Karen Silkwood, an employee of the Kerr-McGee plutonium processing plant, was killed in a car crash on her way to deliver important documents to a newspaper reporter in 1974. Silkwood was a union activist concerned about health and safety issues at the plant, and her death at age twenty-eight was considered by many to be […]
Face masks and the environment: Preventing the next plastic problem
Recent studies estimate that we use an astounding 129 billion face masks globally every month — that is 3 million a minute. Most of them are disposable face masks made from plastic microfibers. “With increasing reports on inappropriate disposal of masks, it is urgent to recognize this potential environmental threat and prevent it from becoming […]
New research shows marijuana THC stays in breast milk for six weeks
In a new study published in JAMA Pediatrics, researchers at Children’s Hospital Colorado (Children’s Colorado) have found that tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the psychoactive component of marijuana, stays in breast milk for up to six weeks, further supporting the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Academy of Breastfeeding […]
Vitamin B6 may help keep COVID-19’s cytokine storms at bay
Who would have thought that a small basic compound like vitamin B6 in the banana or fish you had this morning may be key to your body’s robust response against COVID-19? Studies have so far explored the benefits of vitamins D and C and minerals like zinc and magnesium in fortifying immune response against COVID-19. […]
Air pollution: The silent killer called PM 2.5
Millions of people die prematurely every year from diseases and cancer caused by air pollution. The first line of defence against this carnage is ambient air quality standards. Yet, according to researchers from McGill University, over half of the world’s population lives without the protection of adequate air quality standards. Air pollution varies greatly in […]
Breast cancer: The risks of brominated flame retardants
Brominated flame retardants (BFRs) are found in furniture, electronics, and kitchenware to slow the spread of flames in the event of a fire. However, it has been shown that these molecules may lead to early mammary gland development, which is linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. The study on the subject by Professor […]
Electrolyte supplements don’t prevent illness in athletes
Electrolyte supplements popular with endurance runners can’t be relied on to keep essential sodium levels in balance, according to researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and their collaborators. Rather, longer training distances, lower body mass and avoidance of overhydration were shown to be more important factors in preventing illness caused by electrolyte imbalances, […]
New evidence COVID-19 antibodies, vaccines less effective against variants
New research at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis indicates that three new, fast-spreading variants of the virus that cause COVID-19 can evade antibodies that work against the original form of the virus that sparked the pandemic. With few exceptions, whether such antibodies were produced in response to vaccination or natural infection, or […]
Vegans, vegetarians and pescetarians may be at higher risk of bone fractures
Compared with people who ate meat, vegans with lower calcium and protein intakes on average, had a 43% higher risk of fractures anywhere in the body (total fractures), as well as higher risks of site-specific fractures of the hips, legs and vertebrae, according to a study published in the open access journal BMC Medicine. Vegetarians and […]
Cleaning product use affecting asthma more during COVID-19 measures
Those with asthma are experiencing less asthma control related to an increase in using household disinfectants — known asthma triggers — because of COVID-19, according to a survey co-conducted by University of Illinois Chicago researchers. “We became concerned with increased cleaning and disinfecting related to the COVID-19 pandemic, combined with people spending more time indoors […]