Some three decades after polychlorinated biphenyl [PCB] was banned, the stuff is still found in rivers, plants, and human bodies, where it can suppress the immune system, alter the reproductive system, cause asthma, cardiovascular disease, enhance the effects of other carcinogenic substances, and reduce IQ, according to City Limits. In April 2008, the Daily News found PCBs in window sills and door frames in dozens of city public schools, but city health officials determined that in most cases the PCBs in the caulking had not leaked into the air and weren't dangerous. State regulations permit the caulk to remain in place until renovations take place, though some experts warn that PCBs left undisturbed can still leach out. Now one Bronx mom, Naomi Gonzalez, is suing the city to force it to remove all the tainted caulk from Public School 178, where her 6-year-old daughter attends school. Last year former City Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden insisted the PCB caulk was perfectly harmless: "Do PCBs pose a health risk in the schools where they're present in intact caulk sample?... The findings clearly indicate they do not." Of course, this is the same guy who shrugged off reports that swine flu could kill 90,000 Americans nationwide. more ›

The local swine flu total has climbed to 62 and more notably than that, New York has now seen its first case in a patient who has not traveled to Mexico nor has any connection with the epicenter of the local outbreak, St. Francis Prep. There are also 17 more probable cases not yet confirmed, two of which also have no connection to either major swine flu As usual, the latest update on the virus comes with a familiar reassurance from Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden that this is no cause for alarm. He said, "Although H1N1 is likely spreading in the community, it does not appear to have caused more severe illness than seasonal flu so far." more ›

St. Francis Prep, the private school in Queens where many students came down with the swine flu, will reopen on Monday. A group of students had gone to Mexico for spring break and, in turn, infected some of their classmates. NY1 reports that most of the students have recovered or are "close to it"—and the school says its air system has been purified. more ›

This afternoon, city officials announced that many more school children may have the swine flu, which has been confirmed in 45 NYC residents (stats from CDC) so far. Beyond St. Francis Prep in Queens where the first cases were reported, Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden said that "hundreds of students were ill with symptoms which most likely were swine flu." Children at P.S. 177, a school for autistic children, were being tested (and the school is closed) as were ones at a Catholic school Ascension. From CityRoom:

P.S. 177 is at 56-37 188th Street in Fresh Meadows, in eastern Queens; Ascension is at 220 West 108th Street, between Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue. Several St. Francis students had siblings at P.S. 177, but it was not immediately clear how or whether the Manhattan school was linked to the St. Francis flu outbreak.

Earlier this week, Mayor Bloomberg announced a new plan to put health information of millions of New Yorkers online. He touted the initiative, "By bringing this health technology to New Yorkers, we are building a national model for a health care system that works... In Washington, they talk about how our health care system should be reformed; here in New York City, we are actually doing it." more ›

The Health Department revealed that cases of the flu have increased 19% since November. Health Commissioner Dr. Thomas Frieden said urged New Yorkers who haven't gotten a flu shot yet to do so. more ›

Well, most of them. According to a reported issued by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene yesterday, the city's overall death rate fell to an all-time low in 2006 mostly owing to decreases in smoking and HIV-related deaths. But although deaths from these causes were on the decline, those caused by substance abuse were up by 8 percent and lives lost from cancer and heart disease held steady for the year. 55,391 New Yorkers died in 2006, compared with 57,068 the year before (and 60,218 in 2001!). more ›

New York City's Conflict of Interest Board ruled that there was no problem in Deputy Mayor Dan Doctoroff continuing to work with real estate developers on multi-billion dollar real estate projects while a city employee, even though he'll be shortly negotiating with these same developers as a private citizen and President of Bloomberg LP, the Mayor's media corporation. According to the New York Post, the board cited "extraordinary circumstances" and said that Doctoroff's negotiations on behalf of the city with Vornado Realty Trust regarding the development of the Hudson Yards and Moynihan station were allowable. Doctoroff recently announced that he will be leaving his City Hall job for the position of President of Bloomberg LP. That company will be negotiating with Vornado for additional space at the building that houses Bloomberg LP's headquarters on Lexington Ave., since Vornado owns that building. The Conflicts of Interest Board gave its blessing on the condition that Doctoroff have no direct dealings with Vornado for a year after he leaves his position as Deputy Mayor. more ›

As more cases of staph infections are being reported (a Newark public school security guard has MRSA, leading the school to be disinfected), parents are growing increasingly concerned about how schools are responding to the epidemic. Yesterday, school officials held a meeting at IS 211 in Brooklyn, the school Omar Rivera Jr. attended before dying from MRSA two weeks ago, to explain how it is dealing with the potentially deadly disease. more ›

The Health Department released preliminary data that shows HIV infections increasing among gay men under age 30. more ›

Just in time for the sixth anniversary of the September 11 attacks, Mayor Bloomberg announced the launch of a new World Trade Center health website, to provide "one-stop shopping for 9/11 health-related issues," making it the single source everyone can go to. What might you be shopping for? Well, there's information about research and services as well as "easily accessible research findings." And there's also information about treatment options for different groups of people, such as rescue and recovery workers, residents, children, city employees and others. You can see the site here. more ›

The Health Department announced that a 41-year-old Brooklyn woman had tested positive for the West Nile virus. This is the first reported case of West Nile in the city this year. The woman was hospitalized on August 25th, after suffering symptoms like fever, headache, fatigue, weakness and muscle pain. more ›

Better make sure you've got your insect repellent ready: The Department of Health has found mosquitoes with West Nile virus in Flushing. more ›

The city's Department of Health and Mental Hygiene is urging New Yorkers to be careful of ticks while spending time outdoors, especially since many are traveling to forested and wooded areas. The DOH's report has helpful preventative steps you can take, as well tips on how to remove ticks. And this FAQ on ticks has more info about the nasty buggers. more ›

• Today on Gothamist Newsmap: A brush fire at 147th and Harlem River Drive, a truck stuck under the bridge at the West 231st and Broadway subway tracks in the Bronx, and a barricaded EDP on Staten Island
• College news: NYU protesters didn't storm the stage when the president of the Minutemen visited and Barnard's president is stepping down after 14 years (!)
• According to the Post, Peter Braunstein "has sat through the hearings in a wheelchair, typically slumped over, droopy-eyed and with his mouth hanging agape"

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In a Department of Health and Mental Hygiene two-fer, the DOH announced that 5 million NYC Condoms were given given away between February 14 and March 14, while the Times reveals that the DOH is also working on a campaign to promote circumcision. more ›

The other day, we were listening to the radio and heard an ad with Wesley Autrey, the city's beloved subway hero! Autrey has done a series of public service announcements with the city's health department to encourage New Yorkers over 50 to get screened for colon cancer. From the DOH statement:

"I’m an average New Yorker over the age of 50 who could be at risk of colon cancer," said Autrey. "That’s why I’m joining this campaign. I’m very happy to be able help get this message out about colon cancer to maybe help save more lives – and I don’t have to jump onto the subway tracks to do it!"

- Going to provide "training specific to assessment of rodent infestation...to more than 100 DOHMH food service establishment inspectors within the next 8 weeks"Um, that last point? Why didn't the Health Department have that before? The Health Department also says it has "performed a series of rodent exterminations on the block of 6th Avenue in Manhattan where the restaurant is located," but we'll rely on people who live there to tell us if they worked. more ›

Yesterday, the Department of Health handed out the new NYC Condom all over town (video, too), excitedly pointing out that NYC is the first city to brand its own condom! Woo! Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden explained the move towards a branded condom, "Branding condoms is a great way to encourage their use. You know it's good quality, and you know it's a name you can trust." Frieden was also punny, saying, "We are unveiling, unfurling, unrolling, if you will, rolling out the New York City condom." more ›

The man who doesn't want you to smoke in City bars or clog your coronaries with sweet, sweet trans fats now wants to do something healthy for the tiniest and newest New Yorkers. Mayor Mike Bloomberg is dropping more than $2 million on a campaign to get City run hospitals to encourage new moms to breast feed. City health commissioner, Thomas Frieden, wants babies to dine on nothing but their mothers' breast milk for the first six months of life. Right now, about 75% of New York mommies breast feed their babies but nearly 40% stop before the six month mark. more ›

Always trendsetters, it seems that New Yorkers are outpacing the rest of the nation when it comes to diabetes. A study released by the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene yesterday revealed that one in eight New York City adults is afflicted by the illness with nearly as one third of that group unaware of it. In addition, more than half who know they have diabetes, are not controlling their blood sugar levels enough. more ›

This is a question that you may expect to hear from your doctor during your next check up if a new proposal by health commissioner Thomas Frieden and state assembly member Darryl Towns passes. A NY State law passed in the 1980s that required patients to provide permission or "informed consent" before they were tested for HIV may be replaced by new CDC recommendations that everyone between the ages of 13 and 64 should undergo HIV testing as part of routine medical care. more ›

Having already taken caffeine addiction and the price of a cup of joe to new extremes, Starbucks continues to set new standards by planning to eliminate trans-fats six months earlier than the new ban actually requires them to. Metro-area Starbucks will be knocking trans-fats off of their menus beginning tomorrow and while most of their drinks are already free of the stuff, some of the foods they carry are chock full of `em. The Daily News reports that the pumpkin scone has six grams of trans-fats while their apple fritter has 12, more than an order of McDonald's french fries. The Department of Health proposed the elimination of the coronary-clogging ingredient last September, with the ban passing in December. more ›

Fret not, lovers of trans-fats, as it seems that the Board of Health has had a change of heart about banning them from city restaurants. Dr Thomas Frieden, the City Health Commissioner, spoke at a Crain's New York Business breakfast yesterday (we would love to see that menu), sharing that the original July 2007 deadline for banishing the good stuff may have to be postponed. A new proposal will be presented at a December 5th Board of Health meeting. The reason for the Department's cold feet? The NY State Restaurant Association feels unsure that they will be able to fully comply with the requirements. more ›

There's a movement afoot to change the city's health code to better reflect dog and dog owner habits. The Health Department will have a public forum and comment period to discuss off-leash hours in parks. Right now, while the Parks Department allows dogs to go leash-less between 9PM and 9AM, the city's health code doesn't allow that, a strange happening that's gotten attention since Queens civic group, the Juniper Park Civic Association, to sue and get off-leash hours eliminated by enforcing the current health code. more ›

Fast food may get a lot less tasty a little less unhealthy. Yesterday, our fair city's Health Department proposed measures to decrease the use of artificial trans fat at restaurants that can't seem to do it for themselves. The new law would limit restaurants to 0.5 gram of trans fat per serving. How much fat is that exactly? Well, a typical McDonald's hamburger contains 0.5 gm of TF and a yummy, yummy Big Mac contains 1.5 gm of the stuff, so its still quite a bit. This comes on the heels of a citywide yearlong campaign, which tried to reduce restaurant use of trans fats through education and awareness. Even though about 20,000 restaurants did actually did reduce or stop their usage (seems like a lot to us), the DOH feels that the program didn't do enough. So the government's stepping in to take care of you. more ›

Nothing quite says it's summer in the city like the Mayor introducing a new plan to battle a resistant strain of the flu that doesn't exist. Yesterday, Hizzoner introduced a plan to contain the possible pandemic that a gateway city like New York could expect if an unexpected mutant strain of the virus found its way here. This new (and quite early) Pandemic Influenza Preparedness and Response plan is piggybacking on the fears of those already freaked by the avian flu terror making its way around the globe. Thomas Frieden, the city's health commissioner, admits that even though avian flu isn't as big a concern as regular run-of-the-mill influenza, any flu brewing overseas could end up in the five boroughs and spread in an avian flu-like fashion. So, better to be prepared than sorry. more ›

Clearly, this is a way to drum up business for the DMHH's safety courses. The real question is will restaurants like Le Bernardin, Jean-Georges, Alain Ducasse, Bouley, and Daniel want to put a sticker like that in their restaurant? It might be a good tool for small restaurants, but for bigger, high-end ones where health and safety are assumed, this is an interesting question. Perhaps if one restaurateur decides to go for it, others will follow. more ›

tien went to Eileen's Special Cheesecake for some very special cheesecake. more ›