Every year, World Toilet Day is observed to raise awareness about the global sanitation crisis and encourage action to solve it. The goal set by the United Nation is to achieve safe toilets for all by 2023, as a part of their Sustainable Development Goals.

The UN also states that 3.5 billion people live without proper sanitation and many children also lose their lives due to poor sanitation and unsafe water. This is why World Toilet Day is observed to raise awareness on this issue.

Theme

This year, the theme for World Toilet Day 2024 is "Toilets - A Place for Peace'. This focuses on the growing threat to sanitation that is caused by conflict, climate change, disaster and neglect. When there is a threat to using toilets, it can lead to many health risks.

Not using toilets for too long may lead to Urinary Tract Infection or UTI. For many who do not have access to clean toilets do not drink enough liquid or hold pee for too long. Doctors suggest that holding in pee for too long can cause bacteria to multiply and lead to UTI. By not drinking enough water, your bladder fails to tell the body to pee often, and can cause the bacteria to spread through the urinary tract, which can lead to infection.

Symptoms of UTI:

• Burning or stinging feeling while urinating
• Pain in pelvis or lower abdomen
• Constant urge to empty the bladder
• Strong or foul smelling urine
• Consistently dark urine
• Blood in urine

Holding in pee for too long can also cause your bladder to stretch, making it difficult or even impossible for the bladder to contract and release pee normally. It can also damage your pelvic floor muscles or could lead to kidney stones.

World Toilet Day History And Significance

To prevent such conditions, it is important that everyone has access to clean and safe toilets. In terms of history, the day was established in 2001, by the World Toilet Organization (WTO), which was founded by Jack Sim. However, it was officially recognised by the UN in 2013. The Government of Singapore worked with WTO to create the first UN resolution called Sanitation for All.

India too promotes safe and hygiene toilet through its Swachh Bharat Yojna.

A 41-year-old South African fitness coach died after collapsing and losing consciousness during the HYROX Bangkok competition. The incident has left Thailand’s CrossFit and combat-sports communities mourning one of its popular figures.

It has also raised concerns about the risks of extreme physical exertion even among highly trained and fit athletes, especially at a high-profile sporting event like HYROX.

According to a statement posted on his Instagram page, Bangkok-based Leroy Saunders collapsed during the event at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre, which was held from August 13 to 16. He was resuscitated at the venue and taken to hospital but later died.

It is important to note that collapsing during an intense fitness event does not mean that it was directly caused by a cardiac emergency, dehydration, heat, or other underlying illness. Therefore, Leroy's family and team have asked HYROX and the media not to speculate reasons behind his sudden demise while the circumstances are still being investigated. No cause of death has been disclosed till now.

Who Was Leroy Saunders?

Saunders was also no stranger to HYROX. In 2025, he competed in the doubles category with Annika Saunders. He completed the race in 1 hour, 17 minutes and 51 seconds.

Also read: Water Or Electrolytes? Biggest Hydration Mistakes First-Time HYROX Athletes Make

What Is HYROX?

HYROX is a competitive fitness competition that pairs endurance running with functional strength training.

Even its name, a blend of "hybrid" and "rockstar," speaks to the blend of cardio and strength. It differs from marathons or obstacle course races in that it has a fixed format in all of its events globally.

Contestants perform eight workout stations, each after a one-kilometer run, in an indoor venue intended to deliver uniform competition conditions.

Participants typically complete repeated 1-kilometre runs interspersed with exercises like sled pushes and pulls, rowing, burpee broad jumps, farmer’s carries, sandbag lunges and wall balls.

This exercise format places considerable stress on the heart, muscles and body’s temperature-regulation system, particularly when performed at high intensity.

Also read: Is 'Hyrox' Challenge Worth The Hype Or Just Another Fitness Trend?

What Could Cause A Fit Person To Collapse During Strenuous Exercise?

Being extremely fit may not make someone immune to sudden health emergencies. During strenuous exercise, the heart has to pump considerably more blood, while the body simultaneously attempts to dissipate heat.

Dehydration, extreme heat, underlying heart conditions, abnormal heart rhythms and other factors can potentially contribute to collapse. But it would be inappropriate to attribute Saunders’ death to any particular one without confirmed medical findings.

This is especially relevant because Bangkok can be hot and humid, conditions that can make strenuous exercise like HYROX even more challenging.

Warning Signs

Athletes or people who exercise intensely on a regular basis should always be on the lookout for physical warning signs. They should never try to push through symptoms like:

• Chest pain or pressure
• Extreme unexplained breathlessness
• Fainting or near-fainting sensation
• Racing or irregular heartbeat
• Confusion, dizziness or disorientation
• Severe weakness or fatigue
• Loss of coordination and balance
• Persistent vomiting
• Extreme overheating

US President Donald Trump has nominated White House policy aide Heidi Overton to serve as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), according to media reports.

Overton, who currently serves as deputy director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, is awaiting Senate approval, Bloomberg News reported.

If confirmed, she will succeed Marty Makary, who resigned in May after 13 months in the role following clashes with senior White House and health advisers and scrutiny over a series of controversial agency decisions. Kyle Diamantas has been serving as acting FDA commissioner since May.

Who Is Heidi Overton?

Overton previously worked at the conservative think tank America First Policy Institute, where she ultimately oversaw its Health Policy Center.

A physician by training, Overton received her medical degree from the University of New Mexico. She completed general surgery training at Johns Hopkins and pursued clinical investigation research training at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.

She also served during the first Trump administration before joining the America First Policy Institute.

Her work also involved overseeing signature health policy efforts, including the HHS administration’s push to redesign the food pyramid, overhaul the childhood vaccine schedule and work out pricing deals with pharmaceutical companies.

Overton’s Role in Vaccine Policy

Overton appeared alongside President Trump last week when he signed an executive order calling for an overhaul of the childhood vaccine schedule. The order called for reducing the number of federally recommended shots and separating the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine into three separate shots.

“We do still recommend the measles vaccine for all children, but we want parents to be informed about the timing and to have the option to separate them out,” Overton said at the event.

She also said the order could help states identify “gold standard” recommendations and take steps to limit vaccines required for school entry.

“We are going to be working directly with states so that we’re not reliant on the court case to resolve,” Overton said, referring to ongoing litigation over pared-down vaccine recommendations. “We are doing it right away so that parents get the benefit from state laws changing.”

Criticism Over Overton’s FDA Appointment

Overton’s reported nomination has already drawn criticism from some health policy experts.

Raymond James analyst and former Trump health official Chris Meekins told Axios that Overton has degrees but “seemingly no real experience running anything.”

He also described her as a former Makary protégé who had moved further toward what he characterised as “anti-science and anti-vaccine messaging” within elements of the MAHA movement.

“Industry will view this pick as extremely troublesome and FDA career staff will continue to flee the agency,” Meekins said. “Any progress made since Makary’s departure is likely to be immediately reversed if she is confirmed.”

CDC Leadership Update

Earlier this month, the US Senate confirmed Dr. Erica Schwartz as director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), making her the public health agency’s first permanent leader in nearly a year after months of uncertainty.

The Senate approved her nomination in a 51-44 vote on August 5.

Flying thousands of metres above the ground comes with a form of exposure most passengers rarely think about: cosmic radiation. A new study has found that pilots and flight attendants have the highest and second-highest number of deaths from radiation-linked cancers among more than 500 occupations in the US.

The findings pose questions about whether repeated exposure to radiation at cruising altitude could have serious consequences for aircrew health years later.

The study, published August 17 in JAMA Internal Medicine, analysed more than 12.7 million US deaths between 2020 and 2024, covering 503 occupations. Researchers examined deaths from cancers known to have associations with ionising radiation, including breast cancer, melanoma, prostate cancer, thyroid cancer, leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

What Did The Study Find?

About 6.9% of deaths among flight attendants and 6.7% among pilots were from the radiation-associated cancers examined.

That was higher than the proportion seen in other occupations, including workers with more conventional occupational radiation exposure. Nuclear technologists, for example, ranked 12th in the analysis.

The researchers also found significantly higher mortality among aircrew from several individual cancers, including breast cancer, central nervous system cancers, melanoma and prostate cancer. Pilots additionally had higher mortality from leukemia.

But this study does not prove that cosmic radiation caused these deaths. The researchers did not have individual radiation-dose measurements for each worker, and factors such as lifestyle, work schedules and other occupational exposures could also contribute.

Also read: Groundbreaking Experimental Vaccine May Prevent Pancreatic Cancer From Spreading, Early Trial Finds

Why Are Pilots And Flight Attendants Exposed To Radiation?

At ground level, Earth's atmosphere and magnetic field provide substantial protection from cosmic radiation arriving from space. At commercial flight altitudes, there is less shielding.

Aircrew therefore receive more ionising radiation during their working lives than most other occupational groups. JAMA notes that aircrew members receive the largest mean annual effective dose of ionising radiation of any occupational group in the US, primarily because of cosmic rays encountered at commercial flight altitudes.

The amount varies depending on altitude, latitude, flight duration and solar activity. And unlike a passenger who flies occasionally, pilots and cabin crew can accumulate exposure repeatedly over years of employment.

Also read: Does Sunscreen Really Raise Skin Cancer Risk? What The 470,000-Person Study Found

How Can Cosmic Radiation Cause Cancer?

This is why radiation exposure has long been considered an occupational health concern for aircrew. Previous research has also found higher rates of melanoma among pilots and cabin crew, although researchers have debated how much of that risk can be attributed to radiation versus other factors.

Does This Include Frequent Flyers?

The study focuses on occupational exposure accumulated by people who fly regularly for their jobs. A person taking a few flights a year does not receive the same cumulative exposure as someone spending hundreds of hours in the air annually.

Harvard Medical School senior author Anupam Jena and colleagues said the findings support considering occupational radiation protections for US aircrew that are appropriate for their level of exposure.