This week: a life expectancy study makes waves. Plans are afoot to collect nationwide data on lead pipes and guns. Plus conventional wisdom gets turned on its head when it comes to antioxidants, and a drug that caused panic last year quietly leaves the scene.
Are we missing any big stories? Let us know at sideeffects[at]wfyi.org.
A Matter Of Life And Death
In general, low-income Americans live shorter lives than those in the middle and upper classes. But according to a new report, where you live also factors in. NPR has more on that study. In a separate analysis, The Washington Post found a dramatic upward trend in death rates among rural white women in middle age.
Researchers To Comb Through Google Searches, Tweets, Obits In Search Of Clues About Gun Violence
The development team at Boston Children's Hospital says their " Digital Gun Violence Surveillance Platform" could be used to track public sentiment about guns, and even predict violent incidents. KQED's Future of Youblog has more.
A Case Against Antioxidants
You might know antioxidantsas friendly molecules found in blueberries that work to protect DNA from damaging free radicals. But new research suggests that two common diabetes drugs, which happen to be antioxidants, may increase the risk of cancer. STAT News reports.
In South Florida, A Dangerous Drug Disappears
Last year you might have heard about flakka, a synthetic amphetamine that induces hallucinations, sending users running naked down the street, hurling rocks at police stations, and the like. The Fort Lauderdale area lost 63 people to the drug. And then, suddenly, it stopped. The Associated Press has the story.
Excessive Lead Levels Found In Nearly 2,000 Water Systems Nationwide
Flint was a wake up call. But this problem won't get fixed overnight: the fundamental risk factor in Flint– old lead service lines that deliver water to homes, plus interior plumbing containing lead – is a common problem for tens of millions of homes mostly built before 1986. USA Today takes an in-depth look at the country's fragmented water systems.
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