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☆ ‘Everywhere’ chemicals linked to rise in preterm births, study says
▼ + stars: | 2024-02-06 | by ( Sandee Lamotte | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Now, researchers have found synthetic chemicals called phthalates used in clear food packaging and personal care products could be a culprit, according to a new study. “Studies show the largest association with preterm labor is due to a phthalate found in food packaging called Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate, or DEHP,” Trasande said. “In our new study, we found DEHP and three similar chemicals could be responsible for 5% to 10% of all the preterm births in 2018. “This paper focused on the relationship between exposure to individual phthalates and preterm birth. “Every day, they’re often exposed to more than one phthalate from the products they use, so the risk of preterm birth may actually be greater,” said Friedman, who was not involved in the study.

Persons: phthalates, ”, Dr, Leonardo Trasande, ” Trasande, “, that’s, Alexa Friedman, Friedman, diisononyl, toxicologist Linda Birnbaum, ” Birnbaum, birthweight, DEHP, Trasande, ” Friedman, don’t, ” CNN’s Jen Christensen Organizations: CNN, NYU Langone Health, “, Environmental, American Chemistry Council, Product Safety, FDA, Food and Drug Administration, National Institute for Environmental Health Sciences, National Toxicology, National Institutes of Health’s, Child Health, Health, Mayo Clinic, American Academy of Pediatrics, AAP Locations: United States, European

The U.S. Department of Defense plans to install two more groundwater treatment systems at a former Michigan military base to control contamination from so-called forever chemicals, U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin's office announced Friday. The base closed in 1993 as part of a base realignment. Pentagon documents show at least 385 military bases nationwide are contaminated with PFAS, mostly from firefighting foam used during training. DOD records released in 2021 showed PFAS had been detected in groundwater around Wurtsmith at levels up to 213,000 parts per trillion. Political Cartoons View All 253 ImagesThe Department of Defense announced in August that it would install two groundwater treatment systems near the base.

Persons: Elissa Slotkin's, PFAS, ” Slotkin, “, Tony Spaniola Organizations: U.S . Department of Defense, . Rep, Wurtsmith Air Force Base, Pentagon, Clarks, Department of Defense, Action Locations: Michigan, Clarks, Oscoda, Lake Huron, Wurtsmith

☆ Fact Check: US infant mortality rise not linked to vaccines
▼ + stars: | 2023-11-13 | by ( Reuters Fact Check | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

Ask CDC about vaccinating pregnant ‘people’, preemies and newborns today vs 20 years ago” in response to a CBS News X post about the CDC report. Two of these causes of infant death, maternal complications and bacterial sepsis, showed statistically significant (greater than would be expected by chance) increases of 2.6 infant deaths per 100,000 live births and 2.1 infant deaths per 100,000 live births respectively. Overall, infant mortality was 5.60 per 100,000 in 2022, compared with 5.44 per 100,000 in 2021, a 3% rise. The CDC, World Health Organization (WHO), American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and evidence-based research support vaccinations for preventable diseases and reducing infant mortality. Reuters has previously addressed similar false claims that vaccinations were linked to sudden infant death syndrome rates in the U.S.CDC did not respond to requests for comment.

Persons: Dr, Sandy L, Chung, Eric Eichenwald, Read Organizations: U.S . Centers for Disease Control, Prevention, CDC, CBS, Vital Statistics, CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, American Academy of Pediatrics, World Health Organization, WHO, Reuters, Thomson Locations: Alaska, Nevada, Georgia, Iowa , Missouri, Texas, U.S

Fewer than half of rural hospitals now have maternity units, prompting government officials and families to scramble for answers. The closures have worsened so-called “maternity care deserts" — counties with no hospitals or birth centers that offer obstetric care and no OB providers. Ultimately, doctors and researchers say, having fewer hospital maternity units makes having babies less safe. “It feels like you’re held in a way.”Some states and communities are taking steps to create more freestanding birth centers. It was a novel and “innovative” idea to request federal nurses to boost staffing at a rural maternity unit, Wyden’s office said.

Persons: Alisha Alderson, ”, Alderson, “, Eric Scott Palmer, It’s, —, Peiyin Hung, Saint Alphonsus, Odette Bolano, Dina Ellwanger, John Tucker, Tucker, we’ve, ’, Lacy Kee, she’ll, She’s, Kee, Henry, Pamela Evans, Evans, she’s, Katie O’Brien, Paris, Bennett —, O’Brien, Corina Fitch, Fitch, Betsy Baarspul, you’re, Ned Lamont, Alecia McGregor, ” McGregor, Tina Kotek, Sen, Ron Wyden, Shane Alderson, Alisha's, ” ___ Rush, Kuna , Idaho . Ungar, Robert Wood Johnson Organizations: OB, Henry County Medical Center, American Hospital Association, University of South, University of South Carolina’s Rural, Minority Health Research Center, Saint, Henry County Medical, Associated Press, Medicaid, Midwifery, Connecticut Gov, Harvard, of Public Health, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, Medicine, AP, Oregon Gov, U.S . Public Health Service, Corps, Associated Press Health, Science Department, Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science, Educational Media Group, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Locations: Oregon, Boise , Idaho, U.S, Tennessee, University of South Carolina’s, Baker City, Paris , Tennessee, Kentucky, Henry County, Summertown , Tennessee, Connecticut, Chan, “, Baker, Baker City , Oregon, Kuna , Idaho

REUTERS/Remo CasilliLONDON, July 18 (Reuters) - The world is baking under extreme heat - with Asia, Europe and the United States all dealing with scorching temperatures. LESS OBVIOUS RISKSAir pollution also poses a health risk, with serious potential effects from wildfire smoke including inflammation and tissue damage. Dr Vikki Thompson, Climate Scientist, Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, said extreme heat often contributes to poorer mental health, as well as a rise in car crashes and drownings. Location matters, too; people are at higher risk in places where they are not used to such heat, including parts of Europe. It is also important to check on the vulnerable, including older and isolated people, they said.

Persons: Remo Casilli, Liz Stephens, Dr Vikki Thompson, Modi Mwatsama, Heatstroke, Jennifer Rigby, Kate Turton, Catherine Evans Organizations: REUTERS, Remo Casilli LONDON, WHO, heatwaves, Britain's University of Reading, Royal Netherlands Meteorological Institute, Wellcome, Public, Thomson Locations: Italy, Rome, Asia, Europe, United States, London

Yet congenital syphilis is easily preventable if an infected person gets access to penicillin during their pregnancy. There were 2,677 cases of congenital syphilis in the U.S. in 2021 for a population of 332 million, according to preliminary CDC data. Canada had 96 cases for a population of 38 million, according to Health Canada. Health Canada told Reuters it has dispatched epidemiologists to help provinces contain the increase in congenital syphilis. The province had an incidence of 185 cases of congenital syphilis per 100,00 live births in 2021.

☆ Some pregnant people in Philadelphia are about to get $1,000 a month in what the mayor is calling a 'pro-life' program
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-25 | by ( Jason Lalljee | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Philadelphia is launching a guaranteed income program for pregnant people. The city has the highest infant mortality rate of the top ten most populated cities in the US. The city's health department announced it will oversee a trial program beginning next year to provide 250 pregnant people with $1,000 a month. Called the Philly Joy Bank, the Philadelphia program will offer no-strings-attached funding in the vein of other guaranteed income programs. "We know that being able to better support pregnant people and new parents helps keep babies alive.

☆ Pandemic lockdowns linked to decline in U.S. twin births, study suggests
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-07 | by ( Shawana Alleyne-Morris | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REUTERS/Brendan McDermid/File PhotoDec 7 (Reuters) - Reduced access to infertility treatments early in the pandemic may have contributed to a drop in twin births, data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggest. Overall, twin births did not rise significantly in 2021 from 2020 levels, although rates began to increase near the end of the year. The largest decline in twin births was seen in women over age 40, the group most likely to use infertility treatment. The smallest decline was in women under age 30, who are least likely to use infertility treatment, the authors said. The study cannot prove pandemic lockdowns caused twin births to decline.

☆ Covid was a contributing factor in 25% of maternal deaths in 2020 and 2021
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-20 | by ( The Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +4 min

It finds that pregnancy-related deaths have spiked nearly 80% since 2018, with Covid-19 being a factor in a quarter of the 1,178 deaths reported last year. “We were already in the middle of a crisis with maternal mortality in our country,” said Karen Tabb Dina, a maternal health researcher at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The maternal death rate is particularly stark for Black women, who have long faced worse maternal outcomes than their peers. Pregnancy-related deaths for every 100,000 births climbed from 44 in 2019 to 68.9 among Black women last year. More than half of rural counties didn’t have a hospital offering pregnancy care as of 2018, the review found.

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