Free Republic

Stung Lung: Volatile chemical may cut respiratory capacity Ben Harder A chemical in some air fresheners and pest-control products may slightly impair lung function in millions of people, a nationwide study suggests. The compound, para-dichlorobenzene, is used to make mothballs, urinal deodorizers, and air-freshening blocks for household use. At room temperature, the strong-smelling chemical gradually changes from a solid to a gas. Para-dichlorobenzene was previously detected in the blood of more than 95 percent of the participants tested in a U.S. study called NHANES III. Scientists at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in Research Triangle Park, N.C., looked...

Thirty children have been infected by a mystery virus in a Hong Kong hospital. Among them, one has died and six are still suffering from fever. One child has died and more than 30 are suffering in Hong Kong’s Mingai Hospital from a mystery virus causing respiratory distress. The virus has not yet been identified. The hospital initiated its “green emergency” response plan, and the outbreak has caught the attention of the government. The public in Hong Kong typically holds that when a contagious disease breaks out, the health department and citizens should heighten vigilance to avoid the spread...