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The State Department has issued its first passport with an “X” gender marker for Americans who do not identify as male or female, in a step that the Biden administration views as an expansion of the rights of gay Americans. “We look forward to offering this option to all routine passport applicants once we complete the required system and form updates in early 2022,” Ned Price, a spokesman for the department, said Wednesday. He added, “I want to reiterate, on the occasion of this passport issuance, the Department of State’s commitment to promoting the freedom, dignity and equality of all people — including LGBTQI+ persons.” (Scott, 10/27)

A new study shows that chemicals known as phthalates, which have been linked to health problems, have been detected in food from popular chains like McDonald’s, Chipotle and more.  The peer-reviewed analysis was published this week in the Journal of Exposure Science & Environmental Epidemiology by researchers from George Washington University, the Southwest Research Institute (San Antonio, Texas), Boston University and Harvard University. The research includes items from McDonald’s, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Domino’s, Taco Bell and Chipotle locations in San Antonio, Texas. Researchers obtained 64 food samples of hamburgers, fries, chicken nuggets, chicken burritos and cheese pizza from the chains. (Pitofsky, 10/27)

CDC testing has confirmed that an aromatherapy spray or one of its ingredients caused melioidosis infections in four people, including a Georgian who died of the rare disease. The bacteria found in the spray in the Georgian’s home genetically matched the strains found in that individual, as well as patients in Kansas, Minnesota and Texas, the Atlanta-based public health agency said Tuesday. All four contracted melioidosis, which is caused by Burkholderia pseudomallei bacteria. The DNA fingerprint of the bacteria in the Better Homes & Gardens spray and in the patients was the same, the CDC said. (Miller, 10/27)

Formula feeding is associated with a 70% increase in antibiotic resistance gene (ARG) abundance in the gut microbiome of infants compared with breast milk, US and Finnish researchers reported this week in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. (10/27)