Oil spill has long-term immunological effects in dolphins

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/w-osh021621.php

 

News Release 18-Feb-2021
Wiley

 

A study published in Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry has found long-term impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill in the northern Gulf of Mexico on bottlenose dolphins' immune function.

Bottlenose dolphins from an area that received prolonged and heavy oiling were temporarily captured, sampled, and released as part of health assessment programs. The animals were compared with dolphins from an area where no oil was observed.

Investigators documented immunological alterations in bottlenose dolphins tested up to a decade following the oil spill that were similar in nature to those immediately following the spill. The effects were seen even in dolphins born after the spill. The nature of the immunological effects observed in dolphins were also similar to those in mice experimentally exposed to oil in the lab.

The findings suggest that there are long-term consequences of oil exposure on the mammalian immune system, with possible multigenerational effects.



•••••

Irregular sleep schedules connected to bad moods and depression, study shows

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/mm-u-iss021721.php

 

News Release 18-Feb-2021
The more variation in wake-up time and sleep time, the worse mood and more chance of depression symptoms in study of first-year medical residents
Michigan Medicine - University of Michigan

 

An irregular sleep schedule can increase a person's risk of depression over the long term as much as getting fewer hours of sleep overall, or staying up late most nights, a new study suggests.

Even when it comes to just their mood the next day, people whose waking time varies from day to day may find themselves in as much of a foul mood as those who stayed up extra late the night before, or got up extra early that morning, the study shows.


•••••

Asthmatics no higher risk dying from COVID, review of studies on 587,000 people shows

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/tfg-anh021821.php

 

News Release 18-Feb-2021
Review of 57 studies shows people with asthma had a 14% lower risk of getting COVID-19 and were significantly less likely to be hospitalized with the virus
Taylor & Francis Group

 

A new study looking at how COVID-19 affects people with asthma provides reassurance that having the condition doesn't increase the risk of severe illness or death from the virus.

George Institute for Global Health researchers in Australia analysed data from 57 studies with an overall sample size of 587,280. Almost 350,000 people in the pool had been infected with COVID-19 from Asia, Europe, and North and South America and found they had similar proportions of asthma to the general population.

The results, published in the peer-reviewed Journal of Asthma, show that just over seven in every 100 people who tested positive for COVID-19 also had asthma, compared to just over eight in 100 in the general population having the condition. They also showed that people with asthma had a 14 percent lower risk of acquiring COVID-19 and were significantly less likely to be hospitalized with the virus.

There was no apparent difference in the risk of death from COVID-19 in people with asthma compared to those without.

Head of The Institute's Respiratory Program, co-author Professor Christine Jenkins said that while the reasons for these findings weren't clear, there were some possible explanations - such as some inhalers perhaps limiting the virus' ability to attach to the lungs.

"Chemical receptors in the lungs that the virus binds to are less active in people with a particular type of asthma and some studies suggest that inhaled corticosteroids - commonly used to treat asthma - can reduce their activity even further," she said.

"Also, initial uncertainty about the impact of asthma on COVID-19 may have caused anxiety among patients and caregivers leading them to be more vigilant about preventing infection."


•••••

Previous findings have shown that people with chronic respiratory conditions like asthma were reported to be at greater risk during the Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS) outbreak, caused by a virus with a similar structure.

"Respiratory infections like those caused by coronaviruses can exacerbate asthma symptoms and corticosteroid treatment may increase susceptibility to COVID-19 infection and its severity," Dr Sunjaya said.

•••••

USA failing to reach populations most in need of HIV prevention and treatment services as epidemic grows in the South and rural areas

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/tl-pss021821.php

 

News Release 19-Feb-2021
People who are racial, sexual, and gender minorities continue to be affected by HIV at significantly higher rates than white people, a disparity also reflected in the COVID-19 pandemic
The Lancet

 

The USA continues to lag behind other G-7 nations when it comes to controlling its HIV epidemic and is the only high-income country among the top 10 most HIV-affected countries worldwide. The majority of HIV infections are now concentrated in the South and rural areas, where women and minorities are disproportionately affected; a disparity that has also been seen in the COVID-19 pandemic which has disproportionately affected African Americans, Latinx Americans, Native Americans, and prisoners and detainees.

The USA's inability to control its own epidemic is in stark contrast to its role as the largest global funder of HIV research and AIDS programs worldwide.


•••••

The geography of the US epidemic has shifted dramatically and is now most intense in the South, which represents 37% of the US population but 51% of people living with HIV and 47% of new HIV diagnoses in 2018.

•••••

Gender differences in PWID are common. Women who inject drugs are 1.2 times more likely to acquire HIV than their male counterparts, often being second to use the needle after their male injection partner. In 2017, women accounted for 28% of new HIV diagnoses among PWID.

•••••

While uninsurance has drastically declined over the past decade thanks to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), the USA trails other high-income countries in key HIV-specific metrics, including rates of viral suppression [4]. And the system remains complex with coverage opportunities varying substantially across the country, leaving many people outside the system.

•••••

Communal activities boost rehabilitation for older adults in long term care

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/tu-cab021921.php

 

News Release 19-Feb-2021
Tohoku University

 

A group of researchers has developed a new program showing participation and activity is critical for the rehabilitation of older adults in long-term care.

The results of their research were published in the journal PLOS ONE on February 12, 2021.

"Our study shows participatory programs that encourage elderly patients to be active need greater emphasis in elderly care centers," said Yoshihiko Baba, lead author of the study.


•••••

Innovative parenting programs address inequality in young children's development

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/nlh-ipp021921.php

 

News Release 19-Feb-2021
NYU Langone Health / NYU School of Medicine

 

Parent education programs and interventions that begin shortly after the birth of a child have shown to significantly impact parenting behaviors that support social and academic engagement for children growing up in poverty, according to a study led by pediatricians and psychologists across the country, including NYU Grossman School of Medicine, NYU Steinhardt, and the University of Pittsburgh.


•••••

"Lack of opportunities for pretend play and children's book reading leaves children, particularly those in poverty, less prepared for learning, less healthy, and is even linked with lower income throughout their lives," said Alan Mendelsohn, MD, professor in the departments of Pediatrics, Population Health, and the division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, and one of the study's principal investigators. "Smart Beginnings provides a practical approach for helping all children have an equal start in school and in life."

•••••

The results of the study showed large increases in parents' engaging their children in reading, playing and talking, measured by surveys and observing parents reading and playing with their children. Comparable impacts across the two sites supports the feasibility for parents from diverse geographic locations and racial/ethnic background to improve parent-child interactions. The study also supports bringing this model "to scale" as an inexpensive solution for reaching families in need.

"One clear advantage of providing parents with a program like the Smart Beginnings project is that it can be delivered at about one-tenth of the cost of other programs with comparable impacts," said lead author Erin Roby, PhD, developmental psychologist and research scientist at NYU Grossman School of Medicine. "Smart Beginnings' had large impacts, demonstrating that this model has the potential to address some of the most important equity issues of our time."

•••••

With childcare programs closed and social distancing measures in place, many children are missing out on opportunities for development. Pediatricians have noted delays in speech and language as well as trouble sharing and being in groups.

"Children are not getting the cognitive and social experiences that they would normally get outside their home," said Mendelsohn. "Numerous studies suggest that COVID-19 is causing challenges and stressors for families that will affect children throughout their lives, yet there has been little attention to the effects of the pandemic on families with very young children."

Over the last year, Mendelsohn and the team have adapted the Smart Beginnings model to be delivered fully remote to continue to provide support to families in isolation during the pandemic.

Most recently, VIP has expanded to Flint, Michigan, a community deeply affected by a major crisis when its drinking water was contaminated by lead. The team is prepared for a large-scale implementation of the program nationwide. "Expanding our programs will make a tremendous difference for families facing large challenges that will continue long after the pandemic ends," said Mendelsohn.

Data show lower daily temperatures lead to higher transmission of COVID-19

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/uol-dsl021921.php

 

 •••••

News Release 19-Feb-2021
Researchers analyzed daily low temperatures and infection rates in 50 Northern Hemisphere countries to quantify their effect on SARS-CoV-2 transmission
University of Louisville

 

SARS-CoV-2 belongs to a large family of human coronaviruses, most of which are characterized by increased transmission in cooler, less humid months and decreased transmission in warmer, more humid months. With this understanding, researchers at the University of Louisville's Christina Lee Brown Envirome Institute, the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, the U.S. Department of Defense Joint Artificial Intelligence Center and others theorized that atmospheric temperature also would affect transmission of SARS-CoV-2.

The researchers compared daily low temperature data and logged cases of COVID-19 in 50 countries in the Northern Hemisphere between Jan. 22 and April 6, 2020. Their research, published this week in PLOS ONE, showed that as temperatures rose, the rate of new cases of COVID-19 decreased.

The data analysis showed that between 30 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit, a 1-degree Fahrenheit increase in daily low temperature was associated with a 1% decrease in the rate of increase in COVID-19 cases, and a 1-degree decrease in temperature was associated with an increase in that rate by 3.7%. By analyzing data from early in the pandemic, the results were obtained without significant influence by lockdowns, masking or other social efforts to contain the virus.

"Although COVID-19 is an infectious disease that will have non-temperature dependent transmission, our research indicates that it also may have a seasonal component," said Aruni Bhatnagar, Ph.D., co-author and director of the Brown Envirome Institute. "Of course, the effect of temperature on the rate of transmission is altered by social interventions like distancing, as well as time spent indoors and other factors. A combination of these factors ultimately determines the spread of COVID-19."

•••••

"This understanding of of the SARS-CoV-2 temperature sensitivity has important implications for anticipating the course of the pandemic," said Adam Kaplin, M.D., Ph.D., of Johns Hopkins, first author of the study. "We do not know how long the currently available vaccines will sustain their benefits, nor what the risks are of new variants developing over time if the Northern and Southern Hemispheres continue to exchange COVID-19, back and forth across the equator, due to their opposing seasons. But it is reasonable to conclude that this research suggests that, like other seasonal viruses, SARS-CoV-2 could prove to be extremely difficult to contain over time unless there is a concerted and collaborative global effort to work to end this pandemic." 

Combined vaccination and physical distancing enough to prevent future COVID-19 surges

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/uos-cva021921.php

 

News Release 19-Feb-2021
University of Southampton

A combination of robust vaccination programmes and strict physical distancing rules could avoid recurring peaks of 

COVID-19 without the need to rely on stay-at-home restrictions, according to a new study by epidemiologists and demographers from WorldPop at the University of Southampton, in collaboration with The Chinese University of Hong Kong.



•••••

The researchers report cities with medium and high density populations will need both vaccination and distancing to prevent future intense waves of COVID-19, until herd immunity is reached. However, they suggest cities with low populations and effective vaccination could fully interrupt transmission without the need for physical distancing. In all cities, full 'stay-at-home' lockdowns would no longer be necessary.

The team's results also suggest strong physical distancing interventions implemented for short periods of time may be more effective than mild, longer term ones.

•••••

Eating more refined grains increases risk of heart attack & death: SFU researcher

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/sfu-emr021921.php

News Release 19-Feb-2021


The researchers examined diets from diverse populations in low, middle and high-income countries.

Simon Fraser University

A new study published in The British Medical Journal by researchers including SFU health sciences professor Scott Lear found consuming a high number of refined grains, such as croissants and white bread, is associated with a higher risk of major cardiovascular disease, stroke and death.


•••••



•••••



•••••



•••••



•••••



•••••

Vaccine boosters

From New Scientist email newsletter

Feb. 11, 2021

In the days before and after your vaccine, researchers suggest you should do the following to encourage a strong immune response:

    Avoid stress
    Get plenty of sleep
    Connect with friends and family, to increase feelings of social support
    Avoid alcohol
    Make sure you are getting enough exercise

I was invited for a covid vaccine because the NHS thought I was 6cm [2.4 in] tall

https://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/news/liverpool-news/invited-covid-vaccine-because-nhs-19857990?utm_source=nsday&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=NSDAY_180221

ByLiam Thorp
14:27, 17 FEB 2021Updated17:14, 17 FEB 2021

When I received a text saying it was time for my first Covid-19 vaccine I was really surprised - but what came next was frankly surreal.

I'm 32 years old with no underlying health conditions, and while I could be described as on the chunky side, I wouldn't have thought of myself as clinically obese (even after lockdown).

•••••

The man from the surgery took a sharp intake of breath and tried to remain composed as he informed me that rather than having my height registered as six foot two, it had been put into the system as 6.2 centimetres [2.4 inches].

I'm not sure how he kept it together when he told me that this, combined with my weight, had given me a Body Mass Index (BMI) of 28,000.

For reference, a BMI of 40 or more is considered morbidly obese - so I'm not sure what this would have made me.

•••••

If pipes are frozen, should you leave the faucet on? Here's how to thaw pipes during winter storms.

Please read the article at the following link.  Too much useful information to do a good synopsis.   Leaving the water dripping cab be enough.

https://news.yahoo.com/pipes-frozen-leave-faucet-heres-184414630.html

Mike Snider, USA TODAY
Tue, February 16, 2021, 1:44 PM


•••••

Keep your home warm to help prevent pipes from freezing. Don't drop the temperature down at night in the home during frigid weather, Galeotafiore says. "That sounds counter-intuitive to what we usually say about energy conservation, but you have to do that because if you have a pipe burst it can be thousands of dollars of damage," he said.

•••••

Constantly run a small stream of water from faucets that might have pipes susceptible to freezing. "If the house is heated and you open the faucets up and you open the cabinet doors, even if you are in a really, really cold environment, it should be a pretty good fix," Brown said.

•••••

In Texas, fossil fuels played largest role in leaving millions without power

https://news.yahoo.com/blame-wind-texas-fossil-fuels-013857993.html

Business Insider

Charles Davis
Tue, February 16, 2021, 8:38 PM

•••••

According to the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which manages 75% of the state's deregulated electricity market, the single-day record for demand, set in 2018, was smashed on Valentine's Day. And as the weather has gotten worse, the capacity to generate electricity has diminished: By Tuesday, per ERCOT's CEO, 45,000 megawatts of generating capacity was offline - up from 34,000 megawatts offline the day before, representing more than half of what the state typically uses in a day.'

Most of the generation lost has been from coal and gas, according to ERCOT, with only 13% attributable to wind. "By some estimates," The Texas Tribune reported Tuesday, "nearly half of the state's natural-gas production has screeched to a halt."

"Gathering lines freeze, and the wells get so cold that they can't produce," Parker Fawcett, a natural-gas analyst at S&P Global Platts, told The Tribune. "And, pumps use electricity, so they're not even able to lift that gas and liquid, because there's no power to produce."

•••••

It is also energy-independent, its electricity grid almost entirely disconnected from the rest of the country. That move insulates it from federal regulation but has also left it hanging now, in this moment of need, with so much of its own power generation offline.

•••••

Texas' chief source of electricity is not renewable. Indeed, a majority, 52%, comes from natural gas, according to the US Energy Information Administration, while less than a quarter comes from renewables such as wind and solar.

And fossil fuels have been affected by the weather too.

As of Tuesday morning, the distributor Texas Gas Service warned consumers, "our suppliers of natural gas are experiencing freezing gas wells due to the duration of the extreme cold."

•••••



•••••



•••••

An impeachment manager says Republicans privately told her she made a compelling case to convict Trump, but they acquitted him anyway

https://www.businessinsider.com/stacey-plaskett-republicans-privately-said-made-the-case-convict-trump-2021-2

Ashley Collman
Feb 16, 2021, 6:26 AM

A House impeachment manager said Republican senators had told her privately that she "made the case" to convict former President Donald Trump, but they still voted to acquit him.

Stacey Plaskett, a Democratic delegate from the Virgin Islands, told CNN's Chris Cuomo on Monday about interactions she had with unnamed Republican senators during Trump's second impeachment trial last week.

"I had senators, even after we presented, who stopped me in the hallway — Republicans — who said that we had made the case but yet they were going to vote to acquit the president," Plaskett said.

•••••

"But I do believe, even though we lost that case, that we have shown who Donald Trump is. We've shown the enemy that was among us, that was attempting to lead us, that was using us for his own greed and power, and that he will not have the same power that he had, should he ever attempt to run again."

Coronavirus update: Biden administration increases vaccine doses to states

 

https://news.yahoo.com/coronavirus-update-biden-administration-increases-vaccine-doses-to-states-uk-approves-first-human-challenge-trial-191430509.html

 

Anjalee Khemlani·Senior Reporter
Wed, February 17, 2021, 2:14 PM

The U.S. federal government continues to increase state allotments of vaccine doses, even as winter weather slows down shipments and delays appointments, especially in Texas where power outages are ongoing.

States should expect a total of 13.5 million vaccines next week, an increase from 11 million this week, with additional shipments directly to pharmacies and federally qualified health centers.

Meanwhile, the country awaits Johnson & Johnson's (JNJ) vaccine authorization, which could come as early as the end of the month. But even with hopes pinned on the one-shot dose, White House COVID-19 Response Team coordinator Jeff Zients said Wednesday there won't be a sudden surge of vaccines available.

"There is not a big inventory," Zients said, adding that only a few million of the 100 million promised will be available by the end of June.

Zients said the administration is working with the company to determine how to ramp up production. Unlike the existing vaccines, J&J's is not based on a new technology and can likely use existing infrastructure.

•••••

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has begun to set up more vaccine sites and is staffing them with active military in a partnership with the Department of Defense. FEMA is designating small sites as those capable of completing 3,000 vaccinations per day, and larger sites handling double that amount. Large sites in New York and Texas have opened, and smaller ones in New Jersey and the U.S. Virgin Islands are planned, officials said Tuesday.

•••••

"What (President Joe Biden) inherited was not enough supply, not enough vaccinators, not enough places for vaccinations to happen. Communities had been left to fend for themselves. And so, that's what he's been focused on and working on," Psaki said.

•••••

Executioners sanitized accounts of deaths in federal cases

https://news.yahoo.com/executioners-sanitized-accounts-deaths-federal-110001630.html

 

Associated Press

 

MICHAEL TARM
Wed, February 17, 2021, 6:00 AM

Executioners who put 13 inmates to death in the last months of the Trump administration likened the process of dying by lethal injection to falling asleep and called gurneys “beds” and final breaths “snores.”

But those tranquil accounts are at odds with reports by The Associated Press and other media witnesses of how prisoners’ stomachs rolled, shook and shuddered as the pentobarbital took effect inside the U.S. penitentiary death chamber in Terre Haute, Indiana. The AP witnessed every execution.

The sworn accounts by executioners, which government filings cited as evidence the lethal injections were going smoothly, raise questions about whether officials misled courts to ensure the executions scheduled from July to mid-January were done before death penalty opponent Joe Biden became president.

•••••

Questions about whether inmates' midsections trembled as media witnesses described were a focus of litigation throughout the run of executions. Inmates' lawyers argued it proved pentobarbital caused flash pulmonary edema, in which fluid rushes through quickly disintegrating membranes into lungs and airways, causing pain akin to being suffocated or drowned. The U.S. Constitution prohibits execution methods that are “cruel and unusual."

•••••

William Breeden, a spiritual adviser in the chamber when 52-year-old Corey Johnson was executed on Jan. 14 after his 1992 conviction of killing seven people, said in a filing the next day that “Corey said his hands and mouth were burning” after the injection.

•••••

Authorities also provided no public access to medical records on when inmates’ brainwaves or hearts stopped, which could have helped determine whether they were conscious when the distinctive motions occurred.

•••••

Freak cold in Texas has scientists discussing whether climate change is to blame

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-global-weather-polar-vortex/freak-cold-in-texas-has-scientists-discussing-whether-climate-change-is-to-blame-idUSKBN2AH2O7

 

By Tom Balmforth

February 17, 20213:13 PM

The freak cold spell that has killed at least 21 Americans and shut down power for days in Texas has revived scientific discussion over whether climate change could be delivering this week’s chill.

Scientists say global warming – specifically the rapid warming of the Arctic – is a possible, if not likely, culprit in the extreme weather.

Historically, frigid temperatures have typically been contained within the Arctic by a jet stream circling the polar region. In fact, along with the spinning of the planet, it’s the contrast in temperatures and atmospheric pressures between the Arctic and lower latitudes that results in the winds.

But as the Arctic has warmed more than twice as fast as the global average over the last three decades, that contrast can be less pronounced, said Paul Beckwith, a climate system scientist in Ottawa. That could cause the polar jet stream to slow down and meander, so that it carries more warmer air toward the pole and frigid air further south, he said.

“What we’re seeing this year is an extreme example of what happens when the jet stream trough goes really deep southward,” Beckwith said.

“I think it’s a rock-solid case,” he said. But “it might take a bit of time for the science to catch up and find all the details” to prove it.

•••••

scientists have found a strong correlation between extreme winter weather in 12 U.S. cities and warmer temperatures in the Arctic over the last 50 years, according to research published in 2018 in the Nature Communications journal.

The United States may not be the only country affected, either.

•••••

While Semenov acknowledges there is still not enough data to establish a firm climate link in the pattern, he said research pointing to the theory of a “wavier” polar jet stream due to Arctic warming was compelling.

•••••

Study discovers safe, effective oral treatment for uterine fibroids

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/uocm-sds021521.php

 

News Release 17-Feb-2021
University of Chicago Medical Center

 

Uterine fibroids are a common cause of heavy menstrual bleeding and pain in women of reproductive age, especially among women of color. An estimated $34 billion in healthcare costs are associated with uterine fibroids in the United States alone each year, yet there are few treatment options other than surgery.

Now a University of Chicago Medicine researcher working with an international team of scientists has developed a daily oral combination therapy that is reliable, safe and effective for long-term treatment of uterine fibroids.


•••••

Timing of physical activity linked to fitness levels, CV risk for men with type 2 diabetes

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/bawh-top021621.php

 

News Release 17-Feb-2021
Associations based on observational data show risk of developing heart disease in men and vary by time of day; similar link not seen in women
Brigham and Women's Hospital

 

Numerous studies have demonstrated the role of physical activity in improving heart health for patients with type 2 diabetes. But whether exercising at a certain time of the day promises an added health bonus for this population is still largely unknown. Now, research published in Diabetes Care by Brigham and Women's Hospital and Joslin Diabetes Center investigators, along with collaborators, reports a correlation between the timing of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity and cardiovascular fitness and health risks for individuals who have type 2 diabetes and obesity or overweight.

The research team found that, in its study of 2,035 people, men who performed physical activity in the morning had the highest risks of developing coronary heart disease (CHD), independent of the amount and intensity of weekly physical activity. Men most active midday had lower cardiorespiratory fitness levels. In women, the investigators did not find an association between specific activity timing and CHD risk or cardiorespiratory fitness.


•••••

Plastic recycling results in rare metals being found in children's toys and food packaging

There is no simple, easy solution to our environmental problems. We need to use fewer resources overall.  An economy that depends on an ever increasing population and use of resources is a Ponzi scheme.

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2021-02/uop-prr021621.php

 

News Release 17-Feb-2021
University of Plymouth

 

Some of the planet's rarest metals - used in the manufacture of smartphones and other electrical equipment - are increasingly being found in everyday consumer plastics, according to new research.

Scientists from the University of Plymouth and University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign tested a range of new and used products including children's toys, office equipment and cosmetic containers.

Through a number of detailed assessments, they examined levels of rare earth elements (REEs) but also quantities of bromine and antimony, used as flame retardants in electrical equipment and a sign of the presence of recycled electronic plastic.

The results showed one or more REEs were found in 24 of the 31 products tested, including items where unregulated recycling is prohibited such as single-use food packaging.

They were most commonly observed in samples containing bromine and antimony at levels insufficient to effect flame retardancy, but also found in plastics where those chemicals weren't present.

Having also been found in beached marine plastics, the study's authors have suggested there is evidence that REEs are ubiquitous and pervasive contaminants of both contemporary and historical consumer and environmental plastics.

•••••

Dr Andrew Turner, Associate Professor (Reader) in Environmental Sciences at the University of Plymouth and the study's lead author, said: "Rare earth elements have a variety of critical applications in modern electronic equipment because of their magnetic, phosphorescent and electrochemical properties. However, they are not deliberately added to plastic to serve any function. So their presence is more likely the result of incidental contamination during the mechanical separation and processing of recoverable components.

•••••

In May 2018, he showed that hazardous chemicals such as bromine, antimony and lead are finding their way into food-contact items and other everyday products because manufacturers are using recycled electrical equipment as a source of black plastic.