Children who live near busy traffic areas more likely to be hyperactive, study finds

The Helmholtz Zentrum should be ashamed of themselves for putting out such tripe.  Poor people probably live in noisier areas and they have more problems anyway

E-numbers, television and chemicals have all been traditionally blamed for causing hyperactivity in children.  But a new study suggests living near a noisy road can lead to the condition.

Youngsters who were exposed to the highest noise levels at home showed 28 per cent more symptoms of hyperactivity and inattention than those exposed to the lowest traffic noise levels, researchers found.

Michelle Bosquet, a psychologist at Boston Children's Hospital, says that noise pollution can have a dramatic affect on children's behaviour and their mental wellbeing.

Ms Bosquet, who was not involved in the German study, says that traffic noise can disturb a child's sleep or concentration, which could be linked to hyperactivity.

Researchers led by Carla Tiesler at the Helmholtz Zentrum German Research Center for Environmental Health studied 900 children living in Munich, NBC reported.

Noise levels outside of each child's home at the wall of the house were measured, and parents answered a questionnaire about their 10-year-olds' behaviour.

Youngsters who lived in the homes with the highest level of noise were more than twice as likely to show unusual emotional behaviour - such as anxiety - than those in the quietest properties, according to NBC.

After researchers considered sleeping problems, they also concluded that difficulty in going to sleep was also responsible for emotional difficulties.

The study's authors considered other factors which can influence behaviour - such as the subjects' exercise levels - but said that other variables than sleep deprivation and noise could cause ADHD.  Chemical pollution and sound-proofing were not measured

The study was published online in March in the journal Environmental Research.

SOURCE





Bloomberg Refused Second Slice of Pizza at Local Restaurant

Let's hope this is true

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg was denied a second slice of pizza today at an Italian eatery in Brooklyn.

The owners of Collegno's Pizzeria say they refused to serve him more than one piece to protest Bloomberg's proposed soda ban,which would limit the portions of soda sold in the city.

Bloomberg was having an informal working lunch with city comptroller John Liu at the time and was enraged by the embarrassing prohibition. The owners would not relent, however, and the pair were forced to decamp to another restaurant to finish their meal.

Witnesses say the situation unfolded when as the two were looking over budget documents, they realized they needed more food than originally ordered.

"Hey, could I get another pepperoni over here?" Bloomberg asked owner Antonio Benito.

"I'm sorry sir," he replied, "we can't do that. You've reached your personal slice limit."

Mayor Bloomberg, not accustomed to being challenged, assumed that the owner was joking.

"OK, that's funny," he remarked, "because of the soda thing ... No come on. I'm not kidding. I haven't eaten all morning, just send over another pepperoni."

"I'm sorry sir. We're serious," Benito insisted. "We've decided that eating more than one piece isn't healthy for you, and so we're forbidding you from doing it."

"Look jackass," Bloomberg retorted, his anger boiling, "I fucking skipped breakfast this morning just so I could eat four slices of your pizza. Don't be a schmuck, just get back to the kitchen and bring out some fucking pizza, okay."

"I'm sorry sir, there's nothing I can do," the owner repeated. "Maybe you could go to several restaurants and get one slice at each. At least that way you're walking. You know, burning calories."

Witnesses say a fuming Bloomberg and a bemused Liu did indeed walk down the street to a rival pizzeria , ordered another slice and finished their meeting.

New York's so-called "soda ban" would have limited the size of sweetened beverages served in restaurants to 16 oz (0.5 liters). The plan, backed by Mayor Bloomberg, is currently being held up by a U.S. district court.

SOURCE

OK.  It's satire