Chronic exposure increases the risk of cardiovascular ailments, respiratory disease and lung cancer.
It found no increase in the risk of the ailments that worry cell-phone critics: brain and nervous system cancers, leukemia or salivary gland tumors.
It lowers workers' productivity and in the longer term raises the risk of myriad ailments, including diabetes, heart disease, strokes and some cancers; it also affects mental health.
The safety of the diabetes drug Avandia looked increasingly suspect late last month after two major studies found that it raises the risk of cardiovascular ailments.
Mr. Manley said he was satisfied that, after such a cleaning, which typically costs several thousand dollars per truck, firefighters would no longer be at risk of respiratory ailments related to the contamination.
So also is the number of people at risk of neurodegenerative ailments like Alzheimer's.
Conversely, "stonewalling" during conflict -- shutting down emotionally or withdrawing from the conversation -- raises the risk of musculoskeletal ailments such as a bad back or stiff muscles.
Researchers found that while "outbursts of anger predict cardiovascular problems... shutting down emotionally or 'stonewalling' during conflict raises the risk of musculoskeletal ailments such as a bad back or stiff muscles".
Vitamin A deficiency had exposed both mothers and their newborns to a greater risk of common ailments and led to irreversible blindness in some cases in Zambia.
When patients and relatives are focused on the life-and-death risks of heart ailments and of surgery, Mr. Lynam said, "it's not surprising that they might not remember about hearing about the relatively insignificant chance of hepatitis transmission".
In particular, it promises to tell people things ranging from their risks of developing ailments as diverse as heart disease, cancer and autism to how much coffee they can safely drink.
