More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Man-made chemicals found in industrial products, commonly referred to as “forever chemicals,” have been linked to the most common type of liver cancer, a new study has found.
Polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are called “forever chemicals” because they last so long in the environment and are hard to break down. They pollute the atmosphere and can affect organ tissues in exposed animals and humans.
Researchers at the University of Southern California gathered data from human blood and tissue samples of more than 200,000 residents in Los Angeles and Hawaii to study the development of cancer or other diseases. Through their data they found 50 people who eventually developed liver cancer and compared their samples before diagnosis to 50 other participants who did not develop the disease.
Blood samples taken from the cancer patients prior to their diagnoses contained several types of PFAS, specifically, perfluorooctane sulfate (PFOS) a class of PFAS. The study found that patients in the top 10 per cent of PFOS exposure were more likely to develop non-viral hepatocellular carcinoma, the most common type of liver cancer, in comparison to those with lower percentage levels of the chemicals in their blood samples.
The study concludes that PFOS can disrupt the metabolic process in the liver which affects the process of glucose metabolism, bile acid metabolism and branched chain amino acids. Abnormal metabolic processes in the liver can lead to non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), the study says, which has become concerning as cases of NAFLD have increased across the world in recent years.
While past studies have indicated how harmful these chemicals can be to animals, researchers of this study say the new evidence from human samples is a step forward to understanding the graver consequences of exposure to PFAS.
“We believe our work is providing important insights into the long-term health effects that these chemicals have on human health, especially with respect to how they can damage normal liver function,” lead researcher Leda Chatzi said in a news release.
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
An orca whale calf that has been stranded in a B.C. lagoon for weeks after her pregnant mother died swam out on her own early Friday morning.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Devastating tornadoes tore across parts of eastern Nebraska and northeast Texas Friday as a multi-day severe thunderstorm event ramped up in the central United States, injuring at least three people.
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Donald Trump's defence team attacked the credibility Friday of the prosecution's first witness in his hush money case, seeking to discredit testimony detailing a scheme between Trump and a tabloid to bury negative stories to protect the Republican's 2016 presidential campaign.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.