Health Highlights: Feb. 10, 2020

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by the editors of HealthDay:

Carcinogens in Car Seats Might Bring Danger During Long Commutes

Having a long commute could put you at increased risk of cancer due to exposure to cancerous chemicals in your car seats, a new study suggests.

It found that people who spend more time in their car have higher levels of exposure to a chemical flame retardant called TDCIPP that’s used in car seats, CBS News reported.

The University of California at Riverside and Duke University study was published in the journal Environment International.

“Given that a large fraction of the human population within Southern California — as well as other densely populated regions across the United States — spend one or more hours commuting on a near-daily basis, our study raises concerns about the potential for chronic TDCIPP exposure within vehicles and possibly other forms of transportation,” the researchers wrote, CBS News reported.

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States’ Limits on Transgender Youth Access to Treatment Opposed by Medical Professionals

A group of medical professionals in southern states opposes proposals that would limit transgender minors’ access to gender-affirming health care such as hormone therapy and surgery.

“To put it plainly, gender-affirming care saves lives and allows trans young people to thrive,” says a letter signed by more than 200 nurses, physicians, counselors and social workers in the nonprofit Campaign for Southern Equality, which advocates for LGBTQ rights in the South, CNN reported.

Such legislation discriminates against trans patients and prevents physicians from doing their jobs, according to the group.

All of those who signed the letter work in Southern states where the restrictions — none of which have been passed — have been proposed, CNN reported.