Researchers estimate that more than a quarter of adult nonelderly workers won't have health insurance by 2013, as per-person health spending, driven by increasing use of technology, continues to rise faster than personal income. According to a model created by Gilmer and Kronick (see the online article, posted on April 5, in Health Affairs), unless costs are controlled, fewer and fewer Americans will have access to health insurance, whether premiums are paid by employers, employees, or taxpayers. The authors predict that by 2013 the number of "nonelderly uninsured Americans" will have grown to 56 million (from 45 million in 2003).
The World Health Organization (WHO) warns against tanning "sunbeds," which are increasing in popularity, especially among young women. A WHO fact sheet (http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs287/en) points out greater associated risks of melanoma and other skin cancers. Tanning beds emit ultraviolet (UV) radiation, including UVB radiation, a known carcinogen, and UVA radiation, against which evidence of carcinogenicity is mounting. In rare cases, medically supervised tanning beds can be useful for treating psoriasis or other serious dermatologic disorders, but the WHO counsels everyone to avoid tanning beds, especially children and people who have very fair skin, have many moles, tend to freckle, have already had a sunburn or other damage to the skin, or have premalignant or malignant skin lesions.
The first survey concerning nurses and environmental hazards is launched by Health Care Without Harm and the Environmental Working Group. Entitled Nurses' Health: A Survey on Health and Chemical Exposures, the survey will not only provide researchers with information on nurses' routine exposures to chemical and other hazards at their workplaces, it will also provide nurses with information on possible hazards. To take the survey, go to http://www.ewg.org/sites/nurse_survey.