Crackdown on vaping
The US FDA is contemplating a blanket federal ban on flavoured e-cigarettes, in an attempt to halt the spiraling take-up of vaping by children and teenagers. Many of the fruity flavours appear specifically designed to appeal to younger palates, but the action also includes more traditional mint and menthol products. Flavoured e-cigs have already been banned in Michigan and New York, and other states are considering similar action.
Fight against Ebola
Uganda is stepping up cross-border and airport screening of travelers for the killer Ebola virus disease (EVD), especially those from the Ebola-hit Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The country is also expanding vaccinations with Merck’s investigational recombinant vesicular stomatitis virus–Zaire Ebola virus (rVSV-ZEBOV) vaccine to ward off possible spread of any imported EVD.
Self-destruct polymers
China’s ban on waste imports has helped to throw Europe’s paper recycling sector into crisis, according to the trade group European Recycling Industries’ Confederation (EuRIC). A chronic oversupply of recovered paper has sent prices plummeting over the past two years.