Health

  BROADVIEW, IL, July 20, 2012

Though air pollution continues to be a threat to public health, it appears to be even more so to the health of our children.

 No matter how hard we try it’s impossible to completely protect ourselves from air pollution. Yet its net effect on our health can be significant. New research indicates it’s not just asthma and allergy sufferers that pay a heavy price for dirty air. Three new studies cited in a recent New York Times article show that air pollution is also a risk to our heart and brain health.

  BROADVIEW, IL, March 27, 2012 – The worst is over, we’re thinking. With winter officially behind us, we need only look to warmer days ahead. Not so for those who suffer from seasonal allergies.

A study released recently by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that the number of asthma cases in the U.S. is on the rise. Nearly ten percent of children and eight percent of the U.S. population at large are suffering from this potentially life-threatening disease. For those among us who confront this challenge on a daily basis, a clean and dust-free environment is imperative – whether it is in our homes, our offices … or even our cars. 

The New Car Assessment Program (NCAP) rates vehicles to determine crash worthiness and rollover safety. The safety ratings are gathered during controlled crash and rollover tests conducted at NHTSA’s research facilities.

Aggressive driving habits, such as tailgating, flashing headlights and unpredictable driving speeds can put motorists at risk for a collision.

“Aggressive drivers are not only a danger to themselves, they create hazards for other motorists and pedestrians,” says PPG's CertifiedFirst® Network. “The actions of aggressive drivers can divert the attention of other motorists from their own driving; raising the likelihood a collision could occur.”

Motorists traveling on Memorial Day weekend can’t do much about the high price of gas, but they can pay less at the pump by making sure their vehicles get maximum fuel economy. According to the Car Care Council, fuel economy is directly related to vehicle care and driver behavior and both can have a significant impact on how much motorists pay at the pump.

Under-inflated tires can impact the vehicle’s fuel economy. When tires aren’t inflated properly, it’s similar to driving with the parking brake on and can cost a mile or two per gallon.

With National Car Care Month and Earth Day both being held in April, motorists now have the ideal occasion to make sure their vehicles are environmentally friendly and running efficiently to save money at the gas pumps, according to the Car Care Council.

Four small pieces of lead may not seem like a big deal. Each wheel on your car likely has a little bar of lead on its rim, in the form of a wheel weight. But picture the magnitude of vehicles on U.S. roads and you see quickly how all that lead adds up to a significant problem.

For decades, wheel weights have largely consisted of chunks of lead clamped to the wheel rim. Why lead? Because it is cheap and heavy, allowing the use of relatively small weights to balance wheels. However, the toxic metal can cause brain damage and other nervous-system disorders in people.