American Association of Poison Control

It is very easy to ingest harmful chemicals which could poison you. Many people get poisoned sometime in their lifetime. It could be a very serious poison which could possibly lead to death if not treated, or it could also be a type of poison causing great problems to your health. Many poisons are also common things that you have around you at home. If you take more than what is recommended for a medication you could get poisoned. Cleaning products are also poisonous is your drink them on accident. You also have to be careful what you eat because many plants can make you very ill.  

Most of the people that do get poisoned, it is usually unintentional. A medicine might be prescribed at a wrong dosage for you. You would be taking what your doctor recommended thinking it was okay, but it could harm you if it is too high of a dose.  A large number of poison exposure is from children under the age of six. These children do not know what is good and what is bad. These children will try to eat poisonous substances if they are not monitored closely. You can always keep chemicals and hazards to children in a high cabinet so they are unable to have access to it.  Using baby proofing tools will also not let them have access to things that are poisonous. These tools will lock cabinets and you will only know how to open them.

If you suspect a poisoning has occurred you can call the American Association of Poison Control. These are professionals that know how to deal with many situations. They will walk you through what to do next. This poison control number has saved many lives. If you are curious about different poisons they also have many things on their website you can read about. 

FAT TOM

            Food is eaten every day, food can also contain harmful bacteria. The bacteria can grow on food very rapidly. Measures are taken to stop food from going bad like putting it in the fridge. Many other measures are also practiced. Restaurants are not always clean and safe with food. That is why inspectors come in. Inspectors look for things like cleanliness around where food is prepared. Also they inspect how the food is stored and kept.  Restaurants and places that handle food follow guidelines to ensure food safety.

            The food workers follow “FAT TOM” which all of the letters stand for something. This abbreviation is an easy way to remember regulations and safety. The F stands for food. Bacteria looks for food to grow on. Food has nutrients and this bacteria needs that to grow. The next letter A stands for acidity. Acid is measured on a ph scale. A ph of 7 is neutral and below that is acid, the lower the number the more acidic. Bacteria does not like acids, so foods that are high in acid do not contain much bacteria. If the food has little to no acid, bacteria is more likely to grow on this. The next letter is T which stands for temperature. Food that sits out is attacked by bacteria. This is why fridges were made. Storing foods at low temperatures reduces the growth of bacteria. The longer food is left out the warmer it gets and bacteria love this. The next T stands for time this is closely related to temperature. The longer the food stays out the warmer it gets and the more bacteria grow on it. The O is for oxygen, some bacteria need oxygen to grow and some do not need it. The last letter stands for moisture. The higher the moisture the more bacteria. These guidelines should always be followed for the safety of humans. 

Sewage Treatment Sstem

                Everyone produces wastes that leaves the house. Some of this is garbage that can be throw away in trash cans. Some of this is sewage that all humans produce. In America many houses have sewage systems. Houses also use water from sinks and showers, all of this has to go somewhere. People in the city most likely have sewage pipes running away from the house and to a large sewage treatment facility for the town. Some people either prefer to have their own treatment system or they live out in the country too far away for the city to deal with their sewage. This is called a sewage treatment system that is put in the yard close to the house.

                Having a new system put in to your yard will require you to reach out and find someone to consult. You should contact your local health district first. They will send someone out to your house to look at the land you have considering where this sewage system can be placed. Many factors play into where this system can be. Once a site is chosen the soil will be evaluated for thickness and also how close it is to a water system or your drinking water that is used for the house. A designer will help you choose which kind of system you want and evaluating the cost and time spent on the system. You will then hire a contractor and your sewage treatment system will begin to be built.  Once it is built the health department will come out and see if everything is installed and built property. You do not want sewage leaking out of the tank and into your yard. Sewage has many disease it carriers if you or your water supply was infected. The sewage system will then start to run and you will observe if any odd smells or anything odd happens. If not your sewage treatment plant will be up and ready for you to use. 

Coliform Bacteria

                Coliform is a rod-shaped bacteria that is found in many different places. One of these places it is found is in human waste and in the intestinal track.  This bacteria is also found in animals. Animal and human waste contain many different types of bacteria than just coliform. Coliform from fecal matter has contaminating water before which leads to diseases. The more coliform bacteria in the water the less sanitary it is. There is also different types of where coliform comes from that can cause contamination. This bacteria can be found in the soil. Fecal matter gets into the soil and can be carried by water to different places. A term that is used when fecal matter contaminates food is called E.coli. Humans can obtain E.coli from eating under cooked meat from many different animals. Another place where coliform is found is in well water. The bacteria can seep through the well walls is the well is damaged or old. Infected water can be tested for this bacteria. You can also boil the water to make it safe again.

                This bacteria does make humans very sick if it gets inside of them. It causes severe cases of diarrhea. This can dehydrate someone very quickly. It can also cause vomiting, fever and abdominal pain. Your body tries to get this bacteria out of your system. You can buy water testing kits to see if your water is safe to drink and to see if it has any coliform in it. If you do find coliform in water scientists can study it at a lab. You are also able to consult water specialists. These specialists are highly trained and have most likely dealt with this before. Filtration to you water can also work to remove this bacteria, but they will not always work. If your water is discolored it is best to call someone and ask about it.