Health

A French ban on the production and sale of PFAS chemicals – known as 'forever chemicals' as it takes them so long to break down – comes into effect on Thursday. The ban targets a wide range of cosmetics and clothes and will also require French authorities to regularly test drinking water for all kinds of PFAS. ]

It's one of those New Year's resolutions often blurted out after a big family meal. "I'm going to run a marathon!" But like the cautionary saying "puppies aren't for Christmas, they're for life", one wonders how many realise the error of their ways when they're gasping for air during that first January training run. Or not. ]

After a three-and-a-half-month trial, anaesthetist Frédéric Péchier was sentenced Thursday in Besançon to life in prison for all the charges against him, a verdict he plans to appeal. Péchier is accused of poisoning 30 patients, 12 of whom died, between 2008 and 2017. ]

In the outskirts of Hanoi, Vietnam, some villages are covered in waste, sorted by hand by residents who have no other option for work. Although no clear link has been established between cancer rates and the handling of plastic waste, the UN is warning about these dangerous practices. ]

Numerous posts on social media claim that South Korean researchers developed a patch that can regrow teeth. This is false. Although scientists are indeed looking at the issue of tooth regeneration, no credible scientific article has reported such a discovery. ]

Myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also known as chronic fatigue syndrome, affects over 500,000 people in France, with cases rising significantly since the Covid-19 pandemic. Alain Moreau is one of the world’s top scientists on the question. The director of the interdisciplinary Canadian collaborative myalgic encephalomyelitis research discusses advancements in research, including the genetic signature of ME, current research priorities, and the gap between scientific understanding and public perception. ]

Pakistan is one of the worst affected countries by period poverty. According to UNICEF, nearly 44 percent of girls lack access to the minimum resources needed to manage their periods, whether at home, at school or at work. Limited access to menstrual hygiene products, clean water and sanitation facilities, coupled with a lack of information, has serious consequences, preventing many girls and women from attending school or work. Our correspondents report. ]

In France, the mental health of young people has deteriorated in recent years, particularly since the Covid-19 pandemic. In this edition, we met several young people suffering from mental health struggles, who shared their stories in the hope of overcoming taboos. ]

According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 20% of new cases in the United States are in people who never smoked, with young women making up the majority of the cases. Experts believe the rise in non-smoking cases is largely driven by radon exposure, air pollution, and genetic mutations. We speak with Dr Pinar Uysal, Reader in Molecular Biology at the University of Westminster. ]

On World AIDS Day, the United Nations warned that abrupt global funding cuts have severely damaged the fight against HIV and AIDS. The UN agency said that since Donald Trump returned to the White House, an uncounted number of additional people have died from AIDS and 2.5 million have lost access to HIV-blocking medicine, underscoring the most significant setback to the global HIV response in decades. ]