A round-up of today's other stories in brief
• TOO MUCH NOISE: Excessive noise in pubs and clubs is the latest health hazard facing bar workers to be examined.
Martin Daly, environmental health officer with Derry City Council, said new legislation, stemming from an EU directive, which is lowering the permitted noise levels that workers can be exposed to, will come into force in the North in April. Regulations in the Republic will also be changed early in the new year to comply with the EU directive, a spokesman at the Health and Safety Authority (HSA) confirmed.
Excessive noise in the workplace results in long-term damage to one-third of Ireland's workforce, according to the HSA.
• TCD Med Day: Trinity College's annual Med Day takes place on Thursday with 300 medical students taking part in a street collection in Dublin to raise funds for chosen charities.
This year Med Day will benefit the palliative care and oncology services in the Adelaide and Meath Hospitals, Tallaght, where monies donated will be used for complimentary therapies services.
Some of the money raised will also be donated to the Trinity Access Programme (TAP) for the setting-up of a medical scholarship for a secondary school student.
q BRITTLE BONES AND BREAKS: UCC's Science Lecture Series continues on Wednesday evening, with a lecture by Clive Lee, professor of anatomy, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland (RCSI) on brittle bones and breaks.
Prof Lee will examine developments in anatomical science as mathematics and bioengineering are leading to a better understanding of the forces at work in bone fractures or breaks, and in predicting them.
Although prediction and prevention are still some way off, according to Prof Lee, some stark statistics point to the elderly as one of the main at-risk groups. Some 50 per cent of elderly people who sustain hip fractures cannot walk afterwards without assistance, a further 25 per cent are unable to live independently, and the remaining 25 per cent die after six months.
The lecture, in UCC's Boole Lecture Theatre 4 at 8pm on Wednesday, is open to the public and admission is free. Further information from Marie McSweeney, UCC, tel: 021 4902371 or 086 0845182.
• MARIJUANA'S QUALITIES: Although both marijuana and tobacco smoke are packed with cancer-causing chemicals, other qualities of marijuana seem to keep it from promoting lung cancer, according to a new report.
The difference lay in the often opposing actions of the nicotine in tobacco and the active ingredient, THC, in marijuana, said Dr Robert Melamede of the University of Colorado in Colorado Springs. Whereas nicotine has several effects that promote lung and other types of cancer, THC acts in ways that counter the cancer-causing chemicals in marijuana smoke, Melamede said.
If marijuana does not promote lung cancer, this could influence the ongoing debate over so-called medical marijuana.
• FREE FROM RANGE: Celtic Chocolates has launched a free from range of chocolates, aimed at people with food sensitivities and those on special diets. The range comprises chocolates that are gluten free, dairy free, egg free or contain no added sugars.
Research shows that shoppers with sensitivities to food ingredients take up to 39 per cent longer to do their weekly shop than people who have no need to pay special attention to labels, according to Celtic Chocolates.
• HAEMOCHROMATOSIS MEETINGS: People with haemochromatosis, a genetically inherited disorder, absorb and accumulate too much iron in their bodies which leads to "iron-overload". If undetected and untreated, this stored iron can cause organ or tissue damage and can be fatal.
Haemochromatosis information meetings take place in Letterkenny: Mount Errigal Hotel, tomorrow; Dublin: Beaumont Hospital, November 7th; Athlone: Hodson Bay Hotel, November 9th; Cork: UCC, November 24th; and Tralee, O'Donnell's, Caherselee, December 14th. All meetings start at 7.30pm except Athlone which begins at 8pm. Admission is free and all are welcome. For further information, tel: (01) 8735911 or e-mail: irhaem@hotmail.com.
• FUNDRAISING BALL: A gala ball will take place in aid of the south Dublin branch of the Irish Kidney Association in Clontarf Castle on Saturday, November 12th. All money raised will go towards helping the families of those affected by kidney disease.
The Freehills Gala Ball is being organised by kidney recipient George Doyle and his friend, Dolores Glennon. Both are avid fundraisers and have raised €19,000 for the Irish Kidney Association by organising karaoke, head shaving and various sporting events. For further information on the gala ball, contact Dolores Glennon on (087) 9734839. Tickets are €85 each.