don’t make dish towels do double- duty. Using the same one several times to clean your hands and spills on the grill can spread germs. Use paper towels or disposable wipes instead. Reach for a dish towel only if you’re going to dry clean dishes or your hands after washing them. Sources: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; U.S. Department of Agriculture