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The New York Attorney General has issued a cease-and-desist order on hucksters using fraudulent marketing to claim they can protect against Zika transmission. Unsurprisingly, these woo claims cater to the mindset that believes all chemicals are bad and some natural approach is better.

Bayer's Belt insecticide, which was given conditional approval by the Environmental Protection Agency in 2008, has seen its registration pulled. Though labeled for use in almonds, pistachios, walnuts and various vegetable crops in 49 states, it wasn't used much.

Here is an insider's look on how to know when data should be taken seriously and when they should be ignored. (Hint ... it's all about where you find it.)

A study in the Malaria Journal suggests that chickens may be helpful in the fight against malaria. Unlike humans who in the United States last year consumed 90 pounds of chicken each, mosquitos are a bit fussier. Who knew?

Zika and mosquitoes are in the news virtually every day. People will be using a whole lot of DEET this summer. But, DEET is a "chemical," so that means it must be bad for you, right? Hardly.

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Personalized medicine is the rage but it's yet to realize much of its potential. That is why a study that was recently reported for ovarian cancer surveillance is exciting.

For those of us who partake, drinking alcohol is often seen as a balancing act, weighing the pleasures against the pains. Government regulation is often seen the same way, balancing an individual's pleasure and freedom versus the cost of crime and harm to health. But this approach can often lead to bad alcohol policies that fail to strike the right balance.

The Orlando nightclub attack on June 12 was among the deadliest in American history, and it was the 133rd mass shooting to take place in the United States this year alone.

Obesity and excess body fat — especially the type around the middle — can lead to excess fat within the liver. When this occurs, it can diminish the liver's ability to function, and if continued long enough can lead to liver failure. But exercise (and it doesn't have to be extreme) can turn this problem around, at least in Chinese adults.

In 1972, the National Academy of Sciences asked me to investigate the persistence of Agent Orange and other defoliants used during the Vietnam War. For seven months, I walked in the chemical in my bare feet. Now at age 83, the bottom line is that I am a very healthy guinea pig after huge and nearly continuous exposure to herbicides.

The Asian Flush, also known as the Asian Glow, or Alcohol Flush Reaction, can be pretty debilitating. The condition is usually associated with red faces, and flushing of the neck area. But for some of Asian descent, it also results in symptoms such as heightened heart rate, headache, and nausea -- from consuming as little as one alcoholic drink.

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban suddenly has a lot to say about drug prices. Does he know what he's talking about? In return, we offer him advice on how to run his team.

The presence of a molecule that strongly enhances the flavor of other molecules may explain why garlic powder is such a commonly used ingredient in cooked foods.

A group of activists at the Democratic National Convention are going to make themselves be heard. And smelled. Chemistry call explain the latter.

"Use by" and "sell by" labels are not about food safety, although it's easy to be confused by them. In fact, they're only pointers about when a food's quality might not be at its peak.

A team of chemists demonstrated that they can identify the true animal source of leather goods by examining collagen. This technique could be enormously useful for investigating cases in which counterfeit leather goods are suspected.

Good news for high-heel lovers as a healthier stiletto is now on the market — one that, yes, provides style but also a whole lot more comfort. It features construction that shifts body weight away from the ball of the foot, promising to reduce pain as well as the long-term damage some heels have been known to cause.

According to a major study published in The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology journal, researchers have linked public transport usage with key health outcomes. Using a sample of over 150,000 British residents, they gave added credence to an important health principle known as active transportation.

We here at ACSH are in a health war against smoking, not a war with Philip Morris or Altria or any other tobacco group. So if Big Tobacco can make money selling something besides cigarettes, great -- that is exactly what we have long said they should be doing. Meanwhile, nicotine, while addictive but relatively harmless by itself, is actually helping save lives, as it's being used by those who make their money in the cigarette business to get out of it.

Once again, people are taking a drug (or unknown mixture of drugs) called Spice, K2, or by other names, which go under the misnomer "synthetic marijuana." The latest episode occurred near St. Petersburg, but it could have just as well been anywhere. The drug(s) are among the most abused in the U.S. at this time. And, they are very dangerous.

Spring is in the air -- and as of last Sunday, also on your calendar. With it comes allergy season, as pollen counts rapidly rise. And if you're one of the nearly 60 million Americans who will begin the annual battle with hay fever and similar annoyances, these guidelines can help red-nosed folks get through the suffering a little easier.

The American Academy of Pediatrics wants to guide clinicians on “Countering Vaccine Hesitancy” among parents. This policy statement, published in the journal Pediatrics, rightly champions vaccination as "one of the greatest public health achievements of the last century." There is just one problem; pediatricians actually don't need more guidelines and protocols.

We all know aerobic exercise -- running, swimming, walking briskly -- is good for the heart. Apparently it's also good for the brain, too. Researchers wanted to know what happens to the brains of older folks who exercised vigorously and often, if they stopped exercising. The report of their study was published in the journal Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience.

Being around smokers is almost as weird for e-cigarette users as it is non-smokers.