It has taken more than a decade of wrangling but the Environmental Protection Agency has finally said pesticide makers must disclose the hidden ingredients in their poisons.
Yesterday, the agency said it was drafting a new rule which will require manufacturers to fess up and identify the estimated 4,000 different “inert” materials in their pesticides. Continue reading this post »
The frequently forgotten and often ignored asbestos victims in Libby, Mont., came out as possible big winners in the dead-of-night battle over health care reform.
Les Skramstad and Gayla Benefiled at a memorial for Libby asbestos victims. (c) Photo A. Schneider
According to the Associated Press, Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus quietly inserted language in a package of last-minute amendments that will grant the asbestos victims of the tiny town in the Northwest corner of the state access to Medicare benefits.
Hundreds of people – miners, their families and other townsfolk who had no connection to the now-closed W.R. Grace vermiculite mine – have died from asbestos-related disease. An estimated 2,000 or more of the 10,000 people who live in the county surrounding Libby were diagnosed with signs of the disease. Continue reading this post »
The chemical in butter flavoring for popcorn and other foods that has sickened hundreds of workers, killed a handful and destroyed the lungs of at least three microwave popcorn addicts may be back.
In fact, it appears it never went away, despite promises from the food industry. Continue reading this post »
I have the feeling that if we had transported all the politicians bickering over improving access to health care to a community college in Michigan today they would have gotten a lesson in how to do what has to be done.
About 400 physicians gathered in Lansing to hear top doctors and senior insurance officials lay out a pioneering plan to detect and treat cancers. Continue reading this post »
Those seeking information on H1N1 flu online should be careful because the Centers for Disease Control says the Swine Flu isn’t the only virus around.
Illustration fom computerbugs.com
The national disease detectives have issued a warning saying that there are bogus emails being distributed under the logo of CDC which urge people to sign up for a non-existent program.
The messages says that that users must create a personal swine flu Vaccination Profile on the cdc.gov website. Further, the fake message goes on to say that registration is mandatory for all 18-years of age and older.
This phishing addresses a CDC sponsored state vaccination program.
The CDC says it has not implemented such a program and that users that click on the email are at risk of having malicious code installed on their computers.
As with all phishing, CDC recommends that users don’t follow unsolicited links nor open or respond to unsolicited email messages. And, always use caution when entering personal information online.
Thousands of Washington lobbyists should really savor their Thanksgiving feast because if President Obama gets his way the gravy train may soon be offering slimmer pickings.
Graphic by OMBWatch
The White House ethics counsel has quietly introduced a new policy which forbids the more than 13,000 lobbyists in the Capitol from holding seats on more than 1,000 federal advisory panels. These committee offer counsel federal agencies on everything from troop levels, to environmental regulations, consumer protections and thousands of other topics of government policies.
The worst nightmare a mother can confront could be the knowledge that she’s poisoning the baby in her belly and there is little she can do about it.
Nine women from California, Oregon and Washington found out that was just what happened, but they learned it after their babies were born.
They were participants in a first-of-its-kind study that tested their blood and urine during their second trimester of pregnancy to find out whether their unborn offspring were being exposed to toxic chemicals found in common consumer products. Continue reading this post »
As lawmakers in Washington try to control the swirling tornado know as health care reform, a study has been released showing that thousands die each year because they have no health insurance.
What makes the fate of this group of patients even more puzzling is that they are victims of trauma and thought to be protected by federal law that demands that people with this level of life-threatening injuries must receive equal treatment regardless of their ability to pay. Continue reading this post »
At last, the world’s oldest public health organization has joined the funeral dirge-paced parade to ban asbestos in the U.S.
The 50,000-member American Public Health Association adopted a resolution at its annual meeting this week calling on Congress to pass legislation banning the manufacture, sale, export, or import of asbestos-containing products including products in which asbestos is a contaminant. Continue reading this post »
Balsamic vinegar has been coveted by Italians for centuries. Over the past 30 or so years the popularity in the U.S. of the dark, syrupy ambrosia has soared and has become loved by foodies, used sparingly by chefs and often too liberally by home cooks.
Forgetting the exquisite culinary joy that comes with the almost magical liquid, the medicinal prowess of balsamic vinegar is legend. It was thought to be good for everything from heart palpitations and labor pains to a cure for the plague.
Photo from Italiam Food Net
Well now we’re told that some balsamic vinegars may be tainted with lead, a highly toxic heavy metal. Continue reading this post »
