Here are some of the latest health and medical news
developments, compiled by editors of
HealthDay:
Many Uninsured Can't Meet Cost-Sharing Requirements for HSAs
Many uninsured American households don't have enough financial
assets to cover the cost-sharing in consumer-driven health plans
tied to health savings accounts (HSAs), says a Kaiser Family
Foundation study that looked at 2004 data.
Researchers looked at the asset levels of households with two or
more uninsured members and compared that to the range of
cost-sharing features in HSA-qualified health plans. Among their
findings: 33 percent of households with at least two uninsured
members had gross financial assets of at least $2,000, the minimum
deductible for an HSA-qualified family plan in 2004, and only 9
percent of those households had enough assets to cover the
out-of-pocket maximum of $10,000.
Overall, the study showed a large gap in terms of financial
assets between uninsured and insured households.
"Although lower premiums may increase the ability of the
uninsured to buy some coverage, high out-of-pocket liability may
leave families exposed to costs that they cannot meet," the study
authors wrote in an abstract.
The study was published online by the journal
Health Affairs.
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Bisphenol A May Be Listed as Dangerous Substance in Canada
Health Canada is expected to declare bisphenol A a dangerous
substance, the
Globe and Mail reported Tuesday. It would be the first
regulatory body in the world to make that determination and to take
steps to control human exposure to the chemical.
Bisphenol A is one of the most widely used synthetic chemicals
in the world and is found in a wide range of products. Experts are
concerned about the use of the hormonally active chemical in food
and beverage containers.
"Bishphenol A is in every Canadian home. It threatens the health
of every Canadian. Moving against it would be a hugely significant
victory for public health and the environment," Rick Smith,
executive director of the group Environmental Defence, told the
Globe and Mail.
A declaration by Health Canada that bisphenol A is a possible
threat will put pressure on American and European regulators to
re-consider the status of the chemical.
"If this chemical is listed as toxic (by Health Canada), it will
be an internationally significant decision," Smith said.
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Model Helicopter Chargers, Batteries Pose Burn Hazard
About 3,200 lithium-polymer battery chargers and lithium-polymer
batteries used with model helicopters sold by Hobby-Lobby
International Inc. of Brentwood, Tenn., are being recalled, because
they can ignite while charging and pose a fire hazard.
To date, the company has received three reports of incidents,
including one consumer who suffered serious burns to his hand when
a battery ignited, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
said.
The recall involves the charger and batteries sold with the
AT600 Falcon Helicopter kit and any spare charger (Model ATS6046)
or spare battery (Model AT600B) purchased for this kit.
The helicopter kit was sold from April 2006 through July 2007
for about $300 per kit, while the spare chargers sold for about
$15, and the spare batteries sold for about $45. Consumers should
stop using these products and go to the Hobby-Lobby Web site
(www.hobby-lobby.com) for further instructions. Consumers can also
phone the company at 866-933-5972.
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Scientists Create 1st Libraries of Avian Flu Antibodies
The first libraries of avian influenza antibodies have been
created by American and Turkish researchers, who say the
achievement could lead to the development of treatments for people
infected with the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus.
The libraries include more than 300 antibodies that work against
H5N1. The samples were collected from survivors of bird flu
outbreaks that occurred in Turkey in 2005 and 2006,
CTV News reported.
To date, the scientists have found that three of the antibodies
are effective against both the H1 (common flu) and H5 (avian)
subtypes.
"Three global influenza pandemics have occurred within the past
100 years, each with devastating consequences," said Richard A.
Lerner, president of the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla,
Calif. "Our study holds out the hope that a new outbreak could
potentially be stopped at an early stage, and that effective
treatment could be available to those infected."
The research appears in this week's issue of the journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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Possible Link Between Air Pollution and Pneumonia: Study
The pneumonia deaths of thousands of people in England in recent
years may be linked to high levels of air pollution, according to
University of Birmingham researchers who looked at pneumonia deaths
in 352 areas between 1996 and 2004.
They compared those deaths with air pollution levels and found a
"strong correlation,"
BBC News reported. The 35 areas with the highest pneumonia
death rates also tended to have higher rates of rheumatic heart
disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and some
cancers.
"High mortality rates were observed in areas with elevated
ambient pollution levels. The strongest single effect was an
increase in pneumonia deaths," said study author Prof. George
Knox.
He noted that vehicles were "the chief source of emissions
responsible, although it was not possible to discriminate between
the different chemical components,"
BBC News reported.
The study appears in the
Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health.
More detailed research is needed in order to establish a
conclusive link between air pollution and pneumonia, lung experts
told
BBC News.
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French Bill Would Make it Illegal to Promote Extreme
Thinness
French lawmakers on Tuesday approved an anti-anorexia bill that
would make it illegal for advertisers, fashion magazines, Web sites
or anyone else to publicly incite extreme thinness, the
Associated Press reported.
The bill was approved by the National Assembly and will go to
the Senate in the coming weeks. Valery Boyer, the author of the
bill, said encouraging anorexia or severe weight loss should be
punishable in court.
The move is opposed by the fashion industry but welcomed by
doctors and psychologists who treat patients with anorexia nervosa,
the
AP reported.
However, it's nearly impossible to prove a link between media
images of thin women and eating disorders, said Marleen S.
Williams, a psychology professor at Brigham Young University in
Utah who researches the media's effect on anorexic women.
She told the
AP that with the new French bill, "you're putting your finger
in one hole in the dike, but there are other holes, and it's much
more complex than that."
