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Living Near a Gas Station Raises Childhood Cancer Risk, Study Shows
Childhood cancers are devastating. Even when the disease is not fatal, its long-term effects can be severe. Not enough is known about the risk factors. “Research suggests that only 5% to 10% of childhood cancers are attributable solely to genetics, while the rest are due to other factors, particularly environmental ones,” explained Stéphane Buteau, a professor in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health in the School of Public Health at Université de Montréal.
Now Buteau is leading a multi-institutional team examining the link between air pollution and childhood cancers. In study published in Environmental Pollution, the researchers examined one specific source of air pollution — gas stations — and their connection to cancer risk in children. The research team focused on gas stations because gasoline contains benzene, a known carcinogen linked to leukemia and other serious health risks in adults.
Benzene is a natural component of crude oil that is also found in gasoline. Highly volatile, it is released into the environment during gasoline storage, vehicle refueling and the unloading of tanker trucks. The results were clear: Living near a gas station increased the risk of developing childhood leukemia, even after adjusting for confounding factors such as socioeconomic status, living environment (urban versus rural) and maternal characteristics.
2/3 of Infants Are Being Raised by Screens, Some for 8 Hours a Day
Your toddler’s meltdown at dinner just ended with Bluey on the tablet while you finish cooking. Sound familiar? You’re not alone — and the numbers are staggering. Nearly three-quarters of nine-month-old babies use screens daily, with some logging eight hours of screen time before they can even walk. This isn’t a story about bad parenting. It’s about the canyon-sized gap between official health guidance and the reality of modern family life.
UK health authorities, the WHO, and American Academy of Pediatrics all sing the same tune: no screens under two except video calls. Zero. Meanwhile, 87% of two-year-olds exceed these guidelines daily. The 1001 Critical Days Foundation found that 23.6% of parents lack adequate childcare support. When you’re juggling work calls and a teething infant, that iPad becomes a lifeline, not a luxury.
Screen exposure starts early and climbs fast. At 12 months, babies average 41-53 minutes daily. By age three, that jumps to over 150 minutes. Some infants rack up eight hours — longer than most adults spend at the office. Nearly one-third of newborns exceed three hours daily, while 20% of babies aged 4-11 months log over an hour. These aren’t outliers; they’re becoming the norm.
Meta on Trial in New Mexico in Landmark Case Over Alleged Harm to Children
A trial is slated to begin in New Mexico on Monday that will test the state’s claims that Meta’s Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp platforms harmed young users’ mental health and its bid for a court order forcing the company to make changes.
The case, which will be tried before a judge in Santa Fe, stems from a lawsuit filed by New Mexico Attorney General Raúl Torrez, a Democrat, accusing the social media giant of designing its platforms to addict young users and failing to protect children from sexual exploitation on its platforms.
The trial marks the second phase of New Mexico’s lawsuit after a jury in March found Meta violated the state’s consumer protection law by misrepresenting the safety of Facebook and Instagram for young users and ordered the company to pay $375 million in damages.
New Technology Advances Early Autism Diagnosis in Children
New technology is helping families detect signs of autism in children early, with Primary Care Partners of South Bend’s Early Autism Evaluation making it easier for families to get help close to home. The statewide network of early autism detection is one of the largest of its kind in the country, with more than 20 locations, including St. Joseph and Elkhart counties.
The program has had a particularly strong impact on one South Bend family. Now we look back, you can see how obvious the signs were. We were in denial,” said Allie Carpenter, whose son was diagnosed with autism.
For one South Bend mom, she said he always knew her son was a little different, but was never sure why — that wasn’t until her son was diagnosed with autism at just three years old after a screening.
Some Children Are Drawing on Fake Moustaches to Bypass Online Age Checks, Report Finds
Children are drawing on moustaches and entering fake birthdays to bypass online age gates and access social media and gaming platforms, a new report has suggested. It found more than a third of children in the UK have found a way around age verification measures implemented as part of the Online Safety Act, which requires all pornographic sites, social media and online platforms likely to be accessed by children to check their age.
Social media websites usually require children to be at least 13, and users of pornographic sites must be over 18. The new research suggests one in six parents have helped their child to get past age verification checks, with children reporting “tricking” platforms into thinking they are older.
Parents also said they had caught their children drawing on facial hair in a bid to evade the technology. One mother said: “I did catch my son using an eyebrow pencil to draw a moustache on his face, and it verified him as 15 years old.”
