health
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Study: Climate-related events cost the health-care system $14 billion
A new study, spearheaded by the Natural Resources Defense Council and published in the current issue of Health Affairs, puts a price tag on climate-related health effects — and it is steep. All told, the study says, climate change-related events have burdened the U.S. health-care system with $14 billion in costs, and accounted for 1,689 premature […]
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Is post-Jobs Apple going to stop poisoning China?
While Steve Jobs was head of Apple, the company was one of "America's least philanthropic companies," lacking even a basic corporate charitable arm. Apple also often seemed reluctant to green its operations. But under new CEO Tim Cook, that might be about to change. In the meantime, many of Apple's suppliers are still poisoning the […]
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Kids in polluted cities show cognitive deficits
In New York City, for all its wonders, it's not uncommon still to hear the childless pronounce that they "could never imagine raising kids in the city." Turns out they might have a good reason for that. Although kids who grow up in cities have a certain worldliness about them, raising urban kids does have […]
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Ask Umbra: Can toxic pollutants escape from my body fat?
Send your question to Umbra! Q. Dear Umbra, If I ever manage to lose these rolls and handles, will the toxic stuff I’m storing in my fat be released? Will I get sick in the process? Theodora S.Angel Fire, N.M. A. Dearest Theodora, Yours was the closest I could find to a Halloween question this […]
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Regular or unleaded? Are we willing to invest in healthier homes?
Photo: Steven DepoloHey, have you heard? It’s Lead Poisoning Awareness Week! Stop. I know what you’re thinking. “We don’t have a ribbon,” says Beth Bingham, communications director for the national Coalition to End Childhood Lead Poisoning. “We get a lot of calls from people wondering what color ribbon they should wear. Everyone else has a […]
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High BPA levels in pregnant moms may change their daughters’ behavior
It's not just hippie paranoia that should keep pregnant women from eating too much BPA-laced canned food. A new study found that 3-year-old girls were more likely to show symptoms of depression and anxiety if their mothers had tested higher for BPA levels during pregnancy. (There didn’t seem to be a correlation for boys.) The […]
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An indigenous take on family planning and population
A Mayan leader in Guatemala finds hope for the survival of his people in a combination of traditional and modern solutions -- including family planning.
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7 billion? It’s time to talk
People go out of their way to avoid talking about population, just as they do with sex, politics, and religion. But it’s time to get over the squeamishness.
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Could you go without processed foods for a month?
For even the most health conscious among us, a diet free of processed foods presents a challenge. Give it a try this month.