Dutch authorities warn against buying fake painkillers online
The pills were bought online without a prescription, according to the Trimbos Institute, a Dutch scientific research agency.
They did not contain oxycodone – which is prescribed for patients with severe pain – but rather nitazenes, which are synthetic opioids that are much stronger than oxycodone, morphine, or fentanyl.
The drugs are so potent that only a few milligrams can cause fatal breathing problems, according to Trimbos. The effects also last longer, raising the risk of an overdose.
Police in Amsterdam are still trying to identify where the man who died got the fake oxycodone. But his death is one of several health crises tied to synthetic drugs in the Netherlands recently.
The Dutch Health and Youth Care Inspectorate (IGJ) said multiple people have received emergency medical care after taking pills that were sold online as oxycodone but turned out to contain nitazenes.
The drugs are sold online and on social media, the inspectorate said. They look like oxycodone and typically have original-looking packaging – making them 'almost indistinguishable' from the real thing, it added.
'This shows how dangerous it is to order prescription drugs online,' IGJ chief inspector Henk de Groot said in a statement.
'It may look real, but you have absolutely no idea what you are buying'.
The warning comes amid an uptick in the availability of nitazenes and other synthetic opioids in parts of Europe, according to the European Union Drugs Agency, which described them as an 'important emerging threat'.
Trimbos urged people to avoid buying pain medication online and said people should call for emergency help if they begin feeling unwell after taking oxycodone.
Meanwhile, IGJ said people can report websites selling prescription medicines to investigators.
'For drugs, go to your doctor and pharmacy,' de Groot said.
Household air pollution still kills millions of people every year, even as exposure levels fall worldwide, a new study has found.
In 2021, household air pollution – which occurs when people cook with open fires or stoves fuelled by kerosene, coal, wood, crop waste, or animal dung – contributed to 3.1 million deaths worldwide, with most deaths in lower-income countries, according to the analysis published in The Lancet medical journal.
Household air pollution contains small particles that can get into the bloodstream through the lungs.
It is linked to a slew of health issues, including lung cancer, stroke, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), respiratory infections, cataracts, and neonatal disorders.
It can also have deadly consequences for children, contributing to more than 500,000 deaths among children under the age of 5 in 2021, according to the study. That is about 11 per cent of all under-5 mortality.
'The high level of paediatric burden estimated in this study is a major cause for concern,' said the study authors from the US-based Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME).
They added that the health effects can be 'fatal and long lasting and have not received adequate attention from researchers and policy makers'.
Between 1990 and 2021, the percentage of people exposed to household air pollution from solid cooking fuels worldwide plummeted from 56.7 per cent to 33.8 per cent, the estimates show.
But the actual number of people exposed only fell by 10 per cent – or about 350 million people – reaching 2.67 billion people exposed in 2021.
That's due to population growth in places like sub-Saharan Africa, where 78.8 per cent of people were exposed to household air pollution from solid cooking fuels, the study authors said.
Between 1990 and 2021, the number of pollution-related deaths rose from 685,000 to 741,000 in the region, IHME said.
South Asia had the next highest rate, with 53.2 per cent of people exposed in 2021.
Meanwhile, in central and eastern Europe and in central Asia, that rate was 7.5 per cent. In high-income countries, it was just 0.4 per cent.
The researchers said the results underscore the importance of helping 'under-resourced communities' transition to cleaner energy sources. That could include research and development for new technologies, subsidising appliances that use clean energy, enforcing emissions restrictions, incentivising private sector investment, and public awareness campaigns.
'Such initiatives are crucial for mitigating health risks and promoting sustainable development, ultimately improving the quality of life and health outcomes for millions of people,' the study authors said.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Euronews
22-07-2025
- Euronews
Smartphones lead to ‘suicidal thoughts' in children under 13, study
Children shouldn't have access to smartphones until the age of 13, according to a new global study. Those who used smartphones before they turned 13 were more likely to have suicidal thoughts, bad emotional regulation, lower self-worth, aggression, and detachment from reality, according to the study published in the Journal of the Human Development and Capabilities. Girls were more impacted by smartphone use than boys, with 9.5 per cent of female respondents considered 'struggling' with their mental health compared to 7 per cent of males, irrespective of their country of origin, the research added. Kids under 13 were more likely to experience sleep disruptions, cyberbullying and negative family relationships, the study found. Restrict smartphones like alcohol, researchers say The study drew data from the self-reported mental health profiles of 100,000 young people between the ages of 18-24. The study was conducted by a team from the research non-profit Sapien Labs. The researchers generated an overall "mind health" score for each profile based on 47 social, emotional, cognitive, and physical functions. The mind health scores got worse the longer a child had access to a smartphone, the research continued. For example, the score of a child who received a phone at 13 dropped from 30 to just one for those who received a phone at five years old. The results were worse for the 18-20 year-olds than the 21-24 cohort in the responses, which could be due to prolonged screen exposure during the COVID-19 pandemic, the study said. However, the results of smartphone use in under 13s are consistent despite the geographical and social differences that kids have. Lead author Tara Thiagarajan said she'd like to see smartphones restricted to those under 13 and regulated like alcohol and tobacco by government authorities. The move should be paired with restrictions on social media platforms as well as 'mandating digital literacy education and enforcing corporate accountability'. 'I was initially surprised by how strong the results are,' Thiagarajan said. 'However, when you give it due consideration, it does begin to make sense that the younger developing mind is more compromised by the online environment, given their vulnerability and lack of worldly experience'. What regulations are already in place against cellphones? Most of the bans so far against cellphones are happening in Europe's schools, with partial bans in French, Dutch, British, Italian, Hungarian, Spanish, Irish, Swedish, Belgian, Greek, Latvian, Luxembourgish and Finnish classrooms. Some of these countries, including France, the Netherlands, Italy, Luxembourg and some Spanish regions, have complete school-wide bans on mobile phones so they cannot be used at any point during the day. Other European countries, such as Denmark, Cyprus, Bulgaria, and Portugal, are also considering further restrictions on cellphones. For social media, France's artificial intelligence (AI) minister also proposed a European-wide ban on the use of social media for those under 15 years old. Several EU laws, such as the Digital Service Act, the Audiovisual Media Services Directive, and the General Data Protection Regulation, include provisions to shield children from harmful content and protect their data. Last month, EU lawmakers voted to criminalise AI-generated child abuse images, online grooming, livestreaming, sextortion and the age of consent.
Euronews
04-07-2025
- Euronews
WHO wants higher taxes on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks
Global health officials want countries to raise so-called 'sin taxes' in a bid to reduce the burden of chronic diseases linked to diet and lifestyle – and are suggesting countries direct the money raised to their cash-strapped health systems. The World Health Organization (WHO) urged countries to raise prices on tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks by at least 50 per cent over the next decade. It said the tax hike could prevent 50 million premature deaths over the next 50 years and generate $1 trillion (€854.4 billion) in public funding over the next 10 years. Tobacco, alcohol, and sugary drinks are some of the key drivers of heart disease, cancer, diabetes, and other chronic conditions, which account for about 75 per cent of all deaths worldwide. Tobacco alone causes more than seven million deaths per year. The WHO has long pushed for tax increases to discourage people from buying these products. For tobacco, it recommends a minimum tax rate of 75 per cent. In wealthy countries, taxes already account for about 67 per cent of the price of a pack of cigarettes, compared with about 57 per cent in lower-income countries. 'Health taxes are one of the most efficient tools we have,' Dr Jeremy Farrar, who leads the WHO's work on health promotion and disease prevention, said in a statement. 'They cut the consumption of harmful products and create revenue [that] governments can reinvest in health care, education, and social protection,' he added. Research indicates tobacco taxes help reduce smoking rates, particularly in lower-income countries. But recent data from the Netherlands indicates that higher taxes may no longer be enough to get smokers in small, wealthy countries to quit. After the Netherlands raised tobacco taxes last year, many Dutch smokers simply started buying cheaper products abroad, according to the country's health agency. The European Commission, the European Union's executive arm, is now considering raising taxes on cigarettes and other tobacco products across the bloc, amid pressure from the Netherlands and more than a dozen member states. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom's 2016 sugar tax prompted many soft drink manufacturers to change their products. As a result, children's added sugar intake from these drinks dropped by nearly half. Beyond the potential behavioural changes, the WHO said taxes on these products could be one way for lower-income countries to make up for aid cuts from the United States, the UK, and elsewhere. Around the world, 'health systems are under enormous strain from rising noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), shrinking development aid and growing public debt,' the organisation said.
Euronews
20-06-2025
- Euronews
EU ministers propose international limits on sperm 'super donors'
A coalition of EU health ministers wants to set international limits on the number of children a single sperm or egg donor can produce, putting an end to the "super sperm donor" phenomenon. The proposal, in the form of an information note, was introduced in Luxembourg on Friday by Sweden and Belgium during a meeting of EU health ministers, and it is backed by four other countries: France, Hungary, the Netherlands, and Spain. While many European countries, including Sweden – one of the lead proponents – have national laws that cap the number of children per donor, no international regulations currently exist. Some commercial sperm and egg banks have set voluntary limits, such as 75 families per donor. However, others have no such restrictions. As a result, it's not uncommon for donor-conceived individuals to discover they have more than 100 genetic half-siblings, in stories that frequently attract public attention. A Dutch sperm donor suspected of fathering over 550 children worldwide and Telegram CEO Paul Durov, rumoured to be the biological father of more than 100 children through years of sperm donation, are some of the better-known examples. These and other similar cases raise "new concerns about the potential psychosocial impact on donor-conceived children and donors,' Swedish Health Minister Acko Ankarberg Johansson said. More recently, further calls were made to limit the number of donations after another Dutch donor whose sperm carried a rare cancer-related genetic variant was used to conceive at least 52 children, some of whom have been diagnosed with cancer. Call for a cross-border donor register Explaining their proposal, the ministers have argued that international action is needed not only due to ethical concerns but also because of demographic trends, including declining fertility rates and delayed family planning. These trends have compelled many EU countries to increasingly rely on commercial gamete banks that operate internationally, making it harder to enforce donor limits. Belgian Health Minister Frank Vandenbroucke said that international limits would only be practical if supported by a comprehensive cross-border donor register. 'We badly need a Europe-wide quota supported by an EU register to ensure proper implementation,' he said. 'It is unacceptable that children or parents have to discover through genetic testing that they could have 70 or more half-siblings across Europe or even globally. That is unethical and a risk factor,' he continued. While several member states support the initiative, the European Commission is, for now, proceeding cautiously. Proponents have called for an update to the EU regulation on substances of human origin. However, this legislation was revised only recently, in June 2024. Speaking at the meeting, the European Commission's top health official, Director-General for Health and Food Safety Sandra Gallina, called the issue a recurrent concern for member states and patients. She pointed out, however, that regulating donor offspring numbers falls mainly under national jurisdiction, as the EU's mandate in this area is limited to safety and quality standards. 'The EU can help raise awareness among in-vitro fecundation professionals about national donor limits,' Gallina explained. She also announced that the Commission would respond to Sweden and Belgium's request by organising a discussion involving national authorities and the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE), the continent's main professional body in the field.
