US bans antibacterial soap chemicals over health risks

WASHINGTON - The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday banned several key chemicals in antibacterial hand soap, warning of health risks and saying they were not more effective than ordinary soap.

The FDA move took aim at 19 ingredients including the two most common, triclosan and triclocarban, which are widely included in liquid and bar antibacterial soaps despite fears they damage the immune system.

"Consumers may think antibacterial washes are more effective at preventing the spread of germs, but we have no scientific evidence that they are any better than plain soap and water," said Janet Woodcock, director of the FDA's drugs division.

"In fact, some data suggests that antibacterial ingredients may do more harm than good over the long-term."

The ban does not include hand disinfectant products used in hospitals and other medical centers, the FDA said.

Theresa Michele, who works with the personal care side of the agency, said most non-medical products on the market contain at least one of the banned ingredients.

Manufacturers have a year to comply with the ban, and some are already working to remove the ingredients in question from their products, the FDA said.

"Washing with plain soap and running water remains one of the most important steps consumers can take to avoid getting sick and to prevent spreading germs to others," an FDA statement said.

If soap and water are not available, a hand santitzer "that contains at least 60 percent alcohol," could be used instead, it added.

Not all parties are convinced of potential harm from the personal care products, with the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) arguing that the soaps were safe.

"Antibacterial soaps are critical to public health because of the importance hand hygiene plays in the prevention of infection," an ACI statement said.

"Washing the hands with an antiseptic soap can help reduce the risk of infection beyond that provided by washing with non-antibacterial soap and water."

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Smoking worsens diabetes complications

People with type 2 diabetes who smoke have significantly higher risks of heart disease, stroke, and death than diabetic non-smokers, a new study shows.

They also had higher risks of clogged arteries, heart failure, and reduced blood flow to the limbs.

The risks were lower for diabetics who quit smoking, but still moderately higher than risks among never smokers, the researchers write in the journal Circulation.

Lead author An Pan told Reuters Health by email that smoking is still common among people with diabetes, despite efforts to discourage it.

“We wanted to know whether smoking was related to total mortality and cardiovascular events among diabetic patients, and whether smoking cessation would reduce the risks,” said Pan, who is a professor at Huazhong University of Science and Technology in China.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking can worsen the health risks that go along with diabetes, such as heart and kidney disease, nerve damage, and blindness.

Pan’s team pooled the data from 89 earlier studies of smoking among adults with type 2 diabetes and found that diabetic smokers were around 1.5 times more likely to experience clogged arteries, stroke, overall heart disease, and heart failure.

In addition, smokers were more than twice as likely to suffer from peripheral artery disease, or reduced blood flow to the limbs, than patents who did not smoke.

Former smokers had 1.2 times the risk of clogged arteries and 1.1 times the risk of overall heart disease, compared to never-smokers.

Using the risk estimates from their review and global rates of deaths from diabetes, the researchers estimated that smoking accounted for 14.6 percent of deaths in diabetic men and 3.3 percent of deaths in diabetic women worldwide.

Dr. Wael Al-Delaimy, division chief of global health at the University of California, San Diego, said part of the problem may be the care diabetes patients receive.

“The physician caring for the diabetes patient might be focusing on cardiovascular risk factors or diabetes complications and diet and weight control while neglecting smoking as another important risk factor,” Al-Delaimy told Reuters by email.

Pan said some smokers may be reluctant to quit due to concerns about gaining weight in the short term. However, he noted, “The long-term benefits clearly overweigh the short-term side effects.”

Pan advises diabetic patients who are smokers “to seek professional help to quit smoking.”

Al-Delaimy agreed, saying, “If you are a patient suffering from diabetes and smoking cigarettes, or if you know a family member, friend or anyone else who is diabetic and smoking, there is still opportunity to substantially decrease further complications and suffering or even early death by quitting smoking.”

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Could mobile devices raise skin cancer risk?

Devices like tablets, smartphones and laptops can reflect ultraviolet light from the sun and may indirectly increase users' exposure to the cancer-causing wavelengths, according to a new study.

“These devices are generally used for communication or entertainment, so it can be easy to overlook their reflective properties unless you happen to catch the glare off a screen,” said Mary E. Logue of the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, who coauthored the research with Dr. Barrett J. Zlotoff.

They wondered whether, like those old-fashioned tanning reflectors, personal electronics could also pose skin health risks, Logue told Reuters Health by email.

In a small observational study conducted on a grassy field in Albuquerque, the researchers set up a mannequin head wearing a UVA/B light meter and faced it toward a standard musician’s sheet stand. Then they placed various mobile devices on the stand.

In two trials, the researchers recorded UV readings for an hour of exposure, from 11 AM to noon, using a magazine, an iPhone5, various iPad models, two Macbook laptops and a Kindle e-reader.

In the first trial the devices were 16.5 inches from the UV sensor. For the second, they were secured 12.25 inches away. The devices and the UV sensor were angled to mimic an adult looking down at the handheld device.

The study team measured UVA/B dose exposure from light reflected by the devices in Joules per square centimeter over one hour and compared that to the UV readings with an empty sheet stand.

In the first trial, when the devices were further away from the mannequin, an open magazine increased UV dosage exposure by 46 percent compared to the sheet stand alone, an iPad2 increased exposure by about 85 percent and an 11-inch Macbook increased UV exposure by 75 percent.

Only the second trial, with devices held closer to the mannequin's “face,” included the iPhone5, which increased UV exposure by 36 percent, as the researchers reported in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology.

“The harmful effects of UVA and UVB rays have been well documented, and limiting exposure is the single most effective preventive measure an individual can take,” Logue said. “Significant levels of UV exposure, such as those found in this study, increase cumulative lifetime UV dosage.”

Given the increase in UV exposure, there needs to be further research to see if skin cancer risks are affected, she said.

“While the best course of action is to limit smart device usage to the indoors, this is obviously impractical for most people,” Logue said. “We recommend covering the shoulders, wearing sunglasses and wearing sunscreen, especially on the exposed areas of the neck and face.”

The devices themselves could be redesigned to be less reflective, or to include UV sensor technology so their users could track their exposure, she said.

Dr. Robert Dellavalle, chief of the Dermatology Service at the Denver VA Medical Center, who was not part of the new study, said that while the research did not involve real people using the devices, it still raised a practical point. In real world use, it may be hard to see phone or tablet screens in full sun, and using them may actually encourage shade-seeking behavior, he noted.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

TV remotes, bedside lamp switches among dirtiest items in hotels - study

The next time you stay in a hotel, you might want to bring some extra hand-sanitizer.

A study on contamination levels in hotel rooms led by the University of Houston, presented on Sunday at the American Society of Microbiology, reported that two of the most contaminated items were TV remote controls and bedside lamp switches.

Just as badly contaminated were surfaces more likely to be dirty, such as bathroom toilet seats and sinks, the study said.

Of greater concern, the study said, was that some of the highest levels of contamination were found on items on housekeepers' carts, such as sponges and mops. If these items are contaminated, they can lead to cross-contamination of rooms, making entire hotels dirtier.

The researchers sampled 18 surfaces in each hotel room, testing the total levels of bacteria and fecal bacteria on each one. Fecal bacteria was found on 81 percent of all surfaces.

Among the cleaner surfaces in hotel rooms were bed headboards, curtain rods and bathroom door handles.

There are no regulatory limits for contamination of items in hotel rooms, the study said, but its findings suggest possible health risks to people with compromised immune systems.

The collaborative report between the University of Houston, Purdue University, and the University of South Carolina, sampled nine hotel rooms, three each in Texas, Indiana and South Carolina.

While Katie Kirsch, a recent University of Houston graduate who presented the study, admitted it had a small sample size, she hoped it would lead to a body of research that will eventually develop "more effective and efficient housekeeping practices."

Being able to identify which items would be high-risk would let housekeeping managers devote more time to cleaning them, making cleaning efforts more valuable and hotel rooms safer, Kirsch said.

source: interaksyon.com