1+ hour, 15+ min ago (247+ words) This new evaluation confirms both the first'glyphosate'and second most used herbicides in the nation's farm belt carry potential health and environmental concerns. The study, conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), found limited evidence of carcinogenicity in humans for non-Hodgkin lymphoma and "convincing evidence" of cancer in laboratory animals, according to U.S. Right to Know. "There is "strong' mechanistic evidence that atrazine exhibits key characteristics of carcinogens" the study said. Research has linked atrazine to various cancer types in agricultural workers, such as non-Hodgkin lymphoma and prostate cancer. Studies have also confirmed the herbicide to be an endocrine disruptor, disturbing hormones and altering normal cell growth. The evaluation came on the basis of the combinations of (i) limited evidence for cancer in humans and sufficient evidence for cancer in experimental animals; and (ii) limited evidence for cancer in humans and…...

2+ day, 15+ hour ago (206+ words) A new round of Medicare drug price negotiations shows the impact of the Inflation Reduction Act while exposing an ongoing political fight over who deserves credit for lowering drug costs. Health policy experts challenged the comparisons. They noted that the drug lists between the first and second rounds differ, making direct comparisons unreliable. They also underscored that the law enabling both rounds was created during the Biden administration and that its structure determines the price outcomes, not changes in negotiation technique. The pharmaceutical industry has resisted the negotiation requirements since the law's passage. Drug manufacturers have filed multiple lawsuits challenging the program and recently lost their sixteenth court case. At the same time, pharmaceutical companies are lobbying for legislation that would add new exemptions and weaken the negotiation framework. As the Trump administration promotes the negotiated prices, the competing narratives…...

5+ day, 5+ hour ago (625+ words) This is not just an abstract dilemma that many households are facing; it is necropolitics in action, the state-sanctioned power to decide who lives and dies. Next year, an estimated five million people will be priced out of health insurance in the United States. I am one of them. When I went to renew my family's policy, I was shocked to discover my premium had gone up to $2,600 per month, a price my household of four simply cannot afford. For the first time in my adult life, I will be uninsured, joining the millions who have navigated this risky reality for years. It's a bitter pill to swallow, especially when health insurance already makes access to healthcare costly with extremely unrealistic deductibles and high out-of-pocket costs. Yet, as a woman in my forties with a family history of breast cancer,…...

1+ week, 3+ day ago (1615+ words) ProPublica has found multiple cases of women with underlying health conditions who died when they couldn't access abortions. Tierra Walker had reached her limit. In the weeks since she'd learned she was pregnant, the 37-year-old dental assistant had been wracked by unexplained seizures and mostly confined to a hospital cot. With soaring blood pressure and diabetes, she knew she was at high risk of developing preeclampsia, a pregnancy complication that could end her life." Her mind was made up on the morning of Oct. 14, 2024: For the sake of her 14-year-old son, JJ, she needed to ask her doctor for an abortion to protect her health." "Wouldn't you think it would be better for me to not have the baby?" she asked a physician at Methodist Hospital Northeast near San Antonio, according to her aunt. Just a few years earlier, Walker…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago (280+ words) Signatories said the move will mark "a historic milestone in reducing mercury pollution" at a conference in Geneva. In a move that will change dentistry around the world, nations agreed to end the use of mercury-based dental amalgams in tooth fillings by 2034. Signatories said the move will mark "a historic milestone in reducing mercury pollution" at a conference in Geneva. While some countries have already phased out the use mercury use in dental amalgam, the remaining countries agreed to the timeline put in place by The Minamata Convention on Mercury, an international treaty to protect against adverse affects of mercury on human health and the environment. "This science-based, time-bound agreement marks a decisive step toward the total elimination of mercury use in dentistry and a safer future for all communities." The World Health Organization classified mercury as "toxic to human…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago (1070+ words) We're seeing early deaths, like the malnutrition cases, and then we'll see the wave that's more to come." AMY GOODMAN: This is Democracy Now!, democracynow.org. I'm Amy Goodman with Nermeen Shaikh. Musk and DOGE pursued deep cuts and layoffs at the agency. Earlier this year, an independent analysis published in the medical journal The Lancet estimated that USAID had saved 92 million lives globally over two decades, including the lives of 30 million children. It further estimated that cuts to USAID could result in 14 million more deaths by 2030. The authors wrote that for many countries, quote, The resulting shock would be similar in scale to a global pandemic or a major armed conflict." Of the roughly $15,000 per year most Americans pay in taxes, the cost for USAID is just $24 per person. In a moment, we'll be joined by Dr. Atul Gawande,…...

2+ week, 6+ day ago (321+ words) An unexpected encounter with compassion. I've always seen myself as a person who pushes forward to overcome obstacles. Since the collision, however, doing so has become more complicated, because I'm learning that recovery is a long road, filled with detours I couldn't have predicted. Time and again, my expectations have been turned upside down. I've had to take deep breaths, sit back, and pay close attention. Nevertheless, the veterans I sat with that day were in recovery from just such an exposure to violence and they understood me. They recognized what was happening to me because of their own struggles to grasp and admit their injuries, especially their moral injuries, and get themselves on the highway of healing and repair. The pain is so awful that some people in natural settings will seek out water in streams or ponds for…...

3+ week, 1+ day ago (176+ words) Without an extension, premium costs could double for many Marketplace enrollees. Health insurance costs are expected to rise significantly for millions of people as the enhanced subsidies from the American Rescue Plan Act expire at the end of 2025. Without an extension, premium costs could double for many Marketplace enrollees. While some Americans could face premium increases of over $1,000 per month, older and younger, healthier individuals are at a higher risk of incurring these costs or losing their insurance entirely. "Congress" failure to extend these subsidies is driving the government shutdown and will harm millions of people already struggling with soaring prices and healthcare costs," Matt McConnell, economic justice and rights researcher at Human Rights Watch, said. "These cuts are making ordinary people sacrifice their health to pay for tax breaks for the wealthy few." Some potential consequences include financial hardship,…...

3+ week, 3+ day ago (697+ words) "Depending on the amount of active ingredient in the product'taking kratom can be harmful," the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned people not to use kratom because of possible harm it can cause. As the Mayo Clinic describes it: "Kratom is a supplement that is sold as an energy booster, mood lifter, pain reliever and remedy for the symptoms of quitting opioids, called withdrawal. But the truth about kratom is not so simple. And there are safety problems linked to its use." A key aspect of the kratom issue is something called 7-OH. It makes up a tiny portion of the kratom leaf'less than 1 percent'but can be, and is being, synthesized to a strength of many, many times its potency in the plant." "This dangerous opioid is sitting on store shelves, making gas stations and convenience stores risky places where kids…...