Health & Wellness
New research shows that nanoplastics — microscopic particles broken down from everyday plastic items — bind to proteins associated with Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia.
These stealthy nanoparticles have already infiltrated our soil, water, and food supply. Now, they may pose the next great toxin threat, fueling a wave of neurodegenerative disease.
Plastic Cups, Utensils Identified as Risk Factors
Polystyrene nanoparticles, commonly found in plastic cups and utensils, bind to alpha-synuclein, a protein linked to Parkinson's disease and Lewy body dementia, the new study from Duke University's Nicholas School of the Environment and the Department of Chemistry at Trinity College of Arts and Sciences found. The plastic-protein accumulation was seen in test tubes, cultured neurons, and mouse models.
The most surprising finding was the tight bonds formed between the plastic and protein within neuron lysosomes, according to Andrew West, the study's principal investigator. Lysosomes are digestive organelles within cells that use enzymes to break down waste materials and cellular debris.

A man carries a child walk out from a crowded holding room of a children's hospital in Beijing. A surge in respiratory illnesses across China has drawn the attention of the world.
And it seems that this strain of bacterial pneumonia now dubbed White Lung Syndrome is also rearing its ugly head in the United States. Doctors in parts of Massachusetts and Ohio are reporting a spike in child pneumonia cases similar to the outbreak spreading in China.
We take a closer look at the cases in the US, and examine if it has a link to China. Moreover, we also see how this strain is also being detected in other countries and if there's a larger risk.
White Lung Syndrome outbreak in US
Warren County, in Ohio, has recorded a spike in hospitalisations with children reporting to have the mysterious pneumonia, which has been dubbed as the 'white lung syndrome', since August.
According to health officials in Warren County, there have been 142 paediatric cases of the condition. The officials said on Wednesday, "Not only is this above the county average, it also meets the Ohio Department of Health definition of an outbreak."

Barry Young was arrested December 3, 2023 for releasing data shedding light on the number of New Zealand deaths that may be related to the covid vaccine
Be aware that the 'leaked New Zealand data' is problematic; even the story accompanying it is less than entirely believable.
I spent an entire day analysing it.
I downloaded it as a CSV file, uploaded it to my MySQL database server, and analysed it. As I will show...
- The 'whistleblower data' is missing huge chunks of information that should logically be present
- Liz Gunn of NZ is misinterpreting it by trying to pass normal nursing home deaths as evidence of "super deadly batches" and "mass vaccine casualties"
- The data has problems that are incompatible with the story of its origin. It cannot be a full snapshot from a working payment database. Therefore, the story of its origin is suspect
- The actual vaccine casualties may reside in the missing pieces of data that the 'database' does not provide
Comment: The NZ government is sure acting twitchy about it all, eh? One wonders if there's panic over what kind of info would shake out of a complete database?
A statistician has been arrested in New Zealand for allegedly leaking health data connected to the rollout of the coronavirus vaccination. Barry Young, a former employee of New Zealand's government health agency Te Whatu Ora, is accused of "unauthorised disclosure and misuse of data."
The 56-year-old is alleged to have uploaded the leaked information online claiming to have uncovered ties between specific coronavirus vaccine batches and high mortality rates. His claims have been debunked by data experts who say Mr Young did not properly adjust the data set to account for age.
New Zealand's Health Minister Shane Ret has branded the allegations "extremely concerning". He continued: "There are many conspiracy theorists out there who unfortunately disseminate harmful disinformation, however as a Minister and as a physician, the public can and should continue to have confidence in vaccines. I am reassured by experts confirming that there is no evidence supporting the allegations that have been made."
Comment: If there's nothing to hide, why has your former employee been arrested?
Comment: The latest is that Mr Young has been granted bail.
Here's a video of him explaining what he began noticing when he set up NZ's Covid vaccine 'pay-per-dose' system:
A total of 188 cases were reported between January and October, MOH said in an update on the HIV and AIDS situation in the country.
This comes after three consecutive years of declining cases, with last year's number - 202 cases - being the lowest since 1998. There were 250 new HIV infections in 2021, 261 in 2020, and 323 in 2019.
Comment: So people abstained during, and just following lockdowns, thus resulting in lower rates of infection?
Comment: Meanwhile rates of syphilis and gonorrhea are reported to be spiking in other developed nations; could these spikes be a consequence of people becoming more promiscuous and lax following lockdowns, and/or could there be an added effect of the immuno-compromising experimental covid injections?
- UK suffering highest gonorrhea cases since records began 100 years ago, NHS dept pushes for vaccine program
- US suffering another medication shortage: penicillin - amid record number of syphilis cases
- Netherlands reports similar 'alarming surge in pneumonia', predates China outbreak

Professor Dame Jenny Harries (pictured), who now heads up the UK Health Security Agency, said that the evidence that face coverings reduce the spread of viruses is 'uncertain' because it is difficult to separate their effect from other Covid curbs
There is no solid proof masks ever slowed the spread of Covid, England's former deputy chief medical officer said today.
Professor Dame Jenny Harries, who now heads up the UK Health Security Agency, said the evidence that coverings reduced transmission is 'uncertain' because it is difficult to separate their effect from other Covid curbs. She also told the UK's Covid inquiry that government advice on how to make a mask using two pieces of cloth was 'ineffective'.
Studies showed at least three were needed for even a small effect on the spread of viruses, Dame Jenny said.
Meanwhile, she warned advice for the public to wear masks during the pandemic may even have given people a 'false sense of security' that they could reduce their risk of becoming infected if they wore one while mixing with others.
Comment: We all knew it was a bad idea, but here's some reminders of why:
- Cloth face masks might comfort you but they won't protect you from Covid
- Florida surgeon general on masks: It's a 'lie' they save lives, calls doctors who disagree 'zombies'
- Covid-19 study on mask-wearing efficacy rejected by journals as no one is 'brave' enough to publish results - Danish researchers
- Exercising with face masks on could be dangerous and here's why
- COVID rules blamed for 23% dive in children's development: Study shows cognitive tests slumped between 2018 and 2021, face masks among possible culprits
- Masks are a ticking time bomb

The Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL) said, by the week ending November 16, 103 per 100,000 children aged five to 14 had been diagnosed with pneumonia (shown in blue dotted line). At the peak last year, there were just 58 cases per 100,000
Dutch health experts say a striking number have been sickened since rates began soaring in August, with most cases among those aged five to 14.
Surveillance data shows rates of the illness, which can prove life-threatening, are already nearly twice as high as the peak recorded last year.
Comment: With vast numbers of people suffering from naive, and compromised, immune systems; with the cost of living crisis pushing even the most basic of health foods out of reach for increasing numbers of people; in addition to what looks like an unsually cold winter up ahead, and amidst soaring energy costs due to a self-inflicted energy crisis, the situation is surely ripe for outbreaks of illness and disease:
- UK detects first human case of new swine flu strain, illness was 'mild'
- Mass culls on farms in Germany, Japan, as first bird flu outbreaks of the season hit
- Mysterious pneumonia ripping through China's schools
Even officials at the FDA itself have stated that VAERS is not operating as intended, and that safety signals are not being addressed. Among them are Peter Marks, director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, and Narayan Nair, the FDA division director who oversees VAERS.
Both spoke to investigative reporter Jennifer Block, whose article on the failures of VAERS was published in The BMJ in November 2023.2
The A(H1N2)v infection was detected in a routine flu screening test at a GP surgery in North Yorkshire.
Officials said the person had respiratory symptoms, a mild illness and had fully recovered.
They are not known to have worked with pigs and investigations will look at where the infection came from and its risk to human health.
Comment: Also reported this month:
- Mass culls on farms in Germany, Japan, as first bird flu outbreaks of the season hit
- Mysterious pneumonia ripping through China's schools

Captain Shane Murdock: M. Aviation (Human Factors), (Swinburne University), Cert. Human Factors for Aviation Investigators, (ATSB), Cert. Air Accident Investigation, (Uni. So. California), Airline Transport Pilot Licence Holder for 42 years, Over 22,000 flying hours experience, Airline Captain 31 years, most recently for Virgin Australia for the past 20 years.
"When correlated, the data indicate there is an enormous problem that is having, and will have, a significant impact on aviation safety worldwide. There is enough evidence to be sending out red flags."There have been many tragedies this year. Phil Thomas, a young graduate of the Cadiz, Spain, flight training academy, fell ill and died suddenly in April. There were five pilot incapacitations in March including a British Airways pilot who collapsed and died in Cairo, Egypt not long before he was due to fly.
Pilots are super-fit, so why are so many dying suddenly or collapsing? Cpt Murdock concludes they are suffering severe adverse reactions to the Covid-19 vaccinations, which has myocarditis (heart inflammation), brain fog, insomnia, blood clots and anaphylaxis as side effects.
He thinks some pilots are ticking timebombs and claims many are not declaring ill-health. He said:
"They are not reporting brain fog, heart flutters and dizzy spells because they don't want to lose their jobs."
Comment: Go here for sample listings of pilot incapacitations and deaths on/off duty from Jan-Sept 2023.
Comment: See also: New research reveals secondary microplastics untreated in nature trigger severe brain inflammation