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Know What ‘Chroming’ Is? TikTok Fad Could Harm Your Kids
Chroming, where toxic fumes from common household items are inhaled for a quick high, is on the rise among youth and TikTok may be to blame, new research suggests.
In findings that are to be presented Saturday at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting in Orlando, Fla., experts took a closer look at over 100 chroming videos that had garnered 25 million views on the social media app.
“What is particularly concerning about chroming is that it uses everyday household items that are easily accessible to teens,” said study first author Keerthi Krishna, a research assistant at Cohen’s Children’s Medical Center in New York.
“The covert nature of these items means that parents and teachers are less likely to detect the behavior, significantly increasing the risk of repeated usage and addiction among adolescents.”
A Threat to Human Health: Lawmakers’ Verdict on Fluoride in the Water as Government Plans to Put Chemical in UK Taps
The U.K. Government’s plan to add a chemical to tap water poses a “an unreasonable risk to human health,” according to a U.S. court ruling.
Earlier this year ministers announced the upcoming launch of a scheme to add fluoride into the drinking water supplies of another 1.6 million Brits in a bid to improve the nation’s oral health.
But concluding a seven-year legal battle between environmental health chiefs and water safety campaigners, a Californian judge stated that higher levels of the chemical are “hazardous,” particularly to children.
Could Fertility Treatments Raise Heart Defect Risks in Babies?
Babies conceived through assisted reproductive technology are more likely to be born with a major heart defect, new research shows.
That risk was 36% higher in babies conceived through techniques such as in vitro fertilization, or IVF. Some congenital heart defects are life-threatening.
The increased risk is especially pronounced with multiple births, which are more common in assisted reproduction.
“Previous research shows that there are increased risks for babies conceived with the help of assisted reproductive technology,” said study author Ulla-Britt Wennerholm, an adjunct professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Gothenburg in Sweden.
“These include preterm birth and low birth weight. We wanted to investigate whether the risk of heart defects was higher for babies born following assisted reproduction.”
Her team looked at data on more than 7.7 million births in Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden, some stretching back to the late 1980s.
Vape Residue May Harm Unborn Babies, Mouse Study Suggests
Exposure to vape and e-cigarette residue on surfaces while pregnant could put unborn babies at risk of immune system damage, new research suggests.
Vape liquid contains propylene glycol, glycerol, and often nicotine, flavors and other additives. When heated it can produce toxic chemicals like formaldehyde, acetaldehyde and acrolein, a hazardous air pollutant.
“When vapes are used indoors, or in a vehicle, the vapor condenses on surfaces forming a thick, oily layer, and this residue can be absorbed through the skin,” said study co-author Distinguished Professor Brian Oliver, from the University of Technology Sydney and the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research.
“Previous research has shown that vaping during pregnancy can cause serious harm to the baby, including increased risk of stillbirth, low birth weight and developmental problems,” he said.
Children Need Vitamin D to Heal Broken Bones, Study Says
Low levels of vitamin D have been linked to a slower healing process in children with broken bones, according to research to be presented at a conference this weekend.
“Children need to be given well-balanced diets that include Vitamin D for overall health and to make sure when accidents do happen, they can heal appropriately,” said the study’s senior author, Dr. Jessica McQuerry of the University of Florida, in a statement.
McQuerry and her colleagues examined data about 166 patients, from babies to 17-year-olds, who had broken a bone between 2015 and 2022. They found that in 61.4% of cases, the children had low levels of vitamin D — and these children were likely to take significantly longer to heal.
For example, children with leg fractures that did not require surgery and who had low vitamin D levels took an average 20 extra days to heal clinically, and two months longer to show signs the fracture was disappearing in X-rays, compared with children with sufficient vitamin D.
Babies Who Got Only Breast Milk in Hospital Have Lower Asthma Rates
If you think it isn’t important to start breastfeeding your newborn while still in the hospital, think again.
New research shows that infants who were exclusively fed breast milk during their hospitalization right after birth were 22% less likely to develop asthma in early childhood.
The findings, to be presented Sunday at the American Academy of Pediatrics annual meeting in Orlando, Fla., held even after adjusting for maternal race, insurance, infant sex and length of hospital stay.
“Although the birth hospitalization lasts only a few days, it sets a critical foundation for establishing breastfeeding, which can influence health outcomes like childhood asthma,” said study author Dr. Laura Placke Ward, co-director for the Center for Breastfeeding Medicine at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.
“Our study underscores the importance of hospital practices in supporting exclusive breastfeeding, as these early experiences may impact long-term health,” she added in a meeting news release.
1 in 3 Teens Can’t Get Tampons or Pads During Their Periods, Study Finds
The lack of access can increase the risk of infections, depression and missing school and social activities.
A third of teens and young adults in the U.S. can’t afford or otherwise access menstrual products, according to new research from Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C.
The study found that “period poverty” — that is, insufficient access to menstrual hygiene products and related education — appears to affect young people equally, despite differences in race, ethnicity, neighborhood or whether they have health insurance.
“We were really surprised by how widespread of an issue this is,” said Dr. Monika Goyal, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist and co-director of the Center for Translational Research at Children’s National.
Goyal and her colleagues are scheduled to present their findings, which have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics in Orlando, Florida, on Saturday.
