Health (or lack thereof)
Traffic Exposure Disrupts Teen Lung Development
By Roxanne Khamsi, The New Scientist
Friday 26 January 2007
Exposure to traffic pollution can significantly stunt a child's lung development, new research shows.
The study finds that youngsters who live within 500 metres of major highways develop weaker lungs with less air capacity than their counterparts who live at least 1500 metres away from arterial roads.
full article here.
Toxic Teflon: Compounds From Household Products Found in Human Blood
By Stan Cox, AlterNet.org
Tuesday 02 January 2007
Evidence is piling up that emissions from the production of synthetic compounds in non-stick cookware, cleaning products, and a host of other common products may cause cancer and other health problems.
"Better things for better living - through chemistry." From the 1940s to the 1980s, E.I. DuPont de Nemours and Co. wooed customers with that slogan, one of the most memorable in American advertising. But today, two groups of DuPont products developed during that era - fluorotelomers and fluoropolymers - are showing how chemical-dependent "better living" can come at a high price.
full article here.
Cheap, Safe Drug Kills Most Cancers
By Andy Coghlan, New Scientist Magazine
Saturday 20 January 2007
It sounds almost too good to be true: a cheap and simple drug that kills almost all cancers by switching off their "immortality". The drug, dichloroacetate (DCA), has already been used for years to treat rare metabolic disorders and so is known to be relatively safe. It also has no patent, meaning it could be manufactured for a fraction of the cost of newly developed drugs.
full article here.
Bird flu confirmed in Okayama Pref. (Japan)
The Yomiuri Shimbun
The deaths of chickens at a farm in Takahashi, Okayama Prefecture, were confirmed to have been caused by a type of the highly contagious H5 bird flu virus, the agriculture ministry and the Okayama prefectural government said Monday.
full article here.
British govt 'preparing for human flu pandemic'
04/02/2007 - 13:39:35
The British government is preparing “very seriously” for the remote possibility of a human flu pandemic as officials battle to contain the first avian outbreak in the UK.
full article here.
