Vol. XIX, No. 4, Fall 2011
By Senate President Therese Murray
Just last winter I wrote about the dangers of carbon monoxide and how, without a working carbon monoxide alarm, the poison can go undetected until it’s too late.
We are coming up on the seventh year that Nicole’s Law will be in effect in Massachusetts and it’s important for all residents of the Cape and across the Commonwealth to know that a carbon monoxide alarm lasts no longer than seven years after initial power.
Massachusetts passed Nicole’s Law in 2005 requiring that every residence to have working carbon monoxide alarms. This law stemmed from the death that year of Nicole Garafolo of Manomet who lost her life when the vent to the family’s furnace was blocked by snow.
After this tragedy, I along with my colleagues representing Plymouth authored legislation in the hope that no family will have to endure the loss of a child, brother, sister or parent to carbon monoxide poisoning. According to the Massachusetts Fire Marshal’s office, nearly 97 percent of all carbon monoxide incidents happen within a residence.
Each year I work with the fire departments in my district to raise awareness of the fatal consequences of carbon monoxide poisoning and, only one year after the passage of Nicole’s Law, there was a 93 percent increase of carbon monoxide related calls to fire departments.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, carbon monoxide poisoning causes more than 400 deaths and 20,000 emergency department visits in the United States annually. Carbon monoxide is odorless, colorless and tasteless, and it inhibits the blood’s capacity to carry oxygen. The only way to detect it in your home is with a working carbon monoxide alarm.
As with working smoke alarms, a carbon monoxide alarm could save your life. Carbon monoxide is the leading cause of accidental poisoning deaths in America and it is our goal to take every effort possible to prevent the death of a loved one from carbon monoxide poisoning.
If you first installed your carbon monoxide alarm at the passage of Nicole’s Law, I urge you to install a new one. Even if you have a newer carbon monoxide alarm, remember to check the batteries to ensure that the alarm will work correctly.
If you can’t remember when your alarm was installed, here is a guide from Kidde Residential and Commercial on how to check if it is time for a replacement:
Digital Alarms: Alarms manufactured between January 1, 2000 and April 30, 2006 will display an error message and you should push the peak level button on the unit. If the display reads “E09” it is time to replace your alarm. For alarms manufactured between May 1, 2006 and today, if your alarm displays “End” it is time to replace the alarm.
Non-Digital Alarms and Combo Alarms: If your alarm gives a quick beep every 30 seconds and the red LED flashes, try replacing the batteries. If the alarm continues to beep every 30 seconds and the red LED flashes, it is time to replace your alarm.
For more information on the dangers of carbon monoxide and Nicole’s Law, visit the state Fire Marshal’s website at www.mass.gov and click on State Fire Marshal, or call your local fire department.
(Senate President Murray represents towns in Plymouth and Barnstable Counties. For more information on this and other issues, visit www.ThereseMurray.com.)
By Representative Cleon H. Turner
October was Breast Cancer Awareness Month, a recognition of major significance throughout the Commonwealth.
According to the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition, Massachusetts has the seventh highest incidence rate of breast cancer in the United States. In all of the United States, the American Cancer Society predicts that by the end of this year, nearly 40,000 of the approximate 290,000 women diagnosed will lose their battle with the disease. After lung cancer, breast cancer is the second most common form of cancer found in women.
The surest way to ensure the greatest chance of successful treatment after being diagnosed with breast cancer is to start practicing good breast health ahead of time. It’s suggested that women obtain regular mammography screenings starting at age 40 (or sooner, depending on family history or your doctor’s recommendation), have annual clinical breast exams, perform monthly breast self-exam, and obtain a risk assessment from your physician.
While it may not always detect breast cancer, mammography remains the best available method to detect breast cancer. In 1992, Congress passed the Mammography Quality Standards Actto ensure the quality and reliability of mammography facilities throughout the nation.
To lawfully perform mammography, each facility is required to show it meets the appropriate standards by prominently displaying a certificate so stating from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Will health insurance pay for mammograms? While every private health insurance plan is different and women should check with their providers for the details, regular screening mammograms are covered by Medicare and Medicaid. For those without health insurance, free or low-cost mammograms may be available. Contact the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at 888-842-6355 to find a program near you.
Additionally, The Women's Health Network, a program of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, provides free breast and cervical cancer screening, diagnostic services, and health education to low income, uninsured or underinsured women. The network operates at local health centers, hospitals, and community agencies throughout Massachusetts. For information and referrals, call 877-414-4447.
You don’t have to miss breast exams if you don’t have insurance.
I have been the lead sponsor on amendments for Silent Spring to conduct the Cape Cod portion of its Household Exposure Study. In 2008, UMASS Lowell Chancellor Marty Meehan and I announced that $250,000 in state funds was available to research possible environmental links to breast cancer.
UMASSLowell is partnering with the Silent Spring Institute and the Massachusetts Breast Cancer Coalition. And, while it is of the utmost importance that SSI and MBCC continue with their studies for both prevention and cure, women should not overlook the vital importance of taking their own preventive measures.
(Representative Turner, D-Brewster/Dennis/Yarmouth, was a long-time member of the Legislature’s Joint Public Health Committee; www.repcleonturner.com for further updates.)
By Senator Dan Wolf
Personal health, social health, and environmental health; we all know they are linked, but making real-life connections is difficult. Deriving tangible, provable results from the effort can be elusive.
That can be particularly true in the political arena. But I’m pushing for two particular legislative issues and initiatives because I think that’s exactly what they would accomplish.
One is known by the rather unfortunate acronym CLURPA, which sounds like it has something to do with slurping cola but actually stands for the Comprehensive Land Use Reform and Partnerships Act.
The second is a Cape-specific focus on what I believe is our most important and pressing environmental problem; how to treat millions of gallons of wastewater we are pouring into our environment week in, and week out.
CLURPA is an ambitious attempt to re-draft the state’s zoning laws, which haven’t been given a significant upgrade in more than 30 years. It’s a big piece of legislation, full of details and nuances, but it would accomplish a number of excellent reforms to encourage what I consider to be our most important priorities: vital community centers, affordable housing, renovation of existing buildings rather than demolition in favor of large new homes, and a respectful approach to the environment.
The new law also would improve process, which in some ways is just as important. It would ensure predictability for applicants, a clear sense of regulations in place, and eventual cost. Plus, it would demand promptness by creating a well-defined timeline so everyone knows when key decisions will be reached.
With those elements in place, government becomes a partner and arbiter, rather than a hindrance or barrier. Our public dialogue becomes healthier, and so would our environment, and our communities. That’s why I’m proud to be a co-sponsor of this legislation, and have encouraged my fellow legislators to come to Cape Cod for hearings. Wastewater is the second big issue that connects these dots. The health of our ponds and embayments is more than that canary in our environmental coalmine. It will define our peninsula and the legacy we leave our children and grandchildren.
We need to think regionally, then act very locally; understand the problem watershed by watershed, not town by town, and then solve problems individually. Avoid that one-size-fits-all mentality.
Some places unfortunately may require a centralized sewer system; there are others where neighborhood mini-treatment plants are best. And, even better, there are some where natural filtering like oyster beds will work. Plus, across broad swaths of the Cape, existing septic systems will remain the way to go.
Like a doctor making a good diagnosis, we need to acknowledge the symptoms, understand the exact nature of the problem and then define the right treatment. That’s why I sponsored a line item in the recent state budget for $150,000 to help fund this initial study, which is now moving forward.
The smarter we are about this, the more we’ll protect our environment, our economy, our health and our future, without making the solution so expensive that we put too much burden on homeowners across the Cape.
(Senator Wolf, D-Cape & Islands, is co-chair of the Labor and Workforce Development Committee.)