What you need to know about aspartame and cancer
Food products containing the artificial sweetener aspartame are displayed on Friday in New York City. Spencer Platt via Getty Images The announcement this week by a World Health Organization agency that the artificial sweetener aspartame — used in such low-calorie products as Diet Coke, Trident gum and sugar-free Jell-O — is “possibly carcinogenic to humans” […]
Droughts, wildfire smoke clouds outlook for agriculture – and concern for farmers’ health
The deepening drought and smoke from Canadian wildfires are adding to Minnesota farmers’ challenges this summer. Some worry about atmospheric conditions hurting crops and animals and also whether it’s putting farmer’s own health at risk. Meanwhile some debate whether the smoke may actually help as it shields already drought-stressed crops. In rural New Ulm, vegetable […]
They’re illegal. So why is it so easy to buy the disposable vapes favored by teens?
Disposable vapes in many kid-friendly fruity flavors, are displayed for sale at a shop in Pinecrest, Fla., Monday, June 26, 2023. Since 2020, the number of different vaping devices for sale in the U.S. has exploded, driven by a wave of disposable models from China. Rebecca Blackwell/AP Nancy Heredia-Villanueva recalls the day in the fall […]
How will a new Minnesota law affect mergers between large health care companies?
[THEME MUSIC] CATHY WURZER: There’s another potential health care merger brewing in the state. Yesterday, Duluth’s St. Luke’s and Wisconsin-based Aspirus Health announced plans to merge. If successful, the combined entity would include 19 hospitals, 130 outpatient facilities, and some 14,000 workers in Minnesota and Wisconsin. This is on top of two other large mergers, […]
WHO says aspartame is a ‘possible carcinogen.’ The FDA disagrees
Coca-Cola began blending aspartame into Diet Coke in the 1980s. The artificial sweetener is used in lots of products from diet sodas, to low-sugar jams, yogurts, cereals and chewing gum. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images A committee of 25 international experts has determined that aspartame may “possibly” cause cancer in people, according to a report released Thursday […]
FDA approves Opill, the first daily birth control pill without a prescription
Opill is the first birth control pill available over the counter in the United States. Perrigo Company plc The Food and Drug Administration approved a daily oral contraceptive pill for use without a prescription on Thursday, a landmark event that comes as some U.S. states have sought to restrict access to birth control and abortion. […]
Minnesota air quality alert Friday, Saturday; wildfire smoke returning
Updated 2 p.m. An air quality alert has been issued for all of Minnesota from Friday morning through Saturday afternoon as another wave of wildfire smoke from Canada is expected to send air quality across the state into the unhealthy range. Air quality across the region was good on Thursday, but the Minnesota Pollution Control […]
Minnesota’s new health system merger law: Key questions, answered
More major health care mergers are on Minnesota’s horizon, as Duluth-based St. Luke’s and Wisconsin’s Aspirus Health this week announced plans to become one health care system. If successful, the combined entity would include 19 hospitals, 130 outpatient facilities and 14,000 workers in Minnesota and Wisconsin. This newest plan follows potential mergers unveiled by Duluth’s […]
St. Luke’s plan to merge with Aspirus Health is the latest for Minnesota health care
Duluth-based St. Luke’s plans to merge with Aspirus Health, a nonprofit health system that operates in Wisconsin and the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The new system will contain 19 hospitals, 130 outpatient locations and nearly 14,000 staff, according to the release, and will serve “residents of northeastern Minnesota, northern and central Wisconsin, and the Upper […]
Future of Us: Forced to downsize their funerals, Hmong families returned to their roots
This story is part of a series called “The Future of Us,” exploring how a pandemic, a murder and a city on fire have changed us and our path forward. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Hmong healer Xifu Yaj Ceeb Vaj traveled almost every week throughout Minnesota, Wisconsin and California to perform funerals. It was difficult […]