More than 15 million Americans across 27 states may have drinking water contaminated with perfluorochemicals (PFCs) that are used to make non-stick cookware and other products, according to a report published in June 2017. [1]
On October 13, officials with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) warned that bacteria may have contaminated special devices used during open heart surgery, putting more than half a million heart surgery patients at risk. [1]
Source: The Seattle Times
A study at the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom has found that one in four chicken samples, taken from the most common UK supermarkets, contain antibiotic resistant E. coli. [1]
This study, which was commissioned by the group Save Our Antibiotics, concluded that 51% of E. coli found in both pork and poultry samples were resistant to the common antibiotic trimethoprim, which is often used to treat lower urinary tract infections.
Mark Holmes, who conducted the research, stated that the findings were “worrying.” [2]
A development in East Chicago, Indiana has been confirmed to have toxic lead levels up to 30 times what is considered safe. This is especially devastating for the families who live there, as high lead levels are known to decrease children’s IQs as well as contribute to further developmental issues that may affect them for the rest of their lives. [1]
General Mills has recently recalled a large selection of its flours due to an outbreak of E. coli. Although no one has died, 46 people have become infected with E. coli, 13 have been hospitalized, and one person has been diagnosed with kidney failure in connection to the E. coli virus. [1]
General Mills stated:
Twelve people in New Hampshire have been sickened with the same strain of E. coli. While officials are pointing toward ground beef as the culprit, as this is the same food all of those who became ill consumed, they have all eaten it at different locations. [1]
On June 19, an 18-year-old teen from Ohio died after contracting an infection caused by a rare brain-eating amoeba.
Local, state, and national officials are investigating the death, which occurred after the young woman, Lauren Seitz, visited the U.S. National Whitewater Center (USNWC) in Charlotte, North Carolina. Though Seitz lives in Ohio, she was visiting some southern states on a youth mission music tour with her church, Church of the Messiah United Methodist Church. The church is located in Westerville, Ohio.
A federal hearing will occur on February 3, 2016 to address the Flint, Michigan water crisis. Hopefully it will include some stark discipline for those who ignored Flint citizens’ concerns that their water was too polluted to drink.
Later today, Stewart Parnell, former CEO of Peanut Corporation of America (PCA) could find out that he will spend the rest of his life behind bars. If convicted, Parnell could be the first person involved in a food poisoning outbreak to ever receive such a harsh sentence.
Parnell was convicted on September 19, 2014, of knowingly shipping peanut butter contaminated with salmonella from a PCA plant in Blakely, Georgia, to Kellogg’s and other customers who put the ingredient in everything from crackers to pet food.
Researchers have found that in some biotech study cases meant to measure the safety of Round Up crops, the rat feed given to rats in both the control group AND the testing group was contaminated with the same GMOs and pesticides (and heavy metals). In other words, laboratory rodent feeds are highly contaminated with pesticides, toxic metals, PCBs, and GMOs.
