CHECKUP : NEWS, TIPS AND TRENDS WORK-SITE CULTURE, DRINKING LINKED.

If you think your boss is driving you to drink, you may be right, a new study suggests.

Researchers at Boston University School of Public Health and the Harvard School of Public Health studied the drinking habits of more than 6,000 managers and first-line supervisors at seven corporations, involving 114 work sites across the country.

They found that social and cultural factors in the workplace contribute to drinking practices.

``Alcohol researchers have observed for decades that drinking patterns varied by national, ethnic, religious, occupational and gender groups,'' said Dr. Jonathan Howland, the lead author. ``But this study demonstrates that cultural tolerances concerning alcohol use occur in social units as small as places of work.''

The researchers said work sites are social groups and thus manifest ``drinking norms among employees.'' Howland said individual work sites have different tolerances for alcohol use and these tolerances are to some extent ``learned'' by employees.

Howland said that if companies changed workplace drinking norms, they might prevent non-problem drinkers from developing problems later.

FDA order: The manufacturer of Zoloft has been marketing the antidepressant for unapproved uses, according to the Food and Drug Administration.

Sales brochures produced by manufacturer Pfizer Inc. suggest Zoloft can be used to treat premenstrual depression, chronic low-grade depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder and postpartum depression - all uses that haven't been approved by the FDA, the Wall Street Journal reported. The FDA has sent an eight-page letter to Pfizer warning the company to cease those marketing efforts.

In the most serious charge, the FDA said Pfizer is recommending Zoloft for depression after heart attacks, although Pfizer's tests hint that Zoloft may cause side effects such as chest pain and rapid heartbeat.

A Pfizer spokesman wouldn't discuss the letter, but maintained that the company markets its products ``appropriately under the rules'' and will talk with the FDA about the issues raised in the letter.

Fluoride alert: Bottle-fed infants may be at risk for discolored teeth, a condition called dental fluorosis, according to the Academy of General Dentistry (AGD) in Chicago.

The condition can result when bottle-fed infants ingest too much fluoride from water that is added to their formula, the group said.

A baby's teeth are sensitive to fluoride. Regular exposure to fluoride levels above 1 part per million (ppm) can lead to dental fluorosis, which shows as brown spots on the teeth, according to the AGD.

Breast milk and most ready-to-feed formulas contain infant-safe fluoride levels. However, parents should be careful when adding water to concentrate formulas, the group warns. Many community water supplies and wells contain fluoride levels higher than 1 ppm.