EurekAlert! News by Subject: Medicine & Health - News by Subject: Medicine & Health

Medicine & Health

Updates every hour. Last Updated: 17-Jan-2026 11:11 ET (17-Jan-2026 16:11 GMT/UTC)

17-Jan-2026

Scientists trace microplastics in fertilizer from fields to the beach

Tokyo Metropolitan University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Tokyo, Japan – Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have studied how polymer-coated fertilizer (PCF) applied to fields ends up on beaches and in the sea. They studied PCF deposits on beaches around Japan, finding that only 0.2% of used PCFs are washed into rivers and returned to the coastline. When there are canals connecting fields to the sea, this rises to 28%. Their findings highlight a potentially significant “sink” in the global circulation of plastics.

Journal: Marine Pollution Bulletin

16-Jan-2026

The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Women’s Health: Taking paracetamol during pregnancy does not increase risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities, confirms new gold-standard evidence review

The Lancet
Peer-Reviewed Publication

There is no evidence that paracetamol use during pregnancy increases the risk of autism, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or intellectual disability among children, finds most rigorous synthesis of the current evidence to date published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology, & Women’s Health journal.

16-Jan-2026

Taking paracetamol during pregnancy does not increase risk of autism, ADHD or intellectual disabilities

City St George’s, University of London
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Taking paracetamol during pregnancy does not increase the risk of autism, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), or intellectual disability among children. That is according to the most rigorous analysis of the evidence to date published today in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health, and led by researchers from City St George’s, University of London.

16-Jan-2026

Hidden pollutants in shale gas development raise environmental concerns, new review finds

Biochar Editorial Office, Shenyang Agricultural University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Shale gas has become a cornerstone of the global energy transition, supplying large amounts of natural gas through horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing. But a new scientific review warns that the extraction process also generates vast quantities of waste that carry a complex mixture of emerging contaminants, many of which pose potential risks to ecosystems and human health.

16-Jan-2026

Canada losing track of salmon health as climate and industrial threats mount

Simon Fraser University
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Canada is failing in a decades-old pledge to monitor the health of Pacific salmon, according to new research from Simon Fraser University.

At a time when government policy is geared towards accelerating industrial development across sensitive B.C. watersheds, an SFU study published today in the Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences reports that monitoring of salmon spawning populations has dropped 32 per cent since Canada adopted its Wild Salmon Policy 20 years ago.

Journal: Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences

16-Jan-2026

Harm reduction vending machines in New York State expand access to overdose treatment and drug test strips, UB studies confirm

University at Buffalo
Peer-Reviewed Publication

Two studies led by an opioid treatment program run by the University at Buffalo and UBMD Emergency Medicine have found that harm reduction vending machines installed across New York State are well utilized and provide critical, lifesaving services to high-risk individuals who might not otherwise have access.

Journal: Journal of Addiction Medicine

16-Jan-2026

University of Cincinnati awarded $1.1 million grant to tailor AI use in medical education

University of Cincinnati
Grant and Award Announcement

The University of Cincinnati College of Medicine has been selected as a recipient of a $1.1 million American Medical Association (AMA) Transforming Lifelong Learning Through Precision Education grant.

Funder: American Medical Association