FINDINGS

Oceans May Be Losing Ability to Absorb Carbon

The oceans, which have absorbed some excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere for centuries, may be losing that ability, a new report says.

Oceans are believed to absorb about one-quarter of human-related carbon emissions linked to global warming.

But researchers reporting in the journal Science say the Southern Ocean which surrounds Antarctica, seems to be losing its ability to take up the gas.

Their four-year study concluded that rising temperatures are increasing wind speeds over the Southern Ocean and preventing it from absorbing more carbon and is causing the sea to release some of the gas that it had stored.

"This is serious. All climate models predict that this kind of 'feedback' will continue and intensify during this century," lead author Corinne Le Quéré of the University of East Anglia said in a statement.

Sense of Inevitability Hurts Cancer Prevention

Many Americans fear they can do nothing to protect themselves from cancer, and they may be creating a self-fulfilling prophecy, researchers said yesterday.

Their survey of more than 6,000 people found that nearly half -- 47 percent -- agreed that "nearly everything causes cancer" and that more than a quarter felt there was little they could do about it.

Yet an estimated two-thirds of cancer cases can be prevented with common-sense measures, such as not smoking, eating plenty of fruits and vegetables, and avoiding too much sun, according to the American Association of Cancer Research and the National Cancer Institute.

"They say, 'Well, there is nothing much you can do about it,' and, as our survey shows, they indeed do nothing about it," said Jeff Niederdeppe of the University of Wisconsin, who helped lead the study. "Yet we know that approximately 30 percent of cancer deaths are attributed to smoking, while 15 to 20 percent are linked to overweight and obesity. Clearly, there are very specific things we can do to reduce our personal risk for getting cancer."

Niederdeppe and colleagues analyzed a National Cancer Institute survey that asked people whether they agreed with three statements about cancer. About 47 percent agreed that "it seems like almost everything causes cancer," while 27 percent agreed that "there's not much people can do to lower their chances of getting cancer."

Most of all, Americans are confused, with 71.5 percent agreeing that "there are so many recommendations about preventing cancer, it's hard to know which ones to follow," researchers wrote in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention.

People who agreed with at least one of the three statements were less likely than others to exercise weekly and eat five daily servings of fruits and vegetables.

New Smallpox Vaccine Deemed Effective, Safe

A panel of expert advisers backed a second-generation smallpox vaccine yesterday as safe enough to be used if the virtually extinct virus ever reappears.

The vaccine maker, Acambis, has provided 192.5 million doses of the experimental vaccine to a U.S. stockpile. But future production may depend in part on whether the Food and Drug Administration formally approves the shots. The company failed to win a new government contract last fall.

An FDA advisory committee voted unanimously yesterday that Acambis's vaccine works and is safe enough to use in special situations where people are deemed at high risk of smallpox exposure.

The United States ended routine vaccination against smallpox in 1971, and world health authorities declared the disease officially eradicated from the wild in 1980. But after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, concern arose that smallpox and other infections could be engineered as weapons. That led to the stockpiling of certain vaccines in case they are needed -- and to the vaccination of some military personnel and health-care workers.

-- From News Services