By William Sanjour In 1978 I was a branch chief in the newly created Hazardous Waste Management Division of EPA. I was charged with supervising the drafting of regulations to implement the hazardous waste portion of ...
Boxed macaroni and cheese is often a favorite food among youngsters, but a recent study suggests the packaged food contains dangerous, endocrine-disrupting chemicals that have been banned in toys: phthalates. [1]
Phthalates are a group of toxic additives in plastics. They’re used to make plastics soft and flexible, and are commonly found in artificial fragrances, inks, coatings, adhesives, and other consumer and industrial products, the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) explains.
Doctors say you should never clean your ears with cotton swabs, but people reach for them anyway to scoop out the wax. According to the authors of a study in the Journal of Pediatrics, using cotton swabs to clean your ears can be dangerous, especially for children. In fact, use of these cotton swabs sends approximately 3 dozen children to the ER every day. [1]
Approximately 12,500 children under the age of 18 are treated in U.S. emergency departments for ear injuries each year, which amounts to about 34 visits per day.
A 16-year-old South Carolina boy consumed a large Diet Mountain Dew, a cafe latte from McDonald’s, and an energy drink within the course of 2 hours, and it evidently cost him his life. [1]
Davis Allen Cripe’s caffeine splurge likely caused deadly a heart arrhythmia, according to Richland County coroner Gary Watts.
“It was too much caffeine at the time of his death that it caused his arrhythmia.”
The Mayo Clinic explains heart arrhythmias this way:
A new study by researchers at Harvard University shows that the water supplies of nearly 6 million Americans are tainted with unsafe levels of polyfluoroalkyl and perfluoroalkyl substances, or PFASs – a class of industrial chemicals linked to potentially serious health problems. [1]
PFASs have been used for decades in a wide variety of industrial and commercial products, including non-stick coatings on pans, food wrappers, water-repellent clothing, and firefighting foam.
A report released in 2015 will likely have you shopping somewhere besides your local dollar store or discount retailer soon. After testing 164 dollar-store products, researchers found that over 81% (133 of 164) contained at least one hazardous chemical that was present in high enough concentrations to raise serious health concerns. [1]
Stores like Family Dollar, Dollar Tree, Dollar General, and 99 Only were all culprits – selling the public items like toys, jewelry, and personal care supplies that contained carcinogenic, or otherwise hazardous chemicals.
A new paint manufactured by Sherwin-Williams may help stop the spread of “superbugs” in hospitals and other places that are notorious for the spread of drug-resistant bacteria.
