Health Highlights: April 20, 2009

April 21 -- Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

Stephen Hawking in Hospital

Internationally-renowned mathematician Stephen Hawking, 67, was rushed to hospital Monday, said Cambridge University's head of communications Gregory Hayman.

Hawking had been suffering from a chest infection for several weeks. He was taken to Addenbrooke Hospital in Cambridge and was initially said to be seriously ill, the Associated Press reported.

Later on Monday afternoon, Hayman said Hawking was "now comfortable but will be kept in hospital overnight."

Hawking, who gained renown for his work on black holes, was 21 when he was diagnosed with the incurable degenerative disorder amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as Lou Gehrig's disease.

Only 5 percent of people diagnosed with ALS survive for 10 years or longer, said Brian Dickie, director of research at the Motor Neurone Disease Association, the AP reported.

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U.S. Waters Hold Millions of Pounds of Drug Ingredients: Analysis

At least 271 million pounds of pharmaceutical ingredients have been legally released into U.S. lakes, rivers and streams, many of which are sources of drinking water, says the Associated Press.

These ingredients are used to make drugs and various other products. For example, nitroglycerin is used in explosives and in a heart drug, while lithium is used to treat bipolar disorder and to make ceramics.

The federal government and industry officials say the amount of such compounds released into waterways isn't known because they're not tracked, at least not as drug ingredients. But the AP analysis of 20 years of federal records identified 22 compounds that show up on two lists.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration monitors these ingredients as active pharmaceutical agents, while the Environmental Protection Agency classifies them as industrial chemicals.

The AP analysis didn't determine how much drug makers and other manufacturers each contribute to the 271 million pounds. The news agency also said limited federal monitoring means that figure is well below what's actually released into U.S. waterways.