There Is Such A Thing As Being Too Clean, Experts Say
“We’re at the point where we’re way too haphazard with killing microbes because people think they’re bad," UC Davis microbiologist Jonathan Eisen says.
Sacramento Bee:
Microbiome Research Reveals Dangers Of Oversanitizing
Scientists are only beginning to understand the millions of microbes that make up the human microbiome, said UC Davis microbiologist Jonathan Eisen, but researchers are finding that antibiotics, household disinfectants and other sanitizing products are also killing the “good bacteria” that help our bodies fend off disease. Many believe that the shortage of certain microbes explains recent spikes in childhood allergies and asthma. (Caiola, 3/4)
In other public health news —
East Bay Times:
CDC Report: Youth Suicide Rates In Santa Clara County Highest In Palo Alto, Morgan Hill
Palo Alto and Morgan Hill have the highest suicide rates in Santa Clara County among youths 10 to 24 years old, according to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report released today. From 2003 to 2015, Palo Alto’s youth suicide rate per 100,000 people was 14.1 and Morgan Hill’s 12.7, according to the report. Both were much higher than the county rate of 5.4 deaths per 100,000. In raw numbers, however, San Jose saw the most youth suicides. During that period, 113 young San Jose residents died by suicide in the city or elsewhere. In the city itself, 76 youths died by suicide. (Lee, 3/3)
Orange County Register:
Is Alzheimer's Treatment Of Injecting Stem Cells Into The Brain A Breakthrough Or Quackery?
His doctor, Christopher Duma, hopes Jack Sage goes down in history as the one-man turning point in the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease, while others are skeptical about what Duma has done to Sage’s brain. Everyone agrees that Alzheimer’s disease is an exploding problem. (Sharon, 3/5)
Orange County Register:
Even Toxics Control Successes Can Leave Affected Southern California Neighborhoods On Edge
With the region’s leading air-quality watchdog facing criticism over a string of high-profile releases of hazardous substances into Southern California neighborhoods, government regulators have eagerly pointed to what they consider an environmental enforcement success: hard-won progress in cleaning up a suburban metals-processing plant that for years emitted a potentially cancer-causing carcinogen also known as chromium-6. Through monitoring and other actions stretching back almost a decade, the South Coast Air Quality Management District -- whose jurisdiction spans Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties -- warned and cited Hixson Metal Finishing for violations and ultimately secured millions of dollars in emission-control upgrades. (Leung, 3/4)