Hedge trimmers recalled, may activate unexpectedly
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A recall of hedge trimmers across Canada leads MedicalWatch for June 13, 2025.
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CBC
an hour ago
- CBC
Something stinks at Corner Brook's new hospital
For months a foul odour has lingered near both the main and emergency entrances of Corner Brook's new Western Memorial Regional Hospital, but a Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services representative says they're working to get to the source of the smell. Shelby Pyke, an acting senior director in the health authority's Western zone, says water testing has identified the presence of sulfur-reducing bacteria within the storm catch basins near the entrances. She says the cause of the eggy smell is likely groundwater seeping into the storm drain system and not from sewage. "We certainly recognize that it is unpleasant. We do want to assure the public that there is no risk to public safety, but we do sincerely apologize to our patients, visitors, staff, whoever has kind of encountered this smell on their visit," she told CBC Radio's Newfoundland Morning. She says the hospital has known about the foul smell for a few months, and "obviously there's quite a few different parties involved in the planning. We're happy to say that we've now identified both the source and the solution of the problem." Work ahead Pyke says they're working with the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, building maintenance and an environmental consultant to fix the problem, including flushing and cleaning the storm drain system. "We're now co-ordinating a mechanical solution to kind of see all the problem areas and address the root cause so that we don't end up in this situation again in the future," said Pyke. The new hospital opened in June 2024, and CBC News reported in February it was already overflowing, and two floors of the old hospital were going to be renovated to hold 45 more patients. Pyke says the bacteria was able to enter the storm drain system due to problems with the pipes. "From what I know, without getting into too much detail, there are I guess some deficiencies with the connections of the pipes," she said. "So we have identified a mechanical solution that is going to kind of seal those problem areas and prevent that from happening in the future." Pyke doesn't know what fixing the problem might cost at the moment, however NL Health Services doesn't anticipate having to pay those costs themselves due to the project agreement for hospital construction and operations.
CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
As some restaurants ditch seed oils for beef tallow, UPEI prof warns it's no health upgrade
Social Sharing At Pedro's Island Eatery in North Rustico, owner Pedro Gameiro has long been not a fan of using seed oils for frying — so much so that he once considered removing fried foods from his menu altogether. "So, I found an alternative… by going back to my roots," the Portuguese chef told This is P.E.I. podcast host Mitch Cormier. That alternative is beef tallow, or rendered beef fat. Gameiro said Portuguese and Italian cooking methods often use animal fats like lard and beef fat for cooking as well as preservation. Now his restaurant has eliminated seed oils from the kitchen and switched to beef tallow for frying. The change is costing him more, almost double compared to seed oils, but he believes it's the right choice for both his business and his customers. "It's a matter of principle, and taste for the customer," he said. 'Pushing beef tallow for health reasons is ludicrous' Beef tallow has recently gained new popularity, partly thanks to high-profile figures like U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Back in March, Kennedy appeared in a Fox News interview with a cheeseburger and fries, endorsing a burger chain's decision to fry their food in beef tallow. The interview was one of many instances in which Kennedy publicly criticized seed oils, despite decades of research supporting their use. Dietitians like Jennifer Taylor, who teaches courses in food and nutrition at the University of Prince Edward Island, are concerned about these recent shifts in public messaging. While seed oils aren't perfect, she said eliminating them doesn't mean health benefits. Often known as cooking or vegetable oils, seed oils come from the seeds of plants such as canola, corn, soybeans or sunflowers. The oils have a high concentration of omega-6 fatty acids and low concentrations of omega-3 fatty acids. Both are polyunsaturated fats, which can help reduce bad cholesterol levels in blood — reducing the risk for heart disease and stroke. In comparison, animal-based oils or fats like beef tallow have saturated fats, which can raise your bad cholesterol levels. Saturated fats are also found in tropical oils such as coconut and palm oil. "The amount of evidence that palm oil, coconut oil and beef tallow can make your health worse is huge. You look at all the major organizations — you know, the World Health Organization, any big organization in the U.S., in the U.K., in Europe — they're all saying the same thing," Taylor said. Taylor said she's aware of the recent resurgence of beef tallow, appearing in social media skincare trends and having high-profile individuals promoting it. "Pushing beef tallow for health reasons is ludicrous, in my mind," the dietitian said. Seed oil concerns However, while there are health benefits to seed oils, they can pose risks when reused over and over again for frying, Taylor said. That's because polyunsaturated fats are vulnerable to oxidation — chemical changes that occur when exposed to oxygen and heat repeatedly. "Things start to break down, and you can form compounds that are, you know, not necessarily very good for you." That's why she recommends choosing reputable restaurants that regularly change their oil. "A good restaurant is not going to let their oil get black," she said. Another reason some people are concerned about seed oils is that some old research suggests having a high ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids could lead to higher levels of chronic inflammation, she said. "We know now that pretty much every disease that we worry about is basically coming from an inflammatory process. So if you eat a lot of foods that are what we would call pro-inflammatory foods, you might be more likely to develop high cholesterol, you might be more likely to get cancer, those kinds of things." Still, she stressed that nutritional scientists consider both omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids to be healthy fats. "We have a mountain of evidence that says that these healthy fats, that we continue to say are healthy fats, will decrease your risk of the things that kill us," she said. "And then we have a little tiny bit of evidence that says maybe these omega-6s might lead to inflammation, but it's more of a theory. We don't really have any proof for that." Taylor said it's important that people evaluate the source and quality of any health claims, especially when they come from individuals without expertise in nutrition. "When an individual MD comes out with a claim, you have to ask them, 'Well, how much evidence do you have?'... and 'How much background do you have in nutrition?'" In the end, Taylor said that despite the health benefits of seed oils, moderation is important — especially when it comes to fried foods. "You're not supposed to be eating buckets of any kind of oil." Variety is also key, she said. Nutrients like omega-3s can be found not just in seed oils but in many healthy foods, including fish, nuts, seeds and avocados. Still fried food, after all As for Gameiro, he said that after reading more about both types, he found beef tallow to be less processed than seed oils. Since making the switch, he's noticed a real differences in both taste and texture. "The fries come out in a way that they never did with seed oils," he said. "It's a much lighter fry. And even the... fish and chips, it's much lighter, better tasting." He also said beef tallow can last longer in the fryer, as long as it stays under 350 F. Gameiro isn't worried about losing customers. When he posted about the change on social media, the response was largely positive, he said. Still, he agrees with Taylor on at least one point: Fried food is still fried food.
CBC
4 hours ago
- CBC
More than 400 Manitoba infants got measles vaccine since eligibility expanded: province
More than 400 children under the age of one have received the measles vaccine in Manitoba since the government expanded eligibility for the shot last month due to a growing number of cases. The province announced on May 14 that infants between the ages of six and 12 months old living in the Southern Health and the Interlake-Eastern health authority regions would be eligible to get the measles, mumps and rubella (or MMR) vaccine, as can those who travel regularly or have close contact with people in those regions. That eligibility was further expanded earlier this month to include infants who have been evacuated from their communities because of ongoing wildfires in Manitoba, and may be staying in southern areas of the province that have seen outbreaks of the highly contagious disease. Before the province expanded the eligibility, kids six to 12 months old could only get one dose of the vaccine if they were travelling to a "measles-endemic country." On Friday, a provincial spokesperson confirmed that approximately 450 infants between the ages of six and 12-months old in Manitoba have received the MMR vaccine since May 14. The province stressed that the 450 number represents "preliminary data," and that there could be more children vaccinated since May 14 whose data has not yet been entered into Manitoba's immunization registry. In the Southern Health region, which encompasses a large area of southern Manitoba, the health authority confirmed that 104 MMR vaccinations have been given to children between the ages of six and 12 months old since the May eligibility expansion. According to the province, the decision to expand the eligibility came due to a growing number of cases of the highly infectious disease in Manitoba recently. According to the most recent provincial data, there have been 98 confirmed and eight probable measles cases in the province this year, as of June 7. In May alone, Manitoba reported 72 confirmed cases, while there were a further seven confirmed measles cases and four probable cases during the first week of June. In an interview this week with CBC's Information Radio, Dr. Anna Banerji, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the University of Toronto, said the rising number of measles cases in Canada is a serious concern, and particularly dangerous for pregnant people and for newborns. "The risk to a pregnant woman is much higher than to a non-pregnant mother, and the risk of death due to measles in a pregnant mother is, like, tenfold higher," Banerji told host Marcy Markusa. "So pregnant women are hospitalized at higher rates." According to Banerji, risks from measles to a pregnant woman can include pneumonia or hepatitis, which can travel to the brain and cause encephalitis — a dangerous inflammation of the brain that can, in some cases, lead to death. She added measles can also travel directly into the placenta and infect unborn babies. "Basically, the virus can go anywhere in the body," Banerji said. That can result in miscarriages, stillbirths and premature deliveries, and can also lead to the baby contracting pneumonia, as well as hepatitis and possible brain infections, she said. She says anyone who may get pregnant should get the vaccine, "just to prevent the risks in pregnancy." She also says that after the measles vaccine was introduced in the 1960s, "we went from everyone getting it to almost nobody getting it." "And so it happened in the past — we can do it again. We just need to get people vaccinated."
