Tag Archives: Folly Beach

Grill The Right Way This Summer

Leave a reply

(GIF Credit:  https://giphy.com/gifs/alroker-al-roker-3ohzdWXQoDiUgiqbao)

Did you know that food poisoning peaks in the summer months due to warmer temperatures causing foodborne germs to spread?  Memorial Day Weekend is right around the corner.  Avoid food poisoning by taking the necessary precautions when grilling.  Follow these steps from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to ensure you are cooking the healthy way:

  • Separate meat, poultry, and seafood in your shopping cart and grocery bags to guard against cross-contamination. Put packages of raw meat and poultry into individual plastic bags.
  • Keep meat, poultry, and seafood refrigerated until ready to grill. When transporting, keep below 40 degrees Fahrenheit in an insulated cooler.
  • Wash your hands with soap BEFORE and AFTER handling raw meat, poultry, and seafood. Wash work surfaces, utensils, and the grill before and after cooking.
  • Clean your grill and tools. Use a moist cloth to clean the surface before cooking.
  • When using marinades and sauces that have touched raw meat, pour out any residual juices. Those juices can spread germs to cooked foods.  Use clean utensils and a clean plate to remove cooked meat from the grill.
  • Use a food thermometer to ensure meat is cooked hot enough to kill harmful germs. When smoking, keep temperatures inside the smoker at 225°F to 300°F to keep meat a safe temperature while it cooks.
    • 145°F – whole cuts of beef, pork, lamb, and veal (stand-time of 3 minutes at this temperature)
    • 145°F – fish
    • 160°F – hamburgers and other ground beef
    • 165°F – all poultry and pre-cooked meats, like hot dogs
  • Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within two hours of cooking (one hour if above 90°F outside).

For more food safety information, visit:  https://www.cdc.gov/foodsafety/communication/bbq-iq.html

Be Sun Safe: May is Skin Cancer Prevention Month

Leave a reply

(GIF Credit:  https://giphy.com/gifs/qutisuYBaGfFC)

Sundress and shorts season has officially begun.  Are you protected?  According to the 2018 South Carolina Health Assessment, melanoma of skin (skin cancer) is the 5th leading cause of new cancer cases in the state (see below).

Skin Cancer Table

Did you know that skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States with nearly 5 million people treated each year?  Skin cancer is caused by too much exposure to ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun and other sources such as tanning beds.  Anyone can get skin cancer, but it can be cured if found and treated early.  Talk to your doctor if you notice any unusual moles or changes to your skin.

Whether you are taking a trip to the beach or doing some much-needed gardening, it is important to protect your skin from the sun.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), here are some tips to keep in mind:

  • Stay in the shade, especially during midday hours
  • Wear clothing that covers your arms and legs
  • Wear a hat with a wide brim to shade your face, head, ears, and neck
  • Wear sunglasses that wrap around and block UVA and UVB rays
  • Use sunscreen with a sun protection factor (SPF) or 15 or higher, and both UVA and UV protection
  • Avoid indoor tanning

Being in the sun does not have to be worrisome.  Just make sure you protect yourself. Visit the CDC for more fun safety tips and  follow their  hashtag #SunSafeSelfie for pictures of people all over the world who are taking action to protect themselves from the sun – and having fun while doing it!

DHEC in the News: mass trauma triage kits, Folly Beach Irma recovery

Leave a reply

Here’s a look at health and environmental news from around South Carolina.

Upstate firefighters equipped with color-coded triage kits for mass trauma situations

GREENVILLE, SC (FOX Carolina) – As a firefighter and EMT, Chris Hearn has seen a lot.

“When you’re actually doing it, I guess adrenaline kicks in and you don’t think about it,” Chris Hearn said.

He’s a firefighter with the Boiling Springs Fire Department in Greenville County and has worn the uniform for more than 20 years.

“It just comes natural,” he said.

He hopes a day like the chaos and mass shooting in Las Vegas never happens in the Upstate. However, if it does he and other firefighters are ready.

General Interest

Winds, waves cause new erosion at Folly Beach as city works on Irma recovery

FOLLY BEACH — New erosion has added to the island’s post-storm woes.

The beach near the pier has “scarping.” It drops o a foot or more close to the sea. Three days of steady northeast winds and strong surf played a role.

“Any setback right now is bigger than it would be otherwise just because of what we just went through,” said Mayor Tim Goodwin.

Tropical Storm Irma caused severe erosion when it hit in mid-September. Dunes from the east to the west end of the island were reduced or destroyed. Goodwin said the beach loss was worse than from Hurricane Matthew a year ago.

DHEC in the News: Shem Creek, Folly Beach, Rabies, Seismic Testing

Leave a reply

Here’s a look at health and environmental news from across South Carolina.

Keep local creeks clean

Charleston, SC (Post and Courier) – There could be as many as 18 failing septic tanks lining the Shem Creek watershed in Mount Pleasant, potentially leaking harmful fecal bacteria into one of the town’s most popular recreational attractions. And that could be the best case scenario, considering that the town’s latest information is 10 years old.

Sand from the Folly River would be used to fix Folly east end beaches under city plan

Folly Beach, SC (Post and Courier) – Folly Beach wants to use sand from the Folly River to restore beaches on the east end of the island where hurricanes Joaquin and Matthew did heavy damage.

The city has submitted an application for the work to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the state Department of Health and Environmental Control.

Some 18,000 dump truck loads of sand from the river would be placed on 26 acres of beach between 8th Street East and 14th Street East, according to the application.

Rabid Woodchuck found in Oconee Co.

Oconee County, SC (WSPA) – … one person has been referred to their healthcare provider for consultation after being potentially exposed to rabies by a woodchuck, also known as a groundhog or whistle pig, which tested positive for the disease.

Two woodchucks were observed fighting with one another before one turned on the victim, who was subsequently bitten and scratched. This exposure occurred near the intersection of Playground Road and Highway 28 South in Walhalla. One of the woodchucks was submitted to DHEC’s laboratory for testing on July 3 and was confirmed to have rabies the same day. The other woodchuck was not available for testing.

NOAA gives more time to comment on offshore seismic tests

Charleston, SC (Post and Courier) – Federal regulators are giving people two more weeks to comment on plans for permitting seismic testing offshore because of the deluge of comments already received. Drill-or-don’t-drill has become a controversy.

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has received thousands of comments, a news release said.

More information about seismic surveying is available on our website.

Cigarette Litter Reduction Pilot Study: Folly Beach

Leave a reply

Is it possible to reduce cigarette litter along a stretch of beach by educating people about the perils of tossing butts on the ground and enhancing options for disposing of the waste?

That’s the question DHEC’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) tackled over the past year through a pilot project conducted along a short stretch of a South Carolina beach.

Monitoring cigarette litter at Folly Beach

The project began in 2015, when OCRM received a grant from the National Marine Sanctuary Foundation and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) to conduct a cigarette litter reduction pilot study on Folly Beach in Charleston County. The pilot strategy involved targeted education and enhancement of cigarette litter disposal options. Additionally, OCRM monitored cigarette litter on the beach both before and after the project began in order to estimate its impact.cigarettelitterfacts

In late 2015, the team began designing educational materials, including flyers and foldable beach ashtrays, to increase public awareness and encourage proper disposal of cigarette litter. These materials were distributed at businesses on Folly Beach from June through September 2016.

In January 2016, new cigarette receptacles were installed at 15 walkovers on Folly. Previously installed receptacles were often used for disposal of non-smoking-related litter, which resulted in the receptacles becoming clogged. The new receptacles, made of sturdy PVC material, included an opening just wide enough to fit a cigarette butt.

The results: A reduction in cigarette litter

Monitoring events were conducted in September 2015 before implementing the project strategy, and in September 2016 after implementation.

buttsinabucket

While there are a number of factors that influence the number of cigarette butts encountered on the beach on any given day, including tidal and weather conditions,  a comparison of the 2015 and 2016 post-Labor Day monitoring results shows that approximately 200 fewer cigarettes per person-hour were collected in 2016 than in 2015. In total, nearly 10,000 cigarette butts were removed from the 0.25-mile monitoring area over the course of this study. For more information on this pilot study, visit the project webpage.