Political Health

As of September 30, in a first for the United States, 7 species of yellow-faced bees native to Hawaii are under the protection of the Endangered Species Act. [1]
The precious pollinators were added to the endangered species list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service after years of study by the Xerces Society, state government officials. Independent researchers concluded that the insects are under threat.
The rule is effective October 31.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) issued new warnings recently aimed at both men and women for avoiding transmission of the Zika virus. [1]
On September 30 the CDC said, among other things, that pregnant women should consider postponing travel to 11 Southeast Asian countries where Zika is spreading, and shored up its warnings for men who are considering having children.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), 9 out of 10 people are currently breathing in toxic air.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is asking for the public’s help in defining what “healthy” means when it comes to food. [1]
The agency officially launched the public process on redefining how the “healthy” label can be used September 27, and opened the matter up for public comment on the following day.
The FDA said:

More than 2000 women have sued Johnson & Johnson over allegations that the company’s talcum powder has caused them to develop ovarian cancer. Another lawsuit has arisen in St. Louis, Missouri, accusing the pharmaceutical giant of negligent conduct in regards to the way it marketed its powder. Now yet another lawsuit is surfacing. [1]

Earlier this month, I wrote about how Insys Therapeutics, a drug company that sells only fentanyl, a powerful and often deadly opioid, has been fighting marijuana legalization efforts in Arizona. Well, it’s not just the pharmaceutical industry that is bankrolling anti-marijuana campaigns; the alcohol industry is in on it, too.

A recent investigation by the environmental organization Greenpeace uncovered unpublished field trials by pesticide manufacturers which show that their products cause serious harm to honeybees at high levels. Senior scientists are now calling for the companies to stop hiding the results of their tests. [1]

A study published on September 15 shows that in states where medical marijuana is legal, fewer people use opioid drugs, bolstering advocates’ claims that marijuana can substitute for more deadly substances. [1]
Researchers examined federal traffic safety data from 1999 to 2013, using a sample of more than 68,000 people who died in a car crash in 18 states.

Calls have come from all over the world to boycott Nestlé after the company bought a drought-stricken Canadian community’s water supply, and more than 150,000 Facebook users have taken to the social media site to voice their outrage. [1]

On September 26, a marijuana-based childhood epilepsy drug took a step closer to winning approval when its maker announced promising phase 3 clinical trial results. [1]
Justin Gover, CEO of the British biotech company GW Pharmaceuticals, said that the children participating in the trial had previously tried 10 other anti-epileptic drugs. Despite using the medication, the young participants still experienced 3 seizures a day, approximately 90 a month. Said Gover: