North Carolina

Scientists find ‘forever chemicals’ in the blood of North Carolina dogs and horses

Published

1 year ago

June 21, 2023

Scientists find ‘forever chemicals’ in the blood of North Carolina dogs and horses

A team of North Carolina State University scientists have identified elevated levels of “forever chemicals” in the blood of every pet dog and horse they tested in a recent community study.

The research, published Wednesday in Environmental Science and Technology, establishes horses and confirms dogs as important sentinel species for gauging human exposure to cancer-linked per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) inside and outside the home.

Blood chemistry panels conducted on the animals also revealed changes in the biological indicators used to assess liver and kidney dysfunction — two systems that are the primary targets of PFAS toxicity in humans, according to the study.

The region of Central North Carolina where the dogs and horses reside is highly contaminated with PFAS, due to the local production of these long-lasting, synthetic compounds, the authors explained.

Known for their ability to linger in both the body and the environment, PFAS are found in industrial discharge, certain firefighting foams and a variety of household items. Many of these substances — of which there are thousands — are linked to kidney cancer, thyroid disease, testicular cancer and other illnesses.

“Bolstering their utility as sentinels for human health effects, domestic animals have substantial overlap in shared health risks,” the authors stated.

While this method has historically been used to study disease spread, the researchers described “growing interest in its application for chemical-induced health risks to inform regulatory and public health response to chemical hazards like PFAS.”

The NC State researchers evaluated PFAS blood levels for 31 dogs and 32 horses from Gray’s Creek, N.C., at the request of community members who had voiced concerns about the well-being of their pets.

All of the households included in the study were on well water, and all of these wells had been tested by state inspectors and deemed contaminated with PFAS, according to the study.

After receiving a general veterinary health check, the animals underwent a blood serum screening for 33 different types of PFAS — chosen based on compounds present in the adjacent Cape Fear River Basin, the authors explained.

Among those 33 compounds of interest, the scientists identified 20 different PFAS in the pets. While all animals participating in the study had at least one such substance in their blood, more than 50 percent of the subjects had at least 12 of the 20 types of PFAS.

One of the most notorious types of PFAS, an industrial and commercial product ingredient called PFOS, had the highest concentrations in dog serum, according to the study.

The researchers found PFHxS, a surfactant used in certain firefighting foams and consumer products, in the blood of dogs but not of horses.

Other specific types of PFAS — including the compound known colloquially as GenX — was identified only in the blood of dogs and horses that drank well water.

In dogs that drank well water, median levels of two types of PFAS — PFOS and PFHxS — were similar to those of children included in the university’s GenX Exposure Study, also conducted in the Cape Fear River Basin.

Such parallels suggest that pet dogs could serve as significant indicators of household PFAS, the authors explained.

Dogs that drank bottled water, on the other hand, had different types of PFAS in their blood, and were by no means free of these substances, according to the study. In fact, the scientists identified 16 out of the 20 PFAS in dogs that drank bottled water.

“The fact that some of the concentrations in dogs are similar to those in children reinforces the fact that dogs are important in-home sentinels for these contaminants,” corresponding author Scott Belcher, an associate professor of biology at NC State, said in a statement.

“And the fact that PFAS is still present in animals that don’t drink well water points to other sources of contamination within homes, such as household dust or food,” Belcher added.

In comparison to the dogs, the horses overall had lower concentrations of PFAS in their blood, the authors found. Nonetheless, these animals had higher levels of a substance called NBP2, a byproduct of fluorochemical manufacturing.

This heightened presence of a manufacturing byproduct suggests that contamination of the outdoor environment — potentially the discharge of PFAS onto forage — could be linked to their exposure, according to the study.

“Horses have not previously been used to monitor PFAS exposure,” first author Kylie Rock, a postdoctoral researcher at NC State, said in a statement.

“But they may provide critical information about routes of exposure from the outdoor environment when they reside in close proximity to known contamination sources,” Rock added.

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North Carolina

‘Sexiest Collard Farmer’ contest sows drama as competitors wilt under new, strict photo considerations

Published

2 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

‘Sexiest Collard Farmer’ contest sows drama as competitors wilt under new, strict photo considerations

They’re feeling a little hot under the collard.

Come-hither cultivators vying for the title of North Carolina’s “sexiest collard farmer” are wilting with disappointment because they got down and dirty entering steamy pictures — only to be told they should have put some dressing on that salad.

“I’m a little disappointed that this year they did not post my picture,” said farmer and defending champion Lee Berry, referring to the contest organizer’s Facebook page.

Berry, 54, submitted a photo of himself wearing what he thought any true sex symbol of collard greenery should wear – nothing but collard greens themselves – and was sure he would clinch the crown again.

But the competition’s organizer – who holds voting for the contest on his Facebook page, “The State You’re In” – said he feared Berry’s photo might get flagged by Facebook’s censors and bring the entire contest crashing down.

“You don’t want to lose your account for posting nudity or things like that,” said the organizer, who asked to remain unnamed, to the Telegraph.

“There’s three photos that I didn’t even want to post on social media,” he added.

Though Berry’s photo remains in the running, rather than being featured at the top of the page along with more than 20 other competitors he was asked to post his photo in the comments below the vote.

Since the winner is determined by the photo that get the most “likes,” Berry thinks his chances of reclaiming the crown are seriously limited by his photo’s reduced exposure.

“I’m not whining and b—hing and griping, but I just, I would have loved to have known beforehand that that wasn’t going to be displayed,” he said.

And Berry isn’t the only entrant with a leaf to pick.

David Correll, 50, went all out to take down Berry this year and stripped down for a candle-lit photoshoot in a bathtub full of collard greens.

But his photo was bumped into the comments section, too, over fears it could be flagged by Facebook — leaving him somewhat baffled by the decision.

“My picture showed a lot less skin than a lot of pictures you can find on Facebook, so I’m not really sure why they decided to censor it a little bit, but that’s OK,” he said.

Facebook’s community standards bar sexually explicit or suggestive photos and specifically name “visible genitalia” or sex acts as being banned — none of which Berry, Correll or anybody in the running submitted.

But the organizer said he didn’t want to run the risk and plans to amend the entry rules for next year’s competition to keep things more deliberately PG.

“I think next year we’re going to make it where it’s a little more family friendly,” he said.

With voting due to close by Tuesday, the current favorite to take home the 2024 crown is Patrick Brown, of Brown Family Farms, whose photo of himself looking cool-eyed into the camera alongside a green bushel has garnered a commanding lead of more than 3,500 votes.

A website — http://www.CollardsOnly.com — has been set up to help organize the competition, which will turn the entrants’ photos into a calendar and raise funds to donate to Hurricane Helene victims.

Even though the crown may elude Berry and Correll this year, both know it’s all about fun at the end of the day.

“It’s all for fun, you know, just for laughs, and I’ve had a lot of phone calls from friends and some of my customers that got a real kick out of it, so that’s the main reason to do it, just to have a little fun,” Correll said.

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North Carolina

NC State, North Carolina have interesting recruiting histories

Published

10 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

NC State, North Carolina have interesting recruiting histories

NC State and North Carolina usually battle for in-state recruits up to a certain point, but some consider both schools until the end.

NC State travels to play at North Carolina at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, and this year’s contest has a twist. The Wolfpack will play against former teammates Joshua Harris, a 6-foot-4, 325-pound senior nose tackle, and senior safety Jakeen Harris, who have no relation to each other.

Harris is the starting safety and has 55 tackles, one tackle for loss and three passes broken up. Joshua Harris is on the second string and has 19 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble.

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North Carolina

NC Lottery Lucky For Life, Pick 3 Day results for Nov. 24, 2024

Published

18 hours ago

November 25, 2024

Press Room

The NC Lottery offers several draw games for those aiming to win big. Here’s a look at Sunday, Nov. 24, 2024 results for each game:

Winning Lucky For Life numbers from Nov. 24 drawing

07-11-14-26-48, Lucky Ball: 15

Check Lucky For Life payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 3 numbers from Nov. 24 drawing

Day: 2-7-2, Fireball: 8

Evening: 8-0-3, Fireball: 9

Check Pick 3 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Pick 4 numbers from Nov. 24 drawing

Day: 3-1-6-5, Fireball: 8

Evening: 6-9-0-6, Fireball: 9

Check Pick 4 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Cash 5 numbers from Nov. 24 drawing

02-12-20-22-29

Check Cash 5 payouts and previous drawings here.

Winning Double Play numbers from Nov. 24 drawing

07-19-21-31-35

Feeling lucky? Explore the latest lottery news & results

Are you a winner? Here’s how to claim your lottery prize

All North Carolina Lottery retailers will redeem prizes up to $599.

For prizes over $599, winners can submit winning tickets through the mail or in person at North Carolina Lottery Offices. By mail, send a prize claim form, your signed lottery ticket, copies of a government-issued photo ID and social security card to: North Carolina Education Lottery, P.O. Box 41606, Raleigh, NC 27629. Prize claims less than $600 do not require copies of photo ID or a social security card.

To submit in person, sign the back of your ticket, fill out a prize claim form and deliver the form, along with your signed lottery ticket and government-issued photo ID and social security card to any of these locations:

Asheville Regional Office & Claim Center: 16-G Regent Park Blvd., Asheville, NC 28806, 877-625-6886 press #1. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Greensboro Regional Office & Claim Center: 20A Oak Branch Drive, Greensboro, NC 27407, 877-625-6886 press #2. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Charlotte Regional Office & Claim Center: 5029-A West W. T. Harris Blvd., Charlotte, NC 28269-1861, 877-625-6886 press #3. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
NC Lottery Headquarters: Raleigh Claim Center & Regional Office, 2728 Capital Blvd., Suite 144, Raleigh, NC 27604, 877-625-6886 press #4. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes of any amount.
Greenville Regional Office & Claim Center: 2790 Dickinson Avenue, Suite A, Greenville, NC 27834, 877-625-6886 press #5. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.
Wilmington Regional Office & Claim Center: 123 North Cardinal Drive Extension, Suite 140, Wilmington, NC 28405, 877-625-6886 press #6. Hours: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. This office can cash prizes up to $99,999.

Check previous winning numbers and payouts at https://nclottery.com/.

When are the North Carolina Lottery drawings held?

Powerball: 10:59 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday.
Mega Millions: 11 p.m. Tuesday and Friday.
Lucky for Life: 10:38 p.m. daily.
Pick 3, 4: 3:00 p.m. and 11:22 p.m. daily.
Cash 5: 11:22 p.m. daily.

This results page was generated automatically using information from TinBu and a template written and reviewed by a Carolina Connect editor. You can send feedback using this form.

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