A permanent US-Mexico border environmental health commission

Article Abstract:

An estimated seven and one-half million people live in the 28 cities that lie along the 3,200 kilometer-long border between the US and Mexico. The American Medical Association has passed a resolution (Resolution 109) urging Congress to establish a permanent US-Mexico border environmental health commission to deal with pressing health concerns in this region. Such issues must be approached through an international political process. Major environmental factors are water and air pollution. Although water use is mandated by treaties, water pollution control is not, and rivers in the region irrigate 0.8 billion hectares of farmland in the US and Mexico. Air pollution is severe in the large urban areas, with studies showing unacceptable levels of ozone, carbon monoxide, and other substances in many cities, including El Paso. The border area is a 'cesspool' for infectious diseases; in one Texas town, 90 percent of the population is infected with hepatitis A by the age of 35. Additional statistics are provided. The concept of a US-Mexico border environmental health commission arises from previous joint efforts, which were mistakenly terminated in 1973 by a budgetary oversight. A partial list of organizations in both countries that support forming such a commission is provided. Alternative solutions include better cooperation between the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Mexican Secretariat of Urban Development and Ecology, and the International Boundary and Water Commission. Proposed legislation either does not include a mandate for actual projects, or has not passed the 100th Congress. In summary, efforts have been underway since the 1930s to improve the squalid border health conditions. Resolution 109 addresses this situation and urges Congress to act. (Consumer Summary produced by Reliance Medical Information, Inc.)

United States, International aspects, Social policy, Political aspects, Mexico, Pollution, Environmental health, Mexican-American border region

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Recommendations to Guide Revision of the Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment

Article Abstract:

Physicians present 9 recommendations for improving the American Medical Association's Guides to the Evaluation of Permanent Impairment. Guides is the most commonly used tool in the US for rating permanent impairments. It converts medical information about impairments into numerical values. Each impairment is expressed as a percentage of loss of function, converted into a rating, and the ratings are translated into impairment ratings for the whole person. The AMA needs to improve the validity and internal consistency of the ratings and make the Guides easily comprehensible and accessible to physicians.

Standards, Publishing industry, Disability evaluation, American Medical Association

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Important causes of visual impairment in the world today

Article Abstract:

Impaired vision is caused by refractive errors such as nearsightedness, aging, infection, nutritional and metabolic disorders, and trauma. Impaired vision is one of the most common disorders in the world, affecting an estimated 150 million people worldwide. The Global Vision 2020 program sponsored by the World Health Organization hopes to eliminate two thirds of all preventable blindness by 2020.

Causes of, Vision disorders

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