Health Highlights: June 15, 2008

Currently, women account for about five percent of the VA's population. But that percentage is expected to nearly double in the next two years as more female veterans return home from Iraq and Afghanistan, the wire service said.

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Psoriasis Drug Could Raise Risk of Cancer: FDA

While the Johnson & Johnson drug ustekinumab may be effective in treating moderate-to-severe psoriasis, it also may raise users' risk of cancer, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned Friday.

On its Web site, the agency said it probably needed to evaluate additional safety data before deciding whether the skin-disease drug increased the likelihood of cancer, the Wall Street Journal reported.

"The is a question whether a larger number of subjects, followed for longer periods might better inform the long-term safety of use of ustekinumab," the agency said.

An FDA advisory committee of experts on Tuesday is scheduled to decide whether to recommend whether to approve the drug, the newspaper said. The full agency isn't bound to follow the recommendations of its expert panels, but generally does.

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EPA's Proposed Lead Standards May Not Be Adequate: Experts

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's proposed new standards for lead air pollution may not be adequate to protect public health, according to some experts who attended a public meeting in Baltimore.

The meeting is one of a series being held by the EPA to gather input on its proposal to reduce the current standard of 1.5 micrograms of lead per cubic meter of air to between 0.10 micrograms and 0.30 micrograms per cubic meter of air.

The standard should be set below 0.10 micrograms, Frank O'Donnell, president of the nonprofit group Clean Air Watch, told the EPA panel on Thursday, The Baltimore Sun reported.

"Lead is a very toxic pollutant that steals IQ points from children," O'Donnell said.

"We're pleased the EPA is tightening the standards, but they should be set at the higher level," said Gary Ewart, director of government relations for the American Thoracic Society, the Sun reported.

The EPA will accept written comments on the proposed standards until July 21 and is expected to adopt the new standards on Sept. 15, the newspaper said.