Introduction: Driving under the influence (DUI) citations are still a serious concern among drivers aged 16–20 years and have been shown to be related to increased risk of fatal and nonfatal crashes. A battery of laws and policies has been enacted to address this concern. Though numerous studies have evaluated these policies, there is still a need for comprehensive policy evaluations that take into account a variety of contextual factors. Previous effort by this research team examined the impact of 20 minimum legal drinking age–21 laws in the state of California, as they impacted alcohol-related crash rates among drivers under 21 years of age while at the same time accounting for alcohol and gas taxes, unemployment rates, sex distribution among drivers, and sobriety checkpoints. The current research seeks to expand this evaluation to the county level (San Diego County). More specifically, we evaluate the impact of measures subject to county control such as retail beverage service (RBS) laws and social host (SH) laws, as well as media coverage, city employment, alcohol outlet density, number of sworn officers, alcohol consumption, and taxation policies, to determine the most effective point of intervention for communities seeking to reduce underage DUI citations.
Methods: Annual DUI citation data (2000 to 2013), RBS and SH policies, and city-wide demographic, economic, and environmental information were collected and applied to each of the 20 cities in San Diego County, California. A structural equation model was fit to estimate the relative contribution of the variables of interest to DUI citation rates.
Results: Alcohol consumption and alcohol outlet density both demonstrated a significant increase in DUI rates, whereas RBS laws, SH laws, alcohol tax rates, media clusters, gas tax rates, and unemployment rates demonstrated significant decreases in DUI rates.
Conclusions: At the county level, although RBS laws, SH laws, and media efforts were found to contribute to a significant reduction in DUI rates, the largest significant contributors to reducing DUI rates were alcohol and gas taxation rates. Policy makers interested in reducing DUI rates among teenagers should examine these variables within their specific communities and consider conducting community-specific research to determine the best way to do so. Future efforts should be made to develop models that represent specific communities who are interested in reducing DUI rates among drivers aged 16–20 years. 相似文献
A feasible and relatively readily available analytical method was adapted for the assessment of alcohol ethoxylates (AE) and fatty alcohols (FA) in sediments. This study illustrates the simultaneous measurement of 38 of 114 possible alcohol ethoxylate ethoxymers (AE) and fatty alcohols (FA) found in commercially important AE products. We predicted toxicity for all identified fractions, as well as the total mixture toxicity, relative to three exposure scenarios via sewage treatment plants (STP) for these widely used chemicals in consumer products and hence generate a preliminary environmental risk screening for AE and FA in sediments. The method is based on derivatization of solvent or solid-phase extracts with 2-fluoro-N-methylpyridinium p-toluenesulfonate (Pyr+). The derivatized extracts were analyzed with liquid chromatography/mass spectrometry (LC/MS) operating in the positive ion electrospray mode. The extraction efficiency of AE and FA in three different sediments of varying composition was evaluated with spike-recovery studies, ranging from 64% to 80%. The detection limits for individual ethoxymers typically ranged from 1 to 5ngg−1on a dry weight basis. The mean limit of detection (LOD) was 6ngg−1and the median LOD was 3ngg−1. AE and FA in sediments were found to be stable for two weeks if preserved with 3% (v/v) formalin and stored at 4–6∘C. Based on equilibrium partitioning, background concentrations of AE and FA were predicted to be below concentrations known to elicit chronically toxic effects. Total worst case mixture toxicities for all AE ethoxymers combined with FA were predicted to result in a risk quotient less than 0.6. Activated sludge treatment (STP) significantly reduced the release of total AE and FA by four-fold, suggesting that the total mixture risk quotient would be < 0.15 for sediment dependent organisms. 相似文献
The microbial immobilization method using polyvinyl alcohol(PVA)gel as an immobilizing material was improved and used for entrapment of activated sludge.The oxygen uptake rate(OUR)was used to characterize the biological activity of immobilized activated sludge.Three kinds of PVA-immobilized particles of activated sludge,that is,PVA-boric acid beads,PVA-sodium nitrate beads and PVA-orthophosphate beads were prepared,and their biological activity was compared by measuring the OUR value.The bioactivity of both autotrophic and heterotrophic microorganisms of activated sludge was determined using different synthetic wastewater media (containing 250 mg/L COD and 25 mg/L NH_4~ -N).The experimental results showed that the bioactivity and stability of the three kinds of immobilized activated sludge was greatly improved after activation.With respect of the bioactivity and the mechanical stability,the PVA-orthophosphate method may be a promising and economical technique for microbial immobilization. 相似文献
This paper focuses on changing patterns of substance use among low income, African American drug users evacuated from New Orleans, Louisiana, during Hurricane Katrina of August 2005. It examines the relationship between increases and decreases in alcohol and tobacco (AT) use and illicit drug (ID) use after Katrina and pre‐disaster and within‐disaster factors. Data from structured interviews with 200 Katrina evacuees currently living in Houston were collected 8–14 months after the disaster. Multivariate analysis revealed that rises in AT use were positively associated with education. Females and younger evacuees were more likely to have increased AT use. ID use increase was positively associated with resource loss and leaving the city before Katrina. Decreases in AT and ID use were found to be associated with disaster‐related exposure. The paper discusses the specific consequences of disasters on disadvantaged minority substance users and the importance of developing public health disaster policies that target this population. 相似文献