Longer Looks: Interesting Reads You Might Have Missed
Each week, KFF Health News finds longer stories for you to enjoy. Today's selections are on sludge, covid, nutrition, sneezing, beard transplants, and more.
AP:
Residue From Human Waste Has Long Wound Up As Farm Fertilizer. Some Neighbors Hate It
Opposition to the use of sewage sludge as fertilizer is growing across the country. While the practice has been happening for decades, there are increasing concerns about potential pollution of groundwater from toxic chemicals in wastewater. (Bickel and Murphy, 3/26)
The Washington Post:
‘Something Was Wrong With My Brain’: How Covid Leaves Its Mark On Cognition
Five years after the pandemic began, the neurocognitive effects of long covid are numerous and troubling. And some may extend to people who quickly recovered. (Sima, 3/27)
The New York Times:
Dementia May Not Always Be The Threat It Is Now. Here’s Why.
The prospect of dementia, which encompasses Alzheimer’s disease and a number of other cognitive disorders, so frightens Americans that a recent study projecting steep increases in cases over the next three decades drew enormous public attention. ... Now the findings are being challenged by other dementia researchers who say that while increases are coming, they will be far smaller than Dr. Coresh and his co-authors predicted. (Span, 3/22)
The Washington Post:
What WW II Data On Sugar Rationing Says About Early-Childhood Nutrition
It’s hard to escape the fruit snacks-juice box culture many parents and children live in. But a growing body of research supports limiting children’s sugar intake for the first 1,000 days of life — starting at conception — or until age 2. A study released last year based on World War II-era data highlights the importance of eating well, particularly during pregnancy, says Robert Siegel, a pediatrician and pediatric obesity specialist at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Medical Center. (Frost, 3/24)
The Guardian:
The Sudden, Surprising Rise Of Beard Transplants: ‘This Industry Is A Wild West’
Demand for facial hair surgery is soaring – despite the dangers that lurk in an unregulated industry. Are the risks worth it for the chance of a thicker, fuller beard? (Usborne, 3/25)
The Washington Post:
Sneeze Smarter, Not Louder: The Science Of A Quieter Sneeze
At a certain point, there’s no stopping a sneeze. But doctors say there are ways to turn down the volume of an “achoo.” (Amenabar, Valino and Galocha, 3/24)
The New York Times:
How a Cheap Drone Punctured Chernobyl’s 40,000 Ton Shield
The steel shell that encloses the site of the world’s worst nuclear disaster was built to endure for a century. But war was a scenario its engineers never envisioned. (Barker, 3/25)
The New York Times:
Kilmer McCully, 91, Dies; Pathologist Vindicated on Heart Disease Theory
His studies showed that a B vitamin deficiency could cause hardened arteries. It took the medical profession more than a decade to catch up. (Rosenwald, 3/21)
