High blood pressure is called ‘the silent killer’ because – if leftuntreated – it can lead to heart attack or stroke.The condition is also linked to kidney disease…and African-Americansare at a very high risk. Now, a study is underway to figure out thebest way to manage high blood pressure and kidney disease in thisparticularly sensitive group. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s JoanSiefert Rose reports:
Month: October 1998
Utilities Bear Cost of New Regulations
The Environmental Protection Agency is requiring 22 states to reduceemissions that lead to smog. The states will likely go after electricpower plants that burn fossil fuels. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’sLester Graham reports that the power companies say they’re beingtargeted unfairly and the consumer cost will be high:
Cows Assist in Gene Production
New bio-tech medicines are moving from the laboratory to the milkbarn. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports thatcows are being used in cutting edge technology:
Therapeutic Diapers
Each year in the United States, about four-hundred thousand fulltermbabies will be treated for jaundice. Since a baby’s liver and otherorgans aren’t fully developed, they often can’t process a substancecalled bilirubin (billy-roo-bin). The bilirubin causes a yellowishtinge to the skin and is usually treated with phototherapy.Now, one woman has found a way to speed up this process. The GreatLakes Radio Consortium’s Wendy Nelson reports:
Paradise Lost
The effects of climate change are being felt around the world. And asGreat Lakes Radio Consortium’s Commentator Suzanne Elston hasdiscovered, even the greatest of our national landmarks cannot escapethe impact of human activity:
Casting for Recovery
When a woman is diagnosed with breast cancer, she often feelsisolated. That’s why so many breast cancer survivors turn to supportgroups. Most are in church basements or classrooms. But the GreatLakes Radio Consortium’s Karen Kelly visited a group that seeks solaceoutside – on the banks of a trout stream.
Gizmo Pest Control
As more people become interested in alternatives to pesticides, theconcept of Integrated Pest Management is growing. The idea started inagriculture as a way for farmers to reduce or eliminate pesticides. ButIntegrated Pest Management – or I-P-M – is making inroads in the home.One group of products that are becoming more popular are specialtydevices that use things like negative ions and ultra-sonic waves torepel pests. But how well do they work? The Great Lakes RadioConsortium’s Wendy Nelson investigates:
Disagreements Over Manure Runoff Policy
Environmentalists are concerned that big business agriculture will weaken a government proposal to reduce pollution. The federal government’s proposal would make large farm feedlots come up with a management plan to dispose of animal manure. The Great Lakes RadioConsortium’s Lester Graham reports that some farm groups are fighting it:
Screening Out Exotics
Efforts to find new technology to stop the spread of exotic speciesentering the Great Lakes continue, even as some worry that a virus-basedthreat could make its way here. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s MikeSimonson has more:
Laser Traces Jet Pollution
They’ve been used in cosmetic surgery, military technology or even justto play tag. But one of the latest uses for lasers is shining somelight on the way jet engines pollute. The Great Lakes RadioConsortium’s Wendy Nelson reports: