Most Babies Born To Mothers Living In Pesticide-Heavy Places Don’t Have Adverse Effects
A small portion exposed to the heaviest pesticide use, however, had lower birth weights, shorter gestation lengths and adverse birth outcomes.
Iowa Public Radio:
Study: Babies Born To Mothers Living In Areas Of Very High Pesticide Exposure See Problems
Applying large amounts of pesticides to farm fields can have negative effects on babies born to mothers living nearby, according to new research. The data-crunching study published in Nature Communications looked at the farm-heavy San Joaquin Valley in California, where a variety of pesticides get applied to dozens of different crops including fruits, vegetables and nuts. (Mayer, 8/30)
In other public health news —
inewsource:
Doctors Debate Danger Of Popular Diabetes Drug After FDA Amputation Warning
Many San Diego doctors are taking their patients off of Invokana, a widely used diabetes drug, after a large industry-sponsored trial found it doubled the risk of lower limb amputations compared with those taking a placebo. Patients are being switched to other medications even though the study’s authors say the drug’s benefits — a reduced risk of cardiovascular events including death, non-fatal heart attacks and non-fatal strokes — outweigh its risk of amputations. (Clark, 8/31)
Orange County Register:
Taking A ‘Vacation From Mental Illness’ At Mountain Camp
Mountain Respite Camp is intended as both an escape from the challenges of living with a psychiatric disability and an opportunity to bond with people who are strangers yet know intimately what everyone else is going through. While the largest group of campers hailed from Orange County, others came from the Los Angeles area and the Inland Empire. (Walker, 8/30)
KPCC:
Skip The Jog This Week, Outdoor Air Quality Suffers As Temperatures Rise
Dial back your outdoor activities and exercise during this week’s prolonged heat wave: Officials have forecast unhealthy air quality through the rest of the week. (Beggin and Shatkin, 8/30)