The natural gas being piped into your home contains a wide array of toxic chemicals, including nearly two dozen so harmful they’re classified as hazardous air pollutants, a new study says. Natural gas samples taken from 69 Boston-area cooking stoves were found to contain at least 21 different hazardous air pollutants, including benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene,… read on > read on >
New York City’s Mayor Eric Adams announced Thursday that the city has launched the first-of-their-kind mobile COVID-19 testing units that will also dispense the antiviral drug Paxlovid to those who test positive for the virus. The “Test-to-Treat” program is part of federal and city efforts to catch and treat infections early and be ready for… read on > read on >
Who you voted for at the ballot box may have the most influence over whether you’ve gotten a COVID-19 booster shot. Researchers studying vaccine hesitancy two years into the pandemic found that political party affiliation was a key determinant of where study participants got their information about the pandemic and vaccines. “Survey respondents who described… read on > read on >
(HealthDay News) – In a ruling that will curb efforts to fight climate change, the U.S. Supreme Court on Thursday limited the Environmental Protection Agency’s ability to regulate carbon emissions from power plants. The 6-3 decision comes as scientists are warning about the growing threat posed by global warming. It could potentially extend to other… read on > read on >
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration announced Thursday that it has asked vaccine makers to update their COVID-19 booster shots to target the Omicron subvariants known as BA.4 and BA.5. The two highly contagious subvariants now account for more than half of all new COVID cases in the United States. “As we move into the… read on > read on >
After being infected with COVID-19 earlier this month, Dr. Anthony Fauci experienced a rebound after taking the antiviral pill Paxlovid, but he maintained on Wednesday that the drug kept him out of the hospital. “Paxlovid did what it was supposed to do,” Fauci, 81, told the New York Times. He added that he thought the… read on > read on >
Anticipating a surge in booster shots this fall, the U.S. government said Wednesday that it is buying an added 105 million more doses of Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine. The $3.2 billion deal comes at a time when the government is trying to figure out the best way to update COVID vaccines to deal with the ever-changing… read on > read on >
Many U.S. parents don’t take proper precautions to protect their children from fireworks-related burns and injuries, claims a new survey released just ahead of the Fourth of July. The poll of more than 2,000 parents of children ages 3-18 was conducted this spring and found that more than half said someone in their family or… read on > read on >
Getting a COVID-19 vaccine during pregnancy can help protect both mother and baby. But does it matter which vaccine or at what stage of pregnancy a woman receives her shots? New research suggests it does, and that getting immunized earlier in pregnancy may be better. In their study, investigators focused on maternal immune responses to… read on > read on >
While kids in a classroom are likely to be familiar with all their classmates after a short time, the children they are assigned to sit near are likely to become their closer friends, a new study suggests. Researchers from Florida Atlantic University found that after seat assignments changed, students were more likely to become friends… read on > read on >
