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Environmental Health
Human brain samples contain spoon’s worth of nanoplastics – US study
Cognitively normal human brain samples collected at autopsy in early 2024 contained more tiny shards of plastic than samples collected eight years previously, according to a...
Lung cancer increasing among non-smokers, WHO warns
Being a non- or never-smoker appears to provide little protection against the ravages of cancer nowadays, with an increasing proportion of people being diagnosed...
EU plan to ban ‘forever chemicals’ in consumer products
The European Commission wants to ban PFAS – “forever chemicals” – in consumer products, with exemptions for essential industrial uses, although the agency admits...
Rising cardiovascular cases tied to air pollution in Africa
Research on other continents has shown a clear link between high air pollution levels and cardiovascular diseases, but such data is lacking in Africa...
Bloodletting advised for islanders to reduce PFAS levels
‘Bloodletting’ has been recommended to residents of Jersey, one of the Channel Islands, as a way to reduce high concentrations of “forever chemicals” in...
EPA warns of common chemical’s link to cancer
A recent investigation has found that formaldehyde causes more cancer than any other toxic air pollutant, exposing everyone to elevated risks of developing cancer no...
Millions of mental diagnoses linked to lead in petrol – US study
A recent study has suggested that a history of lead in petrol – going back to as early as the 1920s – could be...
US bans common carcinogenic chemicals
In a decision welcomed by environmentalists and health advocates, America’s Environmental Protection Agency has banned two solvents found in everyday products that can cause...
Climate change will worsen health burden, warns SA expert at COP29
Climate change is accelerating the spread of disease, according to SA scientist Professor Tulio de Oliveira, who warns that pathogens are spreading across borders...
Air pollution linked to higher eczema risk – Yale study
People living in areas with high air pollution are more likely to develop eczema, say researchers after a large cross-sectional study exploring the potential...
US analysis links 22 pesticides to prostate cancers
Researchers have found that nearly two dozen pesticides are associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer in the United States, four of them also being...
Millions of sub-Saharan Africa’s teens have undiagnosed asthma
Rapid urbanisation is thought to be damaging adolescent health, say researchers, whose recent study found that millions of teenagers in Africa are suffering from...
World leaders pledge to slash AMR by 10%
A UN High Level Meeting on Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) last week has pledged to reduce – by 10% – deaths from drug-resistant bacteria over...
WHO issues guidance to limit antibiotic-makers’ pollution
The World Health Organisation (WHO) has released new guidance on what it calls an “important but neglected challenge” in efforts to tackle antimicrobial resistance...
Air pollution and traffic noise tied to infertility risks – Danish study
Long term exposure to fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution is linked to a higher risk of infertility in men, whereas road traffic noise...
Microplastics infiltrating brain tissue – ‘nowhere untouched’, warn scientists
Growing – and alarming – scientific evidence shows that microplastics are accumulating in critical human organs, including the brain, leading researchers to call for...
Agricultural antibiotics linked to Nigerian babies born with AMR
Colistin, one of the last remaining antibiotics that is still effective in killing bacteria and fighting infections like pneumonia, is rarely used in hospitals...
Psoriasis added to list of air-pollution-linked diseases
Previous studies have tied air pollution exposure to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease, even autism and obesity – and recent research has now identified...
Microplastics in penises may be tied to fertility issues – US study
Microplastics have been discovered in penises for the first time, raising questions about a potential role in erectile dysfunction, and coming hard on the...
Extreme heat in pregnancy can affect future life of baby – SA review
Climate change is a massive public health threat, with increasing temperatures being linked to deteriorating health, especially in vulnerable populations and including pregnant women...
Heat in sub-Saharan Africa tied to miscarriage risk – UKZN study
A study by University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) scientists has found evidence linking maternal heat exposure – during the month before conception – with miscarriage,...
Microplastics found in human and canine testes – US study
American scientists who detected microplastics in human testicles have said the discovery might be linked to declining sperm counts in men.
The researchers tested 23...
Health Department weather alert app warns pregnant women
Negative effects of climate change are predicted to intensify as the world continues to warm up, and in efforts to alert pregnant women –...
Pollution linked to stress, heart disease deaths – US study
A study in more than 3 000 US counties, involving more than 315m residents, has suggested that air pollution is linked with stress and...
EPA tightens limits on carcinogenic medical steriliser
A decision by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to set more stringent limits on a chemical used to sterilise medical equipment, after a...
Microplastics in arteries increase risk of heart attack/stroke
People with artery plaques containing microplastics were about four times as likely to have a heart attack or stroke as those with plastic-free plaques,...
Plastics found in placentas as US bans ‘forever chemicals’ in food wrappings
The dangers of our increasingly toxic world – and the rising levels of “forever chemicals” and nano- and micro-plastics – have again come to...
Prescription drugs, medical waste found on Wild Coast beaches
Rural communities cleaning up litter along the Eastern Cape Wild Coast have discovered dozens of plastic canisters containing expired or unused prescription drugs –...
WHO antimicrobials list ‘for humans only’
The WHO has released a list of 21 antimicrobials earmarked as “authorised for use in humans only” – a first for the organisation in its efforts...
Legal tussle over fluoride in US tap water and link to IQ
A US courtroom is the battleground for a scientific clash between experts over a report suggesting fluoride can affect brain development, and whether the...
Premature birth rate may be linked to plastics – US study
Premature births are rising worldwide, and according to researchers, the cause could be synthetic chemicals called phthalates – used in clear food packaging and...
New York health advisory lists social media an environmental toxin
New York City is the first city to issue an advisory officially designating social media as an environmental toxin.
Last week its Department of Health...
100 times more nanoplastics in water bottles than thought – US study
Scientists say the average bottle of water contains 240 000 pieces of cancer-causing nanoplastics – 100 times more than previously thought, and a fact...
US study flags BP spikes from traffic pollution
Recent research has suggested that not only does bumper-to-bumper traffic come at the cost of wasted fuel and environmental pollution, it also results in...
Air pollution linked to diabetes in landmark Indian study
A seven-year study of 12 000 residents of Delhi and Chennai – the first of its kind in the country – has found links between...
Lead pollutants more harmful than thought – Norwegian/Columbian study
Lead is significantly more harmful to the health of children and adults across the world than previously thought, suggests a modelling study presented to...
Kissing your pet can put you at risk of animal-borne diseases
While owning a pet is linked to numerous mental and physical health benefits, pets can also harbour infectious diseases that can sometimes be passed...
Study finds microplastics in heart tissues, pre- and post-surgery
While examinations for microplastics in our innermost organs that aren’t directly exposed to the environment are still limited, researchers doing a pilot study of...
Global analysis ties pollution to antibiotic resistance
Curbing air pollution could help mitigate the impact of antibiotic resistance, say scientists from China and the UK after their modelling study found significant...
Gas stoves’ benzene fumes tied to higher blood cell cancer risk – US analysis
Millions of people worldwide – including in South Africa – use natural gas or propane-burning cooktops and ovens, but now researchers have found that...