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Average life expectancy in the U.S. increased by almost a year in 2023, rebounding to a level not reached since the COVID-19 pandemic, according to figures released Thursday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. U.S. average life expectancy was 78.4 years in 2023 ‒ nearly 11 months longer than in 2022 ‒ mostly due to far fewer COVID-19 deaths. It was the second consecutive year the nation's life expectancy increased after dropping more than two years from 2019 to 2021. (Alltucker, 12/19)

Citing a recent ProPublica investigation, Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., urged the Environmental Protection Agency in a letter this week to issue a final report on the health risks of formaldehyde that is “science-based” and “as strong as possible,” adding that “the agency has an obligation to protect the public from the chemical.” Formaldehyde, used for everything from preserving dead bodies to binding wood products and producing plastic, is extremely widespread and causes far more cancer than any toxic air pollutant. (Lerner, 12/18)

Brain-computer interfaces can dramatically improve the lives of people with disabilities, but they can also suck up sensitive information about what goes on in a person’s brain. Questions and concerns about how that information might be used could delay the transformative technology from reaching the market, according to a new government report. (Broderick, 12/18)

When a car rolls down a freeway, a fine spray of microplastics spews out from its tires. When you wash your clothes, millions of tiny synthetic microfibers spill into waterways. And those tiny pieces of plastic may be harming our health, a new study shows. In a paper published Wednesday in the journal Environmental Science and Technology, researchers at the University of California at San Francisco evaluated dozens of studies in mice and humans to learn how microplastics may be harming digestive, respiratory and reproductive health. They found that these shards — which are now virtually everywhere in the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat — are suspected of links to colon cancer and lung cancer. (Osaka, 12/18)

New research has revealed that a common medication might not be safe for everyone. Acetaminophen, brand name Tylenol, is a pain reliever and fever reducer that's often included in other drugs, such as cold and flu medicines. The U.K.-based study — published in Arthritis Care & Research, an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology — analyzed the safety of the drug in older individuals. (Stabile, 12/18)

New research suggests antibiotic use in older adults is not associated with increased risk of dementia or cognitive decline. The study authors say the findings should reassure seniors. "Given that older adults are more frequently prescribed antibiotics and are also at higher risk for cognitive decline, these findings offer reassurance about using these medications," co-lead author Andrew Chan, MD, MPH, of Harvard Medical School, said in a press release from the American Academy of Neurology, which publishes the journal. (Dall, 12/18)

Florida’s new social media law limiting access for kids goes into effect in January — the same time, TikTok could go on the chopping block for what federal officials say are national security concerns. When it comes to social media, Josette Sullins, the founder and CEO of dehp Integrative Care in Arizona, said that it can be a positive for some and a driver of depression or anxiety, for others. (Andrews, 12/18)

As a young boy, Sam was used to people sharing their opinions on his body. Starting from the age of five, his parents frequently told him he was too skinny and that he needed to eat more. “Men need to be big,” he remembers his parents saying, so they could grow up and become providers for their families. It was the start of what would become a lifelong self-consciousness about body size for Sam. (Lee, 12/19)