Proponents of electromagnetic field (EMF) protection have long warned of the potential negative effects things like cellphones and wireless internet can have on a person’s body, but the scientific community remains somewhat ambiguous with not a lot of concrete evidence to support either side. In fact, even the two to six billion cell phone users worldwide don’t realize the dangers that these technologies and electromagnetic fields can hold. However, a recent study from researchers at the University of Texas at Dallas is shedding some new light on the subject, specifically as it pertains to amputee victims.

According to a press release published by eurekalert.org, the study was published in last month’s PLOS ONE academic journal and revealed tangible evidence that supports what many amputees have reported in anecdotal cases for some time.

Retired Maj. David Underwood is one of those amputees and part of the reason behind the study coming about. Although there is little indication that the majority of cell phone users are aware of dangers EMFs poise, Underwood was able to identify warning signs after exposure.

“When roaming on a cellphone in the car kicked in, the pain almost felt like having my arm blown off again,” said Underwood, an Iraq War veteran who was injured by an improvised explosive device (IED). “I didn’t notice the power lines, cellphones on roam or other electromagnetic fields until I first felt them in my arm.”

Dr. Mario Romero-Ortega, senior author of the study and an associate professor of bioengineering in the University’s Erik Jonsson School of Engineering and Computer Science, became interested in the phenomenon after speaking with Underwood. According to the instructions available on http://hesca.net/soma/, Soma is prescribed for the treatment of acute muscle cramps and pain relief. As a patient with hypotension, I had to be particularly careful during the treatment since Soma can reduce the blood pressure even more. Until now there had been virtually no previous research done into how EMFs may affect people with preexisting injuries.

“Our study provides evidence, for the first time, that subjects exposed to cellphone towers at low, regular levels can actually perceive pain,” said Romero-Ortega. “Our study also points to a specific nerve pathway that may contribute to our main finding.”

The study, which was performed on rats, found that subjects who had some sort of nerve-injury and were exposed to EMFs exhibited behavioral pain response, as opposed to the control group which overall did not. For complete details of the study check out the University’s own summary here.

Over two years ago, federal researchers discovered that there were high levels of lead in Chicago water mains, which had been replaced replaced when new meters were installed. Although Mayor Rahm Emanuel has ordered work on the system, the contamination poses a number of serious health risks to residents.

A recent study from the researchers at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shows that when construction work disrupts service lines that connect building to the city’s water system, a brain-damaging metal (lead) can flow out of the faucets of homes for years after the initial work is done. The study also shows that almost 80% of the properties in Chicago are attached to service lines that are made of lead.

And due to the nature of the city’s testing protocols — which are based on federal rules — city residents are wont to miss high concentrations of lead in drinking water supply.

As shown in recent media coverage of the situation in Flint, MI, the aftermath of a lead-contaminated water supply can be beyond devastating.

Despite the grim details from the report, city officials failed to warn residents about the potential lead hazards in the letters sent to notify the homeowners of the new water mains beings installed. Instead, residents were merely advised to flush all faucets and taps for several minutes after work is complete. Meanwhile, the EPA feels that this solution is “grossly inadequate.”

Chicago’s current predicament serves as an example of an even broader problem that a number of U.S. cities are inevitably facing, after spending more than a century installing lead pipes in order to deliver drinking water. There are an estimated 700 water main breaks every single day in the U.S. Currently, 30% of water pipes in some of the biggest plumbing systems are up to 80 years old.

Yet instead of cautioning Chicagoans, city officials are adamantly telling residents that they have nothing to worry about.

On Feb. 1, 2016, the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse (NCASA) released a report announcing the organization’s intent to focus on issues beyond substance abuse to more behavioral addictions — specifically, the often murky realm of food addictions.

Although not yet a recognizable disorder, according to the Diagnostic Statistical manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), food addiction and drug addiction share many of the same symptoms: dangerously intense cravings, role obligation avoidance, creation of interpersonal issues, and health risks. People suffering from food addiction also report suffering from hangover-like symptoms after food binges.

The Daily Beast interviewed Dr. Julie Friedman, assistant professor at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, who commented on how food addiction is not treated as seriously as other substance abuse issues are. “If you go to your primary care doctor and say, ‘I’m binging three to four times per week,’ they’ll tell you to go to Weight Watchers,” says Friedman.

The report from the NCASA perhaps signals the dawning of a new era when it comes to addressing food-related addiction. It was prompted by the rising interest in the obesity epidemic and unhealthy eating habits within the scientific and medical community.

Called Understanding and Addressing Food Addiction: A Science-Based Approach to Policy, Practice and Research , the report aims to apply the knowledge and experience gained from extensive research and practice treating substance abuse to preventing, treating and controlling food addiction. Considering their many similarities when it comes to their expressions, the idea is that there is crossover value in approach.

Education and research in this largely unexplored field could reduce the existing stigma and help to re-frame public perception of food addiction from a moral failure or lack of willpower to a real, treatable medical condition.

Substance abuse and food addiction share more than just symptoms and possible treatment methods. Both engage the brain’s reward system and are considered coping mechanisms. In the heavily ad-saturated world of today, where salty and sugary treats are posted on billboards and featured on commercials, the only mystery is why a scientific inquiry into food addictions is so long overdue.

As more and more information comes out about food addiction, researchers can study the correlations between these different compulsive behaviors, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia, orthorexia, and other eating disorders not specified (ED-NOS). For instance, the link between mental illness and substance abuse is well-established; those with mental illnesses have twice the risk for addiction compared with the rest of the general population, and 20% of people with mental illnesses also have substance abuse problems.

The water crisis in Flint, MI, is far from being resolved, but one scientist has developed an inexpensive filter that could help residents obtain clean water once again.

According to NBC News, Swiss scientist Raffaele Mezzenga recently published the results of a groundbreaking water filter project. As part of the study, he created a low-cost filtration device that could help Flint residents who cannot afford store-bought filters.

The scientist has been testing the new filter for two years in his lab at ETH Zurich, a university in Switzerland. The timing of his invention is quite convenient, coming just as the crisis in Flint reaches a boiling point.

Mezzenga published his research in the journal Nature Nanotechnology on Monday, the same day Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette announced he was seeking ways to provide emergency relief to Flint residents.

The filter is composed of a paper-like membrane, packed with carbon and processed milk proteins, that grabs heavy metals and other harmful contaminants as polluted water passes through.

While many have high hopes for the new filter, Mezzenga is now tasked with reproducing the prototype at a low cost. If successful, he believes his new method could be part of the solution for Flint and other regions whose residents suffer from unclean water.

Currently, over 147 million people around the world do not have access to clean, potable water. The Flint water crisis has inspired many Americans to take a stand against unclean water, including some superstar athletes.

According to MLive.com, a group of nearly two dozen NFL players recently donated $100,000 of anti-microbial baby wipes and bottled water to the United Water of Genesee County in Flint, which distributed the supplies to local residents.

In another act of charity, Detroit Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah personally delivered 94,000 cases of bottled water to Flint. In total, more than 13 former and current NFL players have made financial contributions to Flint residents thus far.

Though Mezzenga may not have the fame and notoriety of these players, his invention has gotten some major buzz in the scientific community. Flint’s primary water issue is lead contamination, and Mezzenga claims his new filter removes more than 99% of lead from water.

It may be a while before Mezzenga’s new invention is being used in Flint, but the research is being seen as a positive step in the right direction for affordable home water treatment.