A new study published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings has found an unexpectedly dramatic increase in skin cancer among younger adults, and the researchers believe it may be linked to the popularity of indoor tanning. The study reviewed data from decades of patient records from the Rochester Epidemiology Project in Minnesota.

We wouldn t blame you for being confused by the latest headlines linking hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to an increased risk of breast cancer. Back in 2002, a flawed interpretation of data from the Women s Health Initiative study first noted this association. Yet this year, new findings showed just the opposite: Menopausal women can ease their symptoms with hormone therapy without fear of additional risk.

Here s another instance where the headlines may be true, but the impact on most women will be next to nothing. Study finds some early breast cancer overdiagnosed, reads a recent AP headline. It refers to a new study from Norway that estimates that 15 to 25 percent of breast cancers detected by mammograms would not have caused any problems during a woman s lifetime if left alone.

This much has long been known: Black women in the U.S. are 40 percent more likely to develop cervical cancer and twice as likely to die from it than their white counterparts. Doctors have believed for some time that this disparity can be attributed to black women s having less ready access to screening and follow-up care.

The FDA decided to stand up for science by rejecting alarmist hype that BPA (bisphenol A) is a dangerous threat to our health. Putting an end to years of speculation regarding the future of this chemical, the FDA rejected a petition by the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to ban the use of BPA in food packaging.

There are a lot of substances we may think of as toxic. Bleach, paint thinner, or gasoline might come to mind the image of a child ingesting one of these products immediately strikes fear. Yet some purveyors of junk science want to add a new substance to the list of toxic products: sugar.

The FDA has just issued new guidelines dealing with chemicals in tobacco and how tobacco companies will be able to market potentially less risky products. While spokesmen for the agency, along with a variety of other organizations, are trumpeting these new strictures as a triumph for public health, the sad truth is that it s more of the same meaningless regulations being portrayed as beneficial.

As part of a legal settlement with the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), the FDA must decide by tomorrow whether it will ban the widely used chemical bisphenol A (BPA). The agency s decision will determine if the chemical used to make polycarbonate plastic can remain in food packaging.

Speaking of trumped up chemical fears, a recent bill introduced by Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.) is calling on the FDA to start regulating the cosmetics industry, which has largely been exempt from the agency s control.

The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) show that the rate of autism among U.S. children is increasing. The autism prevalence estimate was about 1 in 150 children between 2000 and 2002, but that figure rose to 1 in 88 children in 2008 an increase of 78 percent according to the CDC s most recent report.