Subscribe Now

Burns are a common form of injury during  heavy snowfall or freezing rain events. Winter storms may break utility poles or disrupt electric lines, cutting off some households from power, heat and communication. Those unaccustomed to using candles or burning wood for heat can suffer from burns and other injuries. Wood burning and use of other [...]

January is National Radon Action Month. Radon is produced when uranium in soil, rock and water breaks down and gets into the air. It can be found anywhere in the United States and sneaks into homes and buildings through places like cracks in floors and gaps around pipes. You cannot see, smell or taste radon [...]

AAA projects that more than 92 million Americans will travel 50 miles or more during the year-end holidays – and nine out of ten will make that trip in a car. If you are hitting the road, make sure you aren’t one of the 1.4 million stranded motorists AAA expects to service during the Christmas [...]

About 15,000 emergency room visits and 500 deaths occur each year because of unintentional carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. As a matter of fact, this colorless, odorless gas is the most common cause of poisoning deaths in the U.S. CO is produced when a fuel (natural gas, propane, oil, kerosene, wood, charcoal) is burned. During cold [...]

Ah-choo! As the mercury drops outside, cold and flu season arrives. Flushing facial tissues down the toilet can waste three to seven gallons per flush with older toilet models. Eliminating just one flush per day could save nearly 1,300 gallons per year, or enough water to wash about 32 loads of laundry! Viewer Tip:  Don’t use your toilet [...]

 The distinctive smell of wood smoke is a sign of the heating season. It may smell good, but wood smoke can impact indoor air quality and your health. Smoke is a mixture of tiny particles and gases produced when wood burns – the fine particles can get into your eyes and lungs, where they may [...]

Have you been outside today? Whether it’s a visit to a neighborhood park or Yellowstone, spending time in nature provides big health benefits, especially for kids. Spending time outside increases levels of physical activity and may help reduce the prevalence of obesity. Contact with nature helps lower levels of stress in children and can mitigate [...]

September is National Preparedness Month! A national preparedness survey by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) found that of respondents who considered themselves prepared for an emergency, 35 percent did not have a household plan, 77 percent had not conducted a home evacuation drill, and 73 percent did not know community evacuation routes. Viewer Tip: [...]

This is the time of year when many students head back to school. Did you know that up to 20 percent of weekday morning traffic is school-related? Living in areas with lots of traffic can prompt even more parents to drive children to school to ensure safety. Increased traffic and idling vehicles create air pollutants [...]

Have you ever wondered what causes the different-colored tints in the ocean or freshwater lakes? This colored water – whether red, brown, green or yellow – is commonly known as a “red tide” or a harmful algal bloom. Blooms are formed by single-celled photosynthetic organisms that can sometimes be harmful to humans, wildlife and the [...]

The sun emits radiation in the form of ultraviolet (UV) light, which is classified into three types by wavelength: UVA, UVB, and UVC. In the stratosphere, the ozone layer blocks UVC light (shortest wavelength), but UVB and UVA light can pass through the atmosphere. How Does UV Affect You? UVA penetrates deeply into the skin [...]

Strong, gusty winds associated with tropical storms can easily carry away trash and other large items.  Blowing debris can cause injury, damage property and harm wildlife. Viewer Tip: Prepare your property for high winds by making sure your home and belongings are secure. Bring lawn furniture, outdoor decorations, trash cans, potted and hanging plants, and [...]

During nice, warm weather, people become more active outdoors…and so do ticks! Ticks tend to live in moist environments, especially near wooded or grassy areas. They attach themselves to skin or clothing and take a free ride home with humans or pets.  Unfortunately, ticks can transmit several different diseases, including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain [...]

Rising temperatures can take a toll on our bodies. Usually, your body cools as perspiration evaporates off your skin. But on extremely hot days, evaporation slows and your body has to work harder to maintain a normal body temperature. The American Meteorological Society estimates that up to 1,000 people die each year from heat-related illnesses; [...]

Did you know that almost 60 percent of Americans live an area with unhealthy levels of air pollution? Just like a recipe, the atmosphere needs all the right ingredients to make ground-level ozone – a harmful air pollutant that is common during the summer months.  When the temperature rises and the sun is shining, heat [...]

Have you ever wanted to help keep your community by reporting severe weather?  SKYWARN is a volunteer network of nearly 290,000 trained severe weather spotters around the country.  SKYWARN spotters help keep their local communities safe by providing timely and accurate information to the National Weather Service about weather events like thunderstorms, winter weather and [...]

Although thunderstorms impact relatively small areas when compared to winter storms or hurricanes, they are still dangerous.  Thunderstorms can be accompanied by hail, strong winds and flash flooding; every thunderstorm is accompanied by lightning. Viewer Tip: In 2010, there have been eight lightning fatalities to date – all of them were outside when struck. Lightning [...]

Mosquitoes have always been a nuisance in the hot and rainy South, and some mosquitoes carry diseases such as malaria and West Nile Virus. On windy days, mosquitoes—which can fly at only a sluggish 1.5 miles per hour—are rarely seen. When winds die down at dawn and dusk, however, mosquitoes take flight to feed. The [...]

Earth Gauge Video is available for this tip. Millions of Americans will be heading outside over Memorial Day weekend and throughout the summer. As the temperature rises,  so does the risk for skin damage from the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays. More than one million cases of skin cancer are diagnosed each year in the U.S.  The [...]

May is National Bike Month and May 17-21, 2010 is Bike to Work Week.  The U.S. Department of Transportation estimates that there is one adult-sized bicycle per U.S. household, but few adults report taking a bike trip outdoors.  Taking your two-wheeler for a spin not only helps keep you healthy, it also saves money, reduces [...]