The first large study in humans of a chemical widely used in everyday plastics has found that people with higher levels of bisphenol A had higher rates of heart disease, diabetes and liver abnormalities, a finding that immediately became the focus of the increasingly heated debate over the safety of the chemical.
The research, published Tuesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association by a team of British and American scientists, compared the health status of 1,455 men and women with the levels of the chemical, known as BPA, in their urine.
Health & Wellness
Editor's note: We received the following information and charts from someone who wishes to maintain a low profile. This very compelling data is well worth looking at and we welcome thoughts about its significance. Below are excerpts from several e-mails she exchanged with us. The charts and notes (HERE) are dy-noh-MITE! As we've said before, smart, concerned and informed citizen-scientist-parents are the CDC's worst nightmare -- and the best hope for getting to the bottom of the epidemic of autism and related disorders. We hope this low-key stay-at-home mom continues to match her very sharp wits against the vaccine apologists. We'll keep you posted. -- Dan Olmsted
One thousand young offenders from three prisons in England and Scotland are being recruited for a major trial to see if nutritional supplements can improve behaviour.
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| ©Unknown |
| Girls may show different symptoms |
Girls with mild autism are less likely to be identified and diagnosed than boys, a study suggests.
Researchers examined 493 boys and 100 girls with autistic spectrum disorders.
They found the girls showed different symptoms, and fewer signs of symptoms traditionally associated with autism, such as repetitive behaviour.
Dr. Ed Corboy had no idea what was afflicting his 80-year-old mother, Joan Corboy. All he knew for certain was that since being treated for what was a routine diarrheal infection, she seemed to be wasting away and none of her doctors or other health specialists could explain why.
"She lost almost 55 pounds between July Fourth and Christmas in 2006," said Corboy, a resident of Wilmette. "She was so sick, so weak and despite the best care of her doctors, she was getting weaker. It was clear she was in big trouble."
Afraid that his mother was running out of time, Corboy called the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta for advice. Dr. Clifford McDonald told him the infection his mother probably had was of the NAP1 type of the bacteria Clostridium difficile, a virulent strain of a common intestinal bacteria currently plaguing hospitals that now rivals the superbug Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as one of the top emerging disease threats to humans.
"Disease caused by Clostridium difficile can range from nuisance diarrhea to life-threatening colitis that could lead to the surgical removal of the colon, and even death," said Dr. Stuart Johnson, associate professor of medicine, division of infectious diseases, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. "It's a very hardy strain and it seems to persist."
"She lost almost 55 pounds between July Fourth and Christmas in 2006," said Corboy, a resident of Wilmette. "She was so sick, so weak and despite the best care of her doctors, she was getting weaker. It was clear she was in big trouble."
Afraid that his mother was running out of time, Corboy called the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta for advice. Dr. Clifford McDonald told him the infection his mother probably had was of the NAP1 type of the bacteria Clostridium difficile, a virulent strain of a common intestinal bacteria currently plaguing hospitals that now rivals the superbug Methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) as one of the top emerging disease threats to humans.
"Disease caused by Clostridium difficile can range from nuisance diarrhea to life-threatening colitis that could lead to the surgical removal of the colon, and even death," said Dr. Stuart Johnson, associate professor of medicine, division of infectious diseases, Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine. "It's a very hardy strain and it seems to persist."
Those wide-eyed babies are taking in and using more information than previously believed. In fact, new research by psychologists at the University of Washington's Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences indicates 12- and 18-month-old babies not only are observing what is going on around them but also are using their own visual self-experience to judge what other people can and cannot see.
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| ©Xinhua Photo |
| Two babies with kidney stones receive medical treatment at a military hospital in Lanzhou, capital of northwest China's Gansu Province, Sept. 11, 2008 |
Investigators believe dairy farmers added a dangerous chemical to milk that has been linked to kidney stones in infants and one death in China, state media said.
The government vowed "serious punishment" after China's biggest milk powder producer recalled 700 tons of baby formula. The official Xinhua News Agency said the powder was tainted with melamine, a chemical used in plastic.
The producer, Sanlu Group, knew about the contamination on August 6 but refrained from telling the public, according to a report on the Caijing business magazine website. Reports said Sanlu kept silent because some grocers refused to return tainted powder, but did not say why that prevented a public warning.
Queensland Premier Anna Bligh has confirmed there have been 11 cancer cases at a school north of Brisbane.
The Government says it will evacuate Deception Bay State High School if investigations confirm there is a cancer cluster on the site.
It is understood that three people have been diagnosed this year, but Ms Bligh says there have been other cases.
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| ©Education Queensland: decebayshs.eq.edu.au |
| Staff at the school have been gagged from speaking to the media. |
The Government says it will evacuate Deception Bay State High School if investigations confirm there is a cancer cluster on the site.
It is understood that three people have been diagnosed this year, but Ms Bligh says there have been other cases.
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| ©Unknown |
Scientists at the Norwegian Polar Institute reported Thursday that the tiny Arctic ivory gull has the highest known concentrations of PCBs, chemicals long used in the pesticide DDT along with plastics, paints and other products.
The gull has set a new record as the bird most contaminated by the two prohibited toxins, the scientists said.
There are currently about 14,000 ivory gulls, which inhabit areas from Canada to Siberia. The current research was conducted following reports that the number of ivory gulls had plummeted 80 percent in Canada.
Representatives from Namaqualand communities living near the Vaalputs national nuclear waste facility in the Northern Cape told Parliament's minerals and energy portfolio committee on Tuesday they feared their water supply was being radioactively contaminated.
"We appeal urgently to Parliament to test the water in our area. There is one community at Kamassies who complain that their water has already been contaminated," community leader Tony Coetzee told MPs.
"We appeal urgently to Parliament to test the water in our area. There is one community at Kamassies who complain that their water has already been contaminated," community leader Tony Coetzee told MPs.
