- Author: Chris M. Webb
The California Poison Control System (CPCS) is in place to provide free, professional, emergency poison control information. This service is provided to the general public, health professionals, educators, businesses, public agencies and others within California.
Their emergency information number is 1-800-222-1222. This number will connect you to trained health care professionals with experience handling poison cases 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Poison cases handled by CPCS can include:
- Swallowing poison
- Eye or skin irritation from toxic substances
- Inhalation of noxious fumes or vapors
- Animal, insect, snake and spider bites
- Food or mushroom poisoning
- Drug reactions
- Attempted suicides or drug overdoses
- Pet poisoning exposures
They have a 24-hour interpreter service, allowing them to provide this important service in over 100 languages 24 hours per day. Free downloadable materials and bulk hard copies (also free) are available in a wide variety of languages.
An important section of the CPCS covers information related to plant poisoning. From their site:
“Indoor and outdoor plants are responsible for a rising number of accidental poisonings. Plant ingestions are among the top five causes of accidental poisonings in children younger than 5 years. Pets are also frequent victims of plant poisonings.”
Take some time today to learn how to minimize or eliminate the potential for poisoning at home, at play, and in the workplace.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
AgrAbility is a program sponsored by the USDA. It is designed to provide assistance to farmers, rancher, other ag workers and farm family members impacted by disability. It is a combination of national and state/regional projects. The program is extended to the people by partnerships between land grant universities and an assortment of nonprofit disability services organizations.
The National project is Breaking New Ground Resource Center at Purdue University. They can be reached at 800.825.4264, or by email.
I am happy to share that California is one of the 24 states currently participating in this program. Our statewide project is California AgrAbility Project at UC Davis. They can be reached at 800.477.6129, or calagra@ucdavis.edu.
Our office has recently received a short DVD produced by AgrAbility titled Gaining Ground on Arthritis: Managing Arthritis in the Agricultural Workplace. Arthritis is the leading source of disability in the U.S. and affects people of all ages. The DVD provides practical tips on protecting joints, managing arthritis, and modifying work practices through special tools and other means to help prevent further injury. To view the DVD, please contact our office by email or phone at 805.645.1434.
Agricultural work can include many hazards. In addition to arthritis, some of the other disabilities AgrAbility works to improve include: amputation; back impairment; deafness/hearing impairment; developmental disabilities, such as cerebral palsy or autism; disabling diseases, such as cancer or heart disease; mental/behavioral health problems; respiratory diseases; spinal cord injuries; stroke; traumatic brain injury; visual impairment.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
UC ANR’s Stephen Quarles and others have recently released an important publication for Californians. Home Survival in Wildfire-Prone Areas: Building Materials and Design Considerations can be downloaded for free.
The description sums up the publication perfectly:
It's like the three little pigs showed us: the way you build your house can make the difference between a cozy home and a heap of rubble when disaster strikes. Learn about design methods and building materials that will help your home survive a wildfire.
This resource discusses the following:
- Ignition of homes in wildfire-prone areas
- Roof covering and rood edge
- Eaves and overhangs
- Windows
- Decks
- Exterior siding
- Fire-retardant treatments and coatings
- Author: Chris M. Webb
Coyotes are native to western North America. They are extremely adaptable animals and can live in almost any habitat. Except for Hawaii, coyotes live in all of the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
They can live successfully alone or in packs. Territories can be greater than 15 square miles where food is scarce to as small as one quarter of a square mile in the suburbs where food is plentiful. Some of the highest population densities on record occur in suburban Southern California.
To learn more about coyotes and how to minimize the likelihood of contact with them, please see UC ANR’s Integrated Pest Management’s Coyote publication.
This publication includes:
- Identification and biology
- Identifying coyote damage
- Predator damage management, past and present
In addition UC ANR has a CoyoteBytes website. The site is designed to “provide information to homeowners, land managers, agency personnel and others to help solve coyote-human conflicts, particularly in urban and suburban areas.” This site is rich in photographs and resources for further information.
- Author: Chris M. Webb
We recently received a call from landscape company. They are preparing to move their facility to a new location. They called to find out how to safely move their pesticides and comply with regulations. We thought this would be good information to share.
UC ANR Environmental Health and Safety has a great collection of publications, including Storing, Moving and Disposing of Pesticides on Farms.
In addition to the information in the publication, UC ANR Environmental Health and Safety suggests the following when moving pesticides to a new location:
- keep a copy of labels and/or MSDS on pesticides you are moving
- remember pesticides cannot be in truck cabs with people
- the truck and pesticide storage compartments must remain locked even if you leave your vehicle for a minute or two.