Health Highlights: Oct. 30, 2019

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

White House Launches New Website to Help Those Battling Substance Abuse

A new website to help Americans with substance abuse problems find treatment was activated Wednesday by the Trump administration.

Officials said FindTreatment.gov will enable the tens of millions of Americans with substance abuse and mental health issues to better access care, the Associated Press reported.

By adding user-friendly search criteria and tools, the site modernizes a directory of 13,000 licensed treatment providers maintained by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

For example, a search can be done based on the type of treatment -- such as inpatient, detox or telemedicine -- by payment option and whether the treatment is medication-assisted, the AP reported.

There are also options for specific groups, such as youth, veterans and the LGBT community.

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Groups Urge Ban of Mint, Menthol E-Cigarette Flavors

The Trump administration must include mint and menthol in any plan to halt sales of flavored e-cigarette products, more than 50 health and advocacy groups said Tuesday.

They were responding to media reports that the administration could exempt mint and menthol, CNN reported.

The ban on flavored e-cigarette products would be "weakened" by such an exception, according to letters sent to Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar and first lady Melania Trump.

"A policy that does not remove all flavored e-cigarettes will not solve the current epidemic of youth e-cigarette use. Youth who now use mint and menthol e-cigarettes will continue to do so, and youth who use flavors that are removed from the market will simply switch to mint and menthol," the letters stated.

Groups that signed the letters include the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Heart Association, the American Lung Association, the American Medical Association, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP).

They noted that FDA data shows that mint or menthol flavors are used by nearly 64% of U.S. high school students, up from 51.2% in 2018 and 42.3% in 2017, CNN reported.

A policy on flavored e-cigarette products has yet been finalized by the Food and Drug Administration.

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No Asbestos Detected in New Tests of Baby Powder: Johnson & Johnson

No asbestos was detected in 15 new tests of the same bottle of Johnson & Johnson's Baby Powder previously found to contain asbestos by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the company said Tuesday.

It also said that no asbestos was found in 48 new laboratory tests of samples from Johnson's Baby Powder recalled earlier this month, CBS News reported.

Earlier this month, Johnson & Johnson recalled 33,000 bottles of Baby Powder after the FDA found trace amounts of asbestos in a single bottle purchased online.

The new tests "were conducted by two third-party laboratories as part of the company's ongoing testing and investigation," according to a Johnson & Johnson news release.

The company faces thousands of lawsuits from people claiming they developed cancer from asbestos in the talc-based powder.

Johnson & Johnson has maintained there is no science to support the alleged connection between its powder and cancer, CBS News reported.