Category Archives: News

What if the BP Gulf oil spill had occurred in Hawaii?

July 14, 2010 Genevive Bjorn 1 Comment

What would Hawaii look like if the BP Gulf oil spill had happened here instead of Louisiana?

I wondered which islands would it effect, given the spill’s current size, and found an interactive map that moves the spill to any location. Disturbingly, if the spill was centered in Honolulu, it would coat O’ahu, Kaua’i, Moloka’i and Maui.

If the spill grows as expected, it would reach all of the islands within a few weeks. It would be an epic disaster, given our rare and endangered plant and animal life, dependency on beach tourism, and general reliance on the ocean for food and recreation. Perhaps this puts into better perspective what the people in the Gulf are suffering.

Family, Health, News

Which Sunscreens Work Best? Not What You Think.

July 13, 2010 Genevive Bjorn 1 Comment

Summer’s here and strong sun in Hawaii means higher risk for skin problems, but which sunscreens really work, especially on children and people with sensitive skin? The Environment Working Group (EWG) recently released its ratings of beach and sport sunscreens.

EWG reviewed over 500 products and found only a few sunscreens worthy of top marks, including Badger Sunscreen for Face and Body Unscented SPF 30, California Baby Sunscreen Lotion Unscented SPF 30 and UV Natural Sunscreen SPF 30+. The best sunscreens share a few factors common, according to their website:

Our top-rated sunscreens all contain the minerals zinc or titanium. They are the right choice for people who are looking for the best UVA protection without any sunscreen chemical considered to be a potential hormone disruptor. None of the products contain oxybenzone or vitamin A and none are sprayed or powdered.

What Doesn’t Work

The EWG took its ratings of sunscreens and created a list of the worst products as well, a sunscreen hall of shame. Products at the bottom of their list include Banana Boat Baby Max Protect SPF 100, Peter Thomas Roth Instant Mineral Powder SPF 30 and Hawaiian Tropic Baby Creme Lotion SPF 50. The EWG especially scorns products claiming UVA protection that don’t deliver as well as powder products.

Coming Soon: New FDA Regulations on UVA Sunscreen

The FDA has been hashing out new guidelines for sunscreens since 2007. Currently UVB, the sun’s burning rays, are labelled using the SPF (sun protection factor) system. If a sunscreen claims SPF 30, that means that it takes 30 times as long to burn as it would without sunscreen. For example, a person who burns in five minutes unprotected would burn in 150 minutes wearing an SPF 30 sunscreen.

The problem is lack of a clear standard for labeling protection from UVA radiation, the kind that causes many cancers. Sunscreens will say on the package if they contain UVA protection, but their is no clear way for consumers to know exactly how much UVA protection the product actually contains. So the proposed guidelines would label UVA protection with a star rating system, where one star is the lowest and five stars the highest.

But the problem with the star rating system is that most dermatologists agree that the amount of UVA protection represented by three stars under the new rules is really the safe minimum. European regulators recognized this minimum and have taken a different approach to UVA labeling in sunscreens. In 2008, they established a safe minimum below which a product cannot claim UVA protection.

Today on KQED the program, Forum, aired a discussion of the issue of which sunscreens work best and what the proposed labeling to UVA protection really mean. The archived program is available here.

Weather

Hawaii’s HAM radio operators work through tsunami

February 27, 2010 Genevive Bjorn 1 Comment

The Pacific Tsunami Warning Center says all coastal areas in Hawaii are vulnerable and urging people to stay away from beaches. Phone and cell lines are clogged, and HAM radio operators throughout the state are stepping in using nearly century-old technology to ensure emergency communications get through, according to Diane Bryant, and HAM radio operator on Maui, who suggests that what’s newer isn’t always better.

Bryant elaborates, “Many phone calls can not be returned, sorry, lines are sporatic at best due to high traffic and messages are garbled.

As many of you know I am an emergency HAM radio operator and I will be very busy today with the Emergency Operating Centers (EOCs).

I heard no siren this morning, either slept through it at 6 am or it is not audible at my location. I have been asked by the Oahu EOC to see if I can hear the 10 am siren. It’s 10:10 and I heard nothing. Not good.

My landlord Lyn owns Kihei Rent a Car and is staying on low ground till the last minute renting cars to people who need to get out of Kihei.”