A new study of more than 1.2 million people found no link between aluminum in childhood vaccines and long-term health problems, including autism, asthma or autoimmune diseases. The research, published July 14 in the Annals of Internal Medicine, looked at 50 chronic conditions.  They included 36 autoimmune diseases, nine types of allergies and asthma, and…  read on >  read on >

Even low levels of lead exposure can harm kids’ working memory, potentially affecting their education and development, according to a new study. Exposure to lead in the womb or during early childhood appears to increase kids’ risk of memory decay, accelerating the rate at which they forget information, researchers reported July 9 in the journal…  read on >  read on >

More Florida teens are roaming the streets packing heat, a new study says. Handgun carrying among Florida middle and high school students increased by 65% between 2002 and 2022, researchers reported July 7 in the journal Pediatrics. Teenage girls, middle school students and white children contributed substantially to this increase, researchers said. However, the study…  read on >  read on >

More than 14 million children and adults will die from preventable causes during the next five years as a result of U.S. foreign aid cuts, a new study projects. Programs supported by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) prevented 91 million deaths between 2001 and 2021 in low- and middle-income countries, researchers report in…  read on >  read on >

Screens are a part of daily life for many families — but too much screen time in the early years could slow a child’s language development, a new study suggests. That’s because young children learn best when they can touch, explore and play with real objects, Sarah Kucker, a psychologist at Southern Methodist University in…  read on >  read on >