Simple Health Tips

RAY OF SUNSHINE? Given the sun's well-documented link to skin cancer, we should avoid it at all costs, right? Not necessarily. A preliminary study suggests that working outdoors or living in a sunny climate may reduce the risk of breast and colon cancers. Possible reason: the sun triggers the production of vitamin D, which may slow cancer-cell division. But remember, don't hang out in the sun without adequate protection.

THE DEEP END Anybody who's been near one knows that indoor swimming pools reek of chlorine. But what you may not know is that when chlorine mixes with skin cells and skin-care products, it can form a variety of volatile compounds, some of which may be harmful to a developing fetus. Researchers in Britain found that the amount of at least one organic compound, chloroform, is 35 times higher in pools than in tap water.