The nail salon industry has been booming nationwide in the last few decades and employs a large number of immigrant Asian women of childbearing age. Unfortunately, most beauty products are rarely tested for safety and products used in the nail salons contain a wide variety of toxic chemicals such as toluene and formaldehyde in nail polishes. These chemicals are known to cause headaches, nausea, dizziness, cancer, and birth defects. Since most Boston nail salon workers are immigrant Vietnamese women of reproductive age, their exposure to these harmful chemicals is of real concern.

Brandeis University students from the Environmental Health and Justice program recently conducted a study to assess the indoor air quality in nail salons around Boston. This project was done in collaboration with the Boston Public Health Commission’s Safe Nail Salon Project and Viet-AID. The main objectives were to measure the amount of toxic chemical exposure to the workers in the nail salons and the factors that influence the exposure.  They set out to measure the amount of toxins (volatile organic compounds,  “VOCs”), particulate matter and carbon dioxide in order to understand the ventilation rates. The students found out that most of the nail salons were poorly ventilated and had high levels of toxic chemicals and particulate matter that the workers were exposed to for long hours on a daily basis.

The students recommend that the nail salons open doors and windows when the weather permits and if possible, invest in better ventilation equipment to reduce exposure to the chemicals. They also felt it was critical to encourage policy makers to discourage the production and use of toxic chemicals in nail salon products, and encourage manufactures to produce healthier alternatives. A full report is expected in the Spring, 2012. In the meantime, Brandeis students will continue to work with Viet-AID, the Boston Public Health Commission’s Safe Nail Salon Project in partnering with salons to improve air quality, working conditions, and public safety throughout the city.

For more information about the Boston Public Health Commission’s Safe Nail Salon Project, and to download free educational materials and videos, visit www.bphc.org/safenails or call 617-534-5965.

Meda Kisivuli is an intern at BPHC and a student at Brandeis University majoring in Environmental Studies & Health: Science, Society and Policy.

Mayor Menino launched the Boston Redevelopment Authority‘s Fairmount Indigo Planning Initiative today at the Strand Theater. (You can read the press release from the event here.)

This initiative will help to create a vision for economic development along a nine-mile corridor stretching from South Station to Readville that is home to over 90,000 Boston residents. The area includes Hyde Park, Roxbury, Mattapan, and sections of Dorchester.

With four new MBTA stations coming on line in the next three years, the BRA’s initiative is well timed to capitalize on this investment by shaping local economic growth and spurring physical improvements along the corridor. The planning process will yield a comprehensive plan for economic development and physical improvement that will help stimulate the local economy.

This is also great news because good planning promotes good health.

When the “built environment” is safer, more live-able, and encourages walking, biking, and public transit use, residents are more physically active and experience lower rates of obesity and related chronic diseases. By pairing transportation improvements with a plan that will create jobs and opportunity, this planning process can ultimately improve many of the conditions that impact the health of some of Boston’s most vulnerable residents.

The vast scope of this plan creates a great opportunity for residents to identify needs in their neighborhoods and work with planners to find solutions that can promote a healthy local economy and healthier residents.

The BRA is seeking nominations for Advisory Groups that will help shape the vision for the corridor and individual station areas.  As the initiative moves forward, residents of the area will be strongly encouraged to participate in the process and share their vision.

For much more information about the initiative and for opportunities to get involved, visit http://www.fairmountindigoplanning.org/.

PJ McCann, Esq., is a policy analyst in our Office of Intergovernmental Relations.

LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION!

The Boston Public Health Commission is bringing blockbuster action to the big – and small – screen to recruit volunteers for the Boston Medical Reserve Corps. Whether it’s a flu clinic or a city-wide emergency, Boston MRC volunteers are ready when needed to keep Boston safe and healthy.

Volunteers may be called upon to help the city of Boston during public health emergencies, to staff flu clinics, for example, or during large special events like the Fourth of July and the Boston Marathon.

And you don’t even have to be a doctor – or a stuntman! Like the characters in the spot, MRC volunteers are everyday Bostonians, with both medical and non-medical backgrounds.

The lighthearted spot, with cameo appearances by Boston EMS, the Boston Police Department, and Boston MedFlight, will run at the AMC Boston Common 19 and the Regal Fenway 13 through March 8, 2012; as a PSA on local broadcast and cable channels; and on a computer screen near you.

To learn more about volunteering or to sign up, visit www.BostonMRC.org.

Katinka Podmaniczky is the assistant communications director for the Public Health Commission.

Valentine’s Day has us thinking of sweets! But your first thought may be ”too many unhealthy calories.”

The good news is there is a sweet, dark chocolate which is healthy. A large study out of Harvard, published in 2010, found that women who ate about three ounces of chocolate a day had a 32 percent lower risk of heart failure than women who ate no chocolate.

We gain these benefits because chocolate is made from plants, which means it contains many of the health benefits of dark vegetables and some fruits. Dark chocolate is naturally rich in flavonoids (or more specifically, flavanols, a sub-class of these antioxidants).

• These compounds have been shown to relax and lower blood pressure and help protect against heart disease.
• A small bar (about three ounces) everyday can help keep your heart and cardiovascular system running well.
• Dark chocolate has also been shown to reduce LDL cholesterol (the bad cholesterol) by up to 10 percent.

Select dark chocolate that has 65 percent or higher cocoa content, because that means far more antioxidants than milk or white chocolate. Milk and white chocolate cannot make any health claims, because they contain greater percentages of cocoa butter fat. In actuality, by definition, white chocolate is not actually chocolate. White chocolate contains cocoa butter, a product of the cocoa bean that is also used to produce chocolate. The cocoa butter, which does have a faint chocolate flavor, is combined with milk, sugar, and flavoring ingredients such as vanilla in order to create the creamy confection known as white chocolate.

So for the most flavor and health benefits stick to dark chocolate.

Chocolate also holds benefits apart from protecting your heart:

• it tastes good
• it stimulates endorphin production, which gives a feeling of pleasure
• it contains serotonin, which acts as an anti-depressant

Now you might be asking yourself…

Doesn’t Chocolate Have a lot of Fat?

Here is some more good news – some of the fats in chocolate do not impact your cholesterol. The fats in chocolate are 1/3 oleic acid, 1/3 stearic acid and 1/3 palmitic acid:

• Oleic Acid is a healthy monounsaturated fat that is also found in olive oil.
• Stearic Acid is a saturated fat but one which research is shows has a neutral effect on cholesterol.
• Palmitic Acid is also a saturated fat, one which raises cholesterol and heart disease risk.

That means only 1/3 of the fat in dark chocolate is bad for you.

Here are a few tips to keep in mind as we indulge on Valentine’s Day.

- Balance the calories:

Just because dark chocolate has some health benefits, doesn’t mean that you should eat a pound of chocolate. Chocolate is still a high-calorie, high-fat food. Most of the research that indicates the benefits used no more than 3.5 ounces of dark chocolate a day.

One bar of dark chocolate has around 400 calories. If you eat half a bar of chocolate a day, you must balance at least 200 calories by eating less of something else. Cut out other sweets or snacks and replace them with chocolate to keep your total calories the same.

- Skip the nougats and other fillings:

You should look for pure dark chocolate or dark chocolate with nuts, orange peel, or other flavorings. Avoid anything with caramel, nougat, or fillings. These fillings are just adding sugar and fat which erase many of the benefits you get from eating the chocolate.

- Avoid Milk with chocolate:

It may taste good, but some research shows that washing your chocolate down with a glass of milk could prevent the antioxidants being absorbed or used by your body. The findings indicate that milk may interfere with the absorption of antioxidants from chocolate … and may therefore negate the potential health benefits that can be derived from eating moderate amounts of dark chocolate.

The good news is, when the urge to eat chocolate strikes, it’s fine to allow ourselves an occasional ounce of flavanol-rich dark chocolate. We do, however, want to be careful of the other chocolate treats that may contain lots of calories.

Try making these lower fat versions of some of our favorite chocolate treats. They’ll make us feel good, and it may even do some good, too:

Low Fat Chocolate Truffles
Reduced-Fat Chocolate Pudding
Chocolate Dipped Strawberries
Low Fat Chocolate Chip Cookies
Low Fat Fudge Brownies

Kathy Cunningham is a registered dietitian at the Boston Public Health Commission.

Score songs yourself here.

We think it is important to review music lyrics, because people often sing along or play songs without realizing what it means. We aren’t saying that you shouldn’t listen to certain songs because they may not have a healthy message, but it is important to be able to recognize that a song, although it may be your favorite, may not have a positive message.

One thing we noticed is that in the Healthy songs, all of the couples were enjoying themselves and they were resolving their conflicts if they even had any. This year we found “Marvin’s Room” by Drake to be the unhealthiest within unhealthy scores of thirty-three out of fifty. It was unhealthy because of its sexual references, disrespectful language to the partner, drama, and mentions of manipulation. The lyrics are degrading and display a lot of vulgarity.  This year’s healthiest song was “I Won’t Let Go” by Rascal Flats with a healthy score of forty, out of fifty. We decided it was the healthiest because it showed support, respect, trust, and equality within the relationship. We hope you found it useful!

Score songs yourself here.

This blog was written by Haixin Zeng, 17, Mileena Torres, 17, and Nathaniel Brewer, 17.  They are all Start Strong Boston Peer Leaders. Learn more here.

Blacks continue to be over-represented in the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Although they represent only 25.3 percent of Boston’s population, Blacks account for 40 percent of those living with HIV/AIDS.

Facts on HIV/AIDS in the Black community in Boston:
• Of the 5,220 cases of HIV/AIDS reported in Boston residents to date, Blacks account for 40 percent (2,904).
• Of Blacks residents in Boston living with HIV/AIDS, 60 percent are men and 40 percent are women.
• The predominant modes of transmission of HIV/AIDS among the Black residents living with HIV/AIDS are: heterosexual (21%), men who have sex with men (MSM, 20%) and injection drug use (17%).

What can you do?
Ask your primary care physician about getting tested for HIV! If you don’t have a primary care physician, you can contact the Mayor’s Health Line at 617-534-5050. Additional information on HIV testing resources is available at www.hivtest.org.

Educate yourself about what you can do to protect yourself against infection, and spread the word to others. More nformation on HIV and prevention is available here.

Organizations in Boston that provide HIV-related education and outreach to communities of color include:
• AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts
• Multicultural AIDS Coalition

The Boston Medical Reserve Corps is a group of volunteers who are ready to respond to a public health emergency in Boston. In an emergency, volunteers perform a wide range of tasks to help keep the city safe and healthy.

So who volunteers for the Boston MRC? Our volunteers are everyday people like Eric, Sophie, and Erin who live, work, or go to school in the city of Boston. And you don’t need to have a medical background to volunteer with the Boston MRC.

Our February Boston MRC Volunteer of the Month is a nurse, an amateur chef, and comes from a “Friendly” part of the state. Join us in congratulating Erin Flynn!

Erin is a recent graduate of the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in Boston, where she earned her B.S. in Nursing. She’s currently on the job hunt to put those skills to work, and we’re lucky to have her as part of the Boston MRC.

Erin came to Boston from a small town in western Massachusetts, Wilbraham, MA. Wilbraham is a suburb of Springfield, and best known as the home of Friendly’s ice cream.

Erin came to Boston for college, and she liked city life so much, she decided to stay. It also helps that she considers Boston a “healthcare Mecca,” and believes her job prospects here will be strong. In her free time, Erin enjoys rescuing animals, hiking, and taking trips to the Museum of Science. She’s proud to share her home with two small rescue mutts and a chubby old rescue cat. She is an avid baker, saying her specialty is funfetti cupcakes, and she is currently trying to master soufflés. Regarding her soufflé , Erin tells us, “I blame my failures on my barking dog causing them so go flat, rather than my own ineptitude.”

Erin joined the Boston MRC after seeing a recruitment poster about it on the street near her school, and signed up immediately (we love that!). She feels like Boston provided her with a lot of opportunity, and it seemed right for her to use her skills to help Boston.

Erin’s love of volunteering and health care shined at the two City of Boston flu clinics held in late 2011. She served as a vaccine administrator, and was energetic, hard working, and a critical part of our vaccination team. Erin’s favorite memory with the Boston MRC came from the most recent flu clinic at the Boston Teachers Union.

“The clinic had such a range of characters attend – the state troopers who kept coming in to get their flu shots were such good sports, with great senses of humor. I also had an elementary-school aged boy come to my station who refused to have the flu mist until I bartered with him that I’d let him hold my hand while I did it, so we really ended up doing it together. He was a brave kid! The group of nurses and everyone who works at the BPHC and volunteer at the clinics are all really wonderful, though, and it’s always a pleasure to volunteer with them!”

In terms of skills, dedication, and positive attitude, Erin is an ideal Boston MRC member. We’re excited that she continues to participate in Boston MRC trainings. We just hope she stays in Boston! Congratulations Erin on this well deserved honor, and we look forward to seeing you at future Boston MRC trainings and activations.

Sophie was our December volunteer of the month, and Eric was our January volunteer of the month. Check back next month to meet another Boston MRC volunteer.

Laura Harwood is a program manager for the Boston Medical Reserve Corps, a program of the Boston Public Health Commission.

Heart Disease is often thought of as an “old man’s” disease, but it also affects women. In 2004 cardiovascular disease claimed the lives of nearly 500,000 women.

National Wear Red Day is hosted by the American Heart Association in order to raise awareness about the affect heart disease has on women of any age.

Learn more the campaign and different ways to remain heart healthy at any age: http://www.goredforwomen.org/ 

 Yanik Ruiz-Ramón is the Multimedia Producer for BPHC. Among other things, he shoots video and tweets kitten pictures at @HealthyBoston.

This is hot off the press. One of our friends on Twitter, Ms. Julie Croston (@inthebigmuddy), decided yesterday that she had an uncontrollable urge to massacre some turnips. At the same time, we at HealthyBoston are always looking for recipes that use locally grown seasonal veggies and fruits. Ms. Croston was able to pull off a feat of superhuman strength and intellect: she simultaneously satisfied her need to butcher some turnips while providing us with a recipe for some killer soup. And she did all of this while tweeting us the gory details.

#SlayTheTurnip Soup

Ingredients:
2 lbs turnips, cut into pieces no thicker than 1″

1 small potato, cut into pieces no thicker than 1″

1/2 onion, chopped

1 clove garlic, chopped in 3-4 pieces

2 inches of ginger root, peeled

1/2 cup 1 or 2% milk

2 tablespoons olivio spreadable butter or olive oil

6 cups water (or vegetable stock)

2 tablespoons Oloroso sherry or 1/2 cup white wine

1 1/4 teaspoons of salt

Black pepper to taste

Instructions: 

1. In a heavy-bottomed (preferably cast iron) soup pot, heat the oil on low.

2. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, potatoes, and turnips into the pan. Cook and stir occasionally until the onion is translucent, about 5-10 minutes.

3. Add the water or broth. Raise the heat to a boil, briefly, then partially cover the pot and lower to medium-low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add salt and sherry, or until turnips and potatoes are soft enough that they can be easily pierced by a knife. Simmer five more minutes on low.

4. Remove from heat and purée in a blender, working in batches if necessary.

Tip: Use care when processing hot items in a blender as the hot steam can sometimes blow the blender lid off. Start on a slow speed with the lid slightly ajar to vent any steam, then seal the lid and increase the blending speed.

5. Return puréed soup to the pot, add the milk, and stir. Add more or less milk to adjust thickness to the thickness you like. Add black pepper to taste.

6. Devour.

Many many thanks to Julie for sharing this recipe with us and providing the pictures. Let us know how it turns out. Any suggestions to make it even tastier?

Yanik Ruiz-Ramón is the Multimedia Producer for BPHC. Among other things, he shoots video and tweets kitten pictures at @HealthyBoston.

Earlier this month, the Boston Public Health Commission gave out its annual Employee Recognition Awards.

We are proud to announce that John Comaschi is the winner of a 2011 Outstanding Performance Award. John is a coordinator for the Homeless Services Bureau’s Clothing Room. He works with our homeless guests to provide job training in the Clothing Room and is responsible for ensuring that every client has the clothing and toiletries they need.

Learn more about the wonderful work John does to help our clients transition out of homelessness.

You can also learn about Nicole Daley, winner of the Betty Holt Emerging Young Leader Award, and Jan Quiram, winner of the Revere Award.

Yanik Ruiz-Ramón is the Multimedia Producer for BPHC. Among other things, he shoots video and tweets kitten pictures at @HealthyBoston.