Mania from cured meat? New research from the USA identifies an association between the consumption of cured meat products and mania. The evidence comes from both human medical cases and from studies of rats. Mania is a component of bipolar disorder and is managed by medication such as lithium. It is a recurrent problem often associated with poor decision-making. Liability for first party loss caused by legally defective cured meat products could extend to the financial decisions made during an episode of mania. Third parties might include the victims of road traffic accidents. What did the research show? Compared with controls, a history of eating cured meat preparations was significantly associated with being in the mania group (mean age 34, 66% female); adjusted odds ratio = 3.49 (2.24–5.45). There was no significant association with undercooked meat, raw meat, undercooked fish or raw fish. A history of eating cured meat preparations was not associated with a diagnosis of schizophren

Modelling of emerging liability risks can facilitate product launches, improve insurance policies and improve financial sustainability   Emerging risks have, by definition, always been a challenge for companies and the insurance industry. Being new, there’s relatively little data with which to assess the probability of such risks materialising and the severity and frequency of ill-effects if they do. As companies and industries change ever-more quickly, the pace of innovation also increases, and so arguably does the emergence of new risks. History teaches us that the products, trends and technologies we assume to be safe and adopt as part of our everyday lives are not without their risks. For example, while the toxic properties of asbestos are now well-known, it was once considered a ‘wonder material’. Businesses could be healthier and more sustainable if they could identify significant new liability risks sooner – in other words, if they knew what the next asbestos would be. Unfo