It Figures

18.4%
Percentage of unexplained drowning deaths among Asian children ages 17 and younger between 1999 and 2001 in Washington State, according to Children’s Hospital research. Asian children that age account for 6.9 percent of the state’s population.

80 micrograms
Toxin measurement at which Washington officials close shellfish-growing areas because organisms called Alexandrium can cause paralytic shellfish poisoning in humans. Many areas are showing levels of 1,000 micrograms or more, with mussels at Port Ludlow in Jefferson County containing nearly 10,000 micrograms, according to state officials.

12
Number of $1000 college scholarships Unigard Insurance awarded to students to ease the burden of paying for college tuition. Experts at the College Board predict the cost of attending private and public colleges will increase about 5 percent each year. According to that estimate, in 10 years, tuition for one year would cost $49,204 at private schools and $18,489 at public colleges.

78.9%
The amount Blue Cross of California, the state’s largest for-profit health insurer, spent of its premium dollars on patient care in fiscal year 2004-2005. Twenty-one percent went to profits and administration, according to a report by the California Medical Association examining annual health plan expenditures.

86,000
Number of acres that burned in the Sawtooth Complex and the Millard Complex fires that spread through San Bernardino County, Calif., in July, according to Risk Management Solutions.