Attention, chocolate lovers: You may not be able to help yourselves. Swiss and British scientists have linked the widespread love of chocolate to a chemical "signature" that may be programmed into our metabolic systems.
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Unexploded Afghan Ammo a Threat to Kids
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FRIDAY, Jan. 7 (HealthDayNews) -- Unexploded ammunition, weapons and other military ordnance cause more injuries and deaths in Afghanistan than land mines, especially among children, says a study in the Jan. 8 issue of the British Medical Journal. It found that more than 6,000 injuries were caused by unexploded ordnance and land mines between January 1997 and September 2002. In 2002, 57 percent of the injuries were caused by unexploded ordnance and 36 percent were caused by land mines. That''s an exact reversal of percentages from 1997, the study said. Children aged 5 to 14 were at greatest risk of injury. Playing or tampering with explosives accounted for nearly half (42 percent) of children''s injuries caused by unexploded ordnance. Playing or tampering with land mines accounted for 14 percent of land mine injuries among children. The high visibility of unexploded ordnance is one factor that may explain the high number of deaths and injuries among children caused by these items, the study authors wrote. They recommended that munitions should be designed to be less attractive and visible to children and that discussions about land mines should be expanded to include threats from other military material. More information UNICEF has more about children and land mines.
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