The FDA has finally publicly recognized the dangers of BPA in plastics and the environment.
The ban is based on concerns voiced by the American Chemistry Council which encouraged the FDA to phase out use of BPA in these particular products.
This was designed in part to counter years of negative publicity from consumer groups.
The dangers of BPA in the environment and their effect on all humans have raised red flags for years.
Previous research in animals has associated BPA exposure to disruptions in reproductive and nervous-system development in babies, but the FDA has long maintained that such findings cannot be applied to humans. Other observational studies in humans have associated prenatal exposure to the chemical with behavior problems and childhood asthma. Just this week, the journal Pediatrics published a study linking BPA in dental fillings to problems like depression and anxiety in kids.
Some 96% of pregnant women have measurable levels of BPA, according to a 2011 study by University of California, San Francisco, researchers; in fact, data show that nearly every American has traces of BPA in their urine from exposure to food and beverage packaging.
For now, the federal government maintains that BPA does not harm humans, but it is spending $30 million on its own studies to assess the chemical’s health effects on humans.
The bodies of babies and children heat up three to five times faster than an adult’s and their internal systems are not fully developed.
Children don’t sweat as efficiently as adults and their bodies absorb heat faster.
It can take as little as 15 minutes in an overheated vehicle for a child to begin to suffer life-threatening brain or kidney injuries.
When body temperature reaches 104 degrees, internal organs begin to shut down.
At 107 degrees, children die.
At least 529 such deaths have been recorded since 1998, including the two logged in the past week, according to figures from the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State University, which tracks reports. On average, 38 children die each year in hot cars, reports show. The numbers typically begin to climb in May, with an average of three deaths per month. They spike in July and August, when nine deaths, on average, are recorded, the figures show.
Overall, more than half of the deaths — 52 percent — occur when a child is mistakenly left in a vehicle, typically by a parent or caregiver who is rushed or stressed.
In light of the allegations against Penn State football coach Jerry Sandusky for alleged child sexual abuse and Joe Paterno for not reporting the misconduct, parents everywhere are on high alert to the signs of predatory behavior.
Keeping your child informed is the best way to keep him safe.
When children fall ill the first thing we want to do is make them feel better.
But is medicating them with over-the-counter remedies the answer?
Over-the-counter cough and cold medicines don’t effectively treat the underlying cause of a child’s cold, and won’t cure a child’s cold or make it go away any sooner. These medications also have potentially serious side effects, including rapid heart rate and convulsions. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) discourages use of cough and cold medicines for children younger than age 2.
Antibiotic use is another issue.
Read on for some answers to the most often asked questions.
Be careful before taking out huge loans to get a degree from a for-profit college. Make sure you're not getting suckered into for-profit college scams that leave you with no job and huge debt.
This blog is for consumers of health care and medical services. Basically, it’s for everyone. For health issues you should always see a doctor or qualified medical professional - we are not dispensing medical advice. You should, however, be an educated consumer, so we offer information to help you start the process to become educated and to ask important questions. There are many excellent resources on the web, along with all sorts of conflicting opinions and advice. The key is to use a wide variety of resources to learn and access information, so you can ask the important questions when you are with your doctor or health professional.