Hard candy has always been a known choking hazard for little kids, but a new study found that more than 12,000 are treated in emergency rooms due to choking issues — and the biggest culprit is hard candy.
Researchers at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio looked at a nationwide surveillance system that collects data from ER visits. Hard candy caused 15.5 percent of choking episodes, while meat caused 12.2 percent and bone caused 12 percent.
Though most children were treated and released, experts would like to know what type of injuries occurred from these episodes.
"It would be interesting to look and see which ones were the most important ones, which ones caused admission," said Wendy Pomerantz, MD, of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Data on choking incidents resolved at home were also not included in the data.
Boys With Autism or ADHD Play More Video Games
Younger boys with autism spectrum disorders or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder are more likely to play video games in an addictive manner, new research in the August issue of Pediatrics found.
Boys with autism played video games for an average of 2.1 hours, boys with ADHD averaged 1.7 hours and typically developing boys averaged 1.2 hours.
"Boys with ADHD and boys on the autism spectrum both have difficulties relating with peers," said Dr. Andrew Adesman, chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at the Steven and Alexandra Cohen Children's Medical Center of New York in New Hyde Park. Video games provide a distraction that doesn't require other social interaction, he added.
Experts note that video games in and of themselves aren't the problem, and that being good at a video game could improve a child’s self-esteem. But moderation is best: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no more than an hour or two of total screen time daily.
Tobacco Company Developing Lower Toxin Cigarettes
A British tobacco company is poised to launch a six-month study of cigarettes that contain a lower level of toxins.
British American Tobacco will look at the effects of these cigarettes on lung function in current smokers. These cigarettes will have the same levels of tars and nicotine as in regular cigarettes, but have lower levels of chemicals such as aromatic amines, carbonyls and nitrosamines.
Though it may seem like a step forward, this study won’t fulfill Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requirements for marketing a lower risk cigarette. The company would also have to evaluate the effects of second-hand smoke, effect on smoking habits, the likelihood that smokers would switch to a different product and more.
FDA Proposes New Rules on Imported Food
The FDA proposed stricter rules on imported foods amid more reports of illness outbreaks linked to food grown outside of the United States.
This announcement comes on the heels of an outbreak of cyclospora, a foodborne intestinal parasite found in tropical locations such as Latin America and Southeast Asia. Separately, pomegranate seeds imported from Turkey have been blamed for a hepatitis A outbreak that sickened 153 people.
The new rules would fortify standards for overseas food safety auditors used by food companies to regulate the safety of their exports.
Erinn Connor is a staff writer for Health Matters With Dr. Sanjay Gupta
Last Updated: 7/30/2013