News tagged with 'Toxins'

Air passing over an airline engine can contain toxic gases from slight hydraulic and engine leaks that pass into the passenger cabin and flight deck. "Bleed air" problems are coming to light as more people complain of neurotoxin symptoms.

This third annual consumer guide from The Ecology Center in Ann Arbor, Michigan finds one out of three children's toys still has measurable levels of heavy metals, though lead levels are declining. Use Their HealthyStuff.org to shop and a Lead Test Kit for the home may not be a bad idea either.

Lead exposure in children appears to permanently damage the brain this study finds, echoing previous findings that associate a lower IQ and criminal behavior and developmental exposure to lead.

The FDA does no testing of cosmetics or face paints  so a consumer group, the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, has taken over that job, testing 10 products from a Halloween store. The results are scary, but consumers aren't left in the dark if they are informed.

Lead levels in the blood of youngsters has reached a 20 year low, according to a CDC report.  The 84 percent drop in lead levels in youngsters is reminiscent of levels not seen since the 1970s when lead was removed from gasoline and paint. 

The U.S. lags behind the European Union in regulating chemicals dumped into the environment. A new book by the Center for Investigative Reporting, says while the U.S. has registered about 80,000 chemicals for use, the UK requires they be assessed for their potential toxic effects. 

It is a mystery that will take 21 years to solve - how do solents, plastics, chemicals in our environment adversely affect children's health and disease. The NIH and CDC will examine more than 100,000 participants at 105 diverse sites around the country in this ambitious National Children's Health Study. 

Sooner than you might think, genetically engineered animals may be heading to your local supermarket. Now is the time to Take Action. The FDA is accepting public comments on its draft guidance for the commercialization of GE animals, paving the way for grocery stores to sell food made from genetically engineered animals.

A new study in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine suggests that counties with higher levels of precipitation also have higher autism rates, further deepening the mystery of the causes of autism.

A nicotine-based pesticide, neonicotinoid, may explain the collapse of bee colonies. The insecticides, made by Bayer and Syngenta, move through a plant’s vascular system.  Bees pick up the pollen from the plants, which may impact their immune system and behavior.  Billions in agriculture, such as fruits and nuts, are at stake.

Following federal litigation, the EPA has agreed to slash the amount of allowable airborne lead to one-tenth the amount currently allowed.  The problem is the lead recycling industry must comply and there is a lack of lead monitors nationwide. 

It's been a love-fest between chemical manufacturers and the consumer product market over the last thirty years, dumping flame retardants on everything from children's pajamas to electronic components. Now the Environmental Working Group is finding the chemical in children's blood in alarming concentrations.