Domestic coal use may up lung cancer risk
The use of “smoky coal”
for household cooking and heating was found to be associated with a substantial
increase in the lifetime risk of developing lung cancer, according to a study
from China. This represents one of the strongest effects of environmental
pollution reported for cancer risk in any population, the researchers said. It
also underlines the importance of taking action to minimise exposure to the
most hazardous types of fuel.
About half the world’s
population uses coal and other solid fuels for cooking and heating, often in
simple stoves that are unvented.
Exposure to certain
types of solid fuel smoke is associated with several diseases, including
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, acute respiratory infections, and lung
cancer. However, the relationship between smoky coal use and lung cancer is not
fully understood.
So an international
team of researchers compared deaths from lung cancer between lifelong users of
“smoky coal” and “smokeless coal” for household cooking and heating in Xuanwei
County, Yunnan Provine, China, where lung cancer rates are particularly
elevated.
In total, over 37,000
individuals were followed over a 20-year period (1976-96) during which time
more than 2,000 deaths from lung cancer were recorded.
After taking account of
other possible risk factors including tobacco use, lung cancer cases and deaths
were substantially higher among users of smoky (i.e. bituminous) coal for home
cooking and heating than users of smokeless (i.e. anthracitic) coal.
In absolute terms, the
risk of lung cancer death before 70 years of age for men and women using smoky
coal was 18% and 20% respectively, compared with less than 0.5% among smokeless
coal users of both sexes. These risks are almost as high as those reported for
heavy smokers in Western countries, ranging between 20% and 26%.
Lung cancer deaths were
also associated with the average number of hours that a smoky coal user spent
at home and the age at which participants started cooking.
The researchers say
that their findings have important implications for public health in this
region of China and suggest that the use of less carcinogenic types of coal or
other fuels can translate into a substantial reduction of lung cancer risk.
As this chemical and
physical composition of coal differs widely in different geographical
locations, additional research is needed on the carcinogenicity of various
types of coal, they added.
Source: www.dnaindia.com
06.09.2012
Just one abortion could raise risk of premature births later in
life
Women who terminate
their first pregnancy could be risking not only their own health but also that
of their next baby, researchers have warned.
These women are at
greater risk of a range of problems, from their next child being born
prematurely to pre-eclampsia, a complication of pregnancy that can be fatal to
mother and baby, they said.
Crucially, just one
abortion appeared to be enough to do the damage, with subsequent terminations
not being any more dangerous, the Daily Mail reported.
This differs from
previous studies that found the risks rise with each abortion.
Most of the risks were
linked to surgical abortions and not those that use pills, which are becoming
increasingly common.
Researchers at Aberdeen
University analysed the medical records of more than 600,000 Scottish women,
including many who had aborted their first baby.
The data, spanning
three decades, showed a woman who had an abortion the first time she conceived
was 37% more likely to give birth prematurely the next time she became
pregnant, compared with one who was having her first child.
She was also 67% more
likely to give birth early than a woman who had already started her family. However,
the risks were still lower than those faced by a woman who had suffered a
miscarriage, the researchers said at the British Science Festival in Aberdeen.
A woman who aborted her
first pregnancy was also at higher risk of having a baby of low weight and of
developing pre-eclampsia than one who was pregnant for the first time or
already had a child.
Pre-eclampsia causes
high blood pressure, blood clots and kidney damage, and leads to the deaths of
up to 1,000 babies and at least six mothers a year.
Researcher Professor
Siladitya Bhattacharya said surgical abortions may be more likely to damage the
womb, leading to later problems.
He added women seeking
abortions should be made aware of the potential risks and medical terminations
should be available to all who would benefit from them.
Source: www.dnaindia.com
06.09.2012
Women in Asia largely ignorant, fatalistic, about fertility
Women in Asia are
largely ignorant about fertility problems and tend to blame their failure to
conceive on "God's will" and bad luck, a survey has found.
The survey, which
covered 1,000 women in 10 countries who had been trying to conceive for at
least six months, found that 62% of them did not suspect they may have a
fertility problem. They were even less likely to point the finger at their
husbands, with 80% of them not suspecting that their partners may have a
problem with fertility.
Infertility is defined
by the World Health Organisation as the inability to conceive after a year of
regular, unprotected sex. But only 43% of the women surveyed knew that. Only
30% of the women, all aged 25-40, recognised that obesity could reduce
fertility and only 36% knew that chances of getting pregnant declined with age.
Forty-three per cent
did not know a man may be infertile even if he could achieve an erection and
73% were unaware that men who had mumps after puberty could be infertile later
on. Instead of getting treatment, 46% of respondents blamed their inability to
conceive on "God's will" and 45% put it down to bad luck.
Lead researcher PC Wong
at the National University Hospital Women's Centre in Singapore said such a
lack of understanding could result in couples waiting too long — only to
realise when they finally decided to seek help that it may be too late.
"That's a lost
opportunity because even if they come for treatment, our success of treatment
is higher with younger women," said Wong, who heads the reproductive
endocrinology and infertility division at the hospital.
Chances of success with
in-vitro fertilisation — the best known fertility treatment — is 40-50% when a
woman is under 30 years old but that drops to 10% once the woman is over 40. By
44-45, the chance of success is one%.
"The reason is
because eggs in the ovaries decline in quality and quantity ... as we go along
and age, the chances of conceiving is much lower," Wong said by telephone.
The survey,
commissioned by Merck KGaA unit Merck Serono, covered China, India, Japan,
South Korea, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia. Wong
said his team hoped to work on a similar survey targeting men in Asia
Source: www.dnaindia.com
06.09.2012
Make the decision,
make it with confidence, and the world will be yours
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