|
Extreme heat, pollution and fatal heart attacks
The combination of extreme heat and air pollution may be a trigger for a fatal heart attack, according to new research.
The study, published Monday in Circulation, looked at more than 202,000 heart attack deaths between 2015 and 2020 in China. It found that days with extreme heat and high levels of fine particle air pollution were significantly associated with the risk of a fatal heart attack, especially among older individuals.
During a two-day heat wave, the likelihood of a fatal heart attack increased by 18 per cent when temperatures ranged between 28 C and 37 C, the study found. However, in a four-day heat wave, with temperatures ranging from 35 C to 43 C, the risk surged to 74 per cent.
“Another environmental issue worldwide is the presence of fine particulate matter in the air, which may interact with extreme temperatures to adversely affect cardiovascular health,” senior author Yuewei Liu, an associate professor of epidemiology at the School of Public Health at Sun Yat-sen University in China, said in a press release.
Read more about the study’s findings and how to protect yourself during a heat wave.
Drug-resistant gonorrhea on the rise in Canada
As gonorrhea rates keep rising in Canada, health officials are warning the sexually transmitted infection is getting tougher to treat with antibiotics, potentially making it untreatable in the future.
“Overall rates of gonococcal infection are increasing in Canada and it is more prevalent among adolescents and young adults,” a PHAC spokesperson told Global News in an email Tuesday. “Its’ causative agent has acquired resistance or displayed decreased susceptibility to many antibiotics, leading to the possible emergence of untreatable gonorrhea in Canada.”
Gonorrhea is easily treated with antibiotics, but, a particular strain of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, the bacteria responsible for causing gonorrhea, has developed a significant level of resistance to the drugs used to control this sexually transmitted infection (STI).
“Gonorrhea rates in Canada and globally have been increasing for many years,” said Dr. Ameeta Singh, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Alberta. “And every antibiotic that has been used to treat gonorrhea, it has developed resistance to, rendering the antibiotic ineffective within a few years of starting to use it.”
Experts such as Singh say without proper preventative practices the problem is only going to get worse.
Read more about the drug-resistant infection and possible solutions to stave it off.
— THE TOPIC —
The latest harmful TikTok trend
— WHAT EXPERTS ARE SAYING —
A recent TikTok trend of adding borax to water, coffee and even using it for bathing has caught the attention of health authorities who are voicing serious concerns about the potential health risks involved.
TikTok users posting videos of themselves ingesting borax have falsely claimed it can help treat of range ailments, including inflammation, joint pain, kidney stones, chronic fatigue and erectile dysfunction.
“You’re not a washing machine. There’s no evidence this is going to help you, but still, you see these trends take off and it is completely driven by the power of social media,” Timothy Caulfield, a Canada Research Chair in health law and policy at the University of Alberta, told Global News.
In fact, ingesting this chemical can prove quite harmful, warned Dr. Chris Kozak, a professor of inorganic chemistry at the Memorial University of Newfoundland.
The main purpose of borax is to act as a cleaning and bleaching agent, so when ingested it can irritate the stomach, Kozak warned, adding that it’s the same as consuming other laundry detergents like Tide.
“Exposing your skin to high levels of this stuff isn’t very good,” he said. “And exposing your digestive system to high levels of this isn’t very good.”
|
globalnews.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/heat-surveillance-2.jpg?resize=150,100 150w, 
