Weird News Toys contaminated with asbestos

Toys contaminated with asbestos

A popular children’s sand toy has been pulled from sale after tests found it was contaminated with asbestos.

Craftplay Sand Art Bottles, sold as a pack of 10 through Amazon’s marketplace, have been recalled over fears that the potentially dangerous material could pose a health risk. Customers who have bought the kits are being urged to stop using them immediately and contact their local authority for advice on safe disposal. The sand bottles were manufactured by Anthony Peters Mfg Co Ltd and are understood to have originated in China. The Amazon product code is B0B15J7N2B. Recall information published by the Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has not specified how long the kit was available for sale before being withdrawn.

The latest recall comes amid a wider crackdown on asbestos-contaminated products. Over the past seven months, 183 other craft kits, children’s toys and novelty items have reportedly been removed from sale after asbestos was discovered. This includes seven other sand art bottles and craft kits sold or distributed by companies. Anyone with an affected product should stop using it immediately.

If the sand remains inside its original packaging, customers are advised to place it inside a heavy-duty plastic bag, double-tape it, label it and keep it well away from children. Where sand has already been used, affected areas should be cleaned with wet cloths while wearing gloves and a mask. Cleaning materials should then be securely bagged in the same way. Children should be kept away from contaminated areas until they have been thoroughly cleaned.

Amazon has not yet published information about refunds for the recalled product, with the OPSS directing customers to contact their local authority for advice on disposal.

Fizzy drinks may be linked to stomach cancer

Drinking just one sugary fizzy drink a day could more than double the risk of stomach cancer, research suggests.

Scientists found people who consumed at least one sugar-sweetened drink daily were 2.45 times more likely to develop the disease than those who rarely drank them. The study tracked 112,284 people over several decades, monitoring their consumption of regular fizzy drinks, punches, lemonades and sports drinks. Of those taking part, 278 eventually developed stomach cancer, including 140 women and 138 men. The increased risk was particularly striking among women, who were three times more likely to develop the disease if they drank sugary fizzy drinks every day. For men, the risk was twice as high.

However, people who enjoyed a fizzy drink only a few times a month or week did not appear to face a meaningful increase in risk. Researchers, writing in Gastro Help Advances, also found higher consumption of fructose, a sugar naturally found in fruit and commonly added to soft drinks, was associated with greater stomach cancer risk. They could not establish whether fructose itself was responsible. Artificially sweetened drinks, meanwhile, were not linked to an increased risk of stomach cancer, although scientists cautioned that evidence around artificial sweeteners is still evolving.

The reason sugary drinks might be linked to the disease is also unclear. Researchers suggested possible explanations could include weight gain, insulin problems, hormonal changes, inflammation or disruption to the bacteria living in the gut. Stomach cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer death worldwide, with around 6,800 new cases diagnosed in the UK each year.

Pomegranates, walnuts can help fix the heart

Eating pomegranates and walnuts could help repair some of the potentially deadly damage caused by heart failure, scientists suggest.

Researchers at King’s College London found that a natural compound produced after eating foods rich in certain plant chemicals dramatically improved heart function in animals. The compound, called urolithin A, is produced when gut bacteria break down polyphenols found in foods including pomegranates, walnuts and berries.

In experiments, animals suffering from heart failure were given urolithin A and saw their heart function improve by as much as 80 per cent. Scientists believe the compound helps the heart muscle relax, while also reducing the scarring that can make the organ stiff and less effective. The team then tested urolithin A on human heart tissue in a laboratory, where it also produced encouraging results. The findings could eventually lead to a new treatment for heart failure with preserved ejection fraction, a form in which the heart becomes stiff and struggles to fill properly with blood.

Heart failure affects around 920,000 people in the UK, with roughly half suffering from this form of the condition. There are currently few effective treatments, and more than half of people diagnosed with heart failure die within five years. The researchers believe the next step could be developing a medicine containing urolithin A. However, they stressed that there is not yet enough evidence for people to eat pomegranates as a treatment for heart failure.