Unsafe food causes 1.5 million deaths and 866 million illnesses each year – a burden similar to tuberculosis, according to World Health Organization (WHO) research published in The Lancet this week. The research assessed 42 major foodborne hazards – including bacteria, viruses, parasites and chemicals – from 194 countries between 2000 and 2021. Foodborne diseases […] Continue reading ->
Tobacco companies have helped to engineer ultra-processed food (UPF) and scale up the industry, developing and distributing addictive products that are driving obesity, cancer, dementia and chronic diseases like diabetes. This is according to one of the most comprehensive reviews of the drivers and impact of UFP, published in the American Journal of Public Health […] Continue reading ->
The growing impact of climate change on respiratory health, including through longer pollen seasons, wildfires and more exterme heat, was the focus of an high-level event on the margins of the 79th World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, organized by the Geneva Health Forum and Health Diplomacy Alliance. The event followed on the heels of a […] Continue reading ->
A joint announcement by the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Health and Human Services (HHS) on microplastics made inaccurate claims about how many plastic particles exist in the brain, while providing an unclear regulatory plan to address this. But a study published in Nature Health found microplastics in nearly every one of its 191 […] Continue reading ->
Bangladesh’s new government has approved a wide-ranging anti-tobacco law that bans advertising, promotion and display across print, electronic, digital and social media, entertainment platforms and points of sale. The Smoking and Tobacco Usage (Control) (Amendment) Law, 2025 also prohibits corporate social responsibility initiatives from using tobacco brand names, logos or trademarks. Cigarette packs have to […] Continue reading ->
Cervical cancer should no longer be killing women. It is one of the few cancers that we already know how to prevent, detect early, and treat effectively. Yet it remains the fourth most common cancer among women worldwide, causing around 600,000 new cases and 340,000 deaths each year. The tragedy is not just the scale […] Continue reading ->
The Human papillomavirus (HPV35), globally associated with only 2% of invasive cervical cancers (ICC), has a disproportionately higher prevalence in sub‐Saharan Africa, reaching rates of 22-30% in some countries among women with ICC lesions, according to a new study. Recently, a high-level panel called for redoubled efforts in HPV vaccination, screening and treatment to meet […] Continue reading ->
Pakistan had the most polluted air in the world overall in 2025, and Delhi was the most polluted capital for the seventh time in the last eight years of reporting by the Swiss-based IQAir. A town bordering India’s capital is the world’s most polluted place. Despite covering nearly 9,500 cities, pollution data gaps leave millions […] Continue reading ->
While air pollution claims more than eight million lives annually, the burden of proving exactly which air polluters or tailpipes caused a specific lung cancer or child’s asthma attack has rested firmly on the shoulders of the sick. That is about to change, according to a landmark United Nations (UN) report by Astrid Puentes Riaño, […] Continue reading ->
Everyday beauty and hair products on drugstore and supermarket shelves can contain chemicals known to be harmful to human health. Ingredients like PTFE, phthalates, parabens, and parfum hide in make up, shampoo, and other products – and have been linked to cancers, reproductive harm, and endocrine disruption. Yet cosmetics and hair products in the US […] Continue reading ->