Stockbyte / Getty Images
+Environmental Health | December 5, 2011

Arsenic and Old Rice: Should We Worry About a Toxic Chemical in a Popular Food?

By Bryan Walsh

Arsenic is nasty stuff. Concentrated doses of the chemical can be fatal — one reason it’s long been a popular poison for assassins and unhappy widows. And chronic high exposure has been linked to skin lesions, certain cancers and cardiovascular disease. But scientists are increasingly concerned about even low-dose exposures [PDF], especially for pregnant women, finding that prenatal arsenic exposure is linked to infant mortality and low-birth weight.

+Environmental Health | May 2, 2011

BPA Exposure in Pregnancy May Be Linked to Childhood Asthma

By Bryan Walsh
Getty Images

Endocrine disruption, diabetes, obesity — to the list of ills potentially associated with exposure to the chemical bisphenol-A (BPA), you can add one more: childhood asthma.

+Women's Health | April 13, 2011

Warning: Getting Your Hair Straightened Could Endanger Your Health

By Bryan Walsh
Bruce Bennett/ZUMA Press/Corbis

Bad news for women who like to get their hair severely straightened with the popular Brazilian blowout technique à la Jennifer Aniston: it may look good, but apparently it’s not good for you.

+Food & Drink | February 17, 2011

Do the Chemicals That Turn Soda Brown Also Cause Cancer?

By Bryan Walsh

Soda is not good for you. The high-calorie, sugary drinks have been linked to obesity and a host of other health problems.

Family Matters
+Pregnancy | January 14, 2011

Pregnant Women Awash in Chemicals. Is That Bad for Baby?

By Bonnie Rochman
105767690.resize

In addition to big bellies, pregnant women are toting around dozens of chemicals, including some that have been banned for decades and others used in flame retardants, sunscreens and non-stick cookware.

+Environmental Health | October 14, 2010

Canada Declares BPA Toxic. Is the U.S. Next?

By Bryan Walsh
Photo by David McNew/Getty Images

Yesterday Canada—with very little fanfare—declared the endocrine-disrupting chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) a toxic substance, both to the environment and to public health.

+Uncategorized | April 9, 2010

Hazardous chemicals in soaps, sanitizers?

By Tiffany O'Callaghan

New research suggesting that triclosan, an antibacterial chemical found in common household soaps and detergents, may cause adverse health effects has prompted the Food and Drug Administration to take a closer look at the chemical, the Washington Post reports. According to data from the Centers for Disease Control, triclosan is so common that it is [...]