The couch you sit on, the carpets you walk on, and even some of your kids’ toys may pose health risks due to the chemicals they are made with. In some of the latest research, it was found that a commonly-used household chemical known as DEHP may be harming fertility not only for men – but also for dogs.
Do you have any idea what ‘ingredients’ go into making cigarettes? You would be surprised to hear what things people inhale with each puff of a cigarette – besides nicotine, I mean.
Source: ThinkProgress
There are about 4,800 chemicals in a cigarette, many of which are carcinogenic; but researchers from the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, found that the majority of smokers don’t know what they’re inhaling.
Marcella Boynton, lead author of the study, said in a press release:
It has become increasingly clear in recent years that exposure to numerous chemicals used in our daily lives can have a significant impact on human development. One recent study shows that chemicals in cosmetics and personal care products such as soaps and shampoos may push early puberty in girls. [1]
The study suggests that prenatal exposure to these chemicals is primarily to blame.
An expert panel of toxicologists is calling for an entire class of pesticides to be banned because they threaten the health of both pregnant women and children.
The paper, published in the journal PLOS Medicine, states that exposure to organophosphates (OPs) increases the risk of lower IQs, memory and attention deficits, and autism for prenatal children.
Forgive me for sounding like a broken record, because if you’re a regular reader, then you’ve heard this one before on numerous occasions. But … trace amounts of the glyphosate herbicide have been detected in popular breakfast cereals yet again. This time, the testing was done by the Environmental Working Group (EWG). [1]
A California judge on October 22 upheld a San Francisco jury’s verdict finding that Monsanto’s Roundup herbicide caused a former school groundskeeper’s cancer, but slashed the amount of money to be paid from $289 million to just over $78 million. [1]
In August, a jury awarded Dewayne Johnson $250 million in punitive damages to punish Monsanto (now Bayer), and $39 million in compensatory damages to cover Johnson’s lost income, as well as pain and suffering.
In a rare move, a scientific journal has issued an “Expression of Concern” and has requested corrections from the authors behind a group of papers that concluded glyphosate is safe. [1]
On September 26, the editor-in-chief and publisher of Critical Reviews in Toxicology said that 5 articles which appeared in the journal’s 2016 supplemental issue failed to adequately disclose ties to the agribusiness giant Monsanto (now Bayer), the maker of the herbicide Roundup, which contains the chemical glyphosate.
They said:
Glyphosate, the highly controversial weed-killing chemical found in the popular Roundup herbicide, is harming honeybee populations around the world, a new study shows.
Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin say glyphosate is making honeybees more susceptible to infection and death.
The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical found in plastics that mimics the female hormone estrogen in the body, has been banned in baby bottles, sippy cups, and the lining of cans of formula since 2012 due to public outcry and toxicity research. Since then, ‘safer’ BPA alternatives have been used in products, but a new study adds onto growing evidence showing that BPA-free alternatives may not be as safe as consumers think.
In the study, BPA alternatives not only decreased sperm counts in mice, but the decrease led to less-viable eggs.
Residents gathered in Stuart, Florida, in August to protest the use of Roundup in their community and demand a ban on the herbicide. [1]
In addition to concerns that glyphosate, the main ingredient in Roundup, causes cancer, a much more immediate issue brought about the rally: fears that the chemical contributes to toxic algae blooms in Lake Okeechobee and the St. Lucie River.
Protestor Jackie Trancynger said:
