Toxic exposures in the air can trigger severe health problems — worse, certain pollutants are so small that they can enter and harm any part of the body. These microscopic "nanoparticles," emitted from a wide range of products, from candles to cars, can cause numerous illnesses, according to published research. Illnesses include the well-established condition Toxicant-Induced Loss of Tolerance (TILT). Nanoparticles even have resulted in death. "The biggest killer of all never makes the headlines, isn't regulated, and is barely talked about beyond niche scientific circles: it's nanoparticles," according to Tim Smedley, author of "Clearing The Air," in BBC Future. "Nanoparticles can reach, and wreak havoc in, any organ in the body."
What are Nanoparticles?
Certain ...
When was the last time you drank soda, juice, or other forms of sugary drinks? For most Americans, it is a normal part of everyday life. The problem? These drinks are incredibly unhealthy, more so than some companies would lead consumers to believe, according to Xavier Morales, executive director of The Praxis Project, and Jim Krieger, executive director of Healthy Food America. Check out this discussion on the Salud Talks Podcast, Episode 19, "Peddling Poison"! WHAT: A #SaludTalks discussion about sugary drinks and their harmful impacts on consumers
GUESTS: Xavier Morales, executive director of The Praxis Project, and Jim Krieger, executive director of Healthy Food America
WHERE: Available wherever fine podcasts are downloaded, including Apple Podcasts, ...
Decades of decisions fueled by structural racism have built a society with no health equity, where many groups lack a fair, just opportunity to be their healthiest. This is especially true in our transportation system. Past and present planning, policy, and funding decisions have failed to provide equitable, affordable, safe, convenient, and reliable transportation options for all, from the local to federal levels. Dismantling these inequities requires intentional effort. That’s why Smart Growth America conducted a field scan to explore promising opportunities to achieve equitable public infrastructure, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The report spells out the six biggest challenges to health equity facing our transportation system (and the 40 ...
Throughout the modern era, single-family zoning and redlining practices institutionalized economic as well as racial segregation in America. Although redlining is now illegal, single-family zoning—which still occurs to this day—reinforces both racial and economic segregation. Moreover, it contributes to the racial wealth gap seen across the country. "The practice of zoning most residential land exclusively for single-family detached homes is a major cause of affordable housing shortages and long commute times," Eric Kober, an adjunct fellow at the Manhattan Institute and former director of housing, economic, and infrastructure planning at the New York City Department of City Planning, writes in a recent CNN Business editorial. "In expensive cities, this policy makes it ...
School food nutrition is at risk again. The USDA, which relaxed school nutrition standards in 2018, is proposing two rule changes it says will give schools and summer programs more flexibility to meet student meal preferences and reduce food waste. But health experts warn this will roll back progress on school food nutrition. Schools could, for instance, cut breakfast fruit by a half-cup. Fries and burgers could be served a la carte. Pasta could count as a vegetable. This is a longer-term health threat than the coronavirus pandemic, according to Healthy Eating Research. "This would create a huge loophole in school nutrition guidelines, paving the way for children to choose pizza, burgers, French fries, and other foods high in calories, saturated fat or sodium in place of ...
The future of humanity depends on building healthier food systems. Why? Because our current food and farming systems make us sick in these ways: Unhealthy working conditions
Contaminants in the water, soil, or air
Specific foods are unsafe for consumption
Unhealthy diets
Lack of access to adequate, acceptable food That is why the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES Food) published a report to identify five leverage points for building healthier food systems.
1. Promote Food Systems Thinking
It’s time to overcome political and scientific silos. It’s time to reconnect people with the realities of the food on their plates. The way food impacts health isn’t an isolated event. We need to promote “food system thinking” ...
Our food systems affect our health in good and bad ways. For example, some of the most severe health impacts of food systems trace back to some of the core industrial food and farming practices. These include chemical-intensive agriculture, intensive livestock production, and mass production and marketing of processed foods. That is why the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES Food) published a report to identify five ways our current food systems make us sick, seven challenges to understanding and addressing them, and five leverage points for building healthier food systems. Here are five ways our current food system makes us sick:
1. People Get Sick Because They Work in Unhealthy Conditions
Pesticides are responsible for an estimated 200,000 acute ...
What we choose to eat affects everything. However, our current food system is unhealthy and unsustainable, leaving us with options that pollute our air and water, consume large amounts of energy, and contribute to chronic disease and premature death, all while leaving millions undernourished. Transitioning away from an animal-based system to a plant-based system, for example, has numerous social, environmental, economic, and individual health benefits. Let’s use #SaludTues on January 28, 2020, to tweet about how you can raise awareness about and push for policies to support healthy food systems. WHAT: #SaludTues Tweetchat: “Elevating Plant-Based Food Systems”
TIME/DATE: 1-2 p.m. ET Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2020
WHERE: On Twitter with hashtag #SaludTues
HOST: ...
Physical activity, like walking, is one of the best ways a person can improve their health and quality of life, while cutting risk of at least 20 diseases and conditions. Unfortunately, too few communities are designed for walking and physical activity. Intentionally creating communities with safe routes to everyday destinations is a key strategy to increase physical activity─not only to reduce health disparities, healthcare costs, and premature death, but also to increase equitable access to opportunity to build health and wealth. That’s why the CDC launched Active People, Healthy NationSM in January 2020. The initiative will help community leaders use proven strategies to make physical activity safe and enjoyable for people of all ages and abilities. It specifically ...
