Cancer Probe at KC-Area Elementary School Expands to Former Students, Staff
The Kansas City Star reported:
After six teachers at one Liberty elementary school were diagnosed with breast cancer in the past five years, advocates desperate for answers are making a plea for more information.
They want to know if former students or past teachers at Warren Hills Elementary have been diagnosed with cancer or other illnesses since leaving the school, which has a 120 foot cell phone tower located 130 feet from the building. The goal, advocates say, is to understand the scope of what they may be dealing with and ultimately see what, if anything, is making people sick.
“It’s important to know if former students, staff or teachers at Warren Hill Elementary have cancer or other illnesses related to the wireless radiation because often there is a long latency in cancer awareness or cancer diagnosis,” said Ellie Marks, founder of the California Brain Tumor Association, who has been working alongside Liberty parents and has spoken to the school board and superintendent about the dangers of cell towers.
Investigation: Big Drop in MMR Vaccinations at Area Schools
Recent measles outbreaks and deaths across the country led the Investigative Team to revisit vaccination rates at area schools. Our analysis of data submitted by schools to the Pennsylvania Department of Health found a major drop in measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination since we first looked at these rates in 2019.
Public health experts say a vaccination rate of 95% or higher prevents the spread of measles within a community. Most schools across Pennsylvania are still above that “herd immunity” threshold, according to our analysis of kindergarten, 7th grade and 12th grade MMR vaccination status. But we found that the number of schools below this immunization level — about a quarter of schools statewide — nearly doubled over the last five years.
These low MMR rates could be alarming to some parents, especially those with children who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons and must rely on herd immunity for protection. You can find your school’s measles vaccination rate in the interactive map below. Schools above the herd immunity threshold are shown in green, while schools below it are shown in red. The size of each school’s student body is reflected in its size on the map.
Harmful Ultraprocessed Foods May Be Removed From Billions of California School Lunches
Move over, MAHA. California has just overtaken President Donald Trump’s “Make America Healthy Again” Commission in the quest to identify which ultraprocessed foods are the most harmful for human health. Numerous studies have linked an additional serving a day of ultraprocessed foods, or UPFs, to a greater risk of developing or dying from dozens of adverse health outcomes, including cancer, heart disease, obesity, type 2 diabetes and various mental health conditions.
Which of the thousands of ultraprocessed foods on grocery shelves could be most responsible for such ill health? To date, answers are elusive. Research is in its infancy. Expert advocates and food manufacturers disagree on harms and definitions, while lobbyists battle behind the scenes.
California, however, intends to offer a solution in just over a year. On Tuesday, a bipartisan coalition of the California State Assembly voted to pass AB 1264, which lays out a plan to remove “particularly harmful” ultraprocessed foods from the state’s school meals.
Children Left Seriously Unwell After Influencer Advises Bleach to Cure Autism
The social media influencer encourages parents online to give their autistic children chlorine dioxide, a chemical which is often used to bleach textiles and disinfect industrial surfaces.
Experts have called her fake cures “sickening” and warn parents of the dangerous and harmful consequences the chemical can have on anyone, let alone children. Messages, viewed by The Independent, from Ms. Rivera’s private support group reveal parents’ concerns about vomiting, rashes, seizures, and chemical-smelling urine in their children after following the influencer’s remedy.
One parent wrote: “I have noticed a high ammonia-smelling urine in my daughter’s pull-ups… I imagine these are the parasites dying and leaving behind their toxins. Is this a good sign to be smelling this?”
Arizona Teen Girl Dies After Copying Viral ‘Dusting’ Trend
A 19-year-old girl from Arizona has died after taking part in a deadly social-media trend.
Renna O’Rourke died on Sunday, June 1 after seven days in an ICU. Her death came after she participated in an act known to many on social media as “dusting.”
“She was the light in every room she walked into, and the pain that her family and friends feel is simply immeasurable,” Renna’s father, Aaron O’Rourke, said in a GoFundMe set up to cover his daughter’s medical and funeral costs. Her organs were donated following her death.
An offshoot of “huffing” and “chroming,” two other forms of inhalant abuse, “dusting” involves the inhalation of computer dusting spray in an effort to achieve a momentary sense of intoxication. But the inhalation of these toxic chemicals can seriously impact the nervous system resulting in dizziness, slurred speech and, potentially, death. Newsweek has contacted Aaron and Dana O’Rourke, Renna’s parents, for comment on email and social media.
Right Blend of Gut Microbiota Could Avert Hospitalization for Viral Respiratory Infection in Babies
An optimal mix of gut bacteria (microbiome) found in infants born vaginally could help children fight off severe viral lower respiratory-tract infections (vLRTIs) for the first two years of life, U.K. researchers wrote yesterday in The Lancet Microbe.
The University College London-led Baby Biome Study enrolled mother-baby pairs at three U.K. hospitals from January 2016 to December 2017. The researchers collected newborn stool samples for whole-genome sequencing to assess microorganism diversity (Chao1, Shannon, and Simpson indices) and the organization of microbial communities.
The team used electronic health records to determine the link between microbiota features and vLRTI hospital admission incidence in the first two years of life.
“Early-life gut microbiota affects immune system development, including the lung immune response (gut–lung axis),” the authors noted.
