Pregnant Women! Don't Drink From Plastic Bottles with BPA! Your Kids May Get Wheezy

Dr. Adam Spanier, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Penn State found that children who were born from women that were exposed to bisphenol A  (BPA) while pregnant experienced higher levels of wheezing.  BPA is a manufacturing byproduct that contaminates many plastic bottles and other food containers sold to consumers. 

BPA exposure caused asthma in mice, however, this study is the first to show an effect in humans.  BPA is associated with many health issues and this research is another illustration on why it is important to be cognoscente of possible chemical contaminants in purchased products. 

BPA exposure may be associated with wheezing in children.

A Middle School from my Hometown Wins National Science Bowl!

I'm excited, mainly because this is definitive proof that I wasn't the only "science-geek" to come out of San Ramon, California, a little town forty miles east of San Francisco.

According to the Contra Costa Times, Gale Ranch Middle School won the top prize for middle schools in the National Science Bowl.

Pretty cool.

Go kids! 

Using Dirty Soap May Be Worse Than Not Washing Your Hands

Apparently soap isn't self cleaning.

Especially if its contaminated, like in a dirty bathroom with a dirty soap dispenser.

You can increase the spread of disease-causing microbes with this soap, so perhaps there are times that not washing your hands is a good thing.  It would also be good to use better toilets.

Maybe alcohol-based hand sanitizer would be best. 

Or maybe we all should stop being so gross ;)

Washing with contaminated soap increases bacteria on hands

Watch Out For Those Little Children, Their Stubby Fingers Are Agile, but Cognitive Reasoning is Not

A new study at Yale has focused on the ability of little kids to unbuckle themselves from a seat-belt.  At a reasonably young age, a child will develop the skill of unbuckling of a seat-belt, but not understand why that is a bad idea.

A child removing their own seat-belt is an important issue to address, especially since fatal deaths of children between 4-8 are largely due to car accidents.

I can only imagine the fright a parent must have, as they are driving and suddenly their kids.  Hell I was one of those kids.  I was probably six, maybe seven; my mom was driving in Oakland California in an old beat-up Buick.

I was in the front seat (this was way before people suggested kids my age sat in the back seat, or used a booster seat) and I unbuckled my belt and stood up on the seat, laughing hysterically.  My mom started screaming for me to sit down and when that didn't work, she did what she had to do, she slammed on the break (if she didn't we would have plowed into several cars) and I ended up with  breaking the dashboard with my forehead.

I was lucky, I survived except for a few tears, maybe a spanking, but beyond that I think any brain injuries were kept to a minimum.

So until new seating restraints can be used that will block the ability of kids to unbuckle themselves, keep an eye on them.

Little fingers, big trouble: Yale study sheds light on child self-unbuckling

Don't Want Your Kids to Smoke? Then Do Something About It!

Here's a quickie,

One of the most influential factor in regards to preventing teenage smoking are the parents.

Go figure!

I would never have guessed that parents had some sort of say how kids would grow up.  This is mind-boggling! ;)

Parents have role in smoking prevention