Health Buzz: BPA Comes From Drinking Bottles and Other Health News

Harvard Finds BPA Comes From Drinking Bottles

Bottles with bisphenol A, a chemical that's linked to health problems including diabetes and heart disease, are leaching it into our bodies. Harvard University researchers reported the first-ever finding yesterday, which showed that when people drank from BPA bottles, the chemical ended up in their urine at a concentration more than two thirds higher than before, according to the Boston Globe. Students participating in the study first drank exclusively from stainless steel bottles for a week in order to flush existing BPA from their bodies. Then they drank from bottles made from BPA for a week. The study's leader, Jenny Carwile, a Harvard doctoral student, told the Globe that while prior research had "demonstrated that BPA is linked to adverse health effects, this study fills in a missing piece of the puzzle—whether or not polycarbonate plastic bottles are an important contributor to the amount of BPA in the body."

Here are 5 ways to keep BPA out of your food. Consider this list of resources for help finding BPA-free products. And learn how to avoid contact with BPA.

3 Fixes for Sunscreen Hassles

About one third of Americans never, ever wear sunscreen, a recent Consumer Reports survey revealed. Ignoring sunscreen's promise of sunburn protection, many survey respondents skip sunscreen—blaming it for burning their eyes. They named "getting it in your eyes" as their No. 1 sunscreen concern. Cost, skin irritations, and difficulty of applying it evenly were other factors. And 41 percent of occasional users said they hated having sand stick to their skin. To remedy these glitches in safe-sun practice, U.S. News's Deborah Kotz wrote up 3 fixes for sunscreen hassles. They include buying cheap sunscreen, which, if selected carefully, does the same job as higher-end brands. What's more important than its price is that it offers both UVB and UVA protection. And to avoid stinging eyes, go for products made for sensitive skin or those that rub in easily without dripping.

Here are 8 ways to spot skin cancer before it kills and tips on how to safeguard against malignant melanoma. 

Food Safety's Dirty Little Secret

An Illinois meat company recalled almost 96,000 pounds of ground beef; the recall announced Thursday came after E. coli infections were reported in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. The Ohio Department of Health reported the cases to the U.S. Department of Agriculture on May 13.

After a slew of salmonella cases last spring, U.S. News's Kent Garber wrote about how food safety issues have become more private—in the sense that private, uncertified companies have in recent years assumed a role in monitoring food production. Manufacturers, for their part, have gotten creative by using food additives designed to kill bacteria on the cheap. But in some cases, they've gotten sloppy. Slaughter facilities squeezed by rising costs have been known to cut out E. coli tests as a money-saving tactic.

Earlier this year, salmonella found in peanut butter caused mass recalls; the FDA found out later that the product's manufacturer knew of the contamination and continued shipping out its peanut butter anyway. Here are some common food poisoning symptoms and some advice on how to keep your family's food supply safe. 

—Megan Johnson

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