A new report suggests that childhood PCB (polychlorinated biphenyls) exposure can make children’s diphtheria and tetanus vaccinations less effective.
Lead poisoning, largely eliminated as a childhood health issue decades after it was banned from paint and gasoline, is once again creating anxiety among parents and health officials. The metal is showing up in an alarming range of imported consumer products, posing an often-unrecognized danger to children.
Schools in Pennsylvania are not meeting the needs of students with asthma, nor are they fully prepared to deal with student asthma attacks, according to a newly released study. Of 757 schools surveyed in PA in 2004, one-fifth did not always have adults on hand who knew what to do for a severe asthma attack, and more than half of the state's urban schools did not allow students to carry inhalers. Asthma, which affects one of every eight children 17 or younger, is the leading health-related reason that children miss school or athletics.
Researchers studying railroad workers have documented that cleaning solvents used in their jobs caused brain damage, shrinking the vital bridge that helps one side of the brain communicate with the other.
In Brief: Americans not eating enough fruits, veggies...Western ag policies blamed for obesity...Dogs on notice in asthmatic households...Condos, apartments join 'green' trend in building...Car-sharing merges into the mainstream...
