WARNING: SUMMER MAY BE HAZARDOUS TO YOUR HEALTH!


I get it! Summer is fast approaching, and we all want to celebrate the end of our Covid winter nightmare, despite the fact that Covid is far from over. But that's a topic for another newsletter. As the Gershwin brothers promised us: "Summertime and the livin is easy!" While the fish may not be jumpin as much due to climate change, most people are eager to go outside and enjoy the great weather. However, soaring temperatures and harsh sunlight can pose health hazards. And many of the leisure activities we look forward to in the haze of summer may also come with hidden dangers, especially the following:

1.  Heat-related Illnesses such as heat exhaustion and heatstroke are common summer health issues. Heat exhaustion come with many unfortunate symptoms, including increased pulse, dizziness, fatigue, muscle cramps, nausea and headache. Heat exhaustion can lead to heatstroke, a more severe condition that may require emergency medical care, without which you may damage your organs and muscles or, in the extreme, it could even be fatal. At a recent Fenway Park baseball game I attended, a young man in his 20's actually collapsed in his seat from heat exhaustion. Fortunately for him, Fenway's security and medical team were there in an instant. The rest of us may not be so lucky. We need to pay attention to the symptoms of heat exhaustion, seek cool shelter and hold off on any physical activities. Your body is telling you that it needs rest and hydration. Some of us are more prone to heat exhaustion than others. Children, older adults and people who are not used to high temperatures are more at risk for heat-related illnesses. All of us need to reserve outdoor physical activities for mornings or evenings, when the weather is coolest. High-intensity activities should be avoided during midday. As a former Little League coach and manager, I know first hand the benefits of scheduling all of our practices and games in late afternoon and early evening. It may seem obvious, but summer is the time to wear (and show off) your lightweight, flowy clothes. Save the tight and heavy outfits which retain heat for the winter months.

2.  Dehydration goes hand in hand with heat-related illnesses. If you don't stay hydrated in the summer heat, you most definitely will become dehydrated. A child or infant who is dehydrated won't shed tears while crying or may have sunken eyes or a dry mouth. 


This is especially important if you are active, engage in daily exercise routines, are ill, live in hot, humid climates or are pregnant.  The Mayo Clinic recommends drinking on average 8 glasses of water/day and supplementing our liquid hydration with fruits and vegetables that typically fill about 20% of our hydration needs, such as watermelon, strawberries. tomatoes, cucumbers, celery and lettuce.Dehydrated adults will feel fatigued and thirsty, possibly even resulting in dizziness or confusion. Dark-colored urine is a very common sign that you aren't drinking enough water. The solution is obvious: keep a water bottle nearby and use it often. 

3.  Food Poisoning affects an astonishing 25% of the U.S. population every year, according to the World Health Organization.  Sometimes, food poisoning is not of our doing but results from Salmonella present in some of our fruits and vegetables or Cronobacter in our infant formula or other dangerous bacteria found in meats and other food products. However, many of us cause our own food poisoning, mostly from bad hygiene habits and not following common sense.  If you are planning a picnic or a barbecue at a local park, beach or even in your own backyard, keep in mind that hot weather can affect the food you are bringing along or planning to serve.  If certain foods, including meat and dairy products, are left unrefrigerated for too long, bacterial growth will make them unsafe for consumption.  Any perishable food that has been left at room temperature (or warmer) should be disposed of immediately.  You may rave about Granny's fabulous potato salad, but if it hasn't all been eaten in two hours, you'll have to throw it out (preferably out of Granny's view).  Perishable food should be packed in a cooler along with plenty of ice.  And, when barbecuing, use a meat thermometer to ensure that grilled meat is at a safe temperature.


If you do develop a case of food poisoning, you'll likely have to deal with nausea, vomiting or diarrhea.  As stated above, drink plenty of clear fluids to avoid dehydration (room temperature water is best) and stick to bland food such as toast and unsalted broth until you start to feel better.  Of course, if the symptoms don't subside in 2-3 days, or if you have blood in your stools, you should seek medical attention.

4.  Sunburn is one of those summer health risks that can come with long-term consequences. Just a few sunburns will increase your risk of skin cancer. When I was in my teens, my friends and I all believed that a sunburn was the necessary price to pay to get a golden tan...and the darker the better! We were encouraged by our elder relatives, including my Great Aunts Sadie and Ida who lived near the North Shore beaches of Greater Boston and whose year-round bodies were not only tanned, but definitely wrinkled beyond repair! We even used baby oil, incorrectly thinking it was a safe way to speed up getting our bodies tanned. Of course, every dermatologist in America would cringe if they read this newsletter! Today, we know better. One in five Americans will develop skin cancer before they reach 70, many resulting from our "youthful indiscretions." Every hour, 1 American dies from Melanoma. According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD), just ONE childhood sunburn can increase your risk of skin cancer by 50%. Sun exposure is cumulative, and chronic overexposure to the sun can damage the integrity and health of your skin, hasten the aging process and lead to higher risk of skin cancer. Again, according to the AAD, while, there is no healthy way to tan, you should at least adopt these "better practices":

  • a. Apply sunscreen that blocks both UVB and UVA rays even on cloudy days because the sun's rays go through the cloud cover. The higher the SPF (sun protection factor), the longer you can stay in the sun until your skin starts to turn red. An SPF of 30-50 may protect most people for at least a couple of hours, but it should be reapplied every few hours, especially in high heat.
     
  • b. Avoid midday sun exposure. Stick to shady areas during these times. If you have had skin cancer or there is a history of it in your family, you should avoid most sun exposure.
     
  • c. Avoid taking long naps in the sun.
     
  • d. Wear clothing such as hats or long-sleeve cover-ups when you are in the full sun.


5.  Swimming Accidents can ruin an otherwise joyful summer experience, especially among children and young adults.  According to the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), approximately 300 children age 1-4 years old, drown every summer in a private swimming pool.  Drowning is the leading cause of death for young children, according to the National Safety Council, and the real tragedy is that most of these deaths are very preventable.  In the ocean, rip currents and rough waves can catch swimmers off guard and also lead to drowning. Stay safe on the beach by sticking to areas where lifeguards are present.  Heed any warnings about the weather or the water conditions.  When using a swimming pool, avoid running near the edge of the pool, where you could potentially slip.  Ensure that kids are playing safe and always have adult supervision. Lifeguards may be present, but they are not your babysitters; it is your responsibility to keep your eyes on your child.  Never consume alcohol or other substances when watching your child.  Always have a first aid kit handy; training in CPR is also advisable.  Drownings in pools and at beaches aren't the only hazard you may face.  Diving into shallow water, especially in residential pools, unfortunately results in too many tragic outcomes.  Again, according to the CPSC, there are approximately 1000 spinal cord injuries each year in the U.S. due to shallow water diving, mostly resulting in paralysis and mostly among males aged 15-25, 1/2 of whom have been drinking or consuming drugs at a pool party where there were NO WARNING SIGNS POSTED AT THE POOL.  I designed the following No Diving sign now recommended by the National Spa and Pool Institute and other organizations.


Given the age of most of those receiving diving injuries, a sign should be supplemented with repeated no diving oral warnings from the pool owners and other pool supervisors.  A safe rule to follow is to never dive into any body of water that is less than 9' deep.


These are not the only hazards you may confront this summer; amusement parks, for example, are the home of over 30,000 injuries/year that require a visit to an ER, but that is a story for another newsletter.  If you follow the above safety tips I provided for some very common summer hazards you may confront, I promise you will more likely than not have a joyful, injury-free summer of fun.

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TEXAS HILL COUNTRY FLOODS: DID WARNINGS FAIL VICTIMS?

By Dr. Gerald Goldhaber • August 7, 2025
From July 3–4, 2025, Central Texas—especially Kerr County and the Guadalupe River basin—experienced catastrophic flash flooding that claimed over 130 lives, including children and staff at Camp Mystic. As grief and outrage settle, survivors and officials alike are questioning whether enough was done to warn those most at risk.

TEXAS LEADS THE NATION: WARNING LABELS ON ADDITIVES

By Dr. Gerald Goldhaber • July 9, 2025
On June 22, 2025, Governor Greg Abbott signed Senate Bill 25 (SB25), known as the Make Texas Healthy Again Act. Beginning January 1, 2027, Texas will require prominent on-pack warning labels whenever food sold in the state contains any of 44 specific additives—including synthetic colorants like Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1, titanium dioxide, bleached flour, and partially hydrogenated oils. The mandated label must declare the following:

WARNING: FDA DELAYS IMPLEMENTATION OF RULE THAT WOULD REQUIRE NEW NUTRITION LABELING

By Dr. Gerald Goldhaber • May 27, 2025
The FDA is delaying implementation of a rule that would require food companies to print nutritional information on the front labels of their products. The proposed rule was developed by President Biden’s Administration, with a comment period scheduled to close on May 16. The rule is designed to help consumers make better choices to avoid chronic health problems. Such problems—and consumer choices about nutrition—are things President Trump’s Secretary of Health and Human Services, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has repeatedly touted. Even though hundreds of comments have been filed about the proposed rule, Kennedy’s Food and Drug Administration is delaying the close of the comment period by 60 days. Most of the comments filed so far have come from food companies and food industry trade organizations. “ A 60-day comment period extension allows adequate time for interested parties to submit comments while also not significantly delaying rulemaking on the important issues in the proposed rule ,” according to the FDA’s announcement about the delay. 

WARNING: THE GENDER BIAS IN CAR SAFETY TESTING PRESENTS AN ONGOING DANGER

By Dr. Gerald Goldhaber • April 30, 2025
Car accidents are a leading cause of injury and death worldwide, yet the safety measures designed to protect occupants in these life-or-death situations have long ignored a critical reality: women are more likely to be severely injured or killed in crashes than men. This disparity isn't rooted in biology alone—it’s also a result of a troubling oversight in the automotive industry’s safety testing protocols. For decades, crash-test dummies, which serve as proxies for human passengers in simulated collisions, have been modeled after the average male physique, leaving women out of the equation entirely. The Alarming Data Gap The implications of this gender gap in safety testing are both staggering and infuriating. Women, on average, have different body compositions than men—they tend to be shorter, lighter, and have different muscle distributions and bone densities. These physiological differences mean that women’s bodies interact with car safety features—such as seat belts, airbags, and headrests—in distinct ways. When vehicles aren’t tested with dummies that accurately represent female anatomy, crucial data about how to better protect women in crashes is simply ignored. Studies have revealed the dire consequences of this exclusion. Research from the University of Virginia found that women are 47% more likely to sustain serious injuries in car accidents compared to men, even when accounting for variables like seatbelt usage and crash severity. Women are also significantly more likely to suffer whiplash injuries due to the positioning of headrests, which are often designed with men’s neck dimensions in mind. These statistics aren’t just numbers—they represent lives cut short, families broken, and untold suffering that could have been mitigated with equitable safety testing.

WARNING: ARE MUSK, KENNEDY, AND TRUMP IGNORING THE GRAVE CONSEQUENCES OF SLASHING PUBLIC HEALTH FUNDING?

By Dr. Gerald Goldhaber • April 14, 2025
Recent budget cuts at the Health and Safety Science Services (HSSS) have sent shockwaves through the scientific and public health communities, threatening the very infrastructure designed to protect us from disease outbreaks, food contamination, and medical crises. These cuts have affected food inspectors, vaccine scientists, Alzheimer’s researchers, and experts studying bird flu, among others—positions that are essential to ensuring public safety and advancing critical medical research. The consequences of these decisions will be dire, potentially reversing years of progress and exposing society to increased health risks.

WARNING: IS ELON MUSK'S DEPARTMENT OF GOVERNMENT EFFICIENCY JEOPARDIZING AIR SAFETY?

By Dr. Gerald Goldhaber • March 12, 2025
As Elon Musk's Department of Government Efficiency (DGE) pushes for sweeping reforms and cost-cutting across federal agencies, concerns are mounting over the impact on critical public safety roles. Among the most alarming areas affected is the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), where staff reductions may threaten the lives of millions of air travelers. The DGE, established with a mandate to streamline government operations and reduce bureaucratic waste, has come under fire for its aggressive downsizing tactics. Critics warn that essential safety personnel, including air traffic controllers, are being cut under the guise of efficiency, leaving the nation's airspace dangerously understaffed.

WARNING: WILL TRUMP'S SURGEON GENERAL SUPPORT IMPROVED ALCOHOL WARNING LABELS?

By Dr. Gerald Goldhaber • February 11, 2025
Biden Administration former Surgeon General, Vivek Murthy, on his way out of office, issued a Surgeon General's Advisory calling for new warnings on alcoholic beverages related to the cancer risk from consuming alcoholic beverages. Given that most individuals are unaware of the connection that consumption of alcoholic beverages can increase the risk for at least seven types of cancer, Murthy said in his advisory: "Given the conclusive evidence on the cancer risk from alcohol consumption and the Office of the Surgeon General's responsibility to inform the American public of the best available scientific evidence, the Surgeon General recommends an update to the Surgeon General's warning label for alcohol-containing beverages to include a cancer risk warning."

WARNING: TRUMP'S RE-ELECTION MEANS A DEREGULATORY NIGHTMARE FOR CONSUMERS

By Dr. Gerald Goldhaber • December 2, 2024
In my best-selling book, Murder, Inc.: How Unregulated Industry Kills or Injures Thousands of Americans Every Year...And What You Can Do About It , I propose a safety triad consisting of three components: manufacturers, regulators and consumers. All three must function properly in order to keep us safe. Manufacturers must produce and market safe (or safe as possible) products and warn us about any potential hazards so that we can make informed choices about whether or not to purchase their product and/or how to use it safely. Regulators , by imposing and implementing necessary rules and regulations, should hold manufacturers accountable for the above stated actions and to endure that they engage in "principled disclosure" by warning us about any potential hazards and dangers associated with their products. And, finally, Consumers , especially in the absence of well-meaning manufacturers or competent, well-intentioned regulators, must be highly diligent by researching products and learning about potential hazards prior to buying and/or using them. All three, manufacturers, regulators and consumers, must perform their jobs or the safety triad may fail to protect us and our loved ones. Think of a three-legged stool that distributes the weight of a person sitting on the stool, equally among the three legs. But what would happen if we leaned heavily to one side of the stool, essentially spreading the weight that was once borne by three legs to the two legs remaining braced to the floor. Unfortunately the third leg is no longer contributing to the stability of the stool, which may actually collapse because the two remaining legs may not be able to handle the amount of weight that was intended to be equally distributed among all three legs. 

WARNING: FDA RECOMMENDS REMOVING POPULAR DECONGESTANT FROM MARKET

By Dr. Gerald Goldhaber • November 15, 2024
If you or anyone in your family has used, uses or plans to use such over the counter (OTC) remedies for the flu or common cold as Theraflu, Robitussin, NyQuil, DayQuil, Mucinex, Sudafed or even some versions of Tylenol or Advil, you may want to read this newsletter very carefully.

WARNING: SOCIAL MEDIA IS ASSOCIATED WITH SIGNIFICANT MENTAL HEALTH HARMS FOR ADOLESCENTS

By Gerald Goldhaber • October 2, 2024
In an unprecedented, but, according to many social scientists and parents, a long overdue action, Surgeon General Vivek Murthy, in a June editorial in the New York Times, called for a warning label to be placed on all social media platforms. In the words of the Surgeon General:
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