European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 23, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Safety fears growing with popularity of in line skating by Michael Janofsky the new York times Nee just a Quirky Way to spend saturday afternoon in the Park in line skating has become not Only a hip Means of exercise but also a health Hazard. The consumer product safety commission said earlier this summer that skating injuries in the United states would More than double this year to 83,000 emergency room cases compared with 37,000 in 1993. While a commission study found no fault with skates which have four or five wheels in a Row the chairwoman of the panel Ann Brown said the trend was alarming enough to Issue a warning. The danger in skating is Speed skaters who often move through traffic without protective gear can easily reach speeds of 30 Miles an hour. Generally the commission Speaks out Only when it has found a defect or safety problem with a product we Haven t found anything in the product itself to improve on to make it less dangerous Brown said. But by its nature this is a dangerous sport and if people choose to do it there Are certain things they can do to protect  by some estimates in line skating has become the fastest growing sport in the United states with 12.4 million people who skated at least once last year compared with 3.6 million in 1990, according to figures from the National sporting goods association. The Industry sold $300 million Worth of skates last year and Deborah Autrey a spokeswoman for rollerblade inc. Of Minnetonka minn., the largest of several dozen manufactures in the United states said Industry wide sales could exceed $400 million this year. The company has taken Steps to address safety concerns by upgrading its brakes which Are usually hard rubber stoppers attached to the Heel of the skate. The skater stops by raising the toe of the skate and rocking Back on the Heel. Roue Blade s new brakes have a larger braking area and Are adjustable so that the firmness can be changed giving the skater More control of the Stop. Many people take up in line skating without getting training or equipment further Tiey do not have the Benefit of any safety regulations. Unlike cyclists who Are required to Wear protective helmets in Many places skaters Are virtually free to Wear what they please. The popularity of in line skating is worldwide As demonstrated by these skaters completing a 1f 250-mile trip on skates from Spain to Paris Henry Zuver executive director of the Industry Trade association in Atlanta the International in line skating association said he knew of no Law or regulation that would require a skater to Wear protective equipment. While Many skaters Don some of the Armor of the Road like Elbow pads knee guards and Shin guards Large numbers continue to leave their most vulnerable body part their wrists and most critical their Heads unprotected. Los Angeles times rollerblade has upgraded its brakes. Information from 91 emergency rooms showed that wrists were most. Often injured since people tend to reach out to break a fall the commission said. Wrist injuries accounted for nearly a Quarter of those reported last year and 26 percent of those reported through the first five months of this year. The commission also expects head injuries to increase to 7,000 Case this year up from 2,000 cases last year. It said at least two of the five skaters who died As a result of accidents since August 1992 were not wearing protective helmets. Why would so Many people refuse to Wear helmets Many think it s a fashion statement not to Wear a helmet said George Gianaris co director of the Central Park skate patrol in new York. But that is incorrect _ Zuver said that in general he. Applauded the commission s warning and safety guidelines which suggest., wearing protective equipment taking lessons and avoiding traffic. But he took Issue with any characterization of in line skating As a dangerous activity saying if you take a person to the top of a Hill and Tell him Good Luck getting to the Bottom then yeah it s a very dangerous  but if people skating responsibly the danger should be minimal he added. The los Angeles times contributed to this Story. Health notes sunscreen As a cure sunscreen lotions not Only prevent skin cancers they can also heal skin lesions that can become cancerous an australian medical research team has discovered. The lotions curative Powers surfaced during an experimental skin cancer prevention program during 1991-92. During the test nearly 600 elderly men and women were divided into two groups one that used ultraviolet Sun blockers daily and one that used non protective creams. At the end of the test the researchers determined the sunscreens had eliminated one pre cancerous skin lesion per person while those who used Ordinary creams added one lesion per person. It s never too late to Start taking precautions University of Melbourne Public health specialist Robin Marks said in the journal of the american skin cancer foundation. Even older people who already have pre cancerous lesions can be helped by minimizing sunlight exposure and applying  dogs and Lyme disease new research suggests that dogs could play a larger role than previously thought in the spread of Lyme disease. Until now experts have believed that rodents particularly White footed mice were the leading culprits in passing the bacteria that causes the disease on to ticks according to Thomas Mather director of the Center for vector borne disease at the University of Rhode Island. Other animals were believed to be poor transmitters. But experiments have shown that dogs Are just As Likely As mice to pass that bacteria on to ticks. It s not yet known whether cats can transmit the disease to ticks Mather said but felines Are known carriers of the bacteria. The findings however Aren t As alarming As they might appear he said. Immature ticks those most Likely to pick up the bacteria apparently prefer mice to dogs. Mather advised dog owners to apply Bug repellent to their dogs and confine them to areas known to be tick free. Good healthy sex if you did t know it yet making love is Good for your health. A kiss and a cuddle can make you feel High and strengthen your immune system according to German researchers. In a recent Magazine article sex researcher Ernest Bornemann reports that making love is in Many respects better than taking an aspirin for headache or an anti depressant when feeling depressed. And immunologist Gerhard Uhlenbruck was quoted As saying that this feeling of butterflies in the Stom Ach puts us in a state of mental and physical balance. We feel generally just  hugging and passionate kissing virtually creates wonders the experts say. Hormones race through the body. The skin becomes taut with a Rosy tinge. A surge of oxygen makes Beauty Oil irrelevant. The cell metabolism changes into High gear eating up excess fat up to 400 calories Are used up during intimate love play the article claims. From wire reports the stars and Stripe tuesday August 23, 1994 15 f or Fife ski