Editorials
Tuesday, November 23, 1999‘Adverse effects’
from eating tofu?LAST Friday's front-page story must have shocked connoisseurs of tofu, the soybean staple in many Asian and health-conscious homes.The issue: A study conducted in Hawaii contradicts the image of tofu as a totally healthy "perfect" food that is a cure-all for various diseases and chronic conditions.
According to a Pacific Health Research Institute researcher, Dr. Lou White, a significant statistical relationship exists between men eating two or more servings of tofu a week and "accelerated brain aging" -- even an association with Alzheimer's disease. White and his associates studied diseases and aging in a group of Japanese-American men and found that the only consistent link among those with impaired mental ability was the consumption of tofu.
Naturally, manufacturers of the silky white food product were baffled by news of the results; proponents of tofu defiantly vow to continue eating it without concern. Certainly, because this finding affects so many lives and palates, further research is necessary for corroboration.
Tofu may not be the cure-all for serious diseases like cancer, osteopororsis and heart disease, but it's difficult to fathom its moderate consumption leading to severe harm to humans.
As Mark Messina, a soy foods expert and former researcher with the Diet and Cancer Branch of the National Center Institute, told Star-Bulletin reporter Helen Altonn, "It's simply not possible as yet to draw any conclusions about soy consumption and cancer prevention, but further research is certainly warranted."
Workplace injuries
ADVANCES in technology during the past 50 years have reduced physical activity in many occupations but it has not eliminated job-related injury. Instead, workers are experiencing a new kind of injury, known generally as musculoskeletal disorders. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's proposal of regulations to reduce workplace hazards causing those injuries comes none too soon.
The disorders include strains, sprains, lower back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome, hernias and other injuries caused by repetitive motion, bending, climbing, crawling or overexertion. OSHA says 1.8 million workers suffer from such injuries annually, and one-third of them miss some work as a result.
Business groups have argued against such standards as being unnecessary and too expensive. But the enormous number of workers suffering such injuries is ample evidence of the need for regulations. OSHA estimates that employers will have to alter 4.5 million jobs during the first year at a cost of $4.2 billion and a diminishing number thereafter.
However, the Labor Department estimates that the rules will prevent injury to about 300,000 workers annually, saving employers $9 billion. The Small Business Administration says that the annual cost to employers could easily exceed $18 billion.
The proposed rules are broad, requiring employers to adopt full-scale ergonomics programs to minimize hazards if even a few employees have suffered injuries. That includes analyzing the risks of jobs, changing work practices to reduce or eliminate hazards and providing treatment to employees with work-related medical problems.
The most controversial proposal would require employers to reassign lighter duty to employees recovering from ergonomic injuries, with guaranteed normal pay and benefits. Employees forced to leave the job altogether would be guaranteed 90 percent pay and full benefits during recovery. Otherwise, employees may be reluctant to come forward during early stages of such injuries, when they are most treatable, for fear of losing their jobs or having their pay significantly reduced.
Further research is being conducted into how certain work activities cause musculoskeletal disorders. Meanwhile, rules are needed, but some flexibility also may be necessary for companies to reconfigure their workplaces to the new standards.
More gun controls
NO one disputes that Hawaii has among the strictest gun-control laws in the country, but they failed to prevent the fatal shooting of seven Xerox employees at their Nimitz Highway office. The shooting should prompt legislators to tighten the state's gun laws even more.
Byran Uyesugi, the Xerox employee accused of firing at his co-workers, had at least 18 firearms registered to him. Police reportedly denied him a 19th permit shortly after his 1994 arrest for investigation of criminal property damage at his workplace.
Some local advocates of stricter gun controls advocate that owners of firearms be required to re-register them periodically. That may have prevented Uyesugi from re-registering his guns after the 1994 incident, although he eventually would have regained possession, since he was not charged with a crime.
Gov. Ben Cayetano is supporting a proposal to require gun owners to show their registration before being allowed to buy ammunition. Such a law would prevent people who possess guns illegally from buying bullets.
Legislators should examine the effectiveness of proposals that emanate from public reaction to the Xerox shooting. They should be judged not on whether they would have prevented that shooting but on whether they are likely to reduce gun-related violence in the future.
Published by Liberty Newspapers Limited PartnershipRupert E. Phillips, CEO
John M. Flanagan, Editor & Publisher
David Shapiro, Managing Editor
Diane Yukihiro Chang, Senior Editor & Editorial Page Editor
Frank Bridgewater & Michael Rovner, Assistant Managing Editors
A.A. Smyser, Contributing Editor
