SIRC Media Watch Archive
Panics and Scares – November 1999

Keeping Season Safe, Fire-Free. Every holiday season, about 2,000 people are injured because of fires. The U.S. Fire Administration has a few precautions to ensure a safe and happy holiday. L.A.Times

Fat alert in store for shoppers. The crumpled till receipt is to become a key weapon in a Government fight against flab – allowing public health messages to reach households loading their trolleys with fatty, sugar-laden foods. Observer

Ballet May Be Leap to Arthritis. Some parents encourage their children to take ballet classes, but a study on female dancers warns that becoming a ballerina may mean developing arthritis in the ankles. OnHealth

Babies face dioxins risk. Breast-feeding infants are being exposed to cancer-causing dioxins through their mother's milk at levels up to 144 times higher than recommended daily limits, according to research commissioned by the European Union. Financial Times

Mountain biking puts brakes on sex. Austrian researchers attending the Radiological Society of North America annual meeting in Chicago, reported that mountain biking can cause abnormalities in the scrotum that may affect fertility and may cause erectile dysfunction. Dr. Ferdinand Frauscher of University Hospital, in Innsbruck, says the vibration and jarring motion of mountain biking can cause several problems to the scrotum, including benign tumors, sperm with cysts, twisted scrotal veins, infection and swelling. OnHealth

Likelihood of birthday death twice as high. Australians' chances of dying on their birthday because of an accident are twice as high as on any other day. Figures compiled by the Victoria coroner over the past 10 years show the likelihood of suffering a fatal accident on a birthday was 175 to one compared with 365 to one on other days. South China Morning Post

Doctors accused of scaring heart patients. Patients with angina are living in fear of death because of unnecessary warnings from the medical profession, an expert claims. The restrictions imposed on their lifestyles, either by the patients themselves or by doctors, are potentially damaging to their health, said Professor Lewin in the medical journal Heart. BBC

The danger of the gravy boat – they cannot be serious, or can they?Prevention Magazine

CPSC Releases Toy Safety Tips for Holiday Shoppers. Another Christmas caution from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Carcinogen of the week The fierce debate over the health risks of living close to electrical power lines could be given a sensational twist this week by fresh research. BBC (Nov29), BBC (Dec02), Sun, Guardian, Mirror

"Please don’t eat the Mistletoe" . "Deck the halls with non-toxic plants . use caution with some ornaments" and other safety tips for Christmas from the California Poison Control System. OnHealth

Timely scaremongering from the Center for Science in the Public Interest. "Part of the excitement of the holidays are the traditional foods of the season. However, some of these foods can pose hazards that can ruin more than just a holiday meal - they can cause serious illness and even death. Here are some tips on how to enjoy these foods safely … Don’t forget to remove the neck and giblets from the turkey."

For chic’s sake, Japanese women parade to the Orthopedist. As the number of injuries involving high-soled shoes increases so has the government's concern. The Japan Consumer Information Center, a government-financed agency, has issued a report warning the public of the dangers the shoes pose and giving tips on ways to prevent accidents. Tokyo Journal [Subscription required]

Teenagers 'becoming fatter', with nearly a third of 15-year-olds now overweight, according to a study in The Lancet. The survey of 2600 children found all age groups were fatter than expected based on previous studies. One fifth of six-year-olds were overweight with one in ten obese.

As many as 10% of children and adolescents have some sort of mental disorder, according to the first ever government survey. Emotional disorders include a wide range of problems such as over-anxiety, phobias, social phobias, panic attacks, obsessive compulsive behaviour and depression. Behavioural disorders include awkward, troublesome, aggressive and antisocial behaviours. BBC

'Tis the season to jolly well panic… Times

Taking Pill 'increases risk of gum disease' Being on the Pill may be bad for your teeth, according to new dental research. Gingivitis, an inflammation of the gums, is 32 per cent more common in women using oral contraception. Telegraph

Caffeine can cause miscarriage. A ‘new’ study published in The New England Journal of Medicine claims that pregnant women with a high intake of Caffeine face double the risk of miscarriage. Critics have noted that the blood samples used in the study were taken between 1959 and 1966 and may have deteriorated.

Deafness threat of millennium fun. A charity says that pub and clubgoing over the extended Millennium holiday could seriously damage your hearing. BBC

'Warning: anti-perspirants cause cancer…'if you believe everything you read in your email. Oliver Burkeman reports on a rash of cyberhoaxes. The email health scare is as infectious as any virus, and it's thriving. Believe everything currently in circulation on email or the web, and you'd be avoiding sun lotion (it makes you go blind), washing your cola can before drinking from it (they're caked in lethal rat's urine, after all) and not using saucepan scourers (which, it transpires, contain Agent Orange, as used to destroy vast swathes of Vietnam). Guardian

A Stern Warning Against Pet Reptiles for Kids. Pet reptiles, including all types of lizards, snakes and turtles can be a source of life-threatening infections and do not belong in households with children younger than 5, according to a recommendation issued earlier this month by the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Los Angeles Times

High levels of anxiety could have caused more than 70 pupils to suddenly fall ill after receiving shots of the new vaccine against meningitis, a medical expert has said. BBC

Fewer than one in five shoppers trusts the government to tell the truth about the safety of food, according to a survey published today. Guardian

Too much tofu induces ‘brain aging,’ study shows. A Hawaii research team says high consumption of the soy product by a group of men lowered mental abilities. Honolulu Star Bulletin

Endometriosis, the painful condition that can cause infertility and afflicts up to two million British women, may be triggered by wearing tight clothing during teenage years, according to new research. Telegraph

As predicted by SIRC the Warning Season has begun. Vanilla, lavender and other scented candles can make a home seem cozy and inviting for the holidays, but such candles may also be hazardous to your family's health, according to the American Lung Association (ALA). Reuters Health

Internet can be focus of delusions. The phenomenon of individuals becoming addicted to the Internet has already been reported. Now, according to an article in the June issue of Southern Medical Journal, individuals predisposed to delusions may focus on the Internet or weave Internet-based fantasies into their delusions.

The dangers of adoption are highlighted in the latest issue of The New England Journal of Medicine. Since 1986, families in the United States have adopted more than 125,000 children from other countries. These children come from countries with many endemic diseases, including hepatitis B and tuberculosis. This follows a study published last month by East Anglia University suggesting that trans-racial adoptions should also be avoided. Some of the trans-racially placed children suffered stress as a result of losing contact with their racial and cultural origins as well as with their birth families. The Guardian

In November l959, just days before Thanksgiving, the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare set off a national food panic when he announced that domestic cranberry products were "contaminated" with a weed-killer called aminotriazole. Forty years later, scientists at the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) urged Americans to "eat, drink, and be wary" of those who attempt to frighten us about trace levels of synthetic chemicals in foods. ACSH

  Horses in Tralee have been going around threatening pedestrians, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan informed his fellow councillors at the monthly meeting of Kerry County Council on Monday morning. The Kerryman

Players of virtual reality football should remember that, as with all sports, it is important to warm up properly and wear appropriate footwear! BMJ

Nancy Giuriati offers us her 'enlightened' thoughts on controlling America's "obesity epidemic". She advocates treating eaters like smokers and suggests that "We could legislate special fat sections in restaurants, airliners and other places" so that the obese could be separated "from those of normal weight whose space they now overtake on many occasions." Chicago Tribune

Greenpeace's war on the Periodic Table!! The Periodic Table of the elements is central to the understanding and appreciation of chemistry. But if you believed Greenpeace, almost every element is dangerous. This periodic table links to Greenpeace web-sites that cast the elements in a bad light. Oakley Environmental Research

BMA's 'alternative' therapy warning. Complementary and alternative medicine should be regulated to change the current unacceptable situation where people without training can practice it, the British Medical Association has said. Independent

Britain could suffer a surge in infections if young people do not ensure that their celebrations for the millennium period involve safer sex, warns the Health Education Authority (HEA). BBC

People who cradle the telephone between their head and shoulder could be putting themselves at risk of a "mini-stroke", leading to temporary loss of vision and speech problems. It is arguable that the one reported case may not warrant such an extreme headline. BBC. Back in September, researchers from the University of Surrey identified a 'revolutionary' new symptom of extended phone use: "telephonitis" a repetitive strain injury caused by the cradling of phones in the crook of the neck.

In November l959, just days before Thanksgiving, the Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare set off a national food panic when he announced that domestic cranberry products were "contaminated" with a weed-killer called aminotriazole. Forty years later, scientists at the American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) urged Americans to "eat, drink, and be wary" of those who attempt to frighten us about trace levels of synthetic chemicals in foods. ACSH

  Horses in Tralee have been going around threatening pedestrians, Deputy Jimmy Deenihan informed his fellow councillors at the monthly meeting of Kerry County Council on Monday morning. The Kerryman

Players of virtual reality football should remember that, as with all sports, it is important to warm up properly and wear appropriate footwear! BMJ

Nancy Giuriati offers us her 'enlightened' thoughts on controlling America's "obesity epidemic". She advocates treating eaters like smokers and suggests that "We could legislate special fat sections in restaurants, airliners and other places" so that the obese could be separated "from those of normal weight whose space they now overtake on many occasions." Chicago Tribune

Greenpeace's war on the Periodic Table!! The Periodic Table of the elements is central to the understanding and appreciation of chemistry. But if you believed Greenpeace, almost every element is dangerous. This periodic table links to Greenpeace web-sites that cast the elements in a bad light. Oakley Environmental Research

BMA's 'alternative' therapy warning. Complementary and alternative medicine should be regulated to change the current unacceptable situation where people without training can practice it, the British Medical Association has said. Independent

Britain could suffer a surge in infections if young people do not ensure that their celebrations for the millennium period involve safer sex, warns the Health Education Authority (HEA). BBC

People who cradle the telephone between their head and shoulder could be putting themselves at risk of a "mini-stroke", leading to temporary loss of vision and speech problems. It is arguable that the one reported case may not warrant such an extreme headline. BBC. Back in September, researchers from the University of Surrey identified a 'revolutionary' new symptom of extended phone use: "telephonitis" a repetitive strain injury caused by the cradling of phones in the crook of the neck.

Fashion victims - A second fatality blamed on high shoes was reported in Japan this week. Extremes of clothing are bad for you. Briefly, fashion kills. Guardian