Americans spent $1.4 billion on the most popular brands of children’s fruit drinks and flavored waters last year. Yet according to nutritional guidelines, none of the drinks were healthy. Why would loving parents do this? Perhaps because US beverage companies spent $20.7 million to advertise fun, fruity drinks with added sugars to families in 2018,…… MORE
The Oklahoma judge who recently ordered pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson to pay $572 million for its role in the state’s opioid crisis says he made a mathematical error when calculating the judgment. As part of the landmark verdict in August, Judge Thad Balkman set aside $107,683,000 to help combat neonatal abstinence syndrome, or NAS.…… MORE
A third person has died from an outbreak of Legionnaires’ disease in North Carolina, state health officials said. None of the victims has been identified by authorities and health officials have not discussed the circumstances of their deaths. In recent weeks, health officials have confirmed 140 cases among people who attended the NC Mountain State…… MORE
Pink tax, tampon tax, period tax — the rule goes by different names, but all refer to the sales tax people pay to purchase pads and tampons. The sales tax on these products, essential for everyone that menstruates, has long been under scrutiny. Slowly, the tide is starting to turn. On Thursday, a proposal repealing…… MORE
The climate crisis is going to raise the risk that Ebola will spread farther and reach areas previously unaffected by the virus, according to a study published Tuesday in the journal Nature Communications. The study found that the climate crisis will bring a 1.75 to 3.2-fold increase in the rate at which the deadly virus…… MORE
When it comes to concussions in high school sports, there is good news and bad news, a new study suggests. The rates of football practice concussions and recurrent concussions across all sports have gone down in recent years, according to the study, published in the journal Pediatrics on Tuesday. The bad news: Concussion rates increased…… MORE
Moms-to-be who undergo physical or mental stress during their pregnancies are less likely to have a boy and may also have a higher risk of preterm birth, according to a study published Monday. “The womb is an influential first home,” said lead author Catherine Monk, director of women’s mental health in OB/GYN at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University…… MORE
About 2 million pounds of seasoned beef used in Taco Bell burritos and tacos have been removed from restaurant locations across the country. Kenosha Beef International recalled the products over concerns that they may be contaminated with metal shavings, the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service said in a news release. The…… MORE
Students in California, rejoice. You’ll soon be able to sleep in a little more. Gov. Gavin Newsom signed legislation on Sunday that pushes school start times later. Under the new law, middle schools will start classes at 8 a.m. or after, while high schools will start classes at 8:30 a.m. or after. Optional early classes…… MORE
Pregnant women who have been exposed to high levels of pollution face an increased risk of “silent miscarriage” in the first trimester, according to a new study. A “silent miscarriage” happens when a fetus hasn’t formed or has died, but the placenta and embryonic tissue remain. Researchers analyzed data from more than 250,000 pregnant women…… MORE
