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THURSDAY, Feb. 18, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- Worried about what damage the polluted air outside might pose to your health during your work commute? New research suggests you might want to worry more about the chemicals you are exposed to inside your car.Benzene and formaldehyde are used in automobile manufacturing, and both are known to cause cancer at or above certain levels of exposure. Benzene also poses a risk of reproductive and developmental problems. Benzene is used to produce synthetic fibers, and formaldehyde is a binder in plastics.University of California, Riverside researchers calculated the daily amount of benzene and formaldehyde being inhaled by California drivers with commutes of at least 20 minutes a day. Based on based on average 30-minute commute times, up to 90% of...

THURSDAY, Feb. 18, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- The growth patterns of kids born through fertility treatment differ initially from those conceived naturally, but those growth rates do catch up over time, a new study finds.In-vitro fertilization and other forms of "assisted reproductive technology" (ART) has long been associated with lower birth weights in babies, but it wasn't clear how long differences in growth continue.To find out, Norwegian researchers analyzed data on nearly 80,000 children conceived naturally, and more than 1,700 conceived through ART. The children were followed to age 7.Nearly 5,300 of the naturally conceived children were born to parents who took more than a year get pregnant. Of ART children, 1,073 were born from fresh embryos and 179 from frozen embryos.The ART...

THURSDAY, Feb. 18, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- States with more gun laws have less youth gun violence, new research reveals.For the study, the researchers examined data from several states from 2005 to 2017, and found that kids were less likely to be armed in states with more gun laws, and more likely to carry a weapon in states with fewer gun laws.Louisiana and Arkansas had the highest percentage of armed youth in 2017 at 12.7%. These two states had 13 gun laws in place.New York and Iowa had the fewest kids carrying guns. The lowest rates were in New York in 2013 and Iowa in 2007, at 3% and 3.5%, respectively. New York had 63 gun laws in 2013, and Iowa had 20 in 2007, the study authors noted."We understood the role of individual characteristics in youth gun carrying, but we often ignored...

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 17, 2021 (HealthDay News) -- In a finding that suggests heart health starts in the womb, a new study shows that the state of a woman's heart during pregnancy may predict her kids' health by the time they reach adolescence.Researchers found that when mothers' weight, blood pressure and cholesterol levels were less healthy during pregnancy, their children were at heightened risk for those same issues.The reasons are not certain, but it could be a matter of both biology and lifestyle, said lead researcher Dr. Amanda Perak. She's an assistant professor at Lurie Children's Hospital and Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, in Chicago.Genes, as well as the effects of the uterine environment on fetal development, could be at work, Perak said. Plus, she added,...