Health Highlights: June 29, 2008

• Sexual Violence Rate Among NYC Teens More Than National Average
• Doctor Who Was Target in U.S. Anthrax Probe Wins Multimillion Dollar Settlement
• Working While Tired May Harm Heart
• DNA Repair Capacity Affects Lung Cancer Risk in Non-smokers
• Unsafe Water Causes Many Diseases, Deaths: WHO
• Low-Fat Milk May Benefit Kidney/Heart Health

Here are some of the latest health and medical news developments, compiled by editors of HealthDay:

Sexual Violence Rate Among NYC Teens More Than National Average

As many as 10 percent of American teenagers experience sexual violence at some point, surveys show, but if that adolescent is from New York City, the percentage climbs to more than 16 percent.

This finding is one of many from a three year research project announced over the weekend from Columbia University researchers and a coalition called The New York City Alliance Against Sexual Assault.

The entire study will be released in July, according to a news release from Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, but the research highlights indicate New York City adolescents face even more exposure to violence related to sexual activity than teens across the country.

"These are alarming statistics any way you look at them," said Harriet Lessel, executive director of the New City Alliance Against Sexual Assault in a statement. "We are hopeful that these findings will highlight an issue that has been kept in the shadows for far too long, and encourage more young people to seek help when they are victimized."

Among other findings, based on survey of 1,300 New York city teenagers:

• Almost 90 percent of those who have experienced sexual violence knew their perpetratrator.
• Among those who experienced physical dating violence, 27.4 percent reported having been pushed or shoved by a dating partner, and 17 percent reported having been slapped or hit.
• Almost 10 percent of students who reported having a dating partner in the last year said that their partner touched them sexually when they didn't want to be touched, and 6.7 percent said they were forced to have sex against their will.

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Doctor Who Was Target in U.S. Anthrax Probe, Wins Multimillion Dollar Settlement

The physician and bio-researcher who the U.S. Justice department identified as a "person of interest" in the bizarre series of anthrax incidents that killed 5 people beginning in 2001 has settled his lawsuit against the government.

The New York Times reports that Dr. Steven Hatfill will receive almost $3 million in cash and an additional $150,000 annually for the next 20 years to settle a lawsuit he filed in 2003, charging the FBI and U.S. Justice Department with leaking information to the news media in order to link him to the mailing of letters that contained anthrax spores.

Hatfill has consistently denied having anything to do with the anthrax incidents, in which five people died after inhaling the spore particles and another 17 were hospitalized, in 2001 and 2002.

U.S. Justice Department officials have never explained why Hatfill was such a prominent figure in the investigation, and a government statement said only that the government admitted no liability but decided settlement was "in the best interest of the United States," the newspaper reported.

Mark Grannis one of Hatfill's attorneys, told the Times that the settlement "means that Steven Hatfill is finally an ex-person of interest."

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Working While Tired May Harm Heart

Doing mental or physical work while fatigued may lead to hypertension and heart disease, suggests a U.S. study.

It included 80 volunteers who were told they could win a prize by memorizing, in two minutes, a number of meaningless three-letter sequences. Their blood pressure and heart rate were monitored while they tried to memorize the information. Those with moderate fatigue showed stronger blood pressure increases than those with low fatigue, United Press International reported.

The study appears in the July issue of the International Journal of Psychophysiology.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham researchers said their findings support a theory that a fatigued person's cardiovascular system has to work harder when trying to complete tasks, UPI reported.