The line of sparkling glassware sitting on top of your hotel fridge looks clean. The glasses even have a paper cap to signal you've received a fresh set ready for your use. But there are good reasons you shouldn't fill them at the bathroom sink, no matter how thirsty you are.

Artificial sweeteners, also called nonnutritive sweeteners or non-sugar sweeteners, are created from chemicals in the lab. The first such chemical, saccharin, was accidentally invented by a Russian postdoctoral researcher, Constantin Fahlberg, working with his Professor, Ira Remsen, in 1879, when he noticed a sweet taste on his hand while refining coal tar derivatives. It was later commercialized by him as a sugar substitute. Today, besides saccharin, other approved artificial sweeteners include aspartame, sucralose, neotame, acesulfame-K, and advantame.

Distracted driving is doing another activity while driving, such as texting, talking on a cell phone, eating, thinking about something, and other disruptive activities. Since many people are on the road during the Holiday Season, this behavior becomes even more important from a public health perspective.

The causation and risk factors of gambling disorder are complex, with both genetic and environmental factors playing a role.

If it seems like more people around you are sneezing and sniffling, it’s not your imagination. This is one of the most common times of year for the common cold. Signs of the common cold include sneezing, a runny nose, headache, a sore throat, coughing and nasal congestion. Ever try to sleep with a runny nose? Not fun. Typically, these symptoms last about a week, which is a long time to be feeling crummy.

'Tis the season of relentless dishwashing and lethargy. After ingesting half a turkey and a gallon of eggnog, it is tempting to look at the piles of dirty plates, shrug, and think, meh, they could use a long soak in the sink anyway. But here’s the dirty truth: sinks are among the most germ-ridden spots in your house, and not the kind of place you want your dinnerware to hang out.

Whooping cough or pertussis is showing signs of re-emergence around the world, and more so in the United States. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recently reported that whooping cough levels have returned to pre-COVID-19 pandemic levels and were six times higher in 2024 than in 2023, and the levels in 2025 are also elevated.

It’s officially here: cold and flu season. As soon as those temperatures drop and we retreat more and more into our homes, the chance of transmitting these viruses increases. According to the American Lung Association, anywhere between five and 20 percent of people in the United States get the flu every year.

While the days of drying our hands on that funky, half-stained, communal woven towel on a roller are over—whew!—it’s still tricky to tell what’s the safest way to dry off. Paper towels can be tossed after using, so that’s a plus. Then again, dryers these days seem to be loaded up with germ-busting tech. Should you wait (and wait) while the blower shoots mystery air your way … or pick paper and never look back?

After almost a two-day meeting, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) has voted 8-3 to overturn the nearly 35-year-old recommendation to vaccinate newborn babies against hepatitis B within 24 hours of birth. The group says to wait two months instead.

Don't toss that can just because the expiration date has passed. Here's how to know if it's still edible.

Use of plastics has become ubiquitous in our society since their first introduction in the 1950s. At present, it is estimated that only 20% of plastics are recycled or incinerated, leaving the rest as waste in the environment. It is projected that this waste could reach 2.4 billion tons by 2050. Due to slow and incomplete degradation, microplastics and nanoplastics (MNPs) are emerging as harmful pollutants both for human health and the environment.