I almost drove off the road listening to an ad from a law firm urging parents with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) to be part of a lawsuit suing baby food manufacturers for causing their child’s condition. According to the ad, the question of what causes ASD has been settled and what remains is for parents to get what is owed them from baby food manufacturers that have been hiding the truth from the public for years.
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Illicit fentanyl continues to kill tens of thousands of people annually in the U.S. In fact, this number may very well be increasing as the "fentanyl epidemic" continues unabated. But now a fentanyl vaccine – which could be of some use in mitigating damage – appears to protect mice from the drug. Will it succeed in humans and, if so, how might it be used?
The death penalty is controversial enough on its own, but when you look at some of the dreadful methods used, mostly due to ignorance and incompetence, there is no way that these executions pass the "cruel and unusual punishment" test that the Supreme Court used in its 2008 decision on lethal injections. They are torture, plain and simple.
If this isn't newsworthy then I don't know what is. At the very least I can promise you that the article is even dumber than the title. Enjoy.
With the growing concern – especially in the Northeast – about the air pollution now coming from the Canadian forest fires, we thought it would be worthwhile to address the potential health effects, especially the difference between acute and chronic.
Most of the daily air pollution studies on health have focused on statistical significance to establish the existence of the phenomenon, which has already been shown by the Great London Fog of 1952, during which black smoke levels increased about 10-fold, and thousands died over several days. The scientific community would be better served by addressing epidemiological and physiological questions.
A ferocious debate ensued over Emily Oster's recent call in The Atlantic for COVID "amnesty." Everybody in the dispute is wrong. Should you drink Smart Water? Only if you're dumb, says our resident chemist.
What does formaldehyde in baby shampoo have to do with a recent recall of a specialized laundry detergent? The failure to appreciate the need for preservatives in consumer products.
Carbon offsets seem like an ideal corporate solution. Trade your excess carbon for some organization producing "too little" carbon and balance the books. If only nature used double-entry book-keeping. As this reprint from The Conversation points out, "Satellites detect no real climate benefit from 10 years of forest carbon offsets in California."
Banning menthol heats up.
Is it a conspiracy? A ten-point checklist
Debunking pumpkins – say it ain’t so!
The Decline and Fall of Eating together
The American Council on Science and Health recently held its fall meeting of the Board of Trustees, which oversees ACSH’s governance and provides me with great counsel. It is quite a distinguished group. I want to take a moment to introduce our newest trustees, Drs. Nan Hayworth and Mike (Mick) Hitchcock.
For the reduction and eventual elimination of animal testing, change is in the air. And it could occur faster than many previously believed. It appears that more powerful voices are joining the choir.
Those who are not researchers may have wondered how human research is regulated, how research subjects are protected, and how we ensure research is done correctly. Those who do human research know only too well: the Institutional Review Board.
What’s the deal with near-death experiences
Giving back “tainted” money can be more complex than it seems
In the rush to make medical records transparent, have we only succeeded in making them more opaque?
Ho, Ho, Ho, etc., etc., etc. Kris Kringle, here, reporting on the State of SCE (Santa Claus Enterprises), including its subsidiaries, KKW (Kris Kringle’s Workshop), the Rudolf’s Bar and Gym Group, and Super Stocking Stuffers, sold exclusively on-circle to our subscribers.
2022- A year when law and public health got really tangled. We had the Supreme Court deal with abortion, gun control, and mandatory vaccination. Internationally, euthanasia laws burgeoned. Some states enacted laws to protect the rights of children born by fraudulent misuse of IVF, and courts addressed the question of proving causation in toxic tort cases.
4-ANPP is not a term that most of you know but it's hugely important. It is the chemical that is the precursor to fentanyl. Although 4-ANPP is not an opioid, there is not a single thing anyone would do with it except convert it to fentanyl. And there is plenty of 4-ANPP to be had now the bad guys use synthetic organic chemistry to make it.
Men will often be boys. Nowhere is this more apparent than in the design of public urinals, where through a moment of frivolity or inattention, the stream goes in a pathway resulting in splashes on the wall and clothing. Physicists attempt to help.
The data comes primarily from the CDC’s injury and mortality reports from 1990 to 2021. Here are some highlights.
A recent study found that marijuana smoke may cause emphysema. The problem? The study was complete garbage. Celebrities and social-media "influencers" are hyping the weight-loss benefits of repurposed diabetes drugs. Should these medicines really be used to slim down? It's complicated.
Dreary, despondent headlines about pollution and climate change are the norm. But they are not painting an accurate picture. Many countries are making serious efforts to protect the environment. Human ingenuity is the ultimate resource. My latest over at BigThink.
New York State gave itself high praise for 'making significant progress in reducing new high-risk exposures to opioid prescriptions.' I call BS. It did nothing of the sort—just more of the same stale lies and misleading statistics we've seen from the CDC and others who continue to exploit this fallacy.
Seventeen people in the U.S. die each day waiting for an organ transplant that never comes, while over 100,000 linger on the transplant list. Lars Larson and I dive into the crux of the issue: our organ transplant system, as government-run as it gets, is plagued by inefficiency, inconsistency, and a distinct lack of accountability. There are solutions, however.
Happy Independence Day! Let's celebrate by mocking a bunch of idiots who played (hilariously) with explosive devices. It's all on video, frame by frame. Enjoy some yuks.
Hospitals and health systems are not immune from concerns about their environmental impact. Most studies surround the discharge of anesthetic gases or single-use plastics. A new study provides different concerns.
Spy vs. Spy
The real Uncle Tom
Education
File this under unintended consequences of regulations
Pagination
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