Health in the 406

Wood Stoves: Tips to Stay Safe and Healthy this Winter

Wood stoves are a common source of heating for Montana households and need to be installed, used, and maintained properly to avoid safety and health risks.
Improper burning or using older wood stoves can be a significant source of indoor and outdoor air pollution, putting children, older adults, or people with asthma or other respiratory symptoms, and cardiovascular disease at risk.
Installing low-emission, EPA-certified stoves and following safe wood-burning practices can save fuel costs, improve efficiency, reduce emissions, and improve safety.

1 in 6 Montanans become ill with a foodborne illness every year; to protect yourself and those around you, practice the four steps of food safety: Clean, Separate, Cook, and Chill.
Rinse your vegetables and fruits before eating, and make sure to wash your hands before, during, and after cooking, and be sure to cook your meats safely.
If you are sick with vomiting or diarrhea, avoid cooking food for others and stay home until two days after symptoms have stopped.

Keep game meat refrigerated or frozen when in storage to a maximum of 41 degrees Fahrenheit.
Cook meat to a minimum of 165 degrees Fahrenheit to kill harmful bacteria.
Separate cooked meat from raw meat when in storage to prevent cross-contamination from harmful bacteria.

Additionally, chronic wasting disease (CWD) has never transferred to humans. It is out of an abundance of caution, that the CDC and Montana DPHHS do not recommend consuming meat from an animal that has tested positive for CWD. For more information see http://fwp.mt.gov/fishAndWildlife/diseasesAndResearch/diseases/chronicWastingDisease/management.html.

Across Montana about 77,000 adults have been diagnosed with diabetes and many others are living with the disease, but don’t know it.
Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support (DSMES) services can help people learn to manage their diabetes and reduce the risk of diabetes-related health problems!
Learn more about how to live with and manage your diabetes and find Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support resources near you by using our guide and interactive map.

In 2017, approximately 1 in 5 Montanan adults engaged in binge drinking.
Drinking alcohol while using opioids increased the risk of overdose and death.
Widespread use of effective community-based strategies for preventing binge drinking—such as regulating the number of places that sell alcohol in any given neighborhood—could reduce opioid misuse and overdoses involving alcohol.

In 2018, 9.9 million misused pain prescription relievers often obtained from family and friends.
Save lives and the environment by properly disposing of unused drugs at local take back sites or permanent drop boxes. There are 165 drop boxes located in 55 counties across Montana.
Join thousands of people across the county on October 26, 2019, National Prescription Drug Take Back Day, in cleaning out your medicine cabinet and turn in –safely and anonymously- prescription drugs.