Health Highlights: Aug 17, 2015

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

Civil Rights Leader Julian Bond Dead at Age 75

Julian Bond, a major figure in the U.S. civil rights movement, died Saturday at age 75.

His wife Pamela Horowitz said Bond died Saturday in Fort Walton Beach, Florida. She did not yet know the cause of death, but said Bond had circulatory problems, The Associated Press reported.

Bond first became involved in the civil rights movement when he formed a student protest group, and had a long career in politics, serving in the Georgia House until 1975 and then six terms in the Georgia Senate until 1986.

He was elected board chairman of the NAACP in 1998 and served in that position for 10 years. After leaving that role, Bond remained active in Democratic politics, taught at several universities, went on the lecture circuit, and made regular television appearances.

Bond “never took his eyes off the prize and that was always racial equality,” Horowitz told the AP.

Bond was “a hero,” according to President Barack Obama. “Justice and equality was the mission that spanned his life,” Obama said in a statement. “Julian Bond helped change this country for the better.”

“You can use the term giant, champion, trail blazer — there’s just not enough adjectives in the English language to describe the life and career of Julian Bond,” Doug Jones, a former U.S. attorney in Birmingham, Alabama, said.

“A voice that has been silenced now is one that I just don’t think you can replace,” Jones added.

Bond was born Jan. 14, 1940 in Nashville, Tennessee. Along with Horowitz, he is survived by five children. Funeral plans have not been finalized, but Bond will be cremated and his ashes scattered over the Gulf of Mexico, Horowitz told the AP.

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New York Latest State to Ban Powdered Alcohol

New York is the latest state to ban powdered alcohol, even though it isn’t even available on the open market yet.

So far, nearly two dozen states have implemented either temporary or outright bans on the powdered alcohol product called Palcohol. It’s freeze-dried alcohol that can be consumed in its powdered form or mixed with water to create a drink, the Washington Post reported.

Earlier this year, the product received U.S. government approval for the last regulatory step before Palcohol could be sold in stores.

On Friday, Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed legislation banning powdered alcohol sales in New York. In a statement, Cuomo noted that powdered alcohol can lead to unsafe levels of intoxication if it is mixed incorrectly or consumed in its powdered form, the Post reported.

The number of states with permanent bans on powdered alcohol now stands at 21. As of June, two states had temporary bans on that form of alcohol.

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Britax Car Seats Recalled

Thirty-seven models of Britax child car seats are being recalled due to a possible defect that could prevent the harness from locking.

The company said the recalled seats may have a defective harness adjuster button that stays in the “release” position when the harness is tightened, NBC News reported.

All registered seat owners have been been sent emails to warn them of the potential problem. So far, no injuries associated with the defect have been reported, according to Britax.

For more information, consumers can go to the company’s website or phone 1 (888) 427-4829 in the U.S. and Canada or (704) 409-1699 in all other countries, NBC News reported.

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