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Dangerous water bead ingestions increase among young children

A new study reveals that ingestions of water beads by young children have surged in recent years. Researchers at the Center for Injury Research and Policy of the Abigail Wexner Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital and the Central Ohio Poison Center analyzed calls to U.S. poison centers and found an alarming 6,532% increase in the rate of reported water bead ingestions among children younger than 6 years from 2019 to 2023, followed by a 24% decrease from 2023 to 2024.

30 Apr 2026

TikTok chatter could help predict where the opioid crisis is heading next

A large-scale analysis of 569,581 TikTok comments found that opioid-related discussions may help track and forecast synthetic opioid overdose mortality in the US. Recovery, harm reduction, drug use, drug sourcing, and loss-related conversations provided near-real-time signals that improved 6-month forecasting accuracy.

28 Apr 2026

Scientists discover immune sentinel cells within skin hair follicles

Researchers at the School of Medicine at the University of California, Riverside have discovered previously unrecognized immune surveillance structures in the skin.

25 Apr 2026

U.S. dentists still prescribe opioids at higher rates globally

People getting their teeth pulled or drilled by dentists in the United States are still much more likely to get powerful opioid medications than dental patients in other developed countries or even the U.S. territory of Puerto Rico, a new study finds.

23 Apr 2026

UCL study urges clinician vigilance when prescribing gabapentinoids for pain

People who take gabapentinoids, a medication prescribed increasingly frequently worldwide, particularly for chronic pain, face a much greater risk of drug poisoning if they are also taking another medication, finds a new study by University College London (UCL) researchers.

17 Apr 2026

Pennsylvania town faces fallout from Trump's environmental rule rollback

North America's largest coke plant hugs the west bank of Pennsylvania's Monongahela River, belching out emissions from turning superheated coal into a carbon-rich fuel.

13 Apr 2026

Rising e-cigarette exposures threaten safety of toddlers and infants

While cigarette exposures are decreasing for young children, electronic nicotine products are putting toddlers at new risk of inhalation, according to Rutgers Health researchers.

3 Apr 2026

New study highlights rising cleaning product injuries in young children

Researchers from the Center for Injury Research and Policy at Nationwide Children's Hospital have found more than an estimated 240,800 visits to U.S. emergency departments (EDs) associated with household cleaning product-related injuries from 2007 through 2022 for children aged five years and younger.

2 Apr 2026

Federal aid for lead cleanup is receding. That’s a problem for cash-strapped cities.

Tighter regulations and an influx of federal money in recent years have helped communities across the U.S. initiate efforts to clean up lead contamination in soil, drinking water, and older homes.

3 Mar 2026

Tropical cyclones linked to rise in drug-related deaths months after landfall

Tropical cyclones, including hurricanes and tropical storms, are linked to increased rates of drug-related deaths up to three months after the storm passes-particularly in higher-income, White communities and among younger populations.

20 Feb 2026

Global report highlights inequities in pediatric palliative care

Nearly all the world's 10.6 million children experiencing serious health-related suffering (SHS) live in low- and middle-income countries with little to no access to palliative care specialized care for their illness, according to a comprehensive new report published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.

10 Feb 2026

Poison at play: Unsafe levels of lead found in half of New Orleans playgrounds

Sarah Hess started taking her toddler, Josie, to Mickey Markey Playground in 2010 because she thought it would offer a refuge from lead.

5 Feb 2026

Bradycardia emerges as key clinical sign of xylazine-opioid overdose

Researchers have identified bradycardia-an abnormally low heart rate–as a symptom of xylazine-opioid overdose.

14 Jan 2026

Parental permissiveness may influence binge drinking among college students

College students who binge drink may be acting on influences they brought from home, a new Washington State University-led study suggests.

3 Dec 2025

Arsenic reduction in drinking water associated with lower risk of death from chronic illnesses

A new 20-year study of nearly 11,000 adults in Bangladesh found that lowering arsenic levels in drinking water was associated with up to a 50 percent lower risk of death from heart disease, cancer and other chronic illnesses, compared with continued exposure.

17 Nov 2025

New research sheds light on E. coli spread in human communities

Bacteria that often cause urinary infections can spread as rapidly as swine flu. But E. coli that are resistant to several classes of antibiotics behave differently.

4 Nov 2025

At the hollow in Florida, the ‘medical freedom’ movement finds its base camp

MAGA and MAHA are happily married in Florida, and nowhere more at home than in Sarasota County, where on a humid October night a crowd of several hundred gathered to honor state Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, his wife, and an unlicensed Canadian radiologist who treats cancer with horse paste.

31 Oct 2025