Members of the American Public Health Association (APHA) convened this week in Washington, DC for their annual meeting and, while we re not entirely sure what went on there, more than a few questionable policy decisions seem to be the result. Particularly high on the APHA s list is a call for local, state, and federal governments to phase out the use of a plastic called polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in building materials and other products used in facilities l

Reports on obesity and its purported link to sugar-sweetened beverages from the Yale Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity read like a broken record these days.

Produced in the liver, human serum albumin (HSA) is a plasma protein used to help transport various hormones, steroids, and fatty acids in the bloodstream. For some people, however, HSA is needed on an emergency basis to replenish blood volume following trauma. The combination of albumin and liquid restores blood pressure better than saline alone when there is inadequate blood for transfusion available. The same applies for treatment of extensive burns.

We previously reported on the ongoing critical drug shortage crisis, but now the problem has garnered the attention of President Obama, who issued an executive order Monday in hopes of resolving the issue or at least improving it.

Consuming alcohol in moderate amounts, it seems, is something of a double-edged sword. As for its benefits, numerous studies have indicated that drinking one to two servings of alcohol a day reduces a person s risk for cardiovascular disease. However, a new study from Harvard Medical School shows that even a few drinks a week can increase a woman s risk of breast cancer.

Year in and year out, agricultural pesticides have been the subject of considerable fear-mongering, leaving the typical consumer with the impression that these chemicals taint much of our food supply and are harmful to human health.

Josh Bloom, Boston Herald November 4, 2011
Federal drug R&D ill conceived. Vertex thriving with own resources

Alyssa Pelish in Science Magazine, October 28, 2011
For the Democracy of Science

ACSH applauds a new initiative in the city of Owensboro, Kentucky, that aims to save lives by promoting the use of smokeless tobacco as a less risky alternative to smoking.

Despite European consumers longstanding aversion to genetically modified (GM) food products, BASF, the world s largest chemical company, is making headway toward European Union approval of a genetically modified potato.