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Nicotine Cap Could Expose Cigarettes’ True Danger

United States: The Biden administration is expected to officially put forward a limit to nicotine in cigarettes in the last days of its term. It would be an eleventh hour act to speak against the tobacco industry after Biden has still not solidify plans to enact a prior campaign promise of eradicating menthol cigarettes, as reported by NBC News.

A Last-Minute Push Against Tobacco Addiction

The plan, which may be unveiled as soon as this Monday, is not likely to include methods such as tobacco alternatives or vaping and nicotine gum, patches, and lozenges.

“This is a Hail Mary from the Biden administration to move forward with a meaningful proposal, or at least to jump-start one in the waning days of the administration,” said Erika Sward, assistant vice president of national advocacy for the American Lung Association.

The Hook Behind Smoking Addiction

The chemical compounds that lead to chronic diseases and death for smokers are those found in combustible tobacco, whereas nicotine is the addictive substance that initially engages the smoker and sustains the habit.

The specific measures regarding the proposed limits of nicotine have not been unveiled. Various researchers have it, however, that it may have to be reduced to as low as 5% for the product to be considered minimally or non-addictive.

Nicotine Cap Could Expose Cigarettes' True Danger. Credit | Getty Images — Nicotine Cap Could Expose Cigarettes’ True Danger. Credit | Getty Images

“This would be a historic action by the FDA that has the potential to have an enormous impact on public health,” said Dr. Rose Marie Robertson, science and medical officer of the American Heart Association.

America’s Leading Preventable Health Threat

A vast majority of smokers have taken their first cigarette in their teenhood. The move to a lesser addictive cigarette, Sward said, would save millions of lives.

An academic analysis conducted by the Food and Drug Administration in 2018 showed that the cap on nicotine levels would lead to 16 million people not becoming smokers, to begin with, by 2060. According to that study, it would rise to 33.1 million by the year 2100 at the earliest level.

That means even if the Biden administration releases the proposed rule next week, it will probably be years before it becomes final.

Game-Changing Public Health Impact

Yolanda C. Richardson, president and CEO of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids, told NBC News that limiting the amount of nicotine in cigarettes would be “game-changing.” Few initiatives would make a greater impact on combating chronic illnesses like cancer and heart disease, which significantly impair American health and that the next government has stated should be a top focus.

Before the FDA announced it was thinking about capping nicotine levels, which it has the right to do, it was during President-elect Donald Trump’s first term in office.

Challenges Ahead for the Proposed Rule

By announcing a “comprehensive plan” in 2017, then-FDA Commissioner Dr. Scott Gottlieb started the process by proposing to “regulate nicotine in combustible cigarettes and render them minimally or non-addictive.”

It was also designed, in part, to refocus adult smokers onto non-combustible products like e-cigarettes. The 2017 plan also envisaged regulation of e-cigarette flavors and a total ban on the use of menthol products. In 2020, the federal government approved a restriction on all popular flavors, although menthol is still available.

Adding to this, in an interview this week, Gottlieb stated that smoking prevalence would have to be “on the list of top priorities of any public health agenda geared towards reducing chronic diseases.”

“There could be perhaps no more impactful thing we can do than to dramatically reduce smoking rates in this country,” he said.

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Every U.S. Rice Sample Tested Shows Arsenic, Cadmium, or Lead

Be smart about the rice you consume and how you prepare it to reduce your loved ones’ intake of potentially dangerous heavy metals.

United States: A new study by Healthy Babies, Bright Futures has uncovered that many rice brands sold in U.S. supermarkets—especially in cities like New York and Miami—contain measurable and potentially dangerous levels of heavy metals. Every single rice sample tested had detectable arsenic, with one-quarter exceeding FDA limits set for infant rice cereal, as reported by HealthDay.

Infant Rules Don’t Apply to All

Although the FDA implemented a maximum arsenic level for infant rice cereal in 2021, no such rule exists for regular rice consumed by millions—including toddlers and young children. Researchers stress this loophole as a public health concern.

Major Brands, Major Findings

The report tested rice from 145 brands including Trader Joe’s, Ben’s, and Goya. Results showed heavy metal concentrations ranging from 63 to 188 parts per billion (ppb), with some samples reaching as high as 240 ppb. Arsenic was the most commonly found, followed by cadmium.

TOXIC ARSENIC IN RICE INCREASES WITH TEMPERATURE & CO2
Multiple very bad health effects.
Risk already recognized
Danger limit being exceededhttps://t.co/MIa4xewDK0 #rice #climatechange. #globalwarming pic.twitter.com/Q7pTPlqcrm
— Peter D Carter (@PCarterClimate) May 16, 2025

Industry Response: Consumers Deserve Reassurance

The USA Rice Federation acknowledged consumer concerns but insisted current arsenic levels in rice pose no significant public health risk, as reported by HealthDay.

How to Reduce Your Risk

The report offers key tips for safer consumption:

Cook it like pasta: Drown your rice in water (6–10 cups per 1 cup of rice) and let it brew.

Switch it up: Switch to grains such as quinoa, barley, or couscous, since they contain less heavy metals.

Pick safer varieties: Look for white rice from California, sushi rice, Thai jasmine, or Basmati rice from India. Stay away from brown rice, Southern-grown white rice and arborio rice imported from Italy (Suggested Alternative: Skip those three varieties as they may contain higher levels of metals).

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News

Houston Wastewater Detected Measles Weeks Before Outbreak, Study Finds

Early detection and prevention of measles can be done by monitoring for the virus in wastewater.

United States: Measles virus showed up in Houston’s sewage water several weeks before the big measles outbreak happened in Texas in January, according to a new study.

Early Warning Signs in Wastewater

Wastewater samples taken on Jan. 7 were found to have measles virus DNA in them, which was reported by scientists in the American Journal of Public Health, as reported by HealthDay.

According to the researchers, the City of Houston Health Department found and reported two cases of measles in adults not vaccinated for the disease on January 17th. The survey is based on people living in the same areas where the water treatment plants supplied water.

Measles Resurgence in Texas

In all, 717 people in Texas had measles as of May 13, reported the Texas Department of State Health Services. Two children who have not been vaccinated have died.

#Measles in the #Sewers? #WastewaterSurveillance Offers Early Warning for #Outbreaks. #Houston @BCMTailorLabs @saracregeen @MikeTisza @bcmhouston @TEPHI_Texas @RiceUNews @UTHealthSPH #AJPH https://t.co/RNxDxBIaFV @DiscoverMag pic.twitter.com/xrlAPDCbsY
— From the Labs at Baylor College of Medicine (@BCMFromtheLabs) May 15, 2025

“With lessons learned from the Houston measles detection event, we are now working with our public health partners to gather data on the current measles outbreak in West Texas,” lead researcher Michael Tisza, an assistant professor of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, said in a news release.

“Our program has been monitoring measles in wastewater from those sites as well, hoping the information can help officials get ahead of this virus,” Tisza said.

The sampled Houston treatment plans help more than 218,000 people, according to the researchers.

Researchers found that testing wastewater before an outbreak revealed that these methods can prepare officials for an infectious disease.

Wastewater Testing: A Promising Public Health Tool

“Systematically sequencing the genetic material in wastewater reveals dynamic changes in human viruses circulating in a community,” senior researcher Anthony Maresso, chair of molecular virology and microbiology at Baylor, said in a news release.

“Importantly, analyzing these viral changes in wastewater can improve our understanding of outbreaks and transmission and inform public health preparedness, just as one uses meteorological data to better understand and predict weather patterns to anticipate potentially dangerous conditions,” Maresso said.

According to the researchers, there had not been any measles viruses found in any of the 821 wastewater samples collected in Houston in the past 31 months.

“Because no other cases have been reported and the detections occurred in the same area where the travelers resided, it is reasonable to assume that the measles signal detected in wastewater is from the two infected cases, which underscores the high sensitivity of the method,” Maresso said.

Vaccination Still the Best Defense

Co-researcher Eric Boerwinkle, dean of the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health, said that “this work underscores the ability of sophisticated wastewater analyses to serve as an early detection system benefitting public health, healthcare, and communities in preventing a measles outbreak in Houston.”

If they haven’t already, Boerwinkle advised individuals to acquire the measles vaccine, as reported by HealthDay.

The best way to stop the contagion of measles is the MMR vaccine, since it has already proven to be both safe and effective.

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Health

Your Smartphone Might Predict How Well You Recover from Injury

With more smartphone data, there will be better ways to predict and guide recovery in orthopedics.

United States: According to a study published on May 9 in the Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery, smartphone data — including step count, walking speed, and gait — can predict how well someone recovers from bone or hip injuries. The findings suggest that mobility patterns before an injury may offer powerful insights into a patient’s post-surgical progress, as reported by HealthDay.

Data That Speaks Volumes

The study, led by Dr. Brian Shear at the University of Maryland Medical Center, followed 107 adults who had previously undergone surgery for a broken leg or hip. Using data from participants’ Apple iPhones, researchers analyzed their pre-injury activity levels — specifically, their steps, speed, and gait — and compared it with their recovery progress.

Patients who were more active before their injury tended to recover faster and return to mobility more easily. “This novel approach has the power to reshape how orthopedic care is delivered,” Dr. Shear explained.

A New Era of Personalized Rehab

The study found that patients with higher daily step counts before their injury had better recovery outcomes. Likewise, those with faster walking speeds and consistent gait patterns pre-injury also healed more effectively — highlighting the predictive value of everyday mobility metrics.

With this knowledge, doctors are able to plan treatments better, detect possible issues in patients’ progress earlier, and give patients more precise timelines for recovery.

Expanding the Technology’s Use

Senior researcher Nathan O’Hara, associate professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, announced plans to broaden the study’s scope to include other areas of orthopedics like sports medicine, joint replacement, and shoulder or foot surgery, as reported by HealthDay.

An app is also under development to support this initiative, with multicenter clinical trials expected to begin later this year.

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