
Major study exposes the ‘most underrated threat facing humanity'
The investigation found over 3,600 synthetic chemicals, including dangerous PFAS, present in human bodies globally, with PFAS detected in almost everyone tested.
The report establishes strong links between chemical exposure and severe health issues, such as escalating cancer rates, declining fertility, obesity, and ADHD, noting that pesticide use may rival smoking in its impact on cancer.
Researchers highlight that the production of persistent chemicals has breached a 'safe planetary boundary', leading to widespread contamination, and deem current international chemical management inadequate.
The report urges urgent, coordinated global action and improved standardisation to protect human health and the environment from pervasive chemical contamination.
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Daily Mail
2 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Doctor reveals eight household staples should ditch now over health hazards
A Harvard-trained gut health expert warned that some everyday items in kitchens, bathrooms and even laundry rooms could be quietly wreaking havoc on your health. From scratched frying pans to plastic water bottles, Dr Saurabh Sethi says most people are 'unknowingly exposed' to harmful chemicals. These chemicals can damage the gut, disrupt hormones and even affect brain health, and the worst part is, they're hiding in plain sight. Here are the eight common items you should watch out for. 1. Scratched or chipped non-stick pans At the top of Dr Sethi's list are damaged non-stick pans. 'If it's scratched or chipped, it's done,' he warned. Some cookware can release toxic fumes and microplastics, especially when heated to high temperatures. Instead, he recommends switching to ceramic, cast iron, or stainless steel cookware for safety. 2. Artificial sweeteners Popular sugar substitutes like aspartame and sucralose can disrupt gut bacteria, interfere with appetite signals and are linked to glucose intolerance. Pure monk fruit, stevia, or whole fruit are healthier alternatives that won't compromise gut health. 3. Plastic water bottles Particularly in the heat, plastic bottles can leach hormone-disrupting chemicals such as BPA – even those labelled BPA-free. Dr Sethi advises making the switch to stainless steel or glass bottles to avoid these exposures altogether. 4. Ultra-processed packaged foods Dr Sethi has claimed many packaged snacks and ready meals are packed with seed oils, emulsifiers, gums, and preservatives, all of which can damage the gut lining and affect metabolism. 'If you can't recognise the ingredients, leave it on the shelf,' he said, recommending whole, minimally processed foods instead. 5. Scented candles and air fresheners Your home's fragrance could be doing more harm than good. Dr Sethi warns that many candles and sprays contain phthalates and volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are linked to hormone disruption and inflammation. Beeswax candles, essential oil diffusers, or just good ventilation are safer options. 6. Deli meats with preservatives Cold cuts and processed meats often contain sodium nitrite and nitrate, preservatives linked to inflammation, changes in the gut microbiome, and even increased cancer risk. Dr Sethi says opting for freshly cooked meats is a better choice for long-term health. 7. Antibacterial soaps with triclosan Triclosan doesn't just kill harmful bacteria – it wipes out good bacteria too, potentially harming the skin barrier and, indirectly, gut health. Dr Sethi recommends sticking to plain soap and water for everyday use. 8. Fragrance-heavy laundry detergents and dryer sheets Many laundry products are loaded with synthetic fragrances and phthalates that cling to clothing and can irritate the skin and disrupt hormones over time. Dr Sethi suggests switching to fragrance-free detergents or using wool dryer balls with a few drops of essential oil. He said: 'You don't need to fear everything. But reducing your toxin load is one of the easiest ways to support your gut, brain, and hormones.'


Telegraph
2 hours ago
- Telegraph
Labour's decision to close the Fleming Fund is a false economy that puts our national security at risk
Health emergencies rarely respect borders or budgets. As I write, the world is facing an antibiotic emergency, with bacteria rapidly evolving resistance to the treatments we depend on to counter infectious diseases. Without effective antibiotic treatments, global health and the global economy are defenceless against the likes of pneumonia and sepsis. Antibiotics are the infrastructure of modern medicine, making chemotherapy, caesarean sections and hip replacements possible. More than 1.1million people die across the world every year because of antibiotic resistance, including 35,000 in the UK alone. These trends are increasing and inter-generational, with deaths in children tripling in the last three years. For the last decade, the UK has been at the forefront of global efforts to tackle the wider threat posed by antimicrobial resistance (AMR). While antibiotic resistance poses the single biggest threat to modern medicine, AMR points to a serious problem for all types of antimicrobial agents – antifungals, antivirals, and antiparasitics – threatening to reverse all the significant gains we've made against HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis. The UK's Fleming Fund has been a bulwark against such threats: building laboratory capacity in 25 low- and-middle-countries to detect emerging AMR outbreaks, allowing for proactive, data-driven responses before they escalate into global crises. Among many other things, the Fleming Fund has tripled the genomic sequencing capacity across the entire African continent – which even pivoted to detect Covid-19 variants. The UK government's decision to shut down the Fleming Fund is a false economy and directly puts our national security at risk. It will cost lives, as well as precious GDP that could be spent on frontline NHS services. If we are to learn any lessons at all from Covid-19, it should be that we cannot afford to cut corners when it comes to preventing and preparing for inevitable pathogenic threats. Bold investment to protect against AMR Decisions made today will directly impact our ability to counter and contain AMR pandemics in the very near future. When I was Chancellor in 2023, the Treasury recognised the economic health ramifications of AMR, and the UK government commissioned economic studies to better understand the risks and opportunities. The Institute of Health Metrics and Evaluation found that if AMR resistance accelerates in line with poorer-performing countries, the world faces an additional seven million deaths globally by 2050. The Center for Global Development then estimated that economically, this would wipe $1.7 trillion annually off global GDP by 2050 and it will cost $175 billion extra a year for health systems to treat people. Country-level estimates released recently estimate that the British economy would be $59 billion smaller in this scenario and the UK would spend an additional $2.8 billion a year treating superbugs. $296 billion and $188 billion would be wiped off the US and EU economies respectively. In contrast, this research shows that there would be large economic benefits to the UK and elsewhere if we invest in improving the treatment of infections. With the UK economy facing significant challenges and the NHS workforce facing rising pressures, now is the time to act boldly and invest proactively to protect against AMR. Whilst the UK alone cannot solve AMR, the UK can and should leverage its world-leading technical expertise and diplomatic leadership through the Fleming Fund, its Special Envoy on AMR, Dame Sally Davies, and other global investments in AMR. Even in a world where only 0.3 per cent of gross national income (GNI) is earmarked for international aid funding, there must be a budget line for AMR. If we are to drive economic growth and build resilience against health threats at home and abroad, we need decisive action with investments that put health security first. With an evolved Fleming Fund, we can mitigate against the worst effects of AMR by supporting research and development of new antibiotics, increasing access to treatments in countries where lack of access accelerates resistance, embedding large-scale education and training programmes to ensure the sustainable and responsible use of existing antibiotics, and harnessing AI for diagnostic tests and surveillance for the UK and the countries most severely impacted by AMR. A world without the Fleming Fund puts even greater pressure on UK government and the life sciences sector to find new ways to prepare for the pandemics we already detect and those we are yet to detect, to safeguard UK health and economic security. Now is the time for the government to step up.


The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Researchers expose organised scientific fraud network
A new study has found an organised underground network enabling fraudulent research and increasingly undermining the integrity of science. Researchers from Northwestern University found that the publication of fraudulent scientific work is now outpacing the growth of legitimate research. This network involves 'paper mills', brokers, and compromised journals that sell authorship slots and publish low-quality manuscripts with fabricated data, manipulated or stolen images, and plagiarised content. The study found academics use various strategies, including colluding to publish papers, paying for authorship, and utilising 'sham peer-review' processes to get fraudulent work accepted. The study calls for enhanced scrutiny, improved detection methods, and a radical restructuring of scientific incentives to combat this fraud, also highlighting the potential future threat from generative AI.