Current Events in December 2021

Toyota has decided it wants to be in the electric vehicle market conversation and is prepared to spend $35 billion to make its voice heard.

At a press conference in Tokyo on Tuesday, Toyota President Akio Toyoda said the company plans to build as many as 30 new models in the next eight years, with a goal of putting 3.5 million a year in the hands of car buyers by 2030. If Toyota can pull that off, its EVs would equal slightly more than a third of the company's total sales last year.

That $35 billion investment and timeframe match efforts made by General Motors, Tesla, Volkswagen, Ford, and others. VW may not be too happy about the news because Toyota overtook it as the largest carmaker in 2020. Earlier this year, Toyota announced that it was planning to invest $13.5 billion toward developing electric vehicle battery tech. VW responded by saying it would also increase its investment in electric vehicles.

Consumers praise Toyota's vehicles

Although Toyota has lost ground in recent customer satisfaction surveys, many Toyota owners continue to praise the company’s vehicles for their durability and long-term value.

“In my life I've had Chevys, Fords, AMC and Nissan along with Toyota. Today's cars and trucks are not made to last. You would be lucky to get 75,000 to 100,000 miles of trouble free use out of America[n] cars. Very sad. Seem we made them for the masses,” Lawrence of Florence, Ariz., wrote in a ConsumerAffairs review.

Lawrence said he found that as long as you take care of your Toyota, your Toyota will take care of you. “You can very easily run it for 300,000 to 500,000 miles. Which is why I buy them. I got 350,000 mile out of my last Corolla and now I have a Tacoma that has 130,000 miles and still runs great and along with that everything still works on the truck.”

While melatonin supplements are commonly used to help those who struggle to get quality sleep, a new study conducted by researchers from Tohoku University explored how the hormone may affect asthma symptoms. 

According to their findings, melatonin makes it harder for air to move to and from the lungs, and it can also weaken the effects of asthma medications. 

Melatonin may make it harder to breathe

For the study, the researchers analyzed the effects of melatonin on the airway. They looked specifically at the MT2 receptor, which is activated by the production of melatonin. The goal of the study was to see how the hormone receptor impacted asthma patients’ symptoms. 

Ultimately, the researchers learned that consumers’ asthma symptoms get worse when the MT2 receptor is activated with high levels of melatonin. When more melatonin is produced, the pathway to and from the lungs is likely to become more constricted, which makes it more difficult to breathe. 

While this alone is a cause for concern, the study also showed that this relationship between melatonin and consumers’ airways can affect the body’s response to asthma medications. Consumers aren’t likely to get the same relief from their asthma medications – whether that’s a nebulizer, an inhaler, or a pill – when their airways are constricted.

“Although serum concentration of melatonin did not significantly induce the airway constriction, greater doses of melatonin, which is clinically used to treat insomnia, jet lag, or cancer, worsened asthma symptoms and impaired the therapeutic effect of bronchodilators,” said researcher Kentaro Mizuta. 

While virtual therapy services have grown in popularity throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, a new study conducted by researchers from the American Psychological Association explored how other digital treatment options can benefit consumers’ mental health. 

According to their findings, alternative styles of therapy that take place online were found to be effective at reducing depression symptoms. 

“The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major impact on mental health across the globe,” said researcher Isaac Moshe. “Depression is predicted to be the leading cause of lost life years due to illness by 2030. At the same time, less than 1 in 5 people receive appropriate treatment, and less than 1 in 27 in low-income settings. A major reason for this is the lack of trained health care providers. 

“Overall, our findings from effectiveness studies suggest that digital interventions may have a valuable role to play as part of the treatment offering in routine care, especially when accompanied by some sort of human guidance.” 

Digital treatments can benefit patients

The researchers analyzed data from more than 80 earlier studies that included information on more than 15,000 participants. All of the participants were struggling with depression symptoms, and the team compared how different treatment styles impacted the severity of their symptoms. 

The study showed that digital treatment methods were effective at reducing depression symptoms. It’s important to note that these digital interventions aren’t the same as consumers who participate in teletherapy. Instead, patients utilized a computer program that allowed them to complete therapy-based tasks and assignments, watch videos or read articles, and connect with mental health professionals one-on-one. 

Compared to participants who received no mental health treatment, those who completed digital intervention exercises experienced reduced depression symptoms. The benefits were strongest when the participants were able to communicate in some capacity with a health care provider. The researchers explained that having some kind of human interaction while tackling mental health concerns is an important component of successful treatment. 

How does face-to-face therapy compare?

The study also compared the efficacy of digital interventions with face-to-face talk therapy when it came to treating depression symptoms. Ultimately, the researchers found that one didn’t beat out the other; the researchers explained that there weren’t enough earlier studies to create a thorough comparison. However, they said the benefits associated with both traditional therapy and digital therapy treatments were fairly similar. 

Moving forward, the team hopes more work is done in this area to better understand how different therapies and treatment methods benefit consumers. 

“Digital interventions have been proposed as a way of meeting the unmet demand for psychological treatment,” said Moshe. “As digital interventions are being increasingly adopted within both private and public health care systems, we set out to understand whether these treatments are as effective as traditional face-to-face therapy, to what extent human support has an impact on outcomes, and whether the benefits found in lab settings transfer to real-world settings.”

Chrysler is recalling 1,622 model year 2019 Fiat 124 Spiders.

The impeller inside the fuel pump may be deformed, potentially causing the fuel pump to fail.

Fuel pump failure may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash.

What to do

Dealers will replace the fuel pump free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on January 1, 2022.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at (800) 853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is Y92.

Volvo Car USA is recalling four model year 2021 XC40 BEVs.

A bolt that secures the cross-member bracket to the electrical motor in the engine compartment may be loose or missing.

A loose or missing bolt may decrease the structural protection of the vehicle, increasing the risk of injury in a crash.

What to do

Dealers will replace the cross-member bracket and install new bracket bolts free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on January 10, 2022.

Owners may contact Volvo customer service at (800) 458-1552. Volvo's number for this recall is R10128.

If you find things a little squirrely with the internet as you begin your week, it may relate to a “zero-day” exploit called “Log4Shell” that has sent security experts scrambling. 

The vulnerability is a critical security flaw in an open-source logging software called “Log4j,” which is used by countless companies and data centers around the world. The difficult part is that when analysts attempt to plug holes created by Log4Shell, others seem to pop up as a result.

“The internet’s on fire right now,” Adam Meyers, senior vice president of intelligence at the cybersecurity firm Crowdstrike, told The Associated Press. “People are scrambling to patch,” he said, “and all kinds of people scrambling to exploit it.”

Why it’s such a threat

Log4Shell appears to be a major threat to internet companies. Reports have already circulated that iCloud, Amazon’s cloud service AWS, and Minecraft were targeted by hackers who used the vulnerability.

Hackers who use Log4Shell are reportedly able to run code inside of server systems and remotely take full control. Making the situation far more dangerous is the fact that this hack doesn’t require any interaction from the victim. Hackers can simply worm their way, gain access, and do their damage.

“This is far worse than if individual devices were vulnerable, and I think it's an open question at this point exactly what kind of data attackers are probably pulling from Apple's services as we speak,” Thomas Reed, Malwarebytes director of Mac offerings, told Ars Technica.

“I’d be hard-pressed to think of a company that’s not at risk,” Joe Sullivan, a Cloudflare security officer, told the AP. He said that untold millions of servers might have the utility installed. 

“Smash and grab” thefts at upscale retailers in many major cities have increased in recent weeks. Retailers say their stolen merchandise is being sold online, and they want Congress to do something about it.

In a letter to congressional leaders, CEOs of major retailers expressed alarm over what they said is “organized retail crime.” Surveillance video has shown a dozen or more people invading a store and grabbing handfuls of expensive merchandise, overwhelming outnumbered security personnel.

To make matters worse, the executives say the stolen merchandise ends up for sale on rogue websites, usually at cut-rate prices. They asked lawmakers to pass the INFORM Consumers Act, legislation that they contend will modernize consumer protection laws and crack down on these websites.

“As millions of Americans have undoubtedly seen on the news in recent weeks and months, retail establishments of all kinds have seen a significant uptick in organized crime in communities across the nation.” the CEOs wrote. “While we constantly invest in people, policies, and innovative technology to deter theft, criminals are capitalizing on the anonymity of the Internet and the failure of certain marketplaces to verify their sellers.”

Protecting retailers and consumers

The CEOs note that purchasing a stolen item is against the law if you have reason to believe it is stolen. They say buying a diamond ring for a few hundred dollars should be a pretty big tipoff. But they also note that cracking down on websites selling stolen goods not only protects retailers, it also protects consumers.

“If a customer buys a product from a local retail storefront or ecommerce site and it is broken or otherwise defective, the consumer knows exactly who to contact. There is accountability,” the letter points out. “In the current environment, criminal networks and unscrupulous businesses have exploited a system that protects their anonymity to sell unsafe, stolen, or counterfeit products with little legal recourse. This lack of transparency on particular third-party marketplaces has allowed criminal activity to fester.”

The letter to the top leaders of the House and Senate was signed by 20 CEOs, including Nordstrom CEO Eric Nordstrom. The night before Thanksgiving, several thieves entered a Nordstrom store in suburban Los Angeles, doused a security guard with bear spray, and made off with seven expensive purses.

Best Buy CEO Corie Barry, who also signed the letter, told retail analysts last month that brazen shoplifters are “traumatizing” store employees. He said the crime wave is so severe that it is beginning to affect company profit margins.

Consumers shopping in a brick-and-mortar chain store this holiday season may be presented with an offer at checkout: Apply for the store’s charge card and receive an immediate discount on the purchase.

It might sound like a tempting deal, but there are a few things to consider first. The financial services firm myFICO says opening a new store charge account could negatively affect your credit score.

It’s a card you may only be able to use at the store in question. Since it isn’t getting regular use, myFICO says it’s easy to overlook a payment, and late payments can drag down your credit score. The credit limit may also be fairly low, so if that first purchase uses most of the available credit – and you carry a balance for a while – your credit score can take a hit.

Higher interest rates

Ted Rossman, a senior industry analyst at CreditCards.com, says there can be other drawbacks that make store cards less useful to consumers than a standard credit card. For one thing, he says store cards typically charge a higher interest rate.

“We recently averaged the midpoints of the APR (annual percentage rate) ranges offered by credit cards associated with the 100 largest retailers and came up with 24.35%, well above the 19.92% we measured on 100 popular general-purpose credit cards using the same methodology,” Rossman told ConsumerAffairs. “Both are high, but retail card APRs are often higher than general-purpose cards, and they top out at 29.99%.

Getting a small discount probably isn’t worth it

Rossman says store credit cards can make sense if you plan to pay in full to avoid the higher interest charges. But another consideration is how frequently the card will be used. And he agrees that there can be negative consequences to credit scores.

“Opening and closing too many credit card accounts can hurt your credit score, so be selective,” he said. “A 10% discount on a large purchase might make sense if you can avoid interest, especially if you’re loyal to the store and will get ongoing benefits. A 10% discount on a smaller purchase isn’t really worth it.”

But when all these positive factors line up, myFICO says a store card can help consumers improve their credit score, just as a traditional credit card can. If the issuing bank reports the account to the major credit bureaus, the account should show up on your credit reports. 

The key, of course, is to make payments on the account on time every month.

If you never thought you’d see the day when you would have to pay to start your car, then brace yourself. Toyota has announced that car owners will have to sign up for a subscription service if they want to start their car with a key fob. 

The news – originally reported by The Drive and confirmed by a Toyota spokesperson – reveals that if a consumer has a 2018 model year or later Toyota vehicle equipped with Toyota's Remote Connect functions, then the vehicle must be enrolled in a subscription program if the owner wants to use the key fob to start their car remotely. The subscription rate is $8 per month or $80 per year.

“To be clear, what we're talking about is the proximity-based RF remote start system, where you press a button on the fob to start the car while outside of it within a certain distance—say, from your front door to warm up your vehicle in the driveway on a cold morning before you get in,” The Drive reported. “Your fob uses radio waves to communicate with the car, and no connection back to Toyota's servers is needed. But the function will not work without a larger Remote Connect subscription.”

Subscription is needed after trial ends

Anytime someone buys a new Toyota, they’re offered the option of signing up for a trial of Toyota's Connected Services. Those services include emergency assistance, hot spot connectivity, and a feature that allows owners to unlock and start the vehicle from a phone app. 

The catch is that owners who want to continue having access to those services will need to sign up for a subscription after their trial ends. The trial periods reportedly vary based on what features and packages the car owner purchased when they got their vehicle. 

Toyota isn’t the only company that is turning to a subscription model. Car and Driver reports that Cadillac requires a subscription if someone wants to use its hands-free Super Cruise driver assistance. Audi also requires a subscription for its Wi-Fi-enabled navigation system, and Tesla drivers must pay $200 per month for access to the company’s Full Self-Driving option. 

Subscriptions – no matter what they’re for – are here to stay, and they will likely continue to move from one product category to another. 

As companies continue to try to balance virtual and in-person work, a new study conducted by researchers from the University of Texas at Austin uncovered interesting findings related to corporate conferences. 

Their work showed that when deciding between hosting an in-person or virtual conference, opting for a virtual event is better for the environment and more inclusive for long-distance attendees. 

“Conferences disseminate research, grow professional networks, and train employees,” the researchers wrote. “Unfortunately, they also contribute to climate change and present barriers to achieving a socially sustainable work environment. Virtual conferences demonstrated a clearly discernible and, in some cases, orders of magnitude improvement across nearly all metrics”  

Creating opportunities for diversity 

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from in-person conferences across several different industries that turned virtual over the last few years. They gathered information from these events and asked participants to answer questions about their personal experiences related to attending in-person and virtual events. 

It was clear to the researchers that virtual events won out over in-person conferences for several reasons. From a personal standpoint, virtual events required less travel time and less time away from work for attendees; this translated into spending less money to attend conferences. 

The study also showed that virtual conferences made it easier for more diverse attendees to participate in networking events. International workers weren’t constrained by travel requirements, cost, or time away from work, which made it possible to remotely engage with long-distance colleagues. 

“When we went virtual, it brought a lot more voices to the table that just weren’t able to be there for in-person events because of the cost, time, and other reasons,” said researcher Kasey Faust. 

Similarly, the researchers learned that virtual conferences had a significant impact on women – especially working mothers. Without the demands of traveling, it was easier for women to be more active with their colleagues while remaining local. Overall, the study showed that women’s attendance at work conferences went up by more than 250% due to the increasing number of virtual conferences. 

Staying virtual is better for the environment

Hosting virtual conferences also generated some environmental benefits. Workers were able to learn from each other and network with their colleagues without the environmental footprint of domestic or international travel. The study showed that the environmental impact of one attendee traveling to an in-person conference prior to the COVID-19 pandemic was the same as 7,000 people attending an online conference. 

Though there were several benefits linked to virtual events, the researchers found that one drawback was that some participants felt it was hard to stay connected and engaged on a virtual platform. They explained that while many industries are shifting back to in-person events, having the option to participate either remotely or in person will likely be the norm moving forward. 

“Tech companies are already doing this with their events,” said researcher Manish Kumar. “Smart people will hybridize their events at least to some extent.” 

Chrysler is recalling 11,419 model year 2020-2021 Alfa Romeo Stelvios and Giulias.

The fuel line sensor housing may crack and leak fuel.

A fuel leak may cause an engine stall, increasing the risk of a crash. It also increases the risk of fire in the presence of an ignition source.

What to do

Dealers will inspect and replace the fuel line sensor housing -- as necessary -- free of charge.

Owner notification letters are expected to be mailed on January 1, 2022.

Owners may contact Chrysler customer service at (800) 853-1403. Chrysler's number for this recall is Y91.

Flagship Food Group of Eagle, Idaho, is recalling a limited number of cases of TJ Farms Select brand frozen cauliflower.

The product may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

No illnesses have been reported to date.

The following product -- imported from China and distributed in Pennsylvania, Tennessee, and Wisconsin -- is being recalled:

• 16-oz packages of TJ Farms Cauliflower, lot code 2077890089. UPC 75544000604-3

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled product should not consume it. Instead, they should discard it.

Consumers with questions may call the firm at (800) 292-9600 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (MST).

Late last month, the FDA authorized the use of a single booster dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine for administration to all individuals 18 years of age and older.

“Vaccination and getting a booster when eligible, along with other preventive measures like masking and avoiding large crowds and poorly ventilated spaces, remain our most effective methods for fighting COVID-19,” said Acting FDA Commissioner Janet Woodcock. 

“As people gather indoors with family and friends for the holidays, we can’t let up on all the preventive public health measures that we have been taking during the pandemic. With both the delta and omicron variants continuing to spread, vaccination remains the best protection against COVID-19.” 

The FDA noted that it didn’t hold a separate study for 16- and 17-year-olds. However, it did base its approval on an earlier study that analyzed the immune responses from some 200 participants aged 18 to 55. 

Risks and rewards

In its new labeling of the vaccine, Pfizer added myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) and pericarditis (inflammation of the lining outside the heart) to the list of potential risks. The company said those effects have “occurred in some people who have received the vaccine, more commonly in males under 40 years of age than among females and older males.”

However, Pfizer is playing it safe and conducting post-authorization/post-marketing studies to assess the risks of those conditions. The FDA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have also put systems in place to monitor the vaccine's safety. The agencies stated that they are ready to detect and investigate any potential safety concerns quickly.

Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA’s Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said the Pfizer vaccine has proved that its rewards clearly outweigh any potential risks.

“Since we first authorized the vaccine, new evidence indicates that vaccine effectiveness against COVID-19 is waning after the second dose of the vaccine for all adults and for those in the 16- and 17-year-old age group. A single booster dose of the vaccine for those vaccinated at least six months prior will help provide continued protection against COVID-19 in this and older age groups,” Marks said.

Coronavirus (COVID-19) ‌tally‌ ‌as‌ ‌‌compiled‌‌ ‌by‌ ‌Johns‌ ‌Hopkins‌ ‌University.‌ ‌(Previous‌ ‌numbers‌ ‌in‌ ‌parentheses.)‌

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌confirmed‌ ‌cases:‌ 49,669,827 (49,554,373)‌

Total‌ ‌U.S.‌ ‌deaths:‌ 794,685 (793,475)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌cases:‌ 268,750,160 (268,127,375)

Total‌ ‌global‌ ‌deaths:‌ 5,291,645 (5,284,165)‌

New York governor sounds the alarm

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is sounding the alarm as cases of the coronavirus rose across the Empire State this week. Hochul said the Omicron variant is responsible for the spread and that it’s coming from community transmission, not from travelers. 

Hochul said her primary concern is that more serious cases could create a strain on the state’s hospitals. She announced that 32 hospitals have been forced to suspend non-essential elective procedures effective immediately. She said the increase in hospitalizations appears to be driven by the Delta variant, not the Omicron variant.

The governor said the sudden surge in new cases amounts to “an alarm going off,” and she has expanded the medical resources available to hospitals. Medical personnel of the New York National Guard have been activated to help out.

Hospitalizations surge in Michigan

Hospitals in Michigan are dealing with a sharp rise in seriously ill COVID-19 patients, and one hospital, in particular, is seeing rising deaths. Sparrow Hospital in Lansing is reporting a pandemic-high in both hospitalizations and deaths.

"Since January, we've had about 289 deaths and 75% are unvaccinated people," Jim Dover, the CEO of Sparrow Health System, told CNN. 

Dover said vaccinated people who died were all at least six months from their shots. He also said there were no deaths among people who had received a booster shot.

Fauci: Omicron-specific vaccine ‘probably not necessary’

Dr. Anthony Fauci, President Biden’s top medical adviser, has sounded an optimistic note amid a sudden surge in new COVID-19 cases. In an interview with STAT, Fauci said currently available vaccines will probably be sufficient to protect people from the Omicron variant if they are vaccinated and have a booster.

Fauci said he based his view on how the vaccines have performed against other variants. He called for further studies as vaccine manufacturers test their vaccines on the Omicron variant.

“The companies are going to be making variant-specific boosters,” Fauci said. But “what I think is something that we need to keep our eye on [is] it could be that things turn out better than we expected.”

Around the nation

• Connecticut: Several cities have reinstated public mask requirements amid a sharp uptick in COVID-19 cases. "Unfortunately, like the rest of the state, just in the last couple of weeks, we've seen a substantial increase in cases to where we're back in high community transmission," said Laurence Burnsed, health director for the town of East Hartford.

• Illinois: State health officials report that all counties in the state are now classified as areas of “high transmission.” Federal health agencies consider a county to be in that category if 100 or more residents per 100,000 people have contracted the virus in a given week.

• Wyoming: A top aide to Gov. Mark Gordon held a virtual town hall meeting this week to discuss how the state will use its share of federal COVID-19 relief funds. The proposal will be sent to the state legislature in February. Wyoming has received $534 million and will get the same amount in early 2022.

• Idaho: State Board of Education President Kurt Liebich expressed relief that a federal judge has blocked a federal vaccination mandate, saying it removes a lot of pressure. “Since the mandate was issued, our institutions have been struggling to develop plans to comply, and the preliminary injunction gives us breathing room to chart a proper path forward without forcing employees to choose between getting vaccinated or potentially losing their job,” Liebich said in a statement.

• Texas: An Apple store in Southlake has closed until Monday because of an outbreak of COVID-19 among employees. Twenty-two employees at the store have tested positive for the virus since Black Friday.

A new eye drop medication for farsightedness is being heralded as a game-changer by both patients and doctors. VUITY, an eye drop product produced by AbbVie that was recently approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), is reportedly so effective that it could reduce the need for reading glasses among those affected by presbyopia. 

Presbyopia is an extremely common condition for middle-aged and older consumers. The American Academy of Ophthalmology data claims that it affects an estimated 1.8 billion people worldwide.

According to AbbVie, VUITY starts taking effect in about 15 minutes. For six to 10 hours, the company says users should be able to see things more clearly and sharply. The eye drops work by reducing a person’s pupil size and contracting certain muscles in the eye to help them see up close.

The reviews speak volumes

In EyesOn’s analysis of VUITY, both doctors and patients were asked to weigh in on their experience with the medicine. Everyone agreed that the label “game-changer” fits perfectly.

“Our patients have not really had any options for the treatment of presbyopia, besides just dealing with it or wearing bifocals, progressives, or even contact lenses,” said Dr. Nandini Venkateswaran, a cataract, cornea, and refractive surgery specialist at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary.

“VUITY is going to provide clinicians with the opportunity to not only address presbyopia as a condition, straightforwardly in the clinic, but then also offer a solution: 'Here's an eye drop that's easy to use, that's easy to access, and will allow you to live a more functional lifestyle without always depending on your glasses or readers, if you are a good candidate.'”

Toni Wright, one of the participants in a clinical trial to test VUITY, also gave the drug her blessing. "It's definitely a life changer," Wright told CBS News.

Patients will still need reading glasses, but just not as often

Wright said she found that she still needed her reading glasses after taking the eye drops, but just not as much. Sathi Maiti, an ocular surface disease fellow at the Periman Eye Institute, said people shouldn’t be too quick to throw their glasses away. 

“I think it is most likely people will end up still needing some kind of eyeglass or contact lens correction, especially given that VUITY was only shown to work for 6 hours,” she said.

“Even if people do use it, they will probably still need some type of reading prescription for the end of the day or days they choose not to use VUITY. It may also end up being something patients use in combination with glasses for their presbyopia, such as wearing their glasses when they require sharp near vision at work, and using VUITY for when they go out, on vacation, or are just at home and don’t need as clear near vision.”

A new study conducted by the American Heart Association explored how exposure to toxic metals may impact consumers’ heart health. 

According to their findings, consumers may be more likely to develop clogged arteries when they’re exposed to metals such as arsenic, cadmium, and titanium. 

“This study supports that exposure to toxic metals in the environment, even at low-levels of exposure, is toxic for cardiovascular health,” said researcher Dr. Maria Tellez-Plaza. “The levels of metals in our study population were generally lower compared to other published studies. Metals, and in particular arsenic, cadmium, and titanium, likely are relevant risk factors for atherosclerosis, even at the lowest exposure levels and among middle-aged working individuals.” 

How do toxic metals affect heart health?

For the study, the researchers analyzed data from nearly 2,000 people enrolled in the Aragon Workers Health Study who worked at an auto assembly factory in Spain. They evaluated the participants’ exposure to nine metals – including arsenic, barium, uranium, cadmium, chromium, antimony, titanium, vanadium, and tungsten – and compared their exposure levels to long-term heart health. 

The researchers learned that even low levels of exposure to toxic metals negatively affected the participants’ heart health. Arsenic, cadmium, and titanium posed the biggest threat and were linked to a higher risk of clogged arteries in the neck, heart, and legs. 

Arsenic, in particular, may contribute to the worst long-term effects on consumers’ heart health when exposure is combined with both titanium and cadmium. The researchers found that women, older people, and smokers all had higher traces of metals in their urine samples. 

“Metals are ubiquitous in the environment, and people are chronically exposed to low levels of metals,” researcher Maria Grau-Perez said. “According to the World Health Organization, 31% of the cardiovascular disease burden in the world could be avoided if we could eliminate environmental pollutants.” 

Risk of toxic metal exposure is high

Moving forward, the researchers hope more work is done to monitor consumers’ exposure to toxic metals. They say it’s especially important because these metals are widely used across several industries, many of which make cosmetic products, dental implants, and automotive parts, among several others. 

“Current global environmental, occupational, and food safety standards for cadmium, arsenic, and other metals may be insufficient to protect the population from metal-related adverse health effects,” said Dr. Tellez-Plaza. “Metal exposure prevention and mitigation has the potential to substantially improve the way we prevent and treat cardiovascular disease.”