Articles Index
Declare Your Independence from Toxic Fireworks Pollution
The fireworks display you watch on national holidays could leave you with more than a patriotic feeling. Fireworks litter the ground, pollute water supplies, and rain down chemicals and heavy metals that contribute to a wide range of serious health problems. Maybe it's time for a change.
Reusing Plastic Bottles Can Pose Serious Health Hazards
Reduce, reuse and recycle is the mantra of environmentalists everywhere, but reusing plastic bottles may do more harm than good by releasing toxic chemicals that can cause a host of serious health problems. Learn the dangers of reusing plastic bottles as well as some safe alternatives.
FDA Questions Results of Study Linking Mobile Phones and Cancer
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is questioning the results of a Swedish study that claims to provide the first scientific evidence of an increased risk of brain cancer among people who use mobile phones.
Antibiotics Resistance: Is Excessive Use of Antibiotics Creating Super Bugs?
Antibiotics are the miracle drugs of modern medicine--treating or curing countless diseases--but they are also helping to create a new generation of "super bugs" by strengthening the very bacteria they were designed to kill.
Bisphenol A May Make Cancer Treatment Less Effective
Exposure to bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical widely used in common household items ranging from baby bottles to the linings of most food and beverage cans, may reduce the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatments for cancer patients, according to a study by a team of scientists at the University of Cincinnati.
Study Links Bisphenol A to Health Problems in Humans
Bisphenol A, the controversial chemical that is widely used in everyday plastic products ranging from baby bottles to the linings of food and beverage cans, is linked to a higher incidence of heart disease and diabetes in humans, according to a new research study.
Bisphenol A and You: 8 Ways to Reduce Your Exposure to BPA
Studies have found links between bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical used in many everyday plastic products, and higher risks of heart disease, diabetes, and child development. Learn how to lessen your exposure to BPA and reduce your potential health risks.
Phthalates in Cosmetics: “Not Too Pretty”
Most mainstream cosmetics contain phthalates, an industrial chemical shown to cause serious health problems in humans and animals. Learn the dangers of phthalates and where to find cosmetics that are free of phthalates.
Does Sunscreen Really Protect You?
Sunscreen is supposed to let you get enough sunshine for good health while shielding you from harmful rays that can cause sunburn and skin cancer. Does your sunscreen offer the protection you need, or leave you exposed to UV radiation and harmful chemicals?
Life Expectancy Declines for American Women
Life expectancy for American women is declining for the first time since the Spanish influenza epidemic in 1918, according to a new study. Life expectancy is going down or failing to improve for nearly 1 in 5 U.S. women. Smoking and obesity are seen as major causes for the loss of life expectancy among American women.
Crisis in India: Smoking Expected to Kill 1 Million People Annually by 2010
Smoking kills 900,000 people every year in India, and unless corrective action is taken soon that number will increase to 1 million smoking-related deaths annually by 2010 and beyond, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine and conducted by scientists from India, Canada and the UK. According to the World Health Organization, smoking-related deaths are increasing worldwide, with the majority occurring in developing nations.
Malnutrition, Pollution and Population Growth Spur Increase of Deadly Diseases
Global pollution combined with population growth is leading to widespread malnutrition and making millions of people more susceptible to a range of infectious diseases--from measles and influenza to malaria--according to researchers at Cornell University. Malnutrition currently kills 6 million children annually, and affects 57 percent of the world's people.
9/11 Terrorist Attack Left Rescue Workers with Chronic Health Problems
The largest study ever conducted of 9/11 rescue and recovery workers show widespread, persistent and, in many cases, chronic problems that are unlikely to improve, according to doctors at Mount Sinai Medical Center.
How Safe is Tap Water?
Bottled water companies would have you believe that tap water is unsafe to drink, but many experts say that most tap water is actually pretty safe--especially compared to the alternatives. How safe is tap water?
Are You Getting the Right Amount of Fluoride for Good Dental Health?
Are you getting enough--or too much--fluoride for good dental health? While the right amount of fluoride can prevent tooth decay, too much can lead to serious health issues, including eczema, osteoporosis, and even bone cancer.
U.S. Cancer Deaths Decline for First Time Since 1930
The number of cancer deaths in the United States has declined for the first time in more than 70 years—the first time since the government starting keeping statistics in 1930—according to an American Cancer Society analysis of government health data.
Cleaning Up the Environment Could Save 13 Million Lives Annually, Report Shows
Reducing environmental risks worldwide could save 13 million lives every year, according to the World Health Organization. An analysis of health conditions in 192 countries showed that every nation in the world--rich and poor alike--is affected to some extent by environmental risks that lead to a variety of lethal health problems that could be prevented.
U.S. Surgeon General Reports Indisputable Dangers of Secondhand Smoke
The U.S. Surgeon General has declared secondhand smoke a hazard to human health and says the only way to eliminate the dangers to children and nonsmoking adults is to create smoke-free environments by stopping all smoking indoors--but he stopped short of calling for smoking bans that would do just that.
Why Do Heat Waves Make Air Quality Worse?
Air quality during a heat wave not only feels worse, it is worse. Find out how heat waves affect air quality, and what you can do to protect yourself from poor air quality and heat waves.
Toxic Waste in Alaska: Pollution and Cancer on The Last Frontier
Thousands of industrial and military toxic waste dumps put Alaska residents and wildlife at risk of serious health effects, according to a toxic waste sites report prepared for the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation but never published.
More Than Half of U.S. Population Lives in Counties with Unsafe Air
According to the American Lung Association, more than half of all Americans live in counties with unsafe levels of smog and particle pollution, which leads to many lung and respiratory illnesses.
Tropical Rainforests: Nature’s Medicine Cabinet
Tropical rainforest plants have produced thousands of lifesaving drugs, yet the potential of rainforest medicinals has only barely been tapped. Rainforest lands are disappearing at an alarming rate, due to development and deforestation, but preserving rainforests may be a life and death issue for untold numbers of people--now and in the future.
Secondhand Smoke: The Basics of Secondhand Smoke and Its Effect on Human Health
Even if you're a nonsmoker, cigarettes (or cigars or pipes) may be hazardous to your health, because of the secondhand smoke you end up inhaling whenever you are around people who are smoking. Learn more about secondhand smoke and how you can protect yourself and your family from its serious health effects.
What Causes Child Mortality and What Can be Done to Prevent It?
The child mortality statistics are staggering. In the world’s poorest countries, over 30,000 children under age five die each day. Learn about the current efforts to reduce child mortality, and what still needs to be done to prevent child mortality.
I'm Hatin' It
Low-income Americans are spending less of their budgets on food, but obesity is increasing. How is this possible? Because the federal government makes less-healthy food cheaper and more available than food that is actually good for you.
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