healthbriefs
swine Flu
cleaner Air Pays off
vaccine
R
esearch from Brigham Young University and Harvard School of Public Health
now shows that the average life expectancy in 51 U.S. cities has increased
is it safe?
nearly three years over recent decades and that about five months of this new
lease on life can be linked to the fact that we’re breathing
W
hile major
pharmaceu-
cleaner air. In the cities previously most polluted, the cleaner
tical companies
air added about 10 months to the average resident’s life.
around the world
“Such a significant increase in life expectancy attribut-
race to prepare a
able to reducing air pollution is remarkable,” said C.
swine flu (H1N1)
Arden Pope III, a BYU epidemiologist and lead author
vaccine in antici-
of the study. Cleaning up our air and keeping it clean is
pation of a possible
providing a substantial return on investment; it improves not
outbreak this
only our environment, but our health, too.
fall, many issues
regarding the vac-
cine’s safety have
yet to be resolved.
Media outlets report that one
Anti-Aging rX
major issue revolves around whether
the shots will contain an adjuvant,
for the mind
an immune-boosting substance, to
stretch the vaccine supply. Adjuvants,
P
articipating in certain mental activities in according to the Canadian-based
middle age and later in life may delay or Vaccination Risk Awareness Net-
prevent memory loss, according to a recent work (vran.org), may contain harmful
study of individuals aged 70 to 89 with mild
chemicals such as mercury (in thime-
cognitive impairment or diagnosed memory
rosal), aluminum and formaldehyde
loss. The researchers found that reading
and have been linked to neurological
books and magazines, playing games, doing
disorders. The Coalition for Sensible
crafts and engaging in computer activities
Action for Ending Mercury-Induced
in one’s later years led to a 30 to 50 percent
Neurological Disorders (SafeMinds.
decrease in the risk of developing memory loss. Those who watched less television
org) has expressed concerns about
in their later years were also less likely to suffer from these problems.
these adjuvants and their possible
health risks; they state that in a recent
Source: American Academy of Neurology, 2009
public engagement session sponsored
by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention, many questions re-
garding the vaccine’s safety remained
unanswered. The center’s official
information is published at cdc.gov/
h1n1flu.
Another general concern results
from the “fast-track approval” ap-
proach for which the pharmaceuti-
cal companies are pushing to win
the race against time. Clinical trials
involving all age groups are currently
under way in many countries; the
trials do not include pregnant women
even though pregnant women are a
major vaccination target.
As it stands, the H1N1 swine flu
vaccine is classified as a Class C drug,
meaning that the vaccine has not yet
been evaluated for carcinogenic or
mutagenic potential. Nor have animal
studies been conducted to investigate
possible fetal harm.
October 2009 11
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