Category: Scientific/Technical Items
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Study Examines Autoimmune Illnesses Linked to Pork Processing Plants
A recent study has reportedly confirmed that 21 meatpackers working at a Quality Pork Processors, Inc., facility contracted a neurological disorder after inhaling aerosolized pig proteins. Daniel H. Lachance, et al., “An outbreak of neurological autoimmunity with polyradiculoneuropathy in workers exposed to aerosolised porcine neural tissue: a descriptive study,” The Lancet Neurology, November 30, 2009.…
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Study Recommends Prohibiting Alcohol Advertising in Boston’s Public Transit System
Concluding that alcohol ads are viewed more than 18,000 times by public school student transit passengers during an average weekday, a new study recommends that Boston’s public transit system be prohibited from displaying alcohol advertisements. Justin Nyborn, et. al, “Alcohol Advertising on Boston’s Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) Transit System: An Assessment of Youths’ and…
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Two Studies Dispute Reproductive Risks of BPA Exposure
A recent study has allegedly linked occupational exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) with high rates of impotence and sexual dysfunction among Chinese men. D. Li, et al., “Occupational Exposure to Bisphenol-A (BPA) and the Risk of Self-Reported Male Sexual Dysfunction,” Human Reproduction, 2009. U.S. and Chinese researchers apparently examined 634 male workers exposed to BPA…
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Researchers Allege Link Between HFCS and Hypertension
According to a news source, research presented this week during a scientific meeting in San Diego, California, found that more than 4,500 adults who ate or drank more than 74 grams per day of high-fructose corn syrup (HFCS) increased their risks of developing high blood pressure. Apparently, that level of consumption led to a 28 percent,…
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Danish EPA Publishes Report on Endocrine Disruptors in Consumer Products
The Danish Environmental Protection Agency has published a survey and health assessment examining the exposure of 2-year-olds to chemical substances in consumer products. The report apparently focused on endocrine disruptors, including phthalates and bisphenol A (BPA), found not only in general consumer products but specifically in food products and food contact materials. The study apparently…
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Study Questions Efficacy of Public Policy on Salt Consumption
A recent study in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology has apparently raised questions about “the scientific logic and feasibility of the decades-long effort to limit salt intake in humans,” according to a concurrent University of California, Davis, press release. Researchers analyzed 24-hour urinary sodium excretion data from 19,151 individuals involved in…
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Prenatal BPA Exposure Allegedly Linked to Behavioral Problems in Girls
A new study claims that prenatal exposure to bisphenol A (BPA) may make girls more aggressive and exhibit hyperactive behavior. Joe M. Braun, et al., “Prenatal Bisphenol A Exposure and Early Childhood Behavior,” Environmental Health Perspectives (October 2009). Researchers at the University of North Carolina and British Columbia’s Simon Fraser University conducted the study, purportedly…
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Diet High in Fructose Allegedly Linked to High Blood Pressure in Men
A recent study presented at the American Heart Association’s High Blood Pressure Research Conference has reportedly claimed that a diet high in fructose raises blood pressure in men, but that the gout drug allopurinol may counteract this effect. “This is the first study to show that fructose can raise blood pressure in humans,” lead author…