Gas Mask Bra Wins Public Health Prize

Introducing, the gas mask bra. Just when you think you’ve seen it all, something like this comes along. A brassiere that converts quickly into a gas mask.

The IgNobel Public Health prize went to Elena Bodnar of Hinsdale, Illinois and colleagues who designed and patented a bra that can be quickly converted into a pair of gas masks, one for the brassiere wearer and one to be given to some needy bystander.

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n95 Respirator Masks Best for Swine Flu Health Workers

Because people can catch the new H1N1 swine flu by inhaling the virus, health-care workers who deal with flu patients should wear properly fitted N95 disposable respirator masks, a new report from the Institute of Medicine advises.

These masks are not the same as loosely fitted surgical masks. N95 respirators fit tightly around the mouth and nose and have filters that can block about 95 percent of the flu virus, according to the report released Thursday.

Purchasing n95 Masks

If you’re contemplating purchasing n95 masks, my suggestion is to purchase them now while the prices are low and there is plenty of inventory. During an actual epidemic supplies can become scarce quickly and prices will no doubt spike. Reliable masks can be purchased through our recommended supplier, Nitro-pak.

Nitro-pak Website

“The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for protection of health-care workers during an H1N1 outbreak have been that those in close contact with people who have H1N1 flu should wear N95 respirators,” said Dr. Kenneth I. Shine, chair of the Committee on Respiratory Protection for Healthcare Workers in the Workplace Against Novel H1N1 Influenza A.

The Institute evaluated the effectiveness of N95 respirators and medical masks in protecting wearers from the H1N1 flu at the request of the CDC and other government agencies.

“We saw a fair amount of evidence that suggests that this virus can be transmitted through the air,” said Shine, who is also executive vice chancellor for health affairs at the University of Texas. “How much of transmission is due to that is still an unproven issue and needs a lot of research.”

Shine noted that the virus is also transmitted by person-to-person contact and by contact with surfaces that have been exposed to the virus. Hence, the advice to wash hands often.

Tests showed that the protection provided by N95 masks was eight to 12 times greater than that offered by surgical masks, the report said.

In addition, tests of surgical masks show wide variations in protection. They can filter from 4 percent to as much as 90 percent of the virus, but there is no way of controlling leakage around the edges of the mask, Shine said.

Source

DHS Certifies Handheld Biodetection Kits For Counter-Terrorism

Universal Detection Technology, a developer of early-warning monitoring technologies to protect people from bioterrorism and other infectious health threats and provider of counter-terrorism consulting and training services, reported today that its handheld biodetection kits have been certified by the Department of Homeland Security as an “Approved Product for Homeland Security” under the Support Anti-terrorism by Fostering Effective Technologies (SAFETY) Act of 2002.

The SAFETY Act provides incentives for the development and deployment of anti-terrorism technologies by creating a system of “risk management” and a system of “litigation management.” The purpose of the act is to ensure that the threat of liability does not deter potential manufacturers or sellers of anti-terrorism technologies from developing and commercializing technologies that could save lives.

The handheld detection kits have been extensively used by first responders and private industry throughout the country. The equipment has been evaluated by the U.S. DOD, as well as by the United Kingdom military. The equipment’s capacities feature the following:

• No cross-reactivity with near neighbor strains
• No cross-reactivity to household powders
• No set up time
• No expensive reader needed
• No decontamination requirements
• No false positives
• No false negatives
• No hook effect

“The size and ease of use of these kits makes them ideal for emergency situations where time is of the essence,” says Jacques Tizabi, UNDT’s Chief Executive Officer. “UNDT’s kits are some of the most user friendly and accurate products currently on the market.”

Source

Earthbox Container Home Gardening Kit

Earthbox is an innovative approach to container gardening. You can double your yields of vegetables, fruits, herbs and flowers with less fertilizer, less watering, and no weeding at all.

During uncertain times there are a handful of industries and products do well, and for some very good reasons. Among them, home gardening tops the list.

Just $50-75.00 invested in seeds and fertilizer can yield about $1500 worth of produce, which is a significant return on your investment. It takes a little bit of time and effort, but it’s not difficult, and during an emergency it can provide a fresh, nutritional source of supplemental food for you and your family.

The Public News Service quotes the National Gardening Association (NGA) as saying that they expect a nearly 20% increase in personal home gardens across the U.S.this year. In fact, the NGA says at least 9 million Americans will grow vegetable gardens for the first time ever in 2009 and an estimated 43 million Americans will plant their own personal vegetable gardens this year.

During World War II, Victory Gardens were a common sight. These gardens consisted of small plots of land, allotments, tubs of soil or sections of lawn prepared to grow fruits and vegetables so that private citizens could utilize some of their own food supply, in order that the nation’s farmed goods could support the war effort. It’s been estimated that these urban gardens produced about 40 percent of the produce consumed in the United States during that war.

Surprisingly to many people, it doesn’t take a lot of land to produce a robust, productive vegtable garden. Thanks to products such as Eartbox, many people with little or no land at all are able to grow incredible gardens in some very unique spaces such as driveways, garages, rooftops and elsewhere.

Container vegetable gardening is becoming increasingly popular and Earthbox makes it easy, enabling people with little gardening experience to become successful and confident food growers.

Read Earthbox Reviews On Amazon

Complete Guide to Understanding, Preventing and Surviving Terrorism

Homeland Security: A Complete Guide to Understanding, Preventing and Surviving Terrorism is the authoritative textbook on one of the most important topics facing our nation.

From complex policy issues to common terrorist tactics, Homeland Security provides a practical foundation for professionals, students, and concerned citizens alike. Designed for readers who need to understand both the “big picture” and their own roles in the war against terror, the book provides a clear, comprehensive and fascinating overview of an increasingly complex and misunderstood topic.

This indispensable reference, filled with fascinating real-life examples and tips, covers the basics of homeland security such as: national strategies and principles; federal, state and local roles; terrorist history and tactics; cyber-terrorism; business preparedness; critical infrastructure protection; weapons of mass destruction; and key policy issues. Perfect for academic and training classrooms, each chapter includes an overview, learning objectives, source document, discussion topic, summary, and quiz.

Media Reviews: “Homeland Security is much more than a textbook. It is an indispensable reference resource for those seeking to understand how terrorists operate and the structures and mechanisms that have been developed to respond to the magnitude of the terrorist threats confronting us”

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SteriPEN Handheld Emergency Water Purifier – Review

Steripen is a “must have” for any 72 hour kit, go bag or emergency kit. In almost any emergency, having an available supply of safe, clean water is a top priority.

It’s the perfect tool to insure you and your family have safe drinking water in an emergency. The SteriPEN uses ultraviolet light to purify water so there is no chemical taste, odor or risky side-effects. I’ve tried a number of purifiers and while most work as promised in purifying the water, the taste is often times so bad the water is virtually undrinkable.

SteriPENs are validated by the most extensive library of testing of any portable water treatment method. Multiple laboratories have proven that it’s ultra-violet light eliminates viruses, bacteria, and protozoa to keep your drinking water safe in an emergency. In fact, every unit is tested before packaging to insure that it exceeds the UV output standard to keep your family safe.

SteriPEN is easy to use in baby bottles, a glass in your hotel room or restaurant, or commercial water bottles and it will protect your pet’s water as well. Most people are not aware that pets won’t drink chemically treated water. With a SteriPEN, you’re carrying hundreds of gallons of pure water in your pocket, purse , glove box, or emergency kit.

It weighs just 8 ounces with four AA, disposable batteries and will purify 16 ounces of water in 48 seconds, or 32 ounces in 90 seconds. The ultraviolet light (UV)  actually destroys the DNA of microorganisms, making  them unable to reproduce and cause illness. It’s effective against outdoor microbes like giardia and cryptosporidium; pathogens that cause diarrhea, dysentery, hepatitis, and Legionnaire’s Disease; household germs such as bird flu, E. coli, and salmonella; staph and strep; and natural-disaster risks like botulism, cholera, smallpox, and typhoid.

No pumping, no chemicals, no test strips, no timekeeping, no lubricating, and no replacement filters are required. All that is required is to push the water purifier’s button (once for 32 ounces, twice for 16 ounces), place the pen-like lamp in clear water, and stir until an indicator light turns green. Water has no aftertaste after being purified.

It’s simple to use, easy to store and could save your life in an emergency.

For more information, or to order ;

Steripen Info and pricing at Amazon.com

Free Shipping via Nitro-pak using this link

Emergency This Book Will Save Your Life

Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life, a new book by author Neil Strauss was released today. The book follows the “lessons learned” by Strauss as he spent several years researching individual emergency preparedness and what to do in a worst-case scenario.

Terrorist attacks. Natural disasters. Domestic crackdowns. Economic collapse. Riots. Wars. Disease. Starvation.

What can you do when when there is no one to turn to, no one to help…. You’re on your own in a major crisis or emergency?

You can learn to be self-sufficient and survive without the system.

**I’ve started to look at the world through apocalypse eyes.** So begins Neil Strauss’s harrowing new book: his first full-length worksince the international bestseller The Game, and one of the most original-and provocative-narratives of the year.

After the last few years of violence and terror, of ethnic and religious hatred, of tsunamis and hurricanes–and now of world financial meltdown–Strauss, like most of his generation, came to the sobering realization that, even in America, anything can happen. But rather than watch helplessly, he decided to do something about it. And so he spent three years traveling through a country that’s lost its sense of safety, equipping himself with the tools necessary to save himself and his loved ones from an uncertain future.

It’s one man’s story of a dangerous world–and how to stay alive in it.

I’ll review the book within the next couple of weeks and possibly give away a few copies in an upcoming promotion on the Homeland Security Response Network site.

We’ve also added a discussion in the forum.

Available at Amazon.com

Brad Thor ‘The Last Patriot’

Let me start by saying this, Brad Thor is one of the bravest men I know. He is cut from the cloth of an era when men stood up for what they believed in. He is unafraid and unflinching in his commitment to do and say what he believes is honorable and right.

Samuel Johnson said, “courage is reckoned the greatest of all virtues; because, unless a man has that virtue, he has no security for preserving any other”.  Brad Thor has courage.

From the first page to the last, his newest book, The Last Patriot grabs your attention and holds it relentlessly with a passion that is unequaled in the political thriller genre. Read more