All posts tagged: paracetamol

We are flushing paracetamol down the toilet and into our water supply – here’s how it could be removed

We are flushing paracetamol down the toilet and into our water supply – here’s how it could be removed

Published by skeptic

Many people use drugs including paracetamol on a regular basis to treat headaches. But only part of each drug is taken into the bloodstream, while the rest is released into the wastewater through our urine when we go to the toilet. Paracetamol is an ingredient in the tablet. Most of the paracetamol is absorbed into the blood. Around 5% of the paracetamol is immediately excreted in urine in its original form. Over around 24 hours, up to 95% of one dose of paracetamol – including the amount that was previously absorbed into the blood stream – is excreted in urine, after being degraded in the liver. Mainly as a result of this physical process, paracetamol is increasingly being detected in rivers around the world. In the UK, maximum concentrations around 1 microgram per litre have been measured in the River Thames and in different estuaries. Similar levels were found in rivers and lakes of other European countries, including Serbia and Spain. In the Nairobi river in Kenya, paracetamol concentrations have reached up to 16 micrograms …

Trump claim linking paracetamol use during pregnancy to autism debunked by review | Science, Climate & Tech News

Trump claim linking paracetamol use during pregnancy to autism debunked by review | Science, Climate & Tech News

Published by skeptic

Scientists have dismissed warnings from Donald Trump linking paracetamol use during pregnancy to autism. The US president made the allegation in September as he claimed there had been a “meteoric rise” in cases of autism. Identifying the medication – known as Tylenol in the States – as a potential cause, Mr Trump suggested pregnant women should “tough it out”. You need javascript enabled to view this content Enable javascript to share Share Trump links autism with paracetamol Now, after reviewing dozens of studies on the topic, experts have concluded there is “no clinically important” link between paracetamol use and autism. For the review, scientists identified 43 studies concerning autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and intellectual disabilities. Then they examined the outcome of pregnancies with and without paracetamol exposure, and found “paracetamol exposure during pregnancy was not associated with the risk of autism” or ADHD, or intellectual disabilities. Lead author Asma Khalil of St George’s Hospital in London said: “We found no clinically important increase in the risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disability among children …

New study debunks Trump’s theory about paracetamol, pregnancy and autism – POLITICO

New study debunks Trump’s theory about paracetamol, pregnancy and autism – POLITICO

Published by Sam Flores

In particular, the U.S. administration cited a study published last summer which found a link between paracetamol during pregnancy and increased incidence of neuro-developmental disorders (NDDs). But in this review “there are several studies [which] suffer or are vulnerable to bias,” Khalil said. “The potential implications of not accounting for these confounders is that you draw their own conclusions.” The Lancet’s evidence review instead focused on studies with the most rigorous research methods, such as those at low risk of bias, those with sibling comparisons and with at least five years of follow up — and found no link. In particular, sibling-comparison studies allow researchers to compare children born to the same mother, who only took paracetamol during one of the pregnancies. They take into account shared genetic factors, shared family and long-term parental characteristics. “Our findings suggest that previously reported links are likely to be explained by genetic predisposition or other maternal factors such as fever or underlying pain, rather than a direct effect of the paracetamol itself,” Khalil said. Public health experts, the EMA and …