|
BATS
Time to stop worrying about bats getting in your hair: we've found something better for you to be nervous about. Fruit bats can carry the Nipah virus, which has no cure and is so deadly that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention include it in the same class of viruses as Ebola and AIDS. |
BEACH ITEMS, INFLATABLE
Inflatable water wings, beach balls, and air mattresses have been found to contain tributyl and dibutyl tin, which can harm the immune and hormonal systems. Have a nice holiday. |
BEACHES
And nominated for the Elvis Award for the Least Dignified Way to Die: people who dig deep holes in the sand at beaches have smothered when the walls of the holes collapsed on them. |
BEDDING
Instead of counting sheep at night, maybe you should count dust mites: in forty-four million American homes, the sheets, pillows, and blankets hold enough allergens from dust mites tocause allergies, and in twenty-two million homes, they hold enough to cause asthma attacks. Sleep tight. |
BED REST
If you're reading this during an extended stay in bed, the best plan might be to stay there. People recovering from bed rest can suffer from fainting spells, and can take several weeks to readjust to a standing position. |
BETA-BLOCKERS
Beta-blockers are among more than three hundred prescribed medicines that have been associated with a wide range of lung problems. They can also lead to fatigue, bradycardia, hypotension, dizziness, and diarrhea. How badly does your beta need blocking? |
BICYCLE HELMETS
It looks like your mom was wrong when she said you should always wear your helmet. As more and more people have started using bicycle helmets, the rate of head injuries suffered by bicyclists has gone up by more than 50 percent, possibly because cyclists feel better protected and therefore take more risks. |
BICYCLES
In 1999, bicycle accidents in the U.S. caused almost one-and-a-half million injuries that required medical attention. In 1997, 813 bicyclists were killed in crashes with motor vehicles. Bicyclists can also develop tendon and knee problems, and are more likely to suffer from erectile dysfunction or impotence. Male cyclists: care to go for a jog today instead? |
BIOTECHNOLOGY
You'll be astonished to hear this, but genetic modification canhave unpleasant side effects. Pollen from corn genetically modified to produce its own pesticides can kill the caterpillars that produce monarch butterflies. Engineering sugar beets to resist herbicides allows heavier use of sprays that kill weeds, eliminating the skylarks that ate their seeds. Where weeds are cross-pollinated with engineered genes, they can become "super weeds" that resist herbicides themselves. Genetically altered food might also have harmful effects on nutrition, cause allergic reactions, make bacteria resistant to antibiotics, and be toxic. Do we really need square tomatoes that badly? |
BIRDS
Remember The Birds'? Hitchcock may have been right: it looks like birds really are out to get you. More than 350 people have been killed as a result of kamikaze birds colliding with aircraft. Birds also carry diseases including the West Nile virus. |
