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Roundup, the popular weed-killer linked to non-Hodgkin lymphoma, will not be sprayed in Los Angeles County for now after its Board of Supervisors issued a moratorium on the application of the herbicide, citing a need for more research into its potential health and environmental effects. [1]
The board asked the Department of Public Works to team up with other health officials to survey the use of glyphosate, the main active ingredient in Roundup.

Bayer was dealt a huge blow on March 19 when a San Francisco federal jury unanimously agreed that Roundup weed-killer caused a man’s cancer. [1]
It is the second time a jury decided in favor of a plaintiff who had alleged that the main ingredient in Roundup, glyphosate, caused his non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on Friday banned retail sales of methylene chloride, a popular but highly dangerous paint-stripping chemical, but opted to leave it on the market for commercial use – a decision that angered some health advocates.
The agency banned methylene chloride due to “acute fatalities that have resulted from exposure to the chemical.” The agency said that the substance poses “unreasonable health risks.”

Maryland could become the first U.S. state to ban polystyrene foam containers after both chambers of the state legislature passed bills this month banning food containers from being made with the substance.
A conference committee will work out the differences between the 2 bills, according to Del. Brooke Lierman, the sponsor of the House of Delegates version.

The first major trial of whether pharmaceutical companies bear responsibility for the opioid crisis is slated to start in Oklahoma on May 28.  Three major drug manufacturers and 10 of their subsidiaries tried to convince Cleveland County District Judge Thad Balkman to delay the jury trial for 100 days, but Balkman ruled that it will move forward as scheduled. [1]
Following a nearly 2-hour hearing in his Norman, Oklahoma, courtroom, Balkman said:

Juul Labs, makers of the highly popular Juul e-cigarettes, increased the nicotine content of their products, spurring other e-cigarette makers to do the same. This, experts say in a new report, has led to a serious vaping epidemic among teens and young adults, and a nicotine “arms race” among e-cigarette companies.

Early detection and improvements in treatment have reduced overall rates of new cancer cases and cancer deaths, but lifestyle factors are keeping rates somewhat inflated across the board, even if some rates are going down overall. Actually, some types of cancer are increasing among Millennials, and researchers think obesity is fueling these increases.

For many people with diabetes, living with the disease requires multiple needle sticks a day to inject insulin and control their blood sugar. But in the future, diabetics might be able to take their insulin in pill-form. Two groups of researchers are working to make this possible in the future.
The groups, from MIT’s Koch Institute for Integrative Cancer Research and Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, have developed an insulin delivery system that still uses a needle, but it’s so small that it can be swallowed, pain-free.

You know you don’t have the healthiest diet. Most of your meals come from a box or a can. Vegetables are the exception, not the rule. You’re frustrated and you know you need to eat more healthily, but you need someone or something to light a fire under your sedentary behind. According to new research, you might be more inclined to improve your diet if you get moving, first.

Molly Bray, study co-author and chair of the department of nutritional sciences at the University of Texas at Austin, said:

Acid reflux is a very common condition, where stomach acid backs up into the oesophagus or throat, causing symptoms such as a burning chest pain (heartburn). The ailment is often treated with proton pump inhibitors (PPIs), which may be effective, but can cause poor digestion and related issues such as osteoporosis, kidney problems, heart attacks, and even dementia. All the while, people may just find the relief they are looking for if they’re willing to adopt a nearly-vegetarian diet.