Risk of drowning death; carcinogens in cars; big-dollar health care fraud – Morning Medical Update

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Drowning hazards

What is the leading cause of death for children aged 1 to 4 years? Drowning, and incidents of drowning death for all age groups are rising in recent years. From 2020 to 2022, more than 4,500 people drowned each year, or 500 more than in 2019. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has the numbers and CNN published this report.

Auto air quality

Fire can be harmful to human health, so various industries use flame retardant chemicals on materials. Those chemicals also can be harmful to human health, and the foam in the seats of your car may be loaded with them, according to a new study and accompanying news release.

Those cancer tests add up

Two men were charged for their scheme to defraud Medicare by $174 million, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. The feds say Jamie P. McNamara, 48, of Missouri, and John M. Spivey, 53, of New Orleans, Louisiana, used a telemarketing campaign to order genetic cancer testing for Medicare beneficiaries from November 2018 to July 2020. While $174 million is a lot of billing, they received just $55 million in reimbursements.