News Archives

West Nile on the Rise posted 20-Jul-04
More than 100 human cases of West Nile Virus have already been reported across the country, well ahead of the pace of the past two years. While some areas have seen little activity this year, the West is being hit hard. Last year, the West Nile virus killed 264 people and sickened nearly 10,000 others in the United States. In most cases, people who are infected never become sick or have only mild flulike symptoms. But the elderly, the very young and people with compromised immune systems are more susceptible. Read news story (Search Google for title)

100 Million People Living with Harmful Air Pollution posted 13-Jul-04
U.S. counties that are home to nearly 100 million people appear to flunk federal air standards because of microscopic soot from diesel-burning trucks, power plants and other sources, the Environmental Protection Agency said recently. EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt called the need to reduce airborne microscopic soot "the single most important action we can take to make our air healthier." He said soot-filled air annually causes 15,000 premature deaths, 95,000 cases of chronic or acute bronchitis, and thousands of hospitalizations because of respiratory or cardiovascular illnesses. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Safety of Personal Care Products Questioned posted 08-Jul-04
The Food and Drug Administration doesn't require safety data on ingredients used in beauty and personal-care products such as shampoos, cosmetics and hair dyes before they are put on the market, according to a report by environmental and health groups. An examination of ingredients listed on the labels of 7,500 such products found that a third contain one or more ingredients classified by the government as possibly cancer-causing. The FDA estimates there are about 25,000 personal-care products on the market. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Air Pollution Could Trigger Heart Attacks posted 08-Jul-04
The American Heart Association, an influential guide for physicians and the public on preventing heart disease, issued its first warning that air pollution contributes to cardiovascular disease. People with heart or lung disease should avoid exercising outdoors during episodes of polluted air, the association cautions. A growing body of evidence over the past decade indicates that air pollution, particularly fine particles, can trigger strokes and heart attacks. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Quitting Smoking Adds Years to Life posted 22-Jun-04
At least half, and perhaps as many as two-thirds, of people who begin smoking in their youth are eventually killed by the habit, according to a mammoth 50-year medical study. On average, the study found that cigarette smokers die about 10 years younger than nonsmokers. Those who stopped at the age of 60 gained three years of life, those who quit at 50 gained six years and those at 40 gained nine years. For those who kick the habit at 30 the increased risk was avoided almost totally. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Study Compares Air Pollution Plans & Deaths Avoided posted 13-Jun-04
Pollution from power plants causes the premature deaths of 23,600 Americans each year, according to an analysis prepared for an environmental coalition by a consulting company that uses the same data and methodology in its work for the Environmental Protection Agency. Last year the White House unveiled its plan to reduce pollution from power plants. Sens. Jeffords (I-Vt.) and Lieberman (D-Conn.) have written a bill that would set stricter limits. According to the report, this proposal would save 22,000 lives a year, whereas the Bush Administration's proposal would save 7,800. Read news story (Search Google for title)

2003 blackout improved air quality posted 11-Jun-04
Last summer's great Northeast blackout had a silver lining — cleaner skies downwind from the Midwestern power plants that were idled, researchers say. Aircraft sampling in the 24 hours following the power outage in the United States and parts of Canada found a 90 per cent drop in sulphur dioxide and a 50 per cent cut in ozone levels, while visibility increased by more than 40 kilometres, University of Maryland researchers report. Read news story (Search Google for title)

More Diseases Linked to Smoking posted 29-May-04
Cigarette smoking significantly harms almost every major organ of the body and has been directly linked to a new series of diseases including leukemia, cataracts, pneumonia and cancers of the kidney, cervix, pancreas and stomach. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Almonds Recalled Due To Salmonella Scare posted 29-May-04
A salmonella outbreak traced to one of the world's largest almond producers has sickened about 25 people and prompted a nationwide recall of more than 13 million pounds of almonds. An initial recall covered 2.7 million packages of raw almonds sold under the brand names Kirkland Signature, Sunkist and Trader Joe's. On Thursday, Kerry Inc. of Beloit, Wis., recalled almonds sold under its Pacific Seasonings' Gold Shield brand in Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana, Alaska, Northern California, Hawaii and Guam. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Moldy Buildings Tied to Breathing Problems posted 26-May-04
Damp, moldy buildings can make asthma worse and cause coughing, wheezing and other breathing problems in healthy people, but there is no good evidence that they can cause other illnesses, the National Academy of Sciences concluded yesterday. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Warnings on Toxic Household Dust posted 13-May-04
The dust in your house may not just be a nuisance. It could be tainted with toxic chemicals being gradually shed by the computer, the sofa and the coffee maker. And it could be getting into your body, possibly increasing your risk of cancer. In pregnant women, it could be harming fetal brain development. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Pesticide Levels High, Report Finds posted 12-May-04
Many U.S. residents carry unhealthy levels of pesticides in their bodies, with children, women and Mexican Americans disproportionately exposed to the toxic chemicals, according to a study to be released Tuesday. The Pesticide Action Network analyzed data collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in a study of more than 2,648 people tested for levels of 34 pesticides. "It does appear to have some validity," said Francis B. Suhre, of the EPA. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Major Diesel Pollution Regulations Announced posted 12-May-04
The Bush administration recently announced a regulation that within a decade would cut 90% of the harmful pollution from construction equipment, farm equipment and other off-road diesel engines. The regulation is expected to prevent 12,000 premature deaths, 15,000 heart attacks and 6,000 asthma-related emergency room visits for children every year. Even many of the administration's usual critics praised the regulation as the best thing President Bush had done for the environment. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Soap Can Protect Those With Peanut Allergies posted 12-May-04
Good news if you're allergic to peanuts -- most soaps and household cleaners will remove enough allergen from hands and dining surfaces to prevent an attack. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Worst Asthma Cities posted 12-May-04
The Allergy and Asthma Foundation of America released a list of 100 metropolitan areas across the country that they term "asthma capitals." The group looked at the prevalence and mortality from the disease, outdoor air quality, smoking laws and the number of asthma medication prescriptions and specialists. See which cities made the top 10. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Air Fresheners Help Create Pollution posted 10-May-04
Potentially harmful indoor air pollution can form inside homes through reactions between air-fresheners and smog, say researchers at the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The reactions generate formaldehyde, classed as a probable carcinogen, and related compounds that many experts believe are responsible for respiratory problems. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Lyme Disease on Increase posted 07-May-04
The incidence of Lyme disease jumped 40% from 2001 to 2002 and reached an all-time high of 23,763 cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). The tick-borne disease was reported in every state except Hawaii, Oklahoma and Montana in 2002, the CDC says. The highest incidence of Lyme disease, accounting for 95% of cases, occurred in Eastern states from Maine to Maryland and in Wisconsin and Minnesota. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Asthma Worsens Due To Global Warming posted 30-Apr-04
Poor and minority children are likely to develop asthma at worsening rates due to global warming and air pollution, environment experts predicted yesterday. They released a report showing that as the climate gets warmer, allergens such as pollen and mold will flood the air, interacting with urban pollutants such as ozone and soot to fuel an already growing epidemic of asthma. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Second-Hand Smoke Poses Heart Attack Risk posted 23-Apr-04
For the first time, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is warning people at risk of heart disease to avoid all buildings and gathering places that allow indoor smoking. Research suggests that secondhand smoke rapidly increases the tendency of blood to clot, which can restrict flow to the heart. A new study strengthens the growing body of research pointing to potentially fast and acute reactions to secondhand smoke, in addition to the long-term damage done to nonsmokers who live with smokers. The CDC has estimated that secondhand smoke causes 35,000 heart disease deaths a year in the United States, an estimate likely to be revised upward based on the new findings. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Family Farms Survive by Going Organic posted 15-Apr-04
Fifty years ago, the United States had about 8 million family farms. Today, there are fewer than 2 million, and the nation loses about 330 family farms a week. Now many family farms are switching to organic. Indeed, certified organic farms now represent 5 percent to 7 percent of all agricultural production. Because of strong consumer demand, the business has grown 20 percent annually for the past four years. Read news story (Search Google for title)

112 National Park Sites Have Dirty Air posted 10-Apr-04
Almost 40% of the nation's population live in places where the air is too dirty to meet new federal clean air regulations. But when Americans escape to relax in some of their favorite national parks, they could be breathing air with unhealthy amounts of ground-level ozone — a pollutant that can aggravate asthma, encourage respiratory illnesses like pneumonia, and damage lungs. It also eats away at the flora and fauna in the parks. The National Park Service estimates that 112 of its 387 sites — are in areas expected to be in violation. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Congressmen Want Clean Air Regulations Eased posted 10-Apr-04
On April 15, EPA Administrator Mike Leavitt will release a list of nearly 300 counties nationwide that have an unacceptable level of ground-level ozone, a major contributor to smog. A chorus of lawmakers and state officials are hoping to stave off federal regulators. The stakes are high: Areas that violate the standard will have three years to develop plans to reduce emissions, which could force some to take steps such as shutting down polluting factories or requiring them to install costly controls. Read news story (Search Google for title)

White House Minimized Risks of Mercury posted 07-Apr-04
While working with EPA officials to write regulations for coal-fired power plants over several recent months, White House staff members played down the toxic effects of mercury. Scientists on the academy panel expressed concern that a host of subtle changes by White House staff members resulted in proposed rules that played down the health risks associated with mercury from coal-fired power plants. The proposal largely tracks suggestions from the energy industry. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Birth Weight Up After EPA Pesticide Ban posted 27-Mar-04
A federal ban on two popular household insecticides has significantly reduced the number of underweight babies born in neighborhoods where the chemicals had been widely used, a study has found. "We were surprised to see such a significant association between exposure to the pesticides and birth weight," said principal author Robin M. Whyatt of Columbia's Mailman School of Public Health. "There is no question that this is an instance where regulation worked -- that the EPA imposed a ban and there was immediate benefit from it." Read news story (Search Google for title)

FDA & EPA Urge Limits on Eating Tuna posted 20-Mar-04
For the first time, the federal government has warned pregnant and nursing women and young children away from eating more than a limited amount of canned albacore "white" tuna because of potential hazards from mercury in the fish. The recommendation regarding tuna was immediately attacked as inadequate by a member of the FDA advisory panel that addressed it, saying the advisory did not reflect the experts' view that children and childbearing women should not eat albacore tuna, and should eat less light tuna than the advisory recommends. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Leaders in Congress Urge Tightening of Lead Regulations posted 18-Mar-04
Congressional leaders urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency yesterday to change its rules governing lead contamination of tap water, saying the recent crisis in Washington DC has revealed multiple flaws in the federal regulations. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Fierce Debate on How to Regulate Mercury posted 18-Mar-04
Coal burning power plants are the focus of a furious debate over mercury pollution -- how much and how fast the nation should move to regulate a toxic metal capable of causing severe neurological damage, especially to the unborn and young children. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Further Study Ordered on Mercury Regulation posted 18-Mar-04
Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Mike Leavitt has ordered additional studies to see how it might tighten a recently proposed regulation on mercury. The move followed revelations that the EPA had short-circuited the traditional regulatory process and had adopted some industry recommendations verbatim. Read news story (Search Google for title)

A Long Search for the Source of a Baby's Lead Poisoning posted 05-Mar-04
Their son's blood level kept rising. They got advice from the doctor's office. They studied medical sites on the Internet. They learned about the dangers of lead from old paint. And they began a year-long effort to rid their house of lead that, as it turned out, may not have accomplished much at all. It never occurred to the parents of Niko that the lead could be in their water. Read news story (Search Google for title)

DC Lead Tests Cast Doubt on EPA Standards posted 05-Mar-04
The severity of lead contamination in Washington's water reveals serious weaknesses in the federal testing program and raises the prospect that other cities may have similar, undiscovered problems, according to federal officials, scientists and engineers Read news story (Search Google for title)

Smoking Outside May Not Protect Those Indoors posted 02-Mar-04
Parents who chose not to smoke inside the family home may still be subjecting their children to the effects of passive smoking, a study suggests. Children in such homes have up to eight times more nicotine in their bodies than the offspring of non-smokers. Read news story (Search Google for title)

DC Agencies Ignored Lead Warnings posted 02-Mar-04
The D.C. Water and Sewer Authority and the Army Corps of Engineers rejected warnings from consultants who said as early as 1994 that lead contamination was a serious threat because of the way the two agencies were managing the water supply. "They knew what to do for years, and they didn't take the basic steps to protect the public, even when the problem was obvious," said a former EPA official. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Antibacterial Products Ineffective, Even Potentially Harmful posted 02-Mar-04
The antibacterial soaps, laundry detergents and other household cleaning products apparently offer little protection against the most common germs, the first major test in people's homes has found. Their widespread use has raised concerns that the products could contribute to a dangerous increase in "superbugs" invulnerable to treatment in serious medical situations. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Electricity From Coal Could Increase Dramatically posted 27-Feb-04
Unbeknownst to most concerned citizens and state officials, plans are in the works to build some 94 new coal-fired power plants in 36 states. Such activities have gone undetected because most plants are still in the private planning phase, not yet open for public comment. The burning of coal produces more airborne mercury and greenhouse gases than any other single source, and those levels could increase dramatically when the new plants come online. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Tips on Safe Seafood posted 25-Feb-04
Having a tough time keeping all the recent warnings on seafood straight? Here's an update from an environmental online magazine on toxins to avoid, fish that contain them, and fish that are safer to eat. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Children, Unborn, are Most Vulnerable to Lead posted 25-Feb-04
Children who ingest lead -- usually in the form of dust from deteriorating lead-based paint or from water tainted with lead leached from plumbing -- have reduced potential for lifetime achievement and increased risk of socialization and behavioral problems, according to numerous studies. Similarly, fetuses that absorb lead from the mother are at a high risk of many types of developmental problems. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Gene-altered Seeds Found Mixed in with Ordinary posted 25-Feb-04
Much of the U.S. supply of ordinary crop seeds has become contaminated with strands of engineered DNA, suggesting that current methods for segregating gene-altered seed plants from traditional varieties are failing, according to a pilot study released yesterday. "No one wants drugs or plastics in our cornflakes," said Margaret Mellon, director of the food and environment program at the Union of Concerned Scientists. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Threat of Lead Levels in Water posted 23-Feb-04
Shellie and Andy Bressler, who live in a 120-year-old home on Capitol Hill in DC, have been watching their 3-year-old twin boys closely since tests conducted a year ago revealed elevated levels of lead in their blood. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Antibody Potently Neutralizes SARS Virus posted 10-Feb-04
Severe acute respiratory syndrome -- SARS -- may soon face a powerful adversary. Scientists have produced a so-called monoclonal antibody that blocks the SARS coronavirus. The results of lab experiments have been so positive, Dr. Wayne A. Marasco told Reuters Health, that his group has already started their first series of animal studies, using the antibody to stop the SARS virus from infecting cells. Read news story (Search Google for title)

U.S. Ends Search for Mad Cow Cases posted 10-Feb-04
Saying the health threat posed to Americans by mad cow disease has passed, U.S. officials on Monday announced they were ending their search for additional animals infected with the disease. The hunt began in December when a Holstein cow in Washington state was found to have bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), the technical name for mad cow disease. It was the first case of the disease ever found in the United States. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Hosehold Chores Kick Up a Dust Storm posted 09-Feb-04
Simply walking around your home can increase your exposure to particulate pollution, a new study reveals. The study measured the amount of dust kicked up by household activities such as walking, dancing, making a bed and vacuum cleaning. Researchers recommend wood or vinyl floors, which harbour fewer particles than carpets. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Mercury May Affect Adolescent Brains posted 09-Feb-04
Eating seafood that contains mercury can affect the brain development of children in their adolescence, according to a study of people in the Faroe Islands. The findings suggest that any harm done by mercury before birth or in early childhood was not repaired as the children grew up. And continued mercury exposure may continue to affect the brains of teenagers. However, other research has not reached similar conclusions. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Mercury Levels Much Higher in Unborn Than Previously Thought posted 09-Feb-04
The Environmental Protection Agency believes that about 630,000 of the roughly 4 million babies born annually in the United States — twice as many as previously thought — may be exposed to dangerous levels of mercury in the womb. The EPA's analysis reflects a new understanding among scientists in the U.S. and Japan that umbilical cord blood has higher mercury concentrations than a mother's blood. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Proposed Mercury Reg.s Bear Industry Mark posted 31-Jan-04
The Bush administration proposed new rules yesterday regulating power plants' mercury pollution, and at least a dozen paragraphs were lifted, sometimes verbatim, from the industry suggestions. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Shocking Lead Levels in DC water posted 31-Jan-04
Tap water in thousands of DC houses has recently tested above the federal limit for lead contamination, a new phenomenon that has baffled the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority and forced the agency to begin replacing service pipes. "I've never heard of anything like that. This is a really big deal," said a professional environmentalist who has surveyed the drinking water in more than 100 cities. "If schools go over 20 parts per billion, they immediately take the water out of production." Read news story (Search Google for title)

Second-hand Smoke & Air Pollution Combined are Even More Harmful to Unborn Child posted 28-Jan-04
Combined exposure to secondhand smoke and urban air pollutants can hurt development of an unborn child, a new study says. While previous research has explored the effect of secondhand smoke and urban air pollution independently on the unborn, the study is the first to find a significant combined effect of both pollutants on birth weight and head circumference, two standard measures of fetal growth. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Squeaky Clean? Not Even Close posted 28-Jan-04
Most people don't seem to worry about what experts say is a petri dish for food-borne illness: the home kitchen. Dish towels, sinks, refrigerator door handles and warm, moist, crevice-filled sponges are also breeding grounds for bacteria. Read news story (Search Google for title)

USDA Will Examine Environmental Impact of Genetic Engineering posted 26-Jan-04
Department of Agriculture officials said recently they will begin revising their rules governing genetically engineered crops, a process that will include for the first time a comprehensive review of the regulations' effect on the environment. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Bird Flu Spreads in Asia posted 23-Jan-04
Thai officials announced today that two boys had become infected with avian influenza and that six more people were suspected of having it. The acknowldgement confirms that the deadly disease has now spread across Southeast Asia, and it raised fears among doctors of a possible global influenza epidemic if the virus evolves to pass easily from person to person, instead of just from contact with infected birds. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Scientists Call for Safety Review of Antiperspirants posted 20-Jan-04
British researchers have called for a safety review of a chemical used in antiperspirants after tests showed it was present in breast cancer tumours, the Sunday Times reported. Philippa Darbre, a lecturer in cellular and molecular biology at Reading University, tested 20 tumours and found traces of parabens in every sample. She said the levels in four samples were so high, it could have had a damaging biological effect on cells. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Resolve to Reduce Your Risk of Cancer posted 20-Jan-04
Love it or hate it, it’s that time of year again -- the time for New Year's resolutions. Here are a few simple changes you can resolve to make in 2004. Follow through with these and you will not only reduce your risk of developing cancer, you’re likely to feel better too. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Marketing Claims Confuse Beef Consumers posted 20-Jan-04
Organic. Natural. No added hormones. No antibiotics. Grass-fed. Free-range. An often-confusing array at a higher cost awaits consumers interested in alternatives to mass-produced beef after mad cow disease was found last month in a Washington dairy cow. This spring the government is expected to approve new rules that should clear up some of the confusion. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Study Urges Everyone in Vehicle to Buckle Up posted 20-Jan-04
It's not enough if you wear your seat belt; everyone else in the vehicle better buckle up as well. In the event of an accident, "unrestrained" occupants can essentially become human projectiles, harming or even killing those who are strapped in, new research says. Read news story (Search Google for title)

What Are Steps to Safer Beef? posted 19-Jan-04
To regular consumers not normally tuned in to debates over the beef industry's production practices, such scary-sounding terms as "downer cattle" and "advanced meat recovery" are new. However, consumer advocates, government officials and industry representatives have been fighting many of these production and food-safety battles for years. This article explores the changes that food-safety advocates are calling for from the beef industry, along with the positions of industry groups and government regulators. Read news story (Search Google for title)

How They Make the Flu Shot posted 13-Jan-04
This winter marks only the second time in 15 years that the flu vaccine given to tens of millions of Americans does not specifically protect against the strain of flu circulating in the population. The story of this year's flu shot provides a telling look at the world of global public health. Read news story (Search Google for title)

How Mad Cow Risk Has Been Assessed posted 13-Jan-04
In 1990, when the federal government designed a surveillance system to detect mad cow disease, scientists said the tests would find one case of the disease if there were 45 infected cattle in the country. Epidemiologists and statisticians say the infected Holstein raises a flag that could indicate there are two, 10 or even 90 infected animals in the United States. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Toxins in Farm-raised Salmon Pose Health Risk posted 08-Jan-04
Chemical contaminants in farm-raised salmon are at unacceptably high levels and may dramatically increase the risk of cancer, a new report claims. The study, published in the journal Science, found farm-raised salmon had significantly higher PCB levels and many chlorinated pesticides than wild Pacific salmon. Read news story (Search Google for title)

DNA Shows Hostein Infected with Mad Cow Came From Canada posted 07-Jan-04
DNA tests prove that a Washington state Holstein cow found infected with mad cow disease was born and likely infected in Canada, U.S. and Canadian government officials said yesterday. This suggests that U.S. safety regulations may have successfully prevented the transmission of the dreaded disease within this country. But the results also deepened the mystery of how the disease might have spread in North America, and raised fears that other animals may have become infected and entered the food supply. Read news story (Search Google for title)

EPA to Study the Use of Sewage as Fertilizer posted 03-Jan-04
Currently, 54 percent of the six million tons of sewage sludge generated every year is processed and used as fertilizer. Because of growing concerns, the Environmental Protection Agency will sponsor a series of scientific and public health studies on the safety of using sewage sludge as fertilizer. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Administration Announces New Regulations to Help Prevent Mad Cow posted 31-Dec-03
Animals too sick or old to stand or walk will be banned from entering the food supply, federal officials said yesterday, in a move that would keep from 150,000 to 200,000 "downer" cattle a year from going to the slaughterhouse. The measure, long sought by food safety advocates, will take effect immediately. It is part of a broad range of new regulations announced yesterday as the Bush administration urgently works to restore consumer confidence. Read news story (Search Google for title)

The Bush Administration's Turnabout on Stricter Mercury Regulations posted 30-Dec-03
For nearly 21 months, a government task force steadily moved toward recommending rules that within three years would force every coal-fired power plant in the country to reduce emissions of mercury, which can cause neurological and developmental damage to humans. But in April, the EPA abruptly dismantled the panel. The regulatory turnabout was engineered by Jeffrey R. Holmstead, the EPA's senior air quality official and a former industry lawyer. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Mad Cow May Push Consumers Towards Organic Beef posted 27-Dec-03
The discovery of mad cow disease in the United States may give a major boost to the organic beef business because cattle raised organically are less exposed to the major risk factor for the deadly wasting disease.To be certified as being organic by the Agriculture Department, beef cattle must be fed a strictly vegetarian diet, which would prevent them from being exposed to the kind of tainted feed suspected of causing the mad cow disease discovered in Washington state. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Government Was Warned That Mad Cow Was A Threat posted 27-Dec-03
Since 1997, Consumers Union, which publishes Consumer Reports, has sent numerous letters to Agriculture Department officials warning that the American testing was "flawed in both design and execution," and that native brain disease, not necessarily caused by feed imported from Britain in the 1980's, "may be hiding among the 'downer cow' population." Testing was never meant to stop a diseased cow from reaching the public, Dr. Ron DeHaven, the Agriculture department's chief veterinarian, said. It was meant to reach a statistical level of probability that it could spot one case in a million. Read news story (Search Google for title)

What Causes Mad Cow Disease posted 26-Dec-03
Mad cow disease is one of a family of fatal diseases in humans and other mammals caused by bizarre infectious agents unlike any others known to biology. Neither viruses nor bacteria nor single-celled protozoans, these infectious elements, known as prions (PREE-ons), consist of a mere strand of protein and carry no DNA or other genetic material -- a fact that for years left most scientists skeptical about the prions' ability to cause disease. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Safety Advice for Eating Meat to Avoid Mad Cow Disease posted 26-Dec-03
The primary precaution is to avoid eating any tissue taken from the nervous system of an infected animal. The highest-risk food products are those that contain ground beef and beef harvested from machinery that squeezes out the small bits of meat that cling to an animal's spinal column and other bones. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Court Blocks Weaker Clean Air Regulations posted 26-Dec-03
A federal appeals court at least temporarily blocked a Bush administration regulation that would have relaxed existing standards and so allowed hundreds of aging power and industrial plants to make upgrades without installing modern pollution controls. The order indicates that the court has substantial doubt about the White House's claims that it has authority to modify the Clean Air Act by regulation and that its changes would not hurt the environment. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Mad Cow Disease Found in U.S. posted 24-Dec-03
A Holstein cow slaughtered in Washington state earlier this month was infected with mad cow disease, marking the first time that the dreaded illness that devastated the beef industry in Britain has been detected in the United States, officials announced yesterday. The infection, called bovine spongiform encephalopathy, or BSE, turns the brains of animals spongy. Consuming infected meat can cause a related human disease called variant Creutzfeld-Jakob disease, a fatal brain-wasting disorder. Unlike diseases caused by bacteria or viruses, BSE is caused by a self-replicating protein called a prion. Read news story (Search Google for title)

EPA Issues New Mercury Regulations, But Says Millions of Tons Unaccounted For posted 20-Dec-03
The Environmental Protection Agency issued a new rule yesterday to regulate the chemical industry's handling of mercury, but conceded that the government and industry cannot account for at least 65 tons of the toxic substance that plants may be releasing into the environment each year. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Flu Kills 42 Children Thus Far posted 20-Dec-03
At least 42 children and teenagers have died this year from flu, fueling concern that this outbreak may be unusually dangerous for young people, federal health officials said yesterday. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Healthy, Creation-friendly Products on the Rise posted 17-Dec-03
The demand for housewares made from organic or recycled materials increased 66 percent in 2001 and continues to grow, according to a new study. "The main reason people are demanding organic products," says Lester Kan, vice president of EcoPlanet, "is for health reasons: like preventing cancer and protecting groundwater. Cotton is one of the most pesticide-laden fabrics, and toxic defoliants are used to remove the cotton (from the husk)." Read news story (Search Google for title)

The Benefits of Washing Vegetables posted 17-Dec-03
Food scientists say all produce should be thoroughly washed with water. But this does not mean they recommend using produce washes like Fit, Veggie Wash and Organiclean. Read news story (Search Google for title)

WHO says climate change killing 150,000 a year posted 16-Dec-03
Global warming killed 150,000 people in 2000 and the death toll could double again in the next 30 years if current trends are not reversed, the World Health Organisation said on Thursday. One heatwave killed 20,000 people in Europe alone this year, the WHO said, launching a book on health-weather links at a U.N. environment conference. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Germicidal Lighting May Improve Workers' Health posted 16-Dec-03
Installing ultraviolet germicidal lights in office buildings' ventilation systems kills microorganisms and relieves workers' sniffles, headaches, and other unexplained health problems, according to a report published in today's issue of The Lancet. Many people who work in office buildings have what are called "non-specific building-related illnesses or symptoms," lead author Dr. Dick Menzies, from McGill University in Montreal, and colleagues note. These include irritation of eyes, nose or throat, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and pain in the muscles, joints or back. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Parents Should Throw Out Ipecac Syrup posted 16-Dec-03
If you have a bottle of ipecac syrup in your home, throw it out, says a new policy statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Ipecac syrup had long been recommended by the AAP and other authorities to induce vomiting in children who have swallowed poison or accidentally overdosed on medication. This change may come as a surprise to parents, because ipecac syrup has been a staple in medicine cabinets across the country since 1965, when it first became available without a prescription. But the AAP's reversal comes on the heels of several findings. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Wal-Mart Recalls Holiday Candles posted 16-Dec-03
Wal-Mart is recalling more than 160,000 holiday candle sets whose paint could ignite and pose a fire hazard. The recall involves 69,804 Snow House Candle gift sets, 29,064 Snowman Candle gift sets, and 62,428 Snowflake Candle gift sets. The candle sets were made in China and sold at Wal-Mart stores nationwide from September 2003 through November 2003 for about $10. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Making the Holidays Safe posted 16-Dec-03
Family gatherings, special traditions, delicious treats - it just may be the most wonderful time of the year, especially for children. Unfortunately, for emergency room doctors it's also one of the busiest. Take time out to learn how to protect your little ones from some common holiday dangers, and you and your family can enjoy a season that's not only happy but healthy. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Study Finds Air Pollution Link to Fatal Heart Disease posted 16-Dec-03
Researchers have found that people living in U.S. cities face an increased risk of dying from a heart attack as a result of long-term exposure to air pollution. This increased risk was found to be as large as that associated with being a former smoker. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Weaker Mercury Regulations Announced; Study Finds Air Pollution Link to Heart Disease posted 16-Dec-03
The EPA formally published proposed regulations that would regulate mercury for the first time, although this would achieve far less than what is possible under the Clean Air Act. And scientists released a new study of air pollution in urban areas that found a strong connection between fine particle emissions and fatal heart disease. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Lead & Criminality Studied posted 12-Dec-03
The city of Rochester has received a grant from the Department of Housing and Urban Development to study the relationship between lead poisoning and criminal behavior. Other previous studies have linked lead to delinquency and aggression. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Federal Warning on Tuna Planned posted 11-Dec-03
The federal government plans to warn pregnant women, nursing mothers and even those thinking of getting pregnant to limit their consumption of tuna as part of a broad advisory concerning the dangers of eating fish and shellfish with elevated levels of harmful mercury. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Environmentalists Uses EPA Data to Pinpoint Mercury 'Hot Spots' posted 11-Dec-03
Ten states have pockets of airborne mercury pollution that pose serious public health risks, especially to pregnant women and their fetuses, according to a new study by an environmental group based on data from the EPA. The vast majority of mercury pollution in these "hot spots" came from nearby coal-fired power plants and other facilities. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Flu Outbreak Kills Children posted 05-Dec-03
The early, intense flu outbreak in Colorado, along with a similarly severe outbreak in Texas and the fact that a nasty strain of the flu virus is circulating that is not included in this year's vaccine, has prompted federal health officials to warn that the nation may be facing one of the worst flu seasons in years. "We've rarely seen a year where we've seen so many states reporting so much activity this early in the season," said Nancy Cox of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta. "It's impossible to know for sure, but we might expect that other states would experience similar epidemics as the season progresses." Read news story (Search Google for title)

Bush Admin. Seeks to Soften Air Pollution Targets posted 05-Dec-03
Unable to get their plan to soften air pollution targets through Congress, the Bush Administration has decided to do it through the EPA regulatory process. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Air Pollution Linked to Cancer posted 05-Dec-03
Men living in areas with polluted air may be more likely to develop lung cancer, according to scientists. Norwegian experts who looked at more than 16,000 men over almost three decades found that those in more polluted areas were more at risk. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Bush Administration Seeks to Soften Mercury Rules posted 03-Dec-03
The Bush administration is working to undo regulations that would force power plants to sharply reduce mercury emissions and other toxic pollutants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently found that 8 percent of women of childbearing age had mercury in their blood exceeding levels deemed safe by the EPA. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Flu Season May Be Severe, Officials Warn posted 18-Nov-03
The flu season has started much more quickly than usual and features what could be an especially nasty strain of the virus, signs that the U.S. could be facing a severe influenza outbreak this year. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Air Pollution Regulations for Mercury Work, Study Finds posted 14-Nov-03
A decade-long study of southern Florida and the Everglades concludes that tough regulations of airborne mercury emissions have a profound and almost immediate effect in removing the toxic pollutant from the environment and the food chain. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Treated Wood Poses Cancer Risks to Children posted 14-Nov-03
A new Environmental Protection Agency study concludes that children who repeatedly come in contact with commonly found playground equipment and decks made of arsenic-treated wood face increased risk of developing cancer. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Growing Up with Cats Good for Allergies posted 11-Nov-03
Allowing cats to be in a child's bedroom, starting in the first year of life, may prevent the later development of allergic asthma and hay fever, new research suggests. Although many reports have shown an anti-asthma effect for early cat exposure, others have actually tied such exposure to an increased risk of asthma. These seemingly contradictory findings may relate to the timing and amount of exposure. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Study: 8.6 Million Americans Sick With Tobacco-related Illnesses posted 11-Nov-03
Although fewer US adults are smoking these days, millions are still lighting up and suffering the consequences, according to two recent reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Both reports appear in the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report ( Vol. 52, No. 35: 842-844 and Vol. 52, No. 40: 953-956). The CDC reports that more than 46 million American adults – about 23% of the population – were current smokers in 2001. That figure is about 2% lower than the number of people who reported smoking in 1993. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Air Pollution Alone Might Trigger Asthma Attacks posted 11-Nov-03
Using a new testing method in mice, University of California at Los Angeles researchers conclude that air pollution alone may be enough to cause acute asthma flare-ups. "Previously, we thought that air pollution alone was not enough to incite acute asthma attacks, but also required the presence of allergens such as pollen or house dust mites to establish airway inflammation and allergic response in the airways," principal investigator Dr. Andre Nel, from the David Geffen School of Medicine, says in a prepared statement. Read news story (Search Google for title)

EPA to Ease Sewage Treatment Rules posted 04-Nov-03
The Bush administration is shifting policy so cities and towns can skip a required treatment procedure for sewage they pump into rivers, lakes and coastal waters during high rains. Read news story (Search Google for title)

'Superbug' Threat - Editorial posted 04-Nov-03
Every day in the United States, 100 men, women and children -- 40,000 or more every year -- die from infections caused by bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics. The situation is already serious. It threatens to become worse -- much worse. Read news story (Search Google for title)

EPA Allows Manufacturer to Monitor Toxic Weedkiller posted 04-Nov-03
The Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Agriculture announced an unprecedented plan Friday to entrust testing for water pollution from atrazine, one of the most heavily used weedkillers in the country, to the chemical's manufacturer. Studies have shown that atrazine may cause cancer and also may lead to reproductive problems in humans. Europe has banned atrazine. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Domestic Cleaning Increases Asthma Risk posted 03-Nov-03
Working as a domestic cleaner puts you at a significantly higher risk of developing asthma, a Spanish research team reported on Tuesday. Asthma, which affects over 100 million people worldwide, has been linked to cleaning work, but this study was the first to distinguish between cleaning in different environments. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Study: Fruit Ingredients Affect Skin Cancer in Mice posted 03-Nov-03
Compounds found in fruits such as pomegranates and grapes may help protect against the changes that can lead to skin cancer, researchers told a conference on Wednesday. Tests on mice show that extracts from the fruit can slow down or prevent the damage done to skin by chemicals or sunlight. Read news story (Search Google for title)

New Guidance Given On Poison Remedy posted 03-Nov-03
Parents should avoid the old standby poison remedy of ipecac syrup and instead call poison control centers when children ingest toxic substances, the American Academy of Pediatrics said, reversing a long-standing position. For decades, doctors have recommended that parents keep a bottle of ipecac on hand for when children ingest something poisonous. The antidote, made from roots of the tropical ipecac plant, induces vomiting. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Fires May Reveal Hidden Lung Disease posted 03-Nov-03
When the smoke from California's fires finally clears, it may leave behind more than the ashes of homes and communities. It may leave behind a whole group of people with asthma. Medical experts says while the fires themselves won't cause the breathing condition, they may reveal the disease in those previously undiagnosed, as particles and toxic gases irritate mucous membranes and cause inflammation. Read news story (Search Google for title)

N.Y. Becomes Third State to Ban Ephedra posted 03-Nov-03
New York became the third state Monday to ban ephedra, an over-the-counter herbal supplement linked to scores of deaths. The law, signed by Gov. George Pataki, includes a fine of up to $500 for each sale of the supplement. Ephedra's prescription sales are not affected. The law takes effect immediately. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Strokes Go Up as Air Quality Drops posted 21-Oct-03
People are more likely to be hospitalized for strokes on days when air pollution is bad, new research shows. Strokes occur when blood is unable to reach areas of the brain usually because of a blocked or damaged blood vessel. Depending on the affected area, patients may have difficulty moving or speaking. In the most severe cases, death can occur. Read news story (Search Google for title)

High Dairy Intake Linked to Testicular Cancer Risk posted 21-Oct-03
Canadian men who consume comparatively high amounts of dairy products have an increased risk of testicular cancer, according to a new study. "Although testicular cancer is a relatively rare lesion, accounting for only 1.1% of all malignant neoplasms in males in Canada, it is the most common cancer among Canadian men 20 to 45 years of age," Dr. Michael J. Garner, of the University of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, and others write in the International Journal of Cancer. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Microwaving Zaps Nutrients posted 21-Oct-03
Microwaving raw broccoli drastically all but eliminates some natural health-promoting chemicals, a study reported in the Globe and Mail said Friday. Of particular note in the research was the post-microwaving disappearance of 97 percent of flavonoids -- substances often found in many brightly colored fruits and vegetables that are linked to a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, stroke and lung cancer. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Indoor Tanning and Teens: Who's Doing It? posted 21-Oct-03
If you think a little time in the tanning booth won't hurt your teen, think again: Natural light from sunlight and artificial light from sunbeds, sunlamps, and commercial tanning facilities can increase your child's risk for malignant melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. How many teens use tanning beds? According to researchers from Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, it's more than you might think. Read news story (Search Google for title)

USDA Reports 115 Infractions of Biotech Rules posted 21-Oct-03
U.S. biotech companies and research universities have violated strict federal regulations on planting experimental genetically modified crops more than a hundred times in the last decade, the Agriculture Department said on Friday. The USDA said none of the 115 infractions since 1990 resulted in any harm to U.S. agriculture, the food supply or the environment. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Report: States Fail to Address Smoking by Women and Girls posted 21-Oct-03
States are falling far short of what's needed to reduce the number of American women and girls who smoke, according to a new report, Women & Smoking: A National and State-by-State Report Card. Smoking is the leading cause of preventable death among women, yet the report gives most states a failing grade in taking the steps proven to reduce smoking and save lives. The 127-page report comes from the National Women's Law Center (NWLC) and Oregon Health & Science University. Read news story (Search Google for title)

How Can Spirituality Affect Your Family's Health? posted 21-Oct-03
Can spirituality promote a healthier physical life for your family? Recent medical studies indicate that spiritual people exhibit fewer self-destructive behaviors (suicide, smoking, and drug and alcohol abuse, for example), less stress, and a greater total life satisfaction. Much of the research linking spiritual and physical health has involved elderly patients, however, the data offer a glimpse into a possible tie between a spiritual life and good health for people of all ages. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Where’s the Beef? posted 21-Oct-03
Organic beef is selling briskly — and ranchers Rocky Beavers and Jack Dees are profiting from it. Beavers and Dees raise 100 percent organic cattle in the high plains of West Texas. They don't use pesticides and herbicides on their grass or feed, or growth hormones and antibiotics on their cattle. "We became concerned about the implants, steroids, antibiotics in beef and began to look at other alternatives," said Dees. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Synthetic Hormones in Milk Don't Speed Puberty, Say Experts posted 07-Oct-03
When Elaine Greene, an environmental consultant in Raleigh, N.C., noticed her daughter developing breasts at age 9, she was alarmed. Greene recalled hearing that the age of puberty was dropping among American girls -- a trend that worries some health experts. She also had read articles speculating that artificial growth hormones given to dairy cows to increase their milk production might be responsible. For a woman who was already in the habit of purchasing organic meat and produce "to minimize any additional exposure to chemicals and hormones," the next step wasn't difficult. She resolved to buy only organic milk. [Free registration required.] Read news story (Search Google for title)

Canadian Researchers Step Closer to SARS Vaccine posted 07-Oct-03
Canadian researchers have come a step closer to finding a vaccine to fight deadly severe acute respiratory syndrome, the Canadian Institutes of Health Research said on Wednesday. This is the first announcement about a potential vaccine to combat SARS, which has killed more than 800 people and infected about 8,500 people around the world, CIHR officials said. Read news story (Search Google for title)

FDA Warns Consumers About Litargirio Powder Remedy posted 07-Oct-03
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Thursday warned the public not to use the remedy "litargirio" for any health-related purposes because the powder contains up to 79 percent lead and could cause permanent brain damage among children. The powder is a traditional remedy for burns and wound healing, and has been used as a deodorant or foot fungicide, especially for people from the Dominican Republic, where it is manufactured, the FDA said in a statement. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Southwest Shows High Levels of Dirty Air posted 07-Oct-03
Unexpectedly high levels of air pollution in the southwest states are outlined in a University of California, Irvine (UCI) study. The findings appear in this week's online issue of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Asthmatic Children React to 'Moderate' Pollution posted 07-Oct-03
Children with severe asthma start suffering from symptoms even at what are now considered to be acceptable levels of air pollution, U.S. researchers reported on Tuesday. Ozone, created by traffic, industry and oil refining, among other processes, is the prime offender, the researchers write in this week's issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association. Read news story (Search Google for title)

'Safe' Ozone Levels Can Worsen Asthma posted 07-Oct-03
A new study finds that air pollution at levels listed as safe by the federal government can cause breathing problems for children with asthma -- and, researchers say, maybe for a lot of other people. "We looked at particularly vulnerable members of society and the effect daily levels of ozone had on their respiratory system," says study leader Janneane F. Gent, an associate research scientist at Yale University School of Medicine. "But the ozone blanketing our region is affecting all of us. Not everyone has asthma, but we are all breathing the same air." Read news story (Search Google for title)

160,000 Said Dying Yearly from Global Warming posted 07-Oct-03
About 160,000 people die every year from side-effects of global warming ranging from malaria to malnutrition and the numbers could almost double by 2020, a group of scientists said on Tuesday. The study, by scientists at the World Health Organization (WHO) and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, said children in developing nations seemed most vulnerable. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Pasta sauces recalled in cancer scare posted 30-Sep-03
European stores are removing thousands of jars of pasta sauces because they contain a cancer-causing dye normally used in gasoline and shoe polish. Sky News said consumers are being warned to avoid the affected brands, including Bertolli, as well as private-label sauces made for supermarket chains Sainsbury's and Safeway. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Suncreams can't guard fully against cancer - study posted 30-Sep-03
Sunscreen creams cannot fully protect people against an increasingly common form of skin cancer even when correct amounts are applied, according to research published on Monday. The study by scientists at a British medical charity found that the creams fail to stop harmful rays of the sun from penetrating the skin. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Molecule Found in Meat, Milk and Tumors - Study posted 30-Sep-03
A non-human molecule found in red meat and milk makes its way into the human system when eaten -- and seems to build up especially in tumors, U.S. researchers reported on Monday. The compound, called sialic acid, is found on the surfaces of animal cells but is not found in people, and may be one reason why animal-to-human organ and tissue transplants do not work well. Animals have a version called Neu5Gc, while humans carry Neu5Ac. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Flame Retardant Found in Breast Milk posted 30-Sep-03
Several American mothers nursing their infants had high levels of potentially toxic flame retardant chemicals in their breastmilk, a U.S. environmental group said on Tuesday. While the study by the Environmental Working Group was small and did not show any health effects in the babies, the group said it showed just how widespread the chemicals are. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Teen Dies After Taking Abortion Pill posted 22-Sep-03
Holly Marie Patterson went to a Planned Parenthood clinic two weeks ago to quietly consider ways to handle a life change she wasn't ready for. One week later, the 18-year-old lay dying on an emergency room table, the victim of complications after she took the abortion pill. Patterson's death is likely to reignite the debate surrounding RU-486, the pill approved by the Food and Drug Administration two years ago as a way for women to end pregnancies themselves. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Mosquito Coils May Contain Carcinogen posted 16-Sep-03
If you're trying to ward off the West Nile virus by lighting mosquito repellant coils, you may be unwittingly exposing yourself to cancer-causing chemicals. Researchers from the University of California at Riverside recently tested more than 50 mosquito repellant coils purchased in Indonesia and at several Asian markets in California, and found they contained varying levels of a pesticide, S-2, that releases cancer-causing particles when burned. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Children at High Risk from Ozone Decline, UN Says posted 16-Sep-03
Two United Nations agencies warned on Tuesday that children are most at risk of developing skin cancers as a result of the long-term decline in the earth's protective ozone layer. The agencies, the World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.N. Environmental Program (UNEP), issued the warning as they launched a global program aimed at alerting schools to the dangers of exposure to the sun. Read news story (Search Google for title)

C-section May Increase Risk for Food Allergy posted 11-Sep-03
Some infants who are delivered by cesarean section may have an increased risk of developing food allergies, according to a new report published in the August issue of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Investigators have identified a relationship between cesarean section delivery and subsequent food allergy in children of mothers with allergies. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Study Shows Smoking Effects Throughout Body posted 11-Sep-03
Smoking causes damage throughout the body by lowering levels of an enzyme key to physical and mental health, U.S. researchers reported on Monday. Smoking is known to damage the lungs, heart and arteries, but PET scans showed it affected these organs as well as the kidneys and spleen by its impact on monoamine oxidase B, the researchers said. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Bad Beef Can Mean Lasting Kidney Problems for Kids posted 11-Sep-03
Children who eat undercooked beef can become infected with a bug that can cause lasting kidney problems, new research shows. Undercooked beef and other food items can be contaminated with a bacteria called E. coli:O157:H7. Eating tainted foods causes infection with the microbe, resulting in diarrhea and other debilitating symptoms such as vomiting, cramps, and fever. More worrisome, about one in ten children will develop a serious disease called hemolytic uremic syndrome or HUS. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Smoking's Global Death Toll Shows Shift posted 11-Sep-03
The global death toll from smoking is shifting dramatically, with about as many people now dying from smoking in the developing world as in industrialized nations, according to the most thorough estimate to date. The research, published this week in The Lancet medical journal, concludes that 4.84 million people died from smoking worldwide in 2000 — 2.41 million in developing countries and 2.43 million in rich nations. Read news story (Search Google for title)

CDC Says Nearly 3,000 Ill With West Nile posted 11-Sep-03
The number of West Nile infections this year is nearly double the amount from this time last year, but fewer people have died as a result, federal officials said Thursday. So far this year, 2,923 people have been infected with the virus and 54 have died. Last year at this time, there were 1,641 human cases and 72 deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (news - web sites) said. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Teens Have Easy Cigarette Access Online posted 11-Sep-03
A new study suggests it's all too easy for minors to buy cigarettes online, because most vendors don't take steps to verify the age of buyers. Researchers from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill found that children were able to buy cigarettes online 92% of the times they tried. "We were surprised at how easy it was," said lead author Kurt Ribisl, PhD, of the university's School of Public Health and Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Study Finds WTC Fires Spewed Toxic Gases for Weeks posted 11-Sep-03
The burning ruins of the World Trade Center spewed toxic gases "like a chemical factory" for at least six weeks after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks despite government assurances the air was safe, according to a study released on Wednesday. The gases of toxic metals, acids and organics could penetrate deeply into the lungs of workers at Ground Zero, said the study by scientists at the University of California at Davis and released at a meeting of the American Chemical Society in New York. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Testicular Cancer Risk Set Early in Life posted 11-Sep-03
The risk of testicular cancer is established in large part by environmental exposures early in life, results of a new study suggest, although the researchers admit that at this point they aren't exactly sure what type of exposures increase the risk. For at least 50 years, there has been an "unexplained" epidemic of testicular cancer in several populations, although there is a marked difference in the occurrence of the disease among countries, Dr. Anders Ekbom, of the Karolinska Hospital in Stockholm, Sweden, and associates explain in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Read news story (Search Google for title)

CDC: West Nile doubles again in U.S.; more than 1,400 people infected posted 28-Aug-03
West Nile virus activity has again doubled, now affecting more than 1,400 people in the United States, federal officials said Wednesday. Thirty-four states reported a total of 1,442 cases and 21 deaths, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said. Last week, the agency reported 715 cases and 14 deaths. Colorado and the central United States continue to be the hardest hit. Colorado's 635 human cases lead the country, followed by 204 cases in South Dakota, 190 in Nebraska and 106 in Texas, the CDC said. Six of the country's deaths were in Colorado, followed by four in Nebraska. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Tick-borne Fever Outbreak Follows Camping Trip posted 28-Aug-03
From the U.S. Centers for Disease comes a reminder to be especially vigilant for ticks at this time of years. Late summer and early autumn is the time to beware of tick-borne relapsing fever in mountainous regions of western states, the CDC warns in the latest issue of its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Urban Sprawl Makes Americans Fat, Study Finds posted 28-Aug-03
You drive to work, you drive your kids to school, you drive to the grocery store - no wonder you have put on a few pounds. U.S. researchers said on Thursday they had quantified the price of living in sprawled-out American communities and weight gain leads the list - six pounds on average, to be precise. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Dirty Rats Up Asthma Illness for Inner-city Kids posted 27-Aug-03
Allergy-causing matter shed by rats is common in inner-city homes, a new study shows, and children living in such homes have a high rate of illness due to asthma. "These results suggest that rat allergen exposure is an important public health concern, and control measures should be implemented in inner-city neighborhoods," say the authors of the report. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Anti-Smoking Efforts Cut Lung Cancer Deaths posted 21-Aug-03
Lung cancer death rates among adults age 30-39 are lower and are falling in most states that have strong anti-tobacco programs, according to a study published in Cancer Causes and Control (Vol. 14, No. 6: 579-585). Lung cancer rates in this age group reflect smoking behavior over the preceding 5-25 years, when communities first began to control and discourage tobacco use. The findings suggest that efforts to prevent smoking are having a positive effect, said lead researcher Ahmedin Jemal, DVM, PhD, program director for cancer occurrence at the American Cancer Society. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Scientists Test West Nile Vaccine in Monkeys posted 18-Aug-03
By placing West Nile virus proteins onto the structure of the dengue virus, researchers from the National Institutes of Health have created a vaccine that can protect rhesus monkeys from West Nile virus infection. "We're optimistic that our engineered virus vaccine will provide long-term immunity to West Nile virus," study author Dr. Brian Murphy, from the NIH in Bethesda, Maryland, said in a statement. The human clinical trials that are planned this year "will give us the definitive data," he added. Read news story (Search Google for title)

West Nile Virus Test Protecting US Blood Supply posted 14-Aug-03
Tests for West Nile virus are effectively identifying contaminated blood donations in the US, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition to protecting the blood supply, information provided by blood collection agencies is being used for national West Nile virus surveillance and control efforts, CDC officials report in the August 15th issue of the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Read news story (Search Google for title)

WHO: stop animal growth supplements posted 13-Aug-03
The World Health Organization will recommend Wednesday nations phase out using animal growth hormones. The Washington Post said WHO denounces the widespread and controversial use of antibiotic growth promoters in animal feed, and the move will help preserve the effectiveness of antibiotics for medicine and can be done without significant expense or health consequences to farm animals. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Potential West Nile Vaccine posted 13-Aug-03
A close but relatively toothless Australian cousin of West Nile virus could potentially be a vaccine against the deadly mosquito-borne infection. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Heat Stroke posted 10-Aug-03
If you've been exposed to the heat for too long and haven't kept yourself hydrated, your body will probably let you know there's a serious problem with heat exhaustion. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Out of the Pool When Thunder Rumbles posted 10-Aug-03
Nearly 100 Americans die from lightning strikes each year, and a high percentage of these deaths occur in summer when people are swimming and participating in other water sports. Read news story (Search Google for title)

West Nile Moving Faster and Wider posted 08-Aug-03
The outbreak of West Nile virus infection this summer is more broadly dispersed and accelerating earlier than it did last year, making it vital that more communities work to prevent mosquitoes from biting and breeding, federal health officials said yesterday. The officials focused their message on states that are experiencing big outbreaks for the first time like Colorado and states like New York that had past outbreaks but have seen no illness so far in 2003. "The time for people to really be conscientious about taking the steps necessary to protect themselves from mosquito bites is right now," Dr. Julie L. Gerberding, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, said at a news conference in Atlanta. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Just Say No? posted 04-Aug-03
When the Abstinence Clearinghouse convention hit Las Vegas last month, the chastity-promoting group turned a Sin City tradition on its ear. Instead of the cards prostitutes use to sell their services, volunteers handed out cleaner versions: "Good girl" cards. On one side are six wholesome young women, including a bride. Flip the card over and there are messages that condoms aren't always safe and that married people have more money, longer lives and better sex. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Most Can't Properly Fit a Bicycle Helmet posted 04-Aug-03
Dr. Gregory Parkinson spent the better part of a decade completing his medical training and now has a thriving pediatrics practice on Cape Cod, yet he suspects it took him about 12 years before he learned how to put his bicycle helmet on properly. The light bulb moment came when he was on vacation and got help from a man renting bicycles. "I don't think anyone was surprised that helmets are somewhat difficult to fit," Parkinson says. "I strongly suspected that the majority would have difficulty. I didn't think 96 percent would have difficulty." Read news story (Search Google for title)

Teens Take in Smoking Scenes at the Movies posted 04-Aug-03
Viewing smoking in movies may influence teens to smoke, and smoking scenes are prevalent among the movies teens are watching. Researchers from Dartmouth Medical School in Hanover, New Hampshire, investigated the occurrences of smoking in popular movies. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Task Force Finds Little Evidence Vitamin Supplements Prevent Cancer posted 04-Aug-03
According to the results of most large clinical studies, there is little evidence that any type of vitamin supplement reduces the risk of developing cancer, and some may actually increase the risk. This was the conclusion of the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF), an independent panel of experts in primary care and prevention. Reviewing studies of antioxidants such as vitamins A, C, and E, as well as multivitamins, the task force concluded that there wasn’t enough evidence to recommend for or against supplement use specifically to prevent cancer. The panel did recommend against the use of beta carotene supplements, based on studies showing it may actually increase the risk of lung cancer among heavy smokers. Read news story (Search Google for title)

West Nile strikes hard in Colorado posted 04-Aug-03
Eighteen cases of West Nile Virus fever have been confirmed in Colorado, making that state the hardest hit this year by the mosquito-born virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Texas has confirmed 11 West Nile cases this year, with Louisiana reporting 10 cases. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Farmed Salmon Heavy in Chemicals, U.S. Group Says posted 04-Aug-03
Farmed salmon, which Americans are scarfing down because it is supposed to be healthy, may actually be carrying high levels of cancer-causing chemicals called PCBs, an environmental group said on Wednesday. Wild salmon fished out of rivers and streams may actually be healthier for the time being, the Environmental Working Group said. They bought and tested farmed salmon filets from 10 grocery stores in Washington, San Francisco, and Portland, Oregon, and found seven were contaminated with high levels of polychlorinated biphenyls. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Study: Ozone Destruction Slowing posted 04-Aug-03
The rate of ozone destruction in the upper atmosphere is slowing, suggesting for the first time the global ban on the production and release of damaging industrial gases is having an effect. A team led by Michael Newchurch, an atmospheric scientist at the University of Alabama, analyzed measurements of atmospheric ozone and greenhouse gases taken from three NASA satellites and three international ground stations. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Organic cows less resistant to antibiotics posted 28-Jul-03
Dairy cattle raised on organic farms are less likely to develop resistance to antibiotics than those raised on conventional farms. According to a study presented at a meeting of the American Veterinary Medical Association, antibiotics are routinely used on conventional farms to ward off infections, while on organic farms use is limited, the Rocky Mountain News reported. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Addictive Nicotine Levels in Cigarettes Vary Sharply: Study posted 28-Jul-03
Some cigarette brands contain up to 20 times more of the most addictive form of nicotine than other brands, according to a new report. A study by Oregon Health and Science University found a wide range of concentrations of "free-base" nicotine in 11 popular brands of American cigarettes, according to a CBC report. Free-base nicotine is missing a hydrogen ion, which allows it to vaporize easily into a gas during smoking. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Two in Florida Develop Malaria posted 28-Jul-03
South Florida is reporting its first cases of malaria since 1996, reports the Sun-Sentinel newspaper. The mosquito-borne disease has been confirmed in two men in a Palm Beach County neighborhood west of Lake Worth. Both were at a July 4 neighborhood block party, where they may have been bitten by the same mosquito or one of several infected insects, state health department officials speculate. Both became ill within days of each other. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Land O' Lakes Recalls Contaminated Butter posted 28-Jul-03
Land O' Lakes says it's recalling certain lots of salted stick butter in one-pound packages that may be contaminated with small fragments of metal. No injuries have been reported. The product was distributed in: Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Officials: Ala. Woman Dies From West Nile posted 28-Jul-03
An elderly Alabama woman has become the first person in the nation this year to die from the West Nile virus, state health officials said Monday. The woman, who was in her 80s and lived in Talladega County in central Alabama, became ill and died in July after being bitten by a mosquito infected with the virus, said Dr. John Mosely Hayes of the Alabama Department of Public Health. Her name was not released. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Sunscreen and Bug Spray a Bad Mix posted 28-Jul-03
Using sunscreen and mosquito repellant simultaneously may create trouble. University of Manitoba pharmaceutical researcher Dr. Xiaochen Gu says using sunscreen and mosquito repellant together increases their absorption rates. That could increase the risk of side effects like skin allergy, hypertension, headaches and seizures, especially in children. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Mold in Home May Mean Baby Breathing Problems posted 28-Jul-03
High fungus levels in the home can cause breathing problems, even pneumonia, for infants, new research suggests. Dampness in the basement or other rooms is known to cause breathing problems for children and young adults. The new findings suggest that this may be due to the presence of fungi, which thrive in damp locations. However, the results also indicate that fungi can be a problem even when the entire house is dry. Is Your Home Growing Mold? Take this Quiz! Read news story (Search Google for title)

Go organic or no posted 21-Jul-03
Here's one way to decide whether to spend the extra money on organic produce. Consider the particular food's tendency to contain residual pesticides. Select organic when purchasing fruits and vegetables that tend to carry high loads of pesticides and choose conventional when selecting foods that tend to rate low in pesticides. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Breast Boom Letdown posted 21-Jul-03
They can cost as much as $229 for a 60-day supply, but you'll probably be paying for a promise that can't be kept. That's the conclusion of a new report on breast-enhancing herbal supplements, pills that purport to increase a woman's breasts by as much as one to two cup sizes, sometimes in a matter of weeks. While the advertising claims are impressive, there's nothing in the way of scientific proof to back up the products or verify they are safe, says Dr. Adrienne Fugh-Berman, an associate clinical professor at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Auburn Develops Substitute Pesticide posted 21-Jul-03
Auburn University researchers say they've developed a substitute pesticide for methyl bromide, a widely used pest, weed and plant disease killer that's being phased out because it damages the ozone. For many farm operations, finding a substitute is a matter of economic survival because of their years of dependence on methyl bromide. For the pesticide industry, the right substitute could boost corporate profits as debate swirls over one of the chief environmental issues in agriculture. Read news story (Search Google for title)

Americans clean their plates, no matter how full