Health Highlights: April 19, 2008
April 20 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:
Canada Warns About Chemical Used in Baby Bottles
Canadian health officials announced plans Friday to limit the use of the controversial chemical bisphenol A, a move that could lead to a ban on baby bottles containing the chemical.
A draft report from Health Canada found the chemical to be potentially dangerous to infants and the environment, CTV reported.
The widely used chemical is also found in hard plastic water bottles, dental sealants, DVDs, CDs and hundreds of other common items. Canadian Health Minister Tony Clement said the levels of bisphenol A (BPA) that most adults are exposed to is not harmful.
Health Canada's action could be the first step toward Canada banning the chemical altogether, the Associated Press reported.
Earlier this week, the U.S. National Toxicology Program said there was "some concern" about BPA from experiments on rats that linked the chemical to changes in behavior and the brain, early puberty and possibly precancerous changes in the prostate and breast. While animal studies only provide "limited evidence" of risk, the draft report said a possible effect on humans "cannot be dismissed," the AP said.
More than 6 million pounds of BPA are produced in the United States each year, the AP said.
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World's Oldest Person Is Turning 115
Her name is Edna Parker, she lives in a nursing home in Shelbyville, Ind., and she's the world's oldest person. And on Sunday, she'll celebrate another birthday -- her 115th.
"We don't know why she's lived so long," Don Parker, her 59-year-old grandson, told the Associated Press. "But she's never been a worrier and she's always been a thin person, so maybe that has something to do with it."
Researchers from the New England Centenarian Study at Boston University took a blood sample from Parker in 2006 for the group's DNA database of so-called supercentenarians -- people who live to 110 and beyond. Her DNA is now preserved with samples of about 100 other people who made the 110-year milestone and whose genes are being analyzed, said Dr. Tom Perls, who directs the project. "They're really our best bet for finding the elusive Holy Grail of our field -- which are these longevity-enabling genes," Perls told the news service.
Perls said the key to a long life is now believed to be a mix of genetics and environmental factors such as health habits. He said his research on about 1,500 centenarians suggests another factor that may protect people from illnesses such as heart attacks and stroke -- they don't seem to dwell on stressful events.
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