Flame-Retardant Chemicals Could Be Toxic to Kids

Study tied exposure in womb to hyperactivity, lower IQ

By Robert Preidt

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, May 6 (HealthDay News) -- Exposure to flame-retardant chemicals in the womb is associated with hyperactivity and lower intelligence in children, a new study indicates.

Researchers examined the effects of polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs), which were used for decades as fire retardants in common products such as carpeting, baby strollers and electronics.

"In animal studies, PBDEs can disrupt thyroid hormone and cause hyperactivity and learning problems. Our study adds to several other human studies to highlight the need to reduce exposure to PBDEs in pregnant women," study author Dr. Aimin Chen, an assistant professor in the department of environmental health at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, said in an American Academy of Pediatrics news release.

The researchers looked at PBDE levels in blood samples from 309 pregnant women and then performed intelligence and behavior tests on the women's children each year until they were 5.

They found that PBDE exposure in the womb was associated with hyperactivity at ages 2 to 5, and with lower intelligence at age 5. A tenfold increase in PBDE exposure during pregnancy was related to about a four-point IQ deficit in 5-year-old children.

While the study tied PBDE exposure during pregnancy to later hyperactivity and lower intelligence, it did not prove a cause-and-effect relationship.

The study was to be presented Monday at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Washington, D.C.

PBDEs were mostly withdrawn from the U.S. market in 2004, but they are present in many consumer products bought several years ago and still widely used by Americans, according to the news release. In addition, PBDEs remain in human tissue for a long time and a pregnant woman can transfer them to her fetus.

"Because PBDEs exist in the home and office environment as they are contained in old furniture, carpet pads, foams and electronics, the study raises further concern about their toxicity in developing children," Chen concluded.

Research presented at medical meetings should be viewed as preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.

View the original article here

Lipsticks, Glosses Contain Toxic Metals: Report

By Kathleen Doheny

HealthDay Reporter

THURSDAY, May 2 (HealthDay News) -- Lipsticks and lip glosses apparently give you more than colorful kissers, according to a new study by California scientists that contends the products contain lead, cadmium, chromium, aluminum and five other toxic metals.

The research team tested 32 different lip glosses and lipsticks commonly sold at drug and department stores. Some metals were detected at levels that could raise potential health concerns, the researchers said.

"Lipsticks and lip glosses often have levels of toxic metals which approach or exceed acceptable daily doses based on public health guidelines," said researcher Katharine Hammond, a professor of environmental health sciences at the University of California, Berkeley.

Hammond declined to name brands tested. "I would treat these results as applicable to all lipsticks," she said.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration, however, does list the lead content of many lipsticks by brand on its website.

In the new study, lead was found in 24 of the 32 products, but at a concentration usually lower than the acceptable daily intake levels.

"At an average level of use, it's not likely to be an issue," Hammond said. She added that she's concerned, however, about children playing with makeup, as no level of lead exposure is considered safe for them. Heavy adult users might consider cutting down, she added.

In the study, certain colors were not more likely than others to have the toxic metals, Hammond said. Nor were glosses more likely to have them than lipsticks, or vice versa.

The study was published online May 2 in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives.

The new report isn't the first to focus on toxins in lipsticks. In 2007, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics tested 33 lip products and found that 61 percent contained lead, some with levels high enough to cause concern.

The current study went further than measuring the levels of lead and eight other metals. Researchers estimated risk based on the concentration of the metals detected and the users' potential daily intake -- average or high. They compared that information with existing public health guidelines about acceptable intake levels.

The researchers focused on lipstick and lip gloss, they said, because those who wear them absorb or eat them, bit by bit.

High use was defined as ingesting 87 milligrams of the product a day. That would involve repeated reapplying, Hammond said. Average use was about 24 milligrams a day.

When used at an average daily rate, the estimated intake of chromium from 10 products exceeded acceptable daily intake, the researchers found. Chromium has been linked to stomach tumors.

High use of the products, they found, also could result in overexposure to aluminum, cadmium and manganese. High manganese levels have been linked to nervous system problems.

View the original article here

Statins Plus Certain Antibiotics May Set Off Toxic Reaction: Study

Harmful effects in older patients include muscle, kidney damage, researchers say

By Steven Reinberg

HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, June 17 (HealthDay News) -- Doctors should avoid ordering certain antibiotics for older patients who take cholesterol-lowering statin drugs, such as Lipitor, Canadian researchers say.

Statins, which are taken by many millions of people, don't mix well with the antibiotics clarithromycin or erythromycin, according to a study, published in the June 18 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine.

These two commonly used antibiotics inhibit the metabolism of statins and increase statin concentration in the blood, which can cause muscle or kidney damage, and even death, the researchers said.

"These drugs do interact and cause difficulties for patients," said lead researcher Dr. Amit Garg, a professor in the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the University of Western Ontario in London, Ontario.

These adverse reactions are rare, Garg added. "Most people will be fine," he said. "But at a population level, hundreds of preventable hospitalizations are occurring."

For someone taking a statin, the study suggests that substituting a different antibiotic -- azithromycin -- is safer because it doesn't interfere with the metabolism of statins.

Another strategy is to stop the statin until the antibiotic course is finished, Garg said.

The study of more than 144,000 statin users over the age of 65 compared those prescribed clarithromycin or erythromycin with those taking azithromycin.

In terms of absolute risk, the odds of kidney damage increased 26 percent among people who took clarithromycin or erythromycin and statins compared with patients who took azithromycin with statins.

Also, hospitalizations for muscle damage (a condition called rhabdomyolysis) and deaths were slightly higher -- 0.02 percent and 0.25 percent, respectively -- in the clarithromycin or erythromycin groups compared to the azithromycin group, the study authors found.

Dr. Gregg Fonarow, a spokesman for the American Heart Association, said patients should not stop taking statins, which are known to prevent heart disease. Instead, doctors should prescribe another antibiotic, he suggested.

"It is well documented that certain medications that inhibit the liver enzyme cytochrome P450 isoenzyme 3A4 can increase the drug level of statin medications," said Fonarow, a professor of cardiology at the University of California, Los Angeles. "Nevertheless, large-scale randomized clinical trials and clinical effectiveness studies have demonstrated [that] the benefits of statin therapy in reducing fatal and nonfatal cardiovascular events outweigh the potential risks."

The study data included more than 73,000 patients prescribed clarithromycin, about 3,200 prescribed erythromycin and more than 68,000 people who took azithromycin. Almost three-quarters of the statin users were taking atorvastatin (Lipitor). The other commonly used statins were simvastatin (Zocor) and lovastatin (Altoprev, Mevacor).

Clarithromycin and erythromycin are often prescribed for respiratory illness such as pneumonia. Previously, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned that statins don't interact well with these and certain other drugs used to treat HIV and hepatitis.

The study authors noted that younger patients are less likely than older adults to experience serious side effects from drug interactions.

View the original article here

The 4-Step Healthy Detox: Oust Toxic Thoughts

When "I can't..." or "Screw this, I quit!" inner rants start to plague you, do this mind trick from Sharon Salzberg, author of Real Happiness: The Power of Meditation.

Close your eyes and tune in to your breath, thinking, Inhale-exhale. After a few minutes, imagine a knock at the door. Picture yourself opening the door to find your toxic thought in human form: Maybe it looks like your nasty boss or that credit-hogging coworker who stole your idea. Instead of slamming the door in its face, look it over and say, "You can go now." Watch as it turns around and leaves. Notice how you feel (calm, strong, vindicated?), and carry that sensation with you as you open your eyes and return to reality. Better?

--Andrea Bartz

RELATED LINKS:

Image Credit: Arthur Belebeau

View the original article here