Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.health From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: health Mon, Jun 8 1992 Date: Mon, 8 Jun 92 05:19:51 EDT Message-ID: 06-08 0000 DECISIONLINE: Health USA TODAY Update June 8, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network NOT ALL SUN PROTECTION ADEQUATE: A Senate Governmental Affairs subcommittee said Friday that not all sunglasses and sunscreens are equal and that sunglasses do not completely block harmful ultraviolet A and B rays. Ultraviolet B rays have been linked to skin cancer and increased risk of cataracts. Some animal research shows the rays may affect the immune system and make it easier to become and remain ill. (For more, see special Sun package below.) KEVORKIAN MAY BE CHARGED AGAIN: Jack Kevorkian may be near a fourth indictment on murder charges after Michigan chief deputy medical examiner Kanu Virani ruled Friday that last month's death of Susan Williams, 52, a Clawson, Mich., woman who had multiple sclerosis, was a homicide. Oakland County Prosecutor Richard Thompson has not announced whether Kevorkian will be charged. JUDGE AWARDS BENEFITS: An administrative law judge decided last week that gay San Francisco police inspector Thomas Cady is entitled to benefits because he got the AIDS virus when bitten and splashed with blood during a 1984 arrest. Cady won $50,547 for disability and medical treatment and $25,000 a year retirement pay. ANTIBIOTIC RECALLED: A new antibiotic called Omniflox, sold by Abbott Laboratories, is being recalled after 50 reports of severe reactions, including three deaths. The drug, prescribed for infections of the lower respiratory system, the urinary tract and prostate gland, and the skin, was approved by the Food and Drug Administration in January. Patients who have the drug should call their doctors. FDA EXAMINES TEFLON JAW SAFETY: The safety of a Teflon jaw implant manufactured by the bankrupt Vitek Inc. is being questioned by the Food and Drug Administration, which is trying to locate and notify patients. Doctors testified before a congressional subcommittee that some jaw implants disintegrate, causing swelling, pain and deformity. IRON OVERDOSES RAISE CONCERN: Overdoses of iron supplements killed 16 children from 1983 to 1990, and 11 deaths were reported in 1991, says a report in the current issue of the journal Pediatrics. Toxicologist Dr. Toby Litovitz says parents should lock up or remove dangerous items children might find, such as pesticides, kerosene, lighter fluid, and antidepressants. TANNING DOLL DRAWS FIRE: Hasbro Inc. has drawn criticism from doctors for its new Cabbage Patch doll that develops a tan in the sun. "Does it develop a few little melanomas?" asks Dr. Amy E. Newburger. In response to the complaints, Hasbro now includes a brochure with the dolls recommending sunscreen use for children. Melanoma claims 9,000 U.S. lives annually. PROGRAMS FOR ELDERLY HONORED: The American Association of Retired Persons and the U.S. Office of Health Promotion and Disease Prevention have recognized 14 health promotion programs around the country that improve the lives of older people. Among the programs noted were the Oregon University Extension's Mental Health and Aging Series and California's Senior Healthtrac of Blue Shield. CANCER GROUP CALLS FOR REFORM: People living with a diagnosis of cancer gathered on National Cancer Survivors Day Sunday to urge national leaders to push for health care reform. The National Coalition for Cancer Survivorship released a statement calling for nationally funded health care, citing the lack of universal health insurance coverage and restrictions placed on pre-existing conditions. SPECIAL PACKAGE ON SUN: FDA RULES STILL FORTHCOMING: Many sunscreens and sunglasses don't adequately protect people from the harmful effects of the sun and fail to provide consumers with enough information, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., said Friday. Lieberman, who primarily blamed consumer confusion about sun protection on the Food and Drug Administration, said that after 14 years the FDA has yet to issue sunscreen regulations. FDA DEFENDS SUNSCREEN APPROACH: Lieberman also questioned the FDA's reliance on sunglass manufacturers' compliance with voluntary rules on lens coatings to protect eyes from ultraviolet light. FDA officials Elizabeth Jacobsen and Dr. Michael Weintraub said the agency's approach to sunscreens and sunglasses is working and that the agency is preparing sunscreen regulations. SUNSCREEN PROTECTION NOT TOTAL: Consumers should be aware that sunscreens increase the time people can remain outside, but they don't block all rays, say FDA officials. They add that overexposure to the sun can occur before a sunburn does and the sun protection provided by sunglasses varies. The FDA would like to do more regarding sunscreen and sunglasses, says the FDA's Dr. Michael Weintraub. (End of package.) Health Editor: Christopher Goldthwaite. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM