(Updated) There’s a lot we don’t know about bisphenol-A (BPA), a common chemical used in food packaging and polycarbonate plastics that may also mess with hormones.
Environmental Health
Study: Even “BPA-Free” Plastics Leach Endrocrine-Disrupting Chemicals
Plastics. They seem so…inert. Slow to erode or decay, with a biodegradation time measured in the hundreds of years, plastics appear cut off from the organic environment in the way that no other product is, safe and secure and sterile.
5 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Cell Phone Exposure
A new government-funded study found that cell phone radiation can cause measurable changes in brain activity. Whether those changes are good, bad, cancerous or none of the above is unknown, but it doesn’t hurt to reduce your …
The EPA Decides to Regulate Rocket Fuel — In Your Drinking Water
When I was researching a piece last year on chemical regulation — and the lack of it in the U.S. — one of the facts I was most surprised to learn was the existence of perchlorate in the bloodstream of many Americans.
EPA Warns of High Mercury Levels in Skin-Lightening Creams
The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is warning against skin-lightening creams that may contain dangerous levels of mercury.
Parabens Outlawed in Childrens’ Products in Denmark
Denmark’s environmental ministry announced on Dec. 20 that it will ban parabens in lotions and other cosmetic products for children under 3.
Heading South for the Holidays? Why You Should Be Careful About Eating Local Fish
Few meals rise to the level of a life-changing event. For Andrew Kirsop, however, a fresh seafood dinner in the Cook Islands was just that. Devastatingly so.
Study: Could Cell-Phone Use in Pregnancy Affect Kids’ Behavior?
Children exposed to cell phones before and after birth were 50% more likely to have emotional or behavior problems by the age of 7, compared with kids who were not exposed to the phones, according to a new study of 28,745 children.
Wildlife: Protecting Biodiversity Might Just Protect Us From Disease
Over on Ecocentric (home for all your green and green-related needs), I have a post on a neat new study in Nature that makes the case that dwindling animal and plant biodiversity can actually increase the risk of infectious …
Holy Cadmium, Batman! Heavy Metals Found in Novelty Glasses…Again
In July 2010, following an Associated Press (AP) investigation, McDonald’s recalled a line of promotional Shrek-themed glasses because of concerns that the enamel used in their designs contained cadmium, a heavy metal and known …
Flame Retardants in Everyday Products May Be a Health Hazard, Scientists Say
Here’s a fact to brighten your Thursday: you have a much smaller chance than your grandparents of bursting into flames.
Canada Declares BPA Toxic. Is the U.S. Next?
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.
Noisy Workplaces May Do More Than Annoy
Work next to a jackhammer or amidst the incessant din of industry? If you have to raise your voice to be heard at work, you may be putting your health at risk, according to a new study published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine.