U.S. Preschoolers Less Pudgy In Latest Sign Of Falling Obesity

A new study says preschoolers on U.S. government food aid have grown a little less pudgy.

• Jun 18, 2019

Cosmetics-Related Injuries Send 4,300 Children To Emergency Room Every Year

Cosmetic products such as perfume, nail polish and shampoo help us feel and look good. But in the wrong hands -- especially those of the very young -- these products can be harmful, or even deadly.

• Jun 17, 2019

Changing Your Meat-Eating Habits Could Mean A Longer Life, Study Suggests

Mounting evidence continues to suggest that eating too much red meat -- such as bacon and hot dogs -- is linked with health problems.

• Jun 13, 2019

Many Breakfast Cereals Still Contaminated By Weed Killer, Environmental Group Says

(CNN) -- Several popular breakfast foods, including Cheerios and Nature Valley products, continue to test positive for trace amounts of a controversial herbicide that may increase the risk of cancer, according to a report released Wednesday by an environmental advocacy group. The Environmental Working Group, which has links to the organics industry, found that all 21 of the products it tested had levels of glyphosate that were "higher than what EWG scientists consider protective for children's health." Manufacturers maintain that their foods are safe, and the findings aren't unprecedented: The group also found in October that most of the breakfast cereals it tested contained glyphosate, the main ingredient in the weed killer Roundup. The new report follows two prominent legal verdicts that determined the herbicide caused cancer in plaintiffs. Juries say glyphosate causes cancer, award billions A federal jury unanimously determined in March that Roundup was a "substantial factor" in causing a California man's cancer. And last month, California jurors ordered the manufacturer, Monsanto, to pay over $2 billion to a couple who said long-term exposure to the product caused their cancers. The latter verdict is being appealed, but about 11,000 similar cases are pending in state and federal courts. Pharmaceutical giant Bayer AG, which now owns Monsanto, maintains that its product is safe. A spokeswoman for the company's crop science subsidiary, Charla Lord, said that an "extensive body of science" and "the conclusions of regulators around the world" show that "glyphosate-based products are safe when used as directed." General Mills, which manufactures all of the products tested in the EWG report, said in a statement that its "top priority is food safety." The company noted that "most crops grown in fields use some form of pesticides and trace amounts are found in the majority of food we all eat" but said it was working to "minimize the use of pesticides on the ingredients we use in our foods." General Mills did not directly respond when asked why it is reducing pesticide use when it already considers its products to be safe. How much glyphosate is too much? An analysis published in February found that glyphosate can increase cancer risk by up to 41%, although the researchers focused on those with the "highest exposure" to the chemical, like groundskeepers, who are exposed to more glyphosate than people may consume through snacks. The herbicide can make its way into processed foods after being used on farms that grow oats, but none of the levels found in any food products in the new report exceeded the Environmental Protection Agency's legal limits. "It is not surprising that very low levels of pesticides, including glyphosate, are found in foodstuff," said Dr. Paolo Boffetta, associate director for population sciences at Mount Sinai's Tisch Cancer Institute. "In general, these levels are unlikely to cause health effects in consumers." Still, "it is important that people know whether there is glyphosate or other chemicals in their food, even at very low levels," said Boffetta, who was not involved in the reports or the analysis. General Mills emphasized in its statement that it followed "strict rules" set by "experts at the [Food and Drug Administration] and EPA." Bayer's Lord said "the reality is that regulatory authorities have strict rules when it comes to pesticide residues, and the levels in this report are far below the established safety standards." The Environmental Working Group, however, uses a far more conservative health benchmark that includes an added buffer for children, as "exposure during early life can have more significant effects on development later in life," said Dr. Alexis Temkin, an EWG scientist who co-authored both reports and spoke to CNN last year. Manufacturers dispute that threshold. In an October statement, General Mills said that "the extremely low levels of pesticide residue cited in recent news reports is a tiny fraction of the amount the government allows." The EPA said in April that the proper use of glyphosate poses "no risks to public health" and that the chemical "is not a carcinogen," a cancer-causing chemical. But a World Health Organization agency, the International Agency for Research on Cancer, determined in 2015 that glyphosate is "probably carcinogenic to humans." A separate WHO panel assessing pesticide residues said in 2016 that "glyphosate is unlikely to pose a carcinogenic risk to humans from exposure through the diet," adding to a dizzying array of contradictory findings, but the International Agency for Research on Cancer has vigorously defended its conclusion. The agency wrote in 2018 that it "has been subject to unprecedented, coordinated efforts to undermine the evaluation, the program and the organization." Those attacks, it said, "have largely originated from the agro-chemical industry and associated media outlets." A war of words A 2017 CNN investigation of internal emails from Monsanto appeared to show company executives attempting to discredit the International Agency for Research on Cancer report before it was even released. One executive's email, titled "RE: IARC planning," suggested that the company ghostwrite parts of a 2015 study in which experts rejected the agency's finding that glyphosate could cause cancer. A Monsanto spokeswoman told CNN at the time that the study was not ghostwritten and was "the work of the glyphosate expert panel." Although the EPA has maintained that glyphosate is safe, CNN's investigation also raised questions about industry influence at the federal agency. A Monsanto executive wrote in a 2015 internal company email, for example, that an EPA official offered to help quash another agency review of glyphosate, saying, "If I can kill this I should get a medal." The company has denied any undue influence over regulators. And its parent company, Bayer Crop Science, criticized the Environmental Working Group in its recent statement to CNN. "The group behind the new report has a long history of spreading misinformation about pesticide residues," spokeswoman Lord said. EWG, a nonprofit organization based in Washington, denied those allegations. Bayer's criticism "must be taken with a grain of salt," EWG President Ken Cook said in a statement. In light of lawsuits, he said, Bayer was "desperate to continue hiding the truth." Though it maintains that it is an independent organization, EWG acknowledges support from the organics industry, stating that its "corporate partners for general support and events" include Organic Valley and Stonyfield Farms. Foods labeled organic may not be grown with most synthetic substances, including glyphosate. The group also has a "shared services agreement" with the Organic Voices Action Fund, a nonprofit organization funded by companies such as Nature's Path and Annie's -- both of which make cereal. The-CNN-Wire ™ & © 2019 Cable News Network, Inc., a Time Warner Company. All rights reserved.

• Jun 11, 2019

Kraft Introduces 'Salad Frosting' To Help Trick Kids Into Eating More Vegetables

Salad frosting. Yes, it's a thing.

• Jun 11, 2019

High Blood Pressure At Doctor's Office May Mean You're Twice As Likely To Die Of Heart Disease

When a patient's blood pressure reads normal at home and high in a doctor's office, it's called "white coat hypertension" -- and new research suggests that it is not a benign condition.

• Jun 10, 2019

Sleeping With Lights On And Weight Gain In Women Linked In New Study

Keeping a lot of light on while you snooze -- such as from a television or bright nightlight -- has been linked with an increased risk of weight gain and obesity.

• Jun 10, 2019

Whooping Cough Vaccine Becomes Less Effective Over Time, Study Says

The modern vaccine for whooping cough becomes less effective as children age, a new study shows, highlighting the need for new vaccines to protect children from the highly contagious disease.

• Jun 9, 2019

California Lawmakers Agree To Health Benefits For Immigrants

California will become the first state to pay for some adults living in the country illegally to have full health benefits as the solidly liberal bastion continues to distance itself from President Donald Trump's administration.

• Jun 9, 2019

White Meat Just As Bad As Red Meat For Your Cholesterol, Study Finds

Here's some food for thought: Despite what we've been told for decades, white meat, including chicken, may not be so healthy after all.

• Jun 5, 2019

CPR Mannequins With Breasts Could Lead To More Women Being Saved

CPR mannequins are getting breasts -- with the goal of saving women's lives.

• Jun 5, 2019

Study: Drinking Bottled Water Could Double How Many Microplastic Particles You Ingest

Every day we are ingesting tiny, often microscopic pieces of plastic -- "microplastics" -- with our food, beverages and with the very air we breathe.

• Jun 5, 2019

FDA Wins Major Victory In Campaign Against Stem Cell Clinic

The US Food and Drug Administration won a major legal victory in its ongoing effort to crack down on clinics marketing bogus and potentially hazardous stem cell products.

• Jun 3, 2019

FDA: Sampling Finds Toxic Nonstick Compounds In Some Food

The Food and Drug Administration found substantial levels of a worrisome class of nonstick, stain-resistant industrial compounds in some grocery store meats and seafood and in off-the-shelf chocolate cake, according to FDA researchers.

• Jun 3, 2019

Up To 25 Cups Of Coffee A Day Still Safe For Heart Health, Study Says

Coffee lovers might be able to breathe a sigh of relief -- a new study found that drinking even large amounts of the caffeinated beverage won't stiffen arteries and harm your heart.

• Jun 3, 2019

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