Is your teenager skipping breakfast? Why is that happening and what can you do? As per the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which surveyed adolescent health and well-being found that 1 in 4 students in high school ate breakfast, which means 3 in 4 high school students are not eating their breakfast. This data is as per the 2023 survey.

What Did The Study Intend?

The report describes a 10-year long trend and also recent changes among the two years. The study delved deeper into adolescents' dietary, physical activity and sleep behaviors. The study is also based on a national youth risk behavior survey of a representative sample of students from grade nine to 12.

What Did The Study Find?

The study found that while high school students drank slightly less soda and sports drinks and consumed more water, other healthy eating habits declined. In 2023, only 27% of students ate breakfast every day in the past week. The numbers were even lower for female students, with just 22% eating breakfast daily, compared to 32% of male students. Boys were also more likely to eat fruits and vegetables daily and drink water at least three times a day. Poor mental health and lack of physical activity have also been linked to skipping breakfast.

The other findings included a survey across 10-year period, where a decrease in the percentage of students eating fruits from 65% to 55%, eating vegetables, from 61% to 58%, and having breakfast daily from 38% to 27% was noted.

However, there was a positive trend among this, which was in children drinking plain water at least three times a day, which increased from 49% to 54% from when the survey began in 2015.. There were fewer students who also said that they drank soda in 2023 than in 2013. On an average, in 2013, around 22% students avoided soda, whereas in 2023, 31% students avoided it.

The report also emphasized that a healthy diet, along with daily physical activity and sufficient sleep further contributes to a healthy lifestyle. “The 10-year trends from 2013 to 2023 also show a decline in healthy dietary, physical activity, and sleep behaviors,” the survey reported.

Why Do High School Students Skip Breakfast?

While there is no one straightforward answer to it, psychologists and those who study children, believe that for many high school going kids, it is the easiest time to skip a meal. This is because they are caught between rushing to school, or not just that hungry in the morning. So for them, to sit down to have a breakfast may seem hassle and something they would have to take time out from their busy schedule. They at this age also prioritize their extra-curricular activities.

There has also been a shift in their circadian rhythm, and most teens cannot fall asleep before 11 pm, or even at midnight. Which means they wake up tired and struggle to do things right in the morning, which is why they choose to skip breakfast or give extra minutes to any other activities.

There is of course another, more popular reason, to lose weight. While experts and studies, like the one published in the Journal of Nutrition that found skipping breakfast leads to higher levels of hunger hormones, the students still feel the need to do this. However, it could lead to a slow metabolism, prompt the body to conserve energy and burn fewer calories, weight gain and deprive yo off the essential nutrients like calcium, iron, and vitamin D.

Without a morning breakfast, your blood sugar might drop too, which can increase irritability and stress, along with including the risk of depression in teenage.

A chemistry lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was shut down and subjected to hazardous-material testing after a graduate student revealed that they may have synthesised dimethylmercury, an extremely toxic form of organic mercury.

The student went to an emergency department after reporting the possible exposure. MIT said the student was not authorised to work with dimethylmercury and that the chemical was not part of their research.

Since the incident, Building 18 has been closed for testing and decontamination, while precautionary cleaning has also been carried out in the student's residence hall.

Even though the student remained under medical supervision, MIT later said that the student's initial blood test showed no sign of mercury exposure. So, why did a slight possibility of this chemical trigger such a major response?

What Exactly Is Dimethylmercury?

Unlike some toxic substances that mainly become dangerous when swallowed or inhaled, dimethylmercury can be absorbed through the skin. Its exposure routes include inhalation, ingestion and absorption through skin. Additionally, its ability to pass through protective materials is one reason laboratory safety experts have historically treated it with extreme caution.

The US Occupational Safety and Health Administration says dimethylmercury is “readily absorbed through the skin” and warns that a severe toxic dose can involve less than 0.1 mL of the liquid.

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Even Tiny Amounts Of Dimethylmercury Can Be Extremely Dangerous

The danger comes partly from the molecule's physical and chemical properties. Dimethylmercury is lipid-soluble to break biological barriers and enter the body efficiently. Once absorbed, mercury can ultimately reach the nervous system and cause severe and irreversible neurological damage.

It is also extremely volatile, meaning its exposure is not limited to direct skin contact. It can also generate toxic vapour that one may inhale and get poisoned. Once poisoned, the effects can be deceptive because symptoms may not appear immediately.

That delay can make even a minor exposure especially dangerous as the person may not realise they have been poisoned until significant neurological damage has occurred.

Also read: How To Get Rid Of Heavy Metals In Your Body?

Mercury Attacks The Nervous System

Dimethylmercury is even more dangerous as it is capable to enter the body efficiently, producing delayed neurological toxicity.

Researchers and safety authorities therefore treat even a slight exposure as an emergency rather than waiting for symptoms to develop.

Historic Mercury Poisoning Case Of 1996

The chemical's notorious reputation was further cemented after the death of Karen Wetterhahn, a chemistry professor at Dartmouth College.

In 1996, Wetterhahn accidentally spilled a very small amount of dimethylmercury onto her gloved hand. At the time, she was wearing latex gloves that were considered adequate laboratory protection. But the chemical penetrated the gloves and was absorbed through her skin.

Months later, she developed neurological symptoms including problems with balance and speech. She was diagnosed with severe mercury poisoning and died in 1997.

The case led laboratories to reconsider how dimethylmercury should be handled and highlighted the inadequacy of ordinary latex gloves against the chemical.

A Virginia doctor last week reported waking up with a bat inside her mouth.

In a now-viral Instagram video, Dr. Krista Edelman, a Richmond gastroenterologist, said she was asleep beside her husband around 6 a.m. on August 20 when she dreamed that a small mouse was trying to get into her mouth.

When she reached up, she realized it was a bat. Edelman safely removed it but immediately sought emergency medical care. She later shared a public health message urging people not to ignore indoor bat encounters.

Recent Bat Encounters Raise Concern

Edelman’s experience is not isolated. With bat activity increasing during the summer, health officials in British Columbia, Canada, and New York have issued warnings about potential rabies exposure.

On August 9, a woman at Olympic National Park in Washington had physical contact with a bat that later tested positive for rabies. Park rangers issued an alert to identify others who may have come into contact with the animal.

On August 30, public health officials in North Carolina issued an emergency neighborhood alert after two Ballantyne residents were confirmed to have had direct exposure to a rabid bat.

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Bat Exposures Are Rising

The increase has been particularly notable in British Columbia. Interior Health data published August 26 showed 430 bat exposures recorded in 2026, compared with 126 in 2024.

In Oregon, 22 rabid bats had been recorded by late July, matching the state’s highest historic baseline since 2000.

Why Bat Encounters While Sleeping Are Risky

The concern goes beyond visible bites or scratches. When a person is asleep, they may not know whether a bat has bitten or scratched them.

An 11-year-old Canadian boy died from rabies after being awoken by a bat on his nose and mouth. The incident occurred during a 2024 family visit to a cottage in Ontario, according to a report published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal in July this year.

The case highlights why a bat found in a bedroom should not be dismissed, even when there is no obvious bite or scratch.

When Rabies Treatment May Be Needed

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According to updated guidelines from the Maine CDC and health departments nationwide, medical evaluation for rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) may be necessary after:

• A direct bite or scratch.
• Handling a bat without protective gloves.
• Waking up to find a bat flying or resting in the bedroom.
• Finding a bat in a room with an unaccompanied child, pet, or someone who was sleeping or incapacitated and cannot confirm whether contact occurred.
• Bat bites and scratches may not always be visible, making encounters involving sleeping or incapacitated people particularly concerning.

What to Do After Bat Contact

Interior Health advises avoiding contact with bats altogether. Never touch a live or dead bat.

If you are bitten, scratched or otherwise come into contact with a bat, including through clothing, wash the affected area with soap and water for at least 15 minutes and seek medical attention immediately.

Rabies is almost always preventable when post-exposure treatment, including vaccination when indicated, is given promptly.

If a bat is found inside a home, contact the relevant authorities or qualified specialists rather than attempting to remove it yourself.

How to Keep Bats Out

Health authorities recommend checking homes and cottages for potential entry points and sealing them to prevent bats from entering living spaces.

Key precautions include:

• Repairing damaged screens.
• Sealing openings in roofs and walls.
• Checking vents and chimneys.
• Closing other potential entry points.
• Using qualified specialists for safe bat removal.

Air pollution is usually discussed in terms of lungs, heart and breathing problems. But scientists are also looking at brain that could also be taking a hit from the polluted air.

A new study has found that using a HEPA (High-Efficiency Particulate Air) air purifier at home for just one month showed better performance on an executive function test among adults aged 40 and above.

Participants in this age group completed the test about 12% faster after spending a month breathing air filtered by a HEPA purifier compared to an ordinary one.

The study was published in Scientific Reports and based on 119 people aged 30 to 74 living in Somerville, Massachusetts, an area surrounded by major highways and exposed to relatively high levels of air pollution from the traffic.

Brain May Also Ne Affected By Air Pollution

Fine particulate matter from traffic pollution is small enough to penetrate deep into the respiratory system. But its effects may not stop at the lungs.

Earlier research has linked particulate pollution with cardiovascular disease and neurological conditions like Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease. Exposure to air pollution has also been linked with decline in cognitive function.

With this study, researchers wanted to examine whether reducing people's exposure to these harmful particles indoors could make a difference to how their brains function.

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What Did The Researchers Find?

The participants were randomly assigned to use either a real HEPA purifier or a sham purifier at home for one month. The sham device looked and operated like the real purifier but did not contain the air-cleaning filter.

After a month, participants completed tests examining different aspects of cognitive function, including visual memory, motor speed, mental flexibility and executive function. The groups then switched purifiers after a month-long break.

Among participants aged 40 and above, the researchers found that they completed the test that measured mental flexibility and executive function 12% faster after using the real HEPA purifier.

Also read: Delhi’s Air Pollution May Be Harming The Brain, Not Just The Lungs: Report

Effects Of Air Purifier On The Brain

Researchers say the exact mechanism is not known, but one possibility indicates that the particulate matter may have an effect on the brain's white matter.

White matter acts somewhat like the brain's communication wiring. It helps different brain regions communicate with one another by supporting the connections between nerve cells.

Older research has suggested that air pollution may reduce white matter and particularly affect brain regions involved in executive function and mental flexibility, the same areas in which the researchers observed improvement after air purification.

Air pollution can also affect the cardiovascular system. Since the brain depends heavily on a continuous supply of oxygen-rich blood, damage to blood vessels could indirectly affect brain function. But researchers stress that these are simply possible explanations, not findings directly established by this study.

Who Could Benefit The Most?

The study's findings were particularly based on people aged 40 and older. Researchers noted that previous evidence suggests the effects of air pollution on cognition become more evident around this age.

People living close to busy highways and major roads may also have more reason to consider indoor air filtration because traffic is one of the biggest sources of particulate pollution.

Additionally, the participants used the purifier for only one month. Researchers therefore do not yet know whether the improvement would persist, become larger or disappear with longer-term use.