FDA Bans Brominated Vegetable Oil In Foods Over Safety Concerns
The chemical, which is used as a flavor additive but is also used separately in fire retardants, is no longer considered safe. Meanwhile, the CDC and FDA have said the salmonella outbreak in cucumbers has been linked to a Florida grower.
Reuters:
US FDA To Ban Use Of Brominated Vegetable Oil In Food, Soda
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Tuesday it would revoke the regulation that authorized the use of brominated vegetable oil in food items, effective Aug. 2, as it was no longer safe. BVO is a chemical ingredient containing bromine, which is found in fire retardants. Small quantities of BVO are used legally in some citrus-flavored drinks in the United States to keep the flavor evenly distributed. (Vanaik, 7/2)
USA Today:
Salmonella Outbreak In Cucumbers Linked To Florida Grower: CDC, FDA
A multistate investigation by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration has identified a Florida grower as a likely source in an outbreak caused by salmonella-tainted cucumbers. Amidst the monthlong investigation – during which 449 people in 31 states and the District of Columbia have reported salmonella illnesses – salmonella found in untreated canal water used by Bedner Growers, Inc., of Boynton Beach, Florida, matched the strain (Salmonella Braenderup) sickening some in the outbreak, the agencies said. (Snider, 7/2)
In other health and wellness news —
NBC News:
Why U.S. Kids Are Dying At Higher Rates Than In Other Wealthy Countries
Children in the U.S. are dying at higher rates than in other wealthy, developed countries. Research published Monday in the journal JAMA Pediatrics attempts to calculate these “excess deaths” — in other words, how many more kids under age 19 are dying in the U.S. compared to similar countries. The estimate: 20,000 per year. It’s a bleak picture of the country’s pediatric health. (Bendix, 7/2)
CNN:
ARFID: The Eating Disorder You Haven’t Heard Of
When Hannah was 7 years old, she told her parents she didn’t want to be afraid of food anymore. She had stopped wanting to go to Girl Scouts, birthday parties, restaurants, family celebrations and even the dinner table. (Holcombe, 7/2)
KFF Health News:
Beyond PMS: A Poorly Understood Disorder Means Periods Of Despair For Some Women
For the most part, Cori Lint was happy.She worked days as a software engineer and nights as a part-time cellist, filling her free hours with inline skating and gardening and long talks with friends. But a few days a month, Lint’s mood would tank. Panic attacks came on suddenly. Suicidal thoughts did, too. She had been diagnosed with anxiety and depression, but Lint, 34, who splits her time between St. Petersburg, Florida, and Tulsa, Oklahoma, struggled to understand her experience, a rift so extreme she felt like two different people. (Peace, 7/3)
NPR:
Medical Amputations Are No Longer A Uniquely Human Treatment
When an ant injures its leg, it sometimes will turn to a buddy who will help out by gnawing the leg off, effectively performing a lifesaving limb amputation. That’s according to some new experiments described in the journal Current Biology, which show that ants are the only animal other than humans known to practice amputation as a medical treatment. (Greenfieldboyce, 7/2)
