Tag Archive for: University of Florida

Re-Blogged from the University of Florida, IFAS….

Today, like every June 8 since 1992, many people around the globe celebrate World Oceans Day. This event was created to advocate and inspire people, communities, and nations to take action on the sustainable use, protection, conservation, and preservation of the oceans and their inhabitants.

Every year, there is a theme for World Ocean Day. This year’s theme is “revitalization: collective action for the ocean.” This theme recognizes that people around the globe need to work together to protect our oceans. And we should be on it; after all, the oceans produce at least half of the world’s oxygen, feed billions of people, contribute to the world economy, and host the most biodiversity on Earth.

Therefore, I am challenging you to join me to help revitalize our oceans by being part of the solution to a global problem; the problem of marine debris, especially the problem of plastic pollution. Plastics are the most common form of marine debris.

Marine debris is defined as any persistent solid material that is manufactured or processed and directly or indirectly, intentionally or unintentionally, disposed of or abandoned in the marine environment or the Great Lakes. In other words, products created by us that end up in the oceans.

Among the impacts of marine debris are damage to habitats, economic loss, damage to infrastructure, navigation hazards, facilitation of transport of invasive species, and negative impacts on human health and wildlife.

The great news is that there are many things that you can do from where you are to help and take action. Things that you can put into action at home, at school, at the store, on the water, and the shore, and that will make a big difference in our efforts to help our oceans, and to help ourselves.

Happy World Oceans Day. Say no to single-use plastic products. Do your part. And, enjoy the oceans.


Posted: June 8, 2022

May, is Water Safety Month. Here is a great article from the University of Florida.

Florida leads the nation with many impressive statistics such as having the most IGFA fishing world records (925), being the state with most amount of coastline in the lower 48 (1,350 miles) and having more boats registered here than any other state (954,731 recreational and 30,274 commercial registered vessels)! With almost half of the 836 reported 2020 accidents happening between the months of May-August. This is a great time to brush up on some safety information as you approach the water’s edge!

Keep Reading……

Literature Review Verifies Safety of Popular Repellent DEET, Counters Alarmist News Reports

Re-Blogged from the University of Florida

As summer continues, many Florida residents find themselves targeted by mosquitoes, biting flies and ticks – and a University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences entomologist says that when people reach for repellents, their first choice should still be products containing the active ingredient  N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide, better known as DEET.

Toxicologist Jeffrey R. Bloomquist, a professor with the UF/IFAS entomology and nematology department and the UF Emerging Pathogens Institute, examined the potential human health impacts of DEET in a short review article co-authored with Daniel Swale, an insect physiologist at Louisiana State University. The authors concluded that DEET-containing products are safe for the overwhelming majority of people when used according to label directions.

The review was published in March by the journal Pest Management Science; Bloomquist is a member of the journal’s executive editorial board.

“We examined some of the latest literature because we wanted to address questions that had been raised in news reports, which suggested that DEET might harm the human nervous system,” Bloomquist said. “The literature indicates that DEET has very low potential to do so, and the average person would have to be exposed to large quantities of DEET to become seriously ill.”

Because some mosquitoes and ticks transmit diseases to people – such as Zika virus and Lyme disease – the use of a repellent could make the difference between a person staying healthy or becoming infected, said Swale, an assistant professor with the LSU entomology department.

“Unfortunately, some news coverage of DEET has had an alarmist tone, and some stories have contained inaccurate or conflicting pieces of information,” Swale said. “These factors may have led some people to refrain from using DEET, and put themselves at greater risk of contracting an arthropod-borne pathogen and becoming ill.”

Bloomquist pointed out that Southeastern residents should be especially diligent about repellent use, because the warm weather is conducive to larger pest populations and pest activity during a greater part of the year. He notes that DEET is often used in lotion-type formulations, and the most commonly reported adverse reaction to DEET is skin irritation at the application site.

The mission of the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences is to develop knowledge relevant to agricultural, human and natural resources and to make that knowledge available to sustain and enhance the quality of human life. With more than a dozen research facilities, 67 county Extension offices, and award-winning students and faculty in the UF College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UF/IFAS works to bring science-based solutions to the state’s agricultural and natural resources industries, and all Florida residents. Visit the UF/IFAS web site at ifas.ufl.eduand follow us on social media at @UF_IFAS.

by Tom Nordlie 

Posted: August 6, 2019