Reduced resources in environmental health departments ‘putting public at risk’
- 23 November 2018
Cuts to environmental health departments are putting the public at “high risk of harm”, according to the Unison Tipping Point Study. The study used Freedom of Information requests to local authorities and a Scotland-wide survey of UNISON members working in environmental health departments to examine the impact of austerity in areas such as food safety […]
Supermarket bakeries found to give incorrect allergen information
- 22 November 2018
Three supermarket chains have given confusing or incorrect information on allergens in their bakeries, the BBC Watchdog has found. Branches of Asda, Sainsbury's and Tesco gave wrong or unclear details to the undercover reporters from the BBC’s consumer programme. The reporters visited 24 supermarket bakeries, five of which showed cause for concern. The retailers said […]
Sanitary Science Class of 1978 – Celebrate their 40th Napier College Reunion
- 22 November 2018
On the 27 October 2018, a group of 7 students and a lecturer from a small class of 13 students gathered for a meal in Edinburgh to celebrate 40 years since they all met for the first time as first year students attending the block release course of Sanitary Science at Napier College. The date […]
Fresh strategy to tackle alcohol harm
- 22 November 2018
Curbs on the marketing of alcoholic drinks to protect children are included in new plans to tackle alcohol harm. The Scottish Government’s ‘Alcohol Framework 2018: Preventing Harm’, includes proposals to consult on alcohol marketing such as public spaces and online. Under the framework, the UK Government will be pressed to impose a 9pm watershed for […]
London’s low emission zone shows little impact on children’s respiratory health
- 22 November 2018
Large-scale Low Emission Zones (LEZs) can deliver improvements in urban air quality and these can be linked to changes in childhood respiratory health. However, more ambitious schemes are required to meet legislative limits and deliver improvements to respiratory health, according to a study in the Lancet Public Health journal. The study looked into the impact of […]
A third of EU laws protecting the environment could be lost Post-Brexit, MPs warn
- 19 November 2018
MPs have called on the Government to strengthen the commitments made in its 25-year Environment Plan in order to prepare for the event of a no-deal Brexit scenario, claiming that the UK is currently at risk of losing one-third of green legislation if no agreement with the EU is agreed. After writing a report citing […]
Review of Clean Air for Scotland announced
- 18 November 2018
An independent review of “Cleaner Air for Scotland- The Road to a Healthier Future” has been announced. Cleaner Air for Scotland – The Road to a Healthier Future (CAFS) is Scotland’s first strategy specifically dedicated to tackling the issue in Scotland – previous strategies were conducted on a UK basis – was published in November 2015. […]
Two takeaway workers jailed over allergy death
- 13 November 2018
The owner and manager of a takeaway, have been jailed for manslaughter after a teenage girl died when the meal she ordered carried peanuts. Mohammed Abdul Kuddus and Harun Rashid, who ran Royal Spice in Lancashire, who were found guilty in October, have been jailed for two years and three years respectively at Manchester Crown […]
UK resident dies from rabies after being bitten by a cat bite in Morocco
- 13 November 2018
Public Health England (PHE) has announced that a UK resident has sadly died after becoming infected with rabies following a cat bite during a visit to Morocco. They said that while there was no risk to the wider public, as a precautionary measure, health workers and close contacts of the person who died were being […]
Scottish Government campaign launched to tackle puppy farming
- 12 November 2018
The Scottish Government has launched a campaign highlighting the pitfalls of buying illegally bred puppies. Buy a Puppy Safely campaign will focus on raising awareness of the tactics used by illegal breeders to deceive buyers. Research shows that Scots are more likely to buy an illegally-bred puppy than they might think, with only 24% of […]
Pret a Manger’s allergy labelling ‘inadequate’, baguette death inquest finds
- 22 October 2018
Pret a Manger’s allergy labelling was inadequate, the coroner in the case of a girl who died after eating a baguette from the food chain has said. Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, 15, died after eating a Pret a Manger artichoke and olive tapenade baguette bought from Heathrow Airport in 2016. She had severe allergies to many foods […]
New WHO noise guidelines for Europe
- 22 October 2018
On 10 October 2018, the World Health Organisation (WHO) published ‘Environmental noise guidelines for the European region’. The guidelines have been developed, based on the growing understanding of these health impacts of exposure to environmental noise. The main purpose of these guidelines is to provide recommendations for protecting human health from exposure to environmental noise […]
