Summary: All around the world, allergies are on the upsurge. Why? In search of an answer, this program travels the globe to examine the complex web of causes of what is amounting to an outright allergy pandemic. Topics include food allergies, pollution-induced asthma, allergies caused by cumulative damage to the skin due to overly aggressive hygiene, allergies to dust mites in the home and off-gassing...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Bold claims about the curative powers of "superfoods" and other trendy products represent a daunting challenge for today's consumer. How reliable are these assertions? What happens when a no-nonsense medical doctor applies rigorous scientific testing to the health hype on product labels? This program takes viewers on an eye-opening journey led by Dr. Lesley Regan, a veteran physician and...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Plastics, cleansers, automobile exhaust-the list of carcinogens in our air, soil, and water seems to go on and on. Featuring an interview with activist Erin Brockovich, this program looks at the environmental dimension of the fight against cancer, presenting expertise from several sources and highlighting ways to reduce the cancer risks in one's surroundings. Case studies include a breast...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Consider the following irony: that we live twice as long as our ancient ancestors did, even though our bodies contain all manner of synthetic and sometimes toxic substances-an unpleasant requirement of life in our modern age. This program explores the health impact, wide variety, and alarming ubiquity of manufactured chemicals. Viewers will see how communities around the world-including Inuit...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: Chemical irritants can cause a debilitating sensitivity or even a chemical injury. This program examines the all-too-common threat of chemical exposure-often from products and materials found in the average home or office building. Showing how contaminants and irritants can travel through heating and air conditioning ducts, the program highlights a case study in which a woman developed rashes,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: The World Health Organization defines health promotion as the process of enabling people to increase control over their health and its determinants, and thereby improve their health. Referencing the WHO's Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion, this program takes a close look at lifestyle approaches, preventive medical approaches, and public health approaches to health promotion. The importance of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2011
View online at AVOD
Summary: According to some environmental experts, the air inside our homes and offices could be more polluted than the outdoor air in the largest cities. Radon, mold, household cleaning products, and secondhand smoke are only a few elements that may pose health risks. This program examines the issue in detail and illustrates ways to improve indoor air quality. Case studies include a nonsmoker diagnosed...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: The town of Sunnyville is thrilled with the jobs and development promised by a new factory, which will make efficient, inexpensive solar cells. However, nanomaterials used in the manufacturing process pose an unknown level of risk to city residents and the environment. In this Fred Friendly Seminar, Peabody award-winning correspondent John Hockenberry leads expert panelists through a series of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Perfumes, aerosols, plastic on television sets-for some people, these everyday chemicals may create health problems ranging from headaches, to breathing difficulties, to loss of consciousness. This program examines the medical and political dimensions of Environmental Illness (EI)-the controversial and mysterious condition whose victims cannot tolerate common chemicals of modern life. Clinical...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2008
View online at AVOD
Summary: All across the U.S., growing numbers of children are being diagnosed with asthma, childhood cancers, and learning and behavioral disabilities. Is exposure to an ever-increasing number of untested chemicals to blame? In this program, Bill Moyers investigates the relationship between environmental contamination and the health of America's children. Dr. Philip Landrigan, of Mount Sinai School of...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2005
View online at AVOD
Summary: Millions of fish died. People experienced memory loss, confusion, and respiratory, gastrointestinal, and skin problems. And the press had a field day. This program provides an in-depth retrospective on the Pfiesteria hysteria that engulfed much of the mid-Atlantic region in 1997. Interviews with a wide range of concerned parties-aquatic botanists, an ecologist, an epidemiologist, a...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Fumes from indoor cooking fires kill more than 2 million children a year in the developing world. In this TEDTalk, MIT engineer Amy Smith details an exciting but simple solution: a tool for turning farm waste into clean-burning charcoal. Amy Smith designs cheap, practical fixes for tough problems in developing countries. Among her many accomplishments, she received a MacArthur fellowship in...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: Although genetic modification of plants and animals has been going on since the dawn of agriculture, technological changes of unprecedented scope have taken place in the food industry within the past few decades. This program explores the impact of technology on food production and the development of new and emerging foods. Viewers are introduced to recently devised methods of genetic...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: While the debate over genetically modified foods is far from settled, a growing number of food producers are taking a GM-friendly approach. This program presents arguments in favor of GM technology and suggests ways in which it can boost crop yields and reduce global hunger. Presented by Jim Doherty, a long-time advocate for sustainable agriculture in the U.K., the program travels to Bavaria,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: The last few decades have seen a dramatic increase in cases of low sperm count, sperm abnormalities, and testicular cancer—while, in more than 20 industrialized nations, the male birth rate has steadily declined. This program examines the phenomenon and its likely cause: synthetic chemicals found in everything from common plastics to meat and dairy products. Investigating these so-called...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Since prehistoric times, the preservation of food has played an essential role in human survival-providing the stability and cultural traditions needed to create societies. This program looks at motivations and methods for preserving and processing food, how these take shape in various cultures, and the health considerations which present-day food suppliers and vendors must take into account....
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Germs aren't the only health threat lurking at a medical care facility. This program helps train health care staff in the proper use, storage, and organization of hazardous chemicals and other potentially lethal materials. Separating bodily risks (flammables and explosives) from chronic health risks (chemicals that can be inhaled, ingested, or absorbed), the video describes substances-from...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: With wild deer and deer ticks increasingly common in suburban areas, Lyme disease has become a serious public health threat. This program familiarizes viewers with the symptoms of and treatments for Lyme disease, while providing additional information on how to prevent deer tick bites. Case studies feature a woman hospitalized with the illness after sustaining a tick bite hidden in her hair,...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Although it is a crucial aspect of modern food technology, quality control may also be the biggest challenge for any food-producing company. This program identifies quality standards that exist in various parts of the world, explores ways of measuring and monitoring quality, and looks at who is responsible for QC within a large food manufacturer. Students are introduced to HACCP and GMP systems...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: In an era of high-speed international commerce, safety standards and import inspection procedures are riddled with loopholes. The result? Quantities of dangerous substances found in goods manufactured overseas have risen dramatically. This program investigates the alarming global mobility of synthetic toxins, tracing egregious-yet often repeated-hazardous material violations from supplier to...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: Slipping beneath the radar of everyday awareness are things that can sicken the unsuspecting-and even kill. This 48 Hours report uses compelling personal accounts from anti-pollution activist Erin Brockovich, crusading attorney Jan Schlichtmann, and others to raise viewers' awareness about four of them: infestations of the toxic mold Stachybotrys in the home; deadly blood clots believed to be...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2006
View online at AVOD
Summary: This collection of 60 video clips (1 minute 10 seconds each) presents innovations and opportunities arising from the impact of environmental threats on the people of the world.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009
View online at AVOD
Summary: Americans make up a small fraction of the world’s population yet consume about a quarter of the planet’s total resources. In this video, high school students present some startling facts about people’s impact on the environment while sharing ideas about how to make Earth-friendlier choices in the home and when driving. Correlates to all applicable National and State Educational Standards...
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2010
View online at AVOD
Summary: This collection of 40 video clips (1 minute 10 seconds each) addresses concerns about—and threats to—the sustainability of life on Earth as global warming increases in severity. The collection also spotlights recycling and alternative energy, keys to building a brighter future for the planet.
Format: software, multimedia
Publisher / Publication Date: Films Media Group 2009