HEALTH AND SCIENCE HIGHLIGHTS

July 26, 2017 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Burn pits are the new Agent Orange for cancer-stricken veterans (Los Angeles Daily News)
• Rush hour drivers are breathing in twice as much pollution as previously thought (Motherboard)
• Obamacare repeal:  ‘Dire consequences, including death’ if Indian Health Service funding cut (Indian Country Today)
• Social Interaction Improves Quality of Life for People with Dementia (NPR)
• Nine lifestyle changes can reduce dementia risk, study says (BBC)

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

• Honda recalls 2.1 million Accords over battery-sensor fire risk (Los Angeles Times)
• Adobe to kill off Flash plug-in by 2020 (BBC)
• World’s first floating offshore wind farm in Scotland (BBC)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

HEALTH

Burn pits are the new Agent Orange for cancer-stricken veterans (Los Angeles Daily News)

The last casualties of war die at home, yet that is when we look away. No more; and certainly not when we’re talking about war deaths connected to the burn pits of Iraq and Afghanistan. A decade ago, Marine Sgt. Brian Alvarado patrolled and supervised burn pits in Iraq, getting rid of everything from plastics and metals to chemicals and human waste. Today, he consumes food through a stomach tube, a side-effect of the diseases that have ravaged his body.

Rush hour drivers are breathing in twice as much pollution as previously thought (Motherboard)

Crawling along in rush-hour traffic with the AC on and windows up may give the impression of being at least somewhat insulated against the clouds of air pollution outside, but new research suggests that that not only is this an illusion, it may be a dangerous one as well. A recent study published in Atmospheric Environment by researchers at Duke University found that levels of both airborne particulate matter and damaging chemicals detected inside of cars are as much as twice that of what was previously assumed.

Obamacare repeal:  ‘Dire consequences, including death’ if Indian Health Service funding cut (Indian Country Today)

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) on July 12 released a detailed analysis that shows just how bad the proposed Senate bill to repeal and replace the 2010 Affordable Care Act (ACA, also called Obamacare) would be for American Indian and Alaska Native people. Coverage for American Indians and Alaska Natives at Risk Under Senate GOP Health Bill states that the Republican health care initiative would effectively end Medicaid expansion and that in turn would directly affect the ability of the Indian Health Service to care for patients.

Social Interaction Improves Quality of Life for People with Dementia (NPR)

Patients with memory loss and other cognitive problems responded well to one-on-one conversations aimed at increasing their sense of control and independence.

Nine lifestyle changes can reduce dementia risk, study says (BBC)

One in three cases of dementia could be prevented if more people looked after their brain health throughout life, according to an international study in the Lancet. It lists nine key risk factors including lack of education, hearing loss, smoking and physical inactivity.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

Honda recalls 2.1 million Accords over battery-sensor fire risk (Los Angeles Times)

Honda is recalling about 2.1 million Accord cars worldwide, including 1.15 million in the United States, because the battery sensors can potentially short out and cause a fire. The recall covers vehicles from the 2013-16 model years with 12-volt battery sensors.

Adobe to kill off Flash plug-in by 2020 (BBC)

Adobe Systems has said that it plans to phase out its Flash Player plug-in by the end of 2020.The technology was once one of the most widely used ways for people to watch video clips and play games online. But it also attracted much criticism, particularly as flaws in its code meant it became a popular way for hackers to infect computers.

World’s first floating offshore wind farm in Scotland (BBC)

Each wind turbine is taller than Big Ben and the farm can power 20,000 homes.