Reuters Health News Summary

Following is a summary of current health news briefs. EPA bans consumer sales of methylene chloride paint removers

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said on Friday it had issued a final rule to prohibit the manufacture, import, processing and distribution of methylene chloride in all paint removers for consumer use. Exposure to methylene chloride fumes can rapidly cause dizziness, loss of consciousness and death due to nervous system depression, the agency said in a statement. People have died after being incapacitated during paint and coating removal with methylene chloride, it said. Apple Watch detects irregular heart beat in large U.S. study

The Apple Watch was able to detect irregular heart pulse rates that could signal the need for further monitoring for a serious heart rhythm problem, according to data from a large study funded by Apple Inc, demonstrating a potential future role for wearable consumer technology in healthcare. Researchers hope the technology can assist in early detection of atrial fibrillation, the most common form of irregular heart beat. Patients with untreated AF are five times more likely to have a stroke. Smartphone mindfulness app may help curb loneliness

Adults who spend just 20 minutes a day using a smartphone mindfulness training app may feel less lonely and have more social interactions than people who don't, a small experiment suggests. While mindfulness training has long been linked to reductions in social isolation, much of this research has focused on longer in-person sessions that continue over several weeks or months. With its focus on brief digital training sessions, the current study suggests that group sessions and the social contact that comes from in-person meetings may not be required for people to benefit from mindfulness interventions, said lead author Emily Lindsay, a psychology researcher at the University of Pittsburgh. U.S. seizes 1 million pounds of pork from China on swine fever concerns

U.S. border agents have seized around 1 million pounds of pork from China, a spokesman for the agency said on Friday, over suspicions that it might contain African swine flu disease which has hit Chinese pork output. Federal agents have seized the supplies over the past week in New York.