Health & WellnessS


Beaker

Chemicals in fast food wrappers migrating into humans, study suggests

Eric W. Dolan
Raw Story
Tue, 09 Nov 2010 08:37 UTC
plastic wrapper
© NA
Chemicals used in fast food wrappers and microwave popcorn bags to prevent grease from seeping through are being absorbed by food, ingested by people, and showing up as contaminants in their blood, research at the University of Toronto has found.

The study was published in the open-access journal Environmental Health Perspectives Monday and led by environmental chemists Scott Mabury and Jessica D'eon from the University of Toronto.

The contaminants investigated by the study are perfluoroalkyls, synthetic chemicals that repel oil, grease, and water. The chemicals are used in a number of products such as carpeting and coating for paper and cardboard packaging.
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Bizarro Earth

Town in "Erin Brockovich" Suffers as Groundwater Grows Even More Toxic


Raw Story
Tue, 09 Nov 2010 17:19 UTC
glass of water
© Getty Images
A tiny desert town whose plight was made famous by the movie Erin Brockovich has seen a dramatic increase in the size of a toxic plume of chromium as it has spread to multiple groundwater wells.

Water regulators earlier this year discovered a well with increasing concentrations of the cancer-causing pollutant and now even more wells have been uncovered with elevated levels, said Lauri Kemper, assistant executive officer of the Lahontan Regional Water Quality Control board.

The water board on Monday ordered Pacific Gas & Electric to do additional groundwater monitoring at the site near Hinkley, about 120 miles northeast of Los Angeles.
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Health

The Problem with Traditional Weight Loss Programs

Dr. Peter Osborne
Gluten Free Society
Tue, 09 Nov 2010 06:33 UTC
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The problem with many weight loss systems is that they cater to the masses without considering individual need. They use a "one size fits all" approach. This approach works for some but leaves many to ponder why the weight will not come off the way it used to.

The Calorie Myth & the Hormonal Effect of Food

Most diet plans are based on Calorie consumption. Not enough thought is given to the quality of the Calories being consumed. For example, there are a number of companies that provide Calorie controlled meals. This concept works well for portion control; however, the quality of the food being used is poor and as the age old adage goes - "You are what you eat." Chemicals, radiated foods, ultra pasteurization, processing, lack of nutrient density, genetically modified foods, cloned meats, unidentified food intolerances, etc. all taint many of these so called "healthy foods". Many of these factors can cause internal inflammation when ingested leading to an increased risk for cancer, heart disease, diabetes, weight gain and more.
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Pills

Painkillers in Pregnancy Linked to Male Reproductive Disorders

Kate Kelland
The Globe and Mail
Mon, 08 Nov 2010 09:26 UTC
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© Getty Images
Use of mild painkillers such as acetaminophen, aspirin and ibuprofen during pregnancy may partly account for a sharp increase in male reproductive disorders in recent decades, according to a study published on Monday.

The research found that women who took a combination of more than one mild analgesic during pregnancy had an increased risk of giving birth to sons with undescended testicles.

This condition, called cryptorchidism, is known to be a risk factor for poor semen quality and a greater risk of testicular cancer. The study found that the risk of cryptorchidism was especially increased during the second trimester, the fourth to sixth months of pregnancy.
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Cheeseburger

Obesity is contagious among friends, study suggests

Nanci Hellmich
USA Today
Sat, 06 Nov 2010 03:03 UTC
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© Tim Sloan, AFP/Getty Images"We find that having four obese friends doubled people's chance of becoming obese compared to people with no obese friends," says Harvard researcher Alison Hill.
The more obese friends you have, the more likely you are to become obese, a new study suggests. This confirms previous research that gaining weight may be socially contagious.

The research also shows that if nothing changes significantly in the environment and culture in the USA, about 42% of adults will be obese in about 40 years and then the obesity rate will level off.

About a third of Americans are obese - that is, roughly 30 or more pounds over a healthy weight. Those extra pounds increase their risk of developing type 2 diabetes, heart disease and many types of cancer.
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Sherlock

Chemicals in Fast Food Wrappers Show Up in Human Blood


Common Dreams
Tue, 09 Nov 2010 20:22 UTC
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© eric molinaChemicals used to keep grease from leaking through fast food wrappers and microwave popcorn bags are migrating into food, being ingested by people and showing up as contaminants in blood, according to new research at the University of Toronto.
Toronto, Ontario, Canada - Chemicals used to keep grease from leaking through fast food wrappers and microwave popcorn bags are migrating into food, being ingested by people and showing up as contaminants in blood, according to new research at the University of Toronto.

The contaminants are perfluoroalkyls, stable, synthetic chemicals that repel oil, grease, and water. They are used in surface protection products such as carpet and clothing treatments and coating for paper and cardboard packaging.

Earlier research by University of Toronto environmental chemists Scott Mabury and Jessica D'eon, established in 2007 that the wrappers are a source of these chemicals in human blood. Their new study shows that perfluorinated chemicals can migrate from wrappers into food.
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Info

'Ban Pesticide-use in Public Parks and School Grounds', Say Campaigners

Tom Levitt
The Ecologist
Mon, 25 Oct 2010 18:22 UTC
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© The EcologistAt present children can be playing on a sports pitch which has been sprayed with pesticides minutes earlier
Awareness of pesticide-use in public areas used by children is low but the health dangers demand our attention

The widespread use of pesticides in public parks, gardens, sports grounds and children's playgrounds should be banned, say campaigners.

By 2012 the UK is required under new EU laws to have created a national action plan for reducing pesticides. The EU's directive also requires member states to ensure the use of pesticides is minimized or prohibited in certain specific areas.

However, campaigners say the ban should be compulsory rather than voluntary.

Comment: For more information about the serious health effects associated with pesticides spraying, especially in children, read the following articles:

Research Links Pesticides with ADHD in Children
Study finds pesticide link to childhood leukemia
Pesticide Susceptibility In Children Lasts Longer Than Expected
Wide Range of Diseases Linked to Pesticides
Contractors Using Dangerous Pesticides in U.K. Schools

The following article: Farm Workers and Allies Ask Government to Protect Kids From Toxic Pesticide Drift discusses the issue of pesticide spraying in California and what campaigners are doing to raise awareness about 'pesticide drift' and the toxic effects of pesticides on children:
The public interest law firms Earthjustice and Farmworker Justice filed a petition asking the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to set safety standards protecting children who grow up near farms from the harmful effects of pesticide 'drift' - the toxic spray or vapor that travels from treated fields. The Petition to the EPA includes immediate no-spray buffer zones around homes, schools, day care centers for most toxic pesticides.
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Children are especially vulnerable to pesticide exposures both because their smaller bodies cannot break down toxins as well as adults, and because their developmental processes are prone to being derailed - even by very low-level exposure," explains Dr. Margaret Reeves, Senior Scientist for Pesticide Action Network. "The particular pesticides we're finding in our drift catching and biomonitoring results are some of the worst: chlorpyrifos, diazinon, endosulfan...these are associated with serious short- and long-term health effects. They are also entirely unnecessary."

One of the pesticides identified as being so dangerous that the groups have asked EPA to adopt immediate no-spray buffer zone is chlorpyrifos - initially developed as a nerve toxin by the Nazis. The short term effects of exposure to chlorpyrifos have been likened to a chemically-induced flu: chest tightness, blurred vision, headaches, coughing and wheezing, weakness, nausea and vomiting, coma, seizures, and even death.


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Attention

BPA is bad for your semen, and other news about our favorite endocrine disruptor

Tom Laskawy
Grist
Thu, 04 Nov 2010 17:24 UTC
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© Andrew ScottWhat are Cruskits, anyway?: BPA is found not only in canned goods, but also in plastic food packaging and cash-register receipts.
Something tells me that Congress will not be banning your favorite endocrine disruptor bisphenol-A anytime soon, even though Canada has. Just a theory. But while the political prospects for BPA's demise are dropping, the scientific landslide of data set off by recent revelations and press reports regarding the chemical rolls on.

In news that hits a guy where it hurts, scientists from Kaiser Permanente showed that men with higher levels of BPA exposure were two to four times more likely to have fewer sperm overall, fewer live sperm, and poor semen quality. Ouch. Although the BPA levels in Chinese workers involved in the study were still within EPA safety guidelines, the semen problems were severe enough, according to a UCSF reproductive expert not involved with the study, to cause infertility.
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Magnify

Why Is Breast Milk Best? It's All in the Genes


ScienceDaily
Thu, 13 May 2010 10:31 UTC
Is breast milk so different from infant formula? The ability to track which genes are operating in an infant's intestine has allowed University of Illinois scientists to compare the early development of breast-fed and formula-fed babies. They say the difference is very real.

"For the first time, we can see that breast milk induces genetic pathways that are quite different from those in formula-fed infants. Although formula makers have tried to develop a product that's as much like breast milk as possible, hundreds of genes were expressed differently in the breast-fed and formula-fed groups," said Sharon Donovan, a U of I professor of nutrition.
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People

Why identical twins become less identical: Epigenetics


Forbidden Knowledge TV
Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:00 UTC
The Difference Between Getting Cancer & Not

The study of epigenetics blows a hole through the idea that our genetics are written in stone.

Science proves that environmental factors and lifestyle choices have the effect of switching certain genes on or off.

Identical twins are ideal for studies in epigenetics because their DNA starts out identical, yet each individual's choices (across the board) and the various environmental impacts on the conditions of their individual lives causes each individual identical twin to differ in activated genetics and in appearance to their twin brother or sister, over the course of their lives. It turns out that it really matters what you eat, drink and smoke -- and how much exercise you get...

The study of epigenetics has many implications, in the field of health and healing.
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