How testing plane toilet waste could save lives
Scientists analysed lavatory wastewater from 44 international flights arriving in Australia, detecting nine high-priority pathogens and superbugs.
An antibiotic-resistance gene, not previously found in Australia's urban wastewater, was detected on 17 flights, suggesting its likely entry into the country through international air travel.
Flights originating from Asia, particularly India, showed higher concentrations of antibiotic resistance genes compared to those from Europe and the UK.
This research indicates that aircraft wastewater monitoring could serve as a valuable early-warning system for emerging superbug threats, complementing existing public health surveillance.
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Daily Mail
36 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
How you drink your morning coffee could increase your risk of cancer by up to SIX times
Your daily coffee habit could increase your risk of cancer up to nearly six times, startling research suggests. A study published earlier this year by researchers from the National Cancer Institute found that someone who drank eight or more cups a day of very hot tea or coffee was 5.6 times more likely to develop esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC), compared to someone who didn't drink hot drinks. Researchers used data from more than 500,000 participants included in the UK Biobank, who provided information around their consumption of hot drinks. Having up to four cups of 'very hot' liquids a day increased the risk of ESCC by 2.5 times. Four to six cups of very hot liquids carried a 3.7-times higher risk of the cancer, and six to eight cups was associated with 4.8-fold increased risk. For hot beverages, up to four cups a day carried an increased risk of 1.6 times. Four to six cups a day was associated with an increased cancer risk of two times; six to eight cups carried a 2.5-fold higher risk; and more than eight was associated with a three-times higher risk. The researchers said their findings, published in the British Journal of Cancer, build on previous research that suggests beverages at very hot temperatures, more than 149 degrees Fahrenheit, are 'probably carcinogenic to humans'. The ideal brewing temperature for coffee is generally between 195 to 205F. For tea, the optimal brewing temperature varies by type, but is often around 175 to 212F. This places hot beverages in the same risk category as things like emissions from indoor wood smoke or consuming high amounts of red meat. However, people typically drink coffee and tea at slightly cooler temperatures, often between 120 to 155F. It is believed that hot drinks might cause damage to the body by burning cells, which may lead to inflammation that damages genes and makes it more likely that cancer develops. Vincent Ho, associate professor and clinical academic gastroenterologist at Western Sydney University, wrote for The Conversation: 'Drinking a lot of very hot drinks can damage cells in the esophagus lining, and it's believed over time this can lead to cancer developing. Researchers first proposed this link almost 90 years ago. 'What we know about how hot drinks can damage the esophagus mainly comes from animal studies. 'Another theory is that heat damage to the esophagus lining weakens its normal barrier, increasing the risk of further damage from gastric acid reflux (from the stomach). 'Over time, this chronic damage can increase the chance of esophageal cancer developing.' It is also thought that tissues damaged by the hot liquids may become more vulnerable to other things that can cause cancer, like alcohol and chemicals in tobacco smoke. The team at the National Cancer Institute stated that 'individuals who like their beverages very hot might benefit from reducing the temperature of their drinks, at least with regards to their risk of esophageal cancer'. This year, experts predict more than 22,000 new esophageal cancer cases will be diagnosed with just over 16,000 deaths from the disease. Esophageal cancer starts at the inside lining of the esophagus and spreads outward through the other layers as it grows. Symptoms often include difficulty swallowing, unintended weight loss, and chest pain or discomfort. These symptoms can be subtle at first but tend to worsen as the cancer progresses. Other possible symptoms include a persistent cough, hoarseness, and heartburn that gets worse. While there aren't routine screening tests for esophageal cancer, various procedures can help diagnose it, including endoscopy with biopsy, imaging scans, and specialized tests like the Cytosponge. Endoscopy allows for direct visualization and tissue sampling, while imaging helps determine the extent of the cancer. The Cytosponge, a newer test, involves swallowing a sponge to collect cells for analysis. Sometimes, healthcare providers can do surgery to remove small tumors. However, because only 25 percent of people with this cancer receive a diagnosis before the cancer spreads, it can make it more difficult to treat. Esophageal cancer poses a challenge for early diagnosis because it often doesn't present with noticeable symptoms until the cancer has reached an advanced stage. Late diagnosis significantly increases the danger of esophageal cancer. Localized esophageal cancer (stage I) has a five-year survival rate of around 46 percent, while stage IV cancers, which have spread to distant organs, have a very low five-year survival rate of only about five percent. A majority of Americans consume hot drinks daily. It is estimated that around two thirds drink coffee daily, making it the most popular hot beverage. According to one study in 2018, the ideal temperature for drinking coffee, taking into account both the risk of esophageal injury and the preservation of flavor, was found to be approximately 136F. Researchers said this temperature allows for a pleasant drinking experience while minimizing potential harm to the esophagus. Offering some other tips to safe drinking, Professor Ho adds: 'Slow down, take your time and enjoy. 'Allowing time for a very hot drink to cool is important and research has shown a hot drink's temperature can drop by 50F to 59F in five minutes. 'Finally, small sips are a good idea to test the temperature, given we know having a large amount has a significant impact on the temperature inside the esophagus and potential damage to its lining.'
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
Wildfire smoke far more dangerous to health than thought, say scientists
Choking smoke spewed by wildfires is far more dangerous than previously thought, a new study has found, with death tolls from short-term exposure to fine particulates underestimated by 93%. Researchers found that 535 people in Europe died on average each year between 2004 and 2022 as a result of breathing in the tiny toxic particles known as PM2.5 that are released when wildfires rage. Under standard methods, which assume PM2.5 from wildfires is as deadly as from other sources, such as traffic, they would have expected just 38 deaths a year. The study comes as wildfires ravage southern Europe, and new data from EU fire monitors shows that 895,000 hectares (2.2m acres) have burned so far in 2025, breaking records for this time of year. They have pumped out more than twice the amount of PM2.5 that wildfires have generated on average by this point in the year over the last two decades. 'Previously, people assumed the same toxicity for wildfire particles and all particles,' said Prof Cathryn Tonne, an environmental epidemiologist at the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and co-author of the study. 'Our paper shows evidence that – although it happens less often – the health impact for the same amount of particles is stronger for wildfire particles,' she added. Dirty air is one of the biggest threats to human health, and research suggests wildfires are a significant contributor to the vast death toll. In December, a study attributed 1.53 million deaths around the world each year to short-term and long-term exposure to air pollution from wildfires. The ISGlobal researchers, who looked only at the smoke's short-term effects, for which the evidence base is stronger, combined daily mortality records from 32 European countries with estimates of PM2.5 pollution from 2004 to 2022. Using models that account for an expected lag in deaths, they found exposure to wildfire smoke increased the risk of death in the following week. For every extra microgram of PM2.5 fouling 1 cubic metre of air, they found that all-cause mortality rose by 0.7%, respiratory mortality went up by 1% and cardiovascular mortality rose by 0.9%. 'The results are concerning, considering that wildfires and other extreme events are increasing exponentially with climate change,' said Prof Antonio Gasparrini, an environmental epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, who was not involved in the study. Devastating blazes compounded by relentless heat have killed several people across southern Europe and the Balkans in recent weeks. But deaths from the toxic fumes released by the fires are likely to go unnoticed. 'Smoke can affect populations far away from the fires,' said Tonne. 'So many more people will be exposed to smoke than the immediate physical threat of the flames.' The researchers said the study was limited by the lack of variability in the data on exposure to fire-related particulate matter, which made it harder to estimate how people's health responded based on age and sex. They were also unable to 'completely disentangle' the health burden of fire-related PM2.5 from ozone, another pollutant released by wildfires, though they said estimates were largely consistent when they adjusted the main model for ozone from all sources. Toxic pollution from wildfires creeps into the homes of more than 1 billion people a year, a study found in May. It concluded that air purifiers were an effective but expensive solution to indoor air pollution, which can be nearly three times higher on wildfire days than normal days, even when all windows and doors are closed. The risk of fire weather has risen as greenhouse gas emissions have heated the planet and dried out vegetation in some regions. The Iberian peninsula has been hit particularly hard this year, with Spain and Portugal accounting for the bulk of Europe's burned area. Associate professor Victor Resco de Dios, a forestry engineer at the University of Lleida, said the fire belt would move north in the coming years and decades. 'What we are witnessing now will sooner or later occur also in central and northern Europe, where we have also seen an aggravation of the fire problem,' he said. 'This is not a Mediterranean problem, but a European one.'
The Independent
3 hours ago
- The Independent
Just when you thought things couldn't get weirder - a rare black moon is rising this weekend
Just when you thought things couldn't get any weirder, a rare black moon is set to rise this weekend. It's expected in the early hours of Saturday morning, at around 2:06 a.m. EDT, according to the U.S. Naval Observatory. But you don't need to wake up at 2 a.m. to try to catch it. The black moon — which was named fairly recently and is not an official astronomical term — is different than many of the well-known moons of the year, such as the pink, harvest, or blood moons. Unlike the other celestial spectacles, you can't see this one. That's because the black moon is a special kind of new moon. One of the moon's eight phases, a new moon occurs when the moon passes between the Earth and the sun, making it invisible from Earth. The black moon marks this invisible phase, with the illuminated side facing the sun and the dark side facing Earth. There are two kinds of black moons: seasonal and monthly. This is a seasonal black moon, which happens once every 33 months or so. Whereas, the monthly black moon refers to when two new moons rise during a single month, with the second considered to be the black moon. In February, the black moon is even less frequent than the seasonal black moon, occurring when there is either no new moon or no full moon. That happens only every 19 years, according to Time and Date. To make matters even more of a headache, the term 'black moon' has also been used to describe the third new moon in a season of four new moons, according to Earthsky. But, that's also often known as a blue moon. So, it may be truthful to use the phrase 'once in a black moon' now. The phrase 'once in a blue moon' dates back to 1528, according to MIT. A blue moon is also the second full moon in a calendar month. So, what's so special about the black moon if you can't even see it and it shares its dates with a blue moon? First, the absence of the moon's light will make stargazing even more dazzling. Often, light from the moon can be strong enough to block out incoming meteor showers. With new moons, the moon has even more of an effect on tides because the sun and Earth are in alignment. The moon's gravitation pull is the primary force that drives ocean tides. The next seasonal black moon is expected on August 20, 2028, and the next monthly black moon will happen on August 31, 2027. If you really want to see something similar to the black moon, try to catch a solar eclipse. The next total solar eclipse is slated for August 12, 2026, but you'll need to buy plane tickets to Greenland, Iceland, Spain, Portugal, or Russia to see it.
