This week in science: Peanut allergy symptoms, poop on the seaside, and pet security in warmth
NPR’s Mary Louise Kelly talks with Regina Barber and Aaron Scott of the Quick Wave podcast about peanut allergy symptoms, probably unsafe poop ranges at seashores, and hold pets secure within the warmth.
MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
It’s time now for our science roundup with our pals at NPR’s Quick Wave podcast. That might be Regina Barber and Aaron Scott. Hello, you two.
AARON SCOTT, BYLINE: Hey.
REGINA BARBER, BYLINE: Hey. How’s it going?
KELLY: It’s going nice. OK. Let’s get to it. We have got three tales this week. Give me a bit tease.
BARBER: OK. We’ll speak about peanut allergy symptoms, pets within the summertime…
SCOTT: And poop on the seaside.
(LAUGHTER)
KELLY: OK. I believe we went downhill in that record. Why do not I circle again earlier than I lose my urge for food? Regina, kick us off with peanuts, please.
BARBER: Yeah. So for lots of fogeys, it may be complicated when it is secure to introduce sure meals to your children, particularly issues like peanuts. The present guideline in the present day is, typically, that you need to feed peanut merchandise to infants early, round 4 to six months, to assist them keep away from the event of extreme peanut allergy symptoms. However a examine out this month within the journal Pediatrics surveying 3,000 individuals who take care of infants discovered that most individuals aren’t doing this.
KELLY: Properly, as a result of it appears so counterintuitive – I imply, my private expertise, I’ve a son with a tree nut allergy, like walnuts, pecans and so forth, and we have spent his entire life avoiding them just like the plague. So this steerage is absolutely completely different from the steerage a few of us have been given prior to now.
BARBER: Proper. Precisely. I bought the identical recommendation over 10 years in the past. The medical recommendation as at present as a decade in the past was to keep away from peanuts in infancy. And so now the brand new tips are counterintuitive. And a few mother and father within the examine really mentioned that they had been scared to observe the brand new recommendation, considering that early publicity would possibly lead to a extreme allergic response of their children. That did not really occur. Only one% of infants within the survey had reactions, they usually had been comparatively gentle.
And analysis through the years has largely supported this concept that introducing peanuts to infants 4 to 11 months previous is an effective factor as a result of it sharply reduces peanut allergy symptoms amongst high-risk children. And that is why the Nationwide Institute of Allergy and Infectious Illnesses launched their present suggestions again in 2017 saying earlier introduction is best. However apparently that message continues to be not getting by to a variety of of us.
KELLY: And do we all know why not, why this message will not be getting out?
BARBER: Yeah. Properly, not everyone seems to be listening to it. It seems that the rules aren’t being communicated to all of the caregivers in the identical approach. As an illustration, the communities most definitely to concentrate on this new guideline are white, increased educated and wealthier, which researchers say displays unequal well being care entry. Dr. Waheeda Samady, who led the examine, says that though the rules are beginning to take maintain…
WAHEEDA SAMADY: We nonetheless have a methods to go, and we particularly have focused areas of the inhabitants that want this public well being message.
BARBER: And only a ultimate caveat right here – caregivers ought to discuss to their pediatrician about this if their little one has a extreme case of eczema or an egg allergy. They might should be examined by a specialist earlier than making an attempt out peanuts for the primary time.
KELLY: OK. It’s secure to say that, in my lengthy broadcasting profession, I’ve by no means earlier than pivoted from peanuts to poop.
(LAUGHTER)
KELLY: So right here we go. Aaron, you’ve gotten the honors. Lay it on me.
SCOTT: I do know. Properly, I imply, nothing says summer time enjoyable like fecal contamination on the seaside. Am I proper?
KELLY: Yuck. Yeah. Though we do hold seeing these headlines. It looks like yearly a seaside is closing, and it is due to harmful water high quality. How widespread is that this?
SCOTT: So probably extra frequent than you suppose. Earlier this month, a company known as Setting America issued this report that discovered that greater than half of the seashores examined in america had probably unsafe ranges of fecal contamination no less than sooner or later final yr. After which about 1 in 9 of these seashores had unsafe ranges no less than 1 / 4 of the times they had been examined.
KELLY: Do I dare ask the place it’s coming from?
SCOTT: Various locations – there may be air pollution from issues like failing sewage and stormwater infrastructure. And naturally, you recognize, heavier storms are coming with local weather change, so that may possible enhance – after which from locations like livestock and manufacturing unit farms.
KELLY: This isn’t making me excited to go swimming, Aaron.
SCOTT: I am sorry to say that it isn’t simply the water. Different analysis has discovered that these fecal micro organism additionally reside in seaside sand. I spoke with Alexandria Boehm. She’s a professor of environmental engineering at Stanford, and she or he research coastal contamination. And she or he mentioned that each moist and dry sand are house to all kinds of micro organism, viruses and different critters.
ALEXANDRIA BOEHM: And that is simply pure. They’re our pals for sustaining a wholesome ecosystem on the seaside. The issue comes when we have now air pollution on the seaside that contributes microorganisms which will trigger a well being danger.
KELLY: OK. So yuck. Nevertheless, it’s scorching, and I really like the seaside. So if we will swim anyway, how will we do it in a approach that is secure?
SCOTT: No. I imply, go to the seaside. Simply form of monitor your seashores. Like, Setting America put all of this knowledge right into a dashboard on-line, and you’ll search for seashores by state and see if they’ve previous contamination. A whole lot of states themselves publish this knowledge, just like the Florida Wholesome Seashores program. After which whenever you’re on the seaside, you simply need to observe good hygiene, like washing your arms earlier than you eat, protecting up a reduce or wound so it does not get sand in it after which most likely preserving it out of the water and, you recognize, preserving a watch out. If there’s been an enormous rainstorm, you won’t need to go to a seaside with a historical past of contamination.
KELLY: Our third and ultimate story – as we talked about, it’s scorching in a variety of the nation proper now – actually scorching. And we have been speaking about all types of how to maintain individuals secure. I need to speak about our pets. What is the recommendation?
BARBER: Yeah. So our NPR colleague Rachel Treisman wrote about this just lately on npr.org. And among the stuff she heard from specialists is simple. Like, do not stroll your canine in the midst of the day. Look out for warm asphalt. Maintain a watch out for ticks and fleas, that are extra energetic within the warmth.
SCOTT: However there’s one factor you won’t know, and that’s that pets can get sunburn similar to us. So, you recognize, that is, in fact, a much bigger danger for animals which can be hairless or which have skinny or brief coats. However it may be a problem for even the hairier beasts, like a husky or a golden retriever in the event you’re grooming them with shorter hair. That may enhance their danger of sunburn.
KELLY: I had no thought. I hold our canine’s hair reduce actually brief in the summertime as a result of I determine it is preserving him cool. Are we purported to be placing sunscreen on our pets?
BARBER: I imply, you possibly can. There are literally particular sunscreens designed for that, however the simpler factor is simply to not hold them exterior too lengthy. Or, if they’re exterior, make sure that they’ve numerous water and shade. However you don’t need them in an enclosed place with out airflow like a doghouse.
SCOTT: After which simply keep watch over that furry pal. , in the event you discover they’re drooling quite a bit or if their tongue has taken on form of a deep crimson or purple colour or they appear a bit shaky, these could possibly be indicators of warmth stroke, wherein case, in the event you’ve bought a pet thermometer, take their temperature. Something above 105, and you are going to need to cool them down.
KELLY: And the way are we supposed to chill them down? Like, will we run by the sprinkler, hop within the pool, what?
BARBER: I imply, these issues work, proper? And the secret’s to chill them slowly. So you possibly can additionally use towels soaked in cool water – simply not an ice bathtub as a result of in the event that they get chilly too rapidly, it may well trigger their blood vessels to constrict, which is able to really make it tougher for them to chill off.
SCOTT: And like Regina talked about the recent asphalt and pavement earlier, one knowledgeable did inform NPR that whether it is too scorching so that you can contact with the again of your hand, it may be too scorching to your pet’s paws. So in that case, you recognize, hunt down someplace shady or stroll them within the grass as a substitute.
KELLY: Suggestions for our pets on this warmth. That’s Aaron Scott and Regina Barber from NPR’s science podcast Quick Wave, the place you possibly can be taught all about new discoveries and on a regular basis mysteries and the science behind the headlines. Aaron and Regina, thanks.
SCOTT: Thanks.
BARBER: Thanks.
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