Bisphenol A Now In Cans!

I've previously reported on that nasty stuff Bisphenol A (also known as BPA) that poison-mongers like to slip into plastic stuff like baby bottles.

Since I can never remember which number on the bottom of my cereal bowl is supposed to be okay, and which is supposed to consign me and my offspring to a slow, torturous death, I have switched the family to eating everything out of tin cans (well, aluminum).

Bad move.

According to a new study by people in White Coats at Consumer Reports, the

latest tests of canned foods, including soups, juice, tuna, and green beans, have found that almost all of the 19 name-brand foods we tested contain some BPA. The canned organic foods we tested did not always have lower BPA levels than nonorganic brands of similar foods analyzed. We even found the chemical in some products in cans that were labeled "BPA-free."

Now if you can't trust a label on a can, what can you trust???

According to the Civil Eats blog,

Federal guidelines currently put the daily upper limit of safe exposure at 50 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight. But that level is based on a handful of experiments done in the 1980s rather than hundreds of more recent animal and laboratory studies indicating that serious health risks could result from much lower doses of BPA. Several animal studies show adverse effects, such as abnormal reproductive development, at exposures of 2.4 micrograms of BPA per kilogram of body weight per day, a dose that could be reached by a child eating one or a few servings daily or an adult daily diet that includes multiple servings of canned foods containing BPA levels comparable to some of the foods Consumer Reports tested.

And then

Given the new findings, Consumers Union sent a letter to Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Margaret Hamburg reiterating its request that the agency act this year to ban the use of BPA in food- and beverage-contact materials. FDA is expected to announce the findings of its most recent reassessment of the safety of BPA by the end of this month. Bills are currently pending in Congress that would ban the use of BPA in all food and beverage containers. Industry has been waging a fight against new regulations, and California Assembly members recently voted not to ban BPA from feeding products for children under three.

Consumer Reports is advising those who are concerned that they might be able to reduce, though not necessarily eliminate, their dietary exposure to BPA by taking the following steps:

Choose fresh food whenever possible.
Consider alternatives to canned food, beverages, juices, and infant formula.
Use glass containers when heating food in microwave ovens.

Wouldn't it just be simpler to lock regulators and lawmakers in a room with nothing to eat nothing but bisphenol-laden food until they ban this stuff?

Your showerhead is spraying you with bacteria

Sometimes it seems that researchers just want to mess with the heads of OCD germaphobes. Case in point: People in White Coats at the University of Colorado at Boulder looked at the gunk inside of showerheads in 45 sites around the United States. They put the showerheads inside a big centrifuge (or whatever it is scientists do) and discovered that every time you shower, you are covering yourself in filth.

It turns out that the showerheads had seven billion microbes per square liter -- or about ten times the number found in tap water. It gets worse. The microbes that the Boulder gunkologists looked at included teeming masses of Mycobacterium avium, which besides having a scary sounding Latin name and being written in italics, can cause respiratory illness.

The good news is that the microbes are harmless if swallowed (like in tap water) unless they are turned into an aerosol mist and inhaled... like, you know, when you're taking a shower (eep! eep! eep!)

Experts recommend the following steps:

* Switch to metal showerheads (the problem only appears in plastic ones).

* Hold your breath for the entire duration of your shower.

* Take baths (the soap scum appears to counteract the evil bacteria).

* Fill your water tanks with Purell.

* Go French and stop bathing altogether.

It's all downhill from here

I was born 39 years ago today. My own beloved Dad was 39 that day.

The above photo was unearthed by one of the middle school classmates that seem to make up about 70% of my Facebook friends today.

And now for today's public service announcement on aging...

According to a couple of people in white coats at the University of Virginia, your brain starts to deteriorate at the age of 27. In a series of cognitive tests on 2,000 healthy people aged 18-60, researchers found that people aged 22 scored the highest, and saw a significant downward spiral into blubbering idiocy starting at age 27. People started doing noticeably more poorly on memory tests starting at age 37.

Did I mention that today is my birthday? Note to self: write about this on the blog.

Obesity Epidemic Strikes Kid-Friendly Burros

In Spanish, the word "burrito" means "little donkey". The town of Oatman, Arizona, is having a different kind of donkey problem. It seems that one of the key attractions in the old mining town is that a lot of donkeys freely roam the streets. And since every kid who walks by can't resist handing out carrots and other goodies, those asses are now getting very fat.

The Bureau of Land Management is stepping in with a campaign to stop the wonton (oops, wanton) feeding of the animals.

Beware of Sandals and Candles

Thinking about a romantic candlelit dinner or a walk on the beach in flip flops? According to the latest research, you might as well just drink a bottle of cyanide and shoot yourself in the head.

Okay, not quite, but here are two worrisome items on candles and flip flops.

Item Numero Uno:

According to people in white coats at South Carolina State University, candles release "harmful fumes linked to lung cancer and asthma."

According to a report from the BBC:

Lead researcher Amid Hamidi said people who frequently used candles, for instance to help them relax in the bath or provide the right ambiance for dinner, were most at risk.

He told the American Chemical Society in Washington: "An occasional paraffin candle and its emissions will not likely affect you.

"But lighting many paraffin candles every day for years or lighting them frequently in an unventilated bathroom around a tub, for example, may cause problems."

The danger seems to result from the fact that the candles don't reach a high enough temperature to burn off the toxins. To avoid dying from candle-induced cancer, researchers recommend "smoking, alcohol, obesity, unhealthy diets, inactivity and heavy sun exposure."

Item Numero Dos:

According to White Coaters from EMSL Analytical in New York City, walking around in flip flops is not only a big fashion faux pas, but will, in all likelihood, kill you faster than several candlelit dinners for two in an enclosed space. At least in NYC.

According to a stolid report from the New York Daily News, "Flip-flops are a magnet for dangerous, deadly bacteria!!!!"

Two reporters wore flip flops around New York, taking subways, buses, and going to Coney Island. They then handed the flip flops to the lab boys, who then put them in a big centrifuge.

"The results? Pretty heinous."

Researchers found thousands of bacteria on the footwear. Sure, they were mostly harmless, but, they note, some came from people's mouths. The researchers speculate that this was a result of the reporters walking where someone had spit on the sidewalk, but then again, we all know how weird New Yorkers are. (I'm just saying).

True, the labsters didn't find anything like Staph aureus, but, they write, they could have. If, you know, you had an open sore on your foot, and, like, you stepped in something gross, and, like, it entered your blood, it could, you know, KILL YOU DEAD!!!

Obviously, if you are going to walk around New York City, you must dispose of your footwear after every outing.

More Scary Things In Your Garden

Worried Dad's garden is doing very well, and if something is going well, then it's time to worry.

Item #1: Tomatoes and Potatoes are Getting Wiped Out

Tomato and potato crops throughout the Northeast US are getting decimated by Late Blight, a fungus that once caused the Irish Potato Famine.

Experts (or "Blightists") say that the fungus made its way to Northern gardens and fields through Big Box gardening centers. The unusually wet temperate weather created a perfect breeding ground for the fungus, which spread quickly as more people have turned to home gardens. Next year, start your tomatoes and potatoes from seed or get your starters from garden centers that buy from local farms.

Item #2: Don't Touch the Pretty Weeds

The next time you're about to tidy up the garden and pull up the weeds, you better be sure that you know the difference between Heracleum sphondylium (a nice ornamental plant known as Common Hogweed) and its evil twin Heracleum mantegazzianum (better known as Giant Hogweed). The latter has been spotted in backyards throughout the Northeast. Touching it "can cause skin sensitivity, burning blisters, and blackened scars if you are exposed to its toxic, watery sap."

Item #3: Plants Can Eat Meat

Intrepid botanists have discovered a hitherto unknown species of giant meat-eating plants in the central Philippines.

According to one of the botanical daredevils, "The plant is among the largest of all carnivorous plant species and produces spectacular traps as large as other species which catch not only insects, but also rodents as large as rats." Or, he might have added, small children.

While this plant was previously not a threat to human civilization, the botanists placed specimens in the herbarium of Palawan State University.

The needles and the damage done -- the trouble with Tamiflu

New reports out of Merry Olde England are showing that half of all children taking the anti-swine flu drug Tamiflu are experiencing side effects such as nausea, insomnia, and nightmares.

The kids were given the drug to prevent them from getting infected after other kids in their kids had been diagnosed with swine flu (H1N1). The people in white coats who conducted the study note that although some of the reported side effects could be due to other illnesses, they were "unlikely to account for all the symptoms experienced".

The full story is here.

My New Favorite Website

Let's Panic About Babies. You might think they're joking, but I'm not so sure.

I really like their sponsors too.

Danger In the Sand

Despite rains here in Boston that could only make Noah happy, Summer is really here.

Before you relax and enjoy yourself in the usual ways, consider my earlier reports that grilling meat will kill you, your swimming pool will kill you, and the Sun will kill you. And don't even think about a staycation.

Ok, you say, why not just slather on 5 gallons of SPF 5000 sunblock and head to the beach?

Because the sand will kill you. Or at least make you sick. According to a study by some people in white coats, people who play in beach sand were 20-24 percent more likely to report gastrointestinal illness and diarrhea than those who just looked at it with horror and ran away.

Nestle Cookie-Gate Cover Up

The Nestle cookie dough recall that has so far sickened 69 people and put 34 into the hospital --9 with kidney failure-- has taken an unexpected twist.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Nestle had denied access to FDA inspectors to its files of consumer complaints, pest-control records, and other information.

According to the full article (you have to have a subscription to access this), inspectors found "dirty equipment" and 3 "ant-like" creatures during a previous visit to the plant, but did not see fit to close the plant or require further action.

The FDA does not currently have the authority to force companies to provide such records except when they can prove that there is a grave immediate threat to public health. Congress is currently considering legislation to give the FDA this authority.

Forbes has more info here.

Nestle has recalled all raw cookie dough products that came from the suspect plant, but still continues to make pasta sauce and other non-cookie related products there.

Nestle Toll House Cookie Recall: C is for e. Coli

There are two disturbing elements to the recall of Nestle Toll House Refrigerated Cookie Dough.

* Usually the danger of raw cookie dough is salmonella from contaminated raw eggs. The contaminant here was E. coli 0157. According to Wikipedia,

E. coli O157:H7 infection often causes severe, acute bloody diarrhoea (although non-bloody diarrhoea is also possible) and abdominal cramps. Usually little or no fever is present, and the illness resolves in 5 to 10 days. It can also be asymptomatic.

In some people, particularly children under 5 years of age and the elderly, the infection can cause haemolytic uremic syndrome, in which the red blood cells are destroyed and the kidneys fail. About 2%–7% of infections lead to this complication. In the United States, haemolytic uremic syndrome is the principal cause of acute kidney failure in children, and most cases of haemolytic uremic syndrome are caused by E. coli O157:H7.



Basically, some cow poop got on the raw cookie dough. Is Nestle making a regular habit of mixing in cow poop with the chocolate chips? Do we really want to know the answer to that?

* Pre-made chocolate chip cookie dough?!! Mix flour and baking soda and set aside. Beat eggs, butter, brown and white sugar, vanilla, and salt. Add the flower and baking soda. Mix with spoon. Add chocolate chips. Spoon out onto ungreased cookie sheet, eating approximately 1/3 of the batter in the process. Bake. 10 minutes of prep. Fifteen if you include washing up. It is fun. It is easy. It builds character. No cow poop. If you can't handle this, then just buy a bag of Chips Ahoy.

CIA Hiring Failed Wall Street Analysts

Word on the street is that the CIA has put out a call to unemployed Wall Street flunkies. The Agency says that Langley has been flooded with applications.

The CIA claims that they are looking with expertise in economic analysis to help them predict the next global financial meltdown. Given the utter failure of these very same people to do anything of the sort, we can only hope that the real mission is to covertly place them in powerful positions in the banking and finance industries of our worst enemies.

Zicam Blows Away Sense Of Smell

The FDA has just issued a warning about the homeopathic "remedy" Zicam nasal gel. Turns out, the purported cold remedy frequently permanently destroys one's sense of smell (the company has received at least 600 complaints so far). Given that someone with a stuffed up nose can't smell much anyway, losing one of the primary five senses doesn't seem like much of a benefit. Maybe they would have better luck advertising it as "relieving some of the side effects related to incontinence."

Normally, when the FDA issues one of these warnings, the company immediately implements a "voluntary" recall. But Zicam maker Matrixx (is this whole thing just a glitch in the Matrix?) is refusing to do so. I'm sure the fact that the company makes $40 million a year off of Zicam sales has nothing to do with it.

Since Zicam is sold as a homeopathic remedy, it didn't need FDA approval or safety testing to sell it. And it turns out that the FDA doesn't have the power to force a mandatory recall. The Bush administration had refused to give the agency this power saying it wasn't necessary. Folks in Obamaland appear to have a different approach. A bill to give the FDA this power is currently circulating in Congress.

In the meantime, try a hot shower, chicken soup, and plenty of rest.

Danger Lurks At Home

As bankrolls slim down and the unemployment rolls swell (hi Mike!), more people are likely to be spending time at home.

According to the people in white coats at WebMD, however, this is a bad idea. How bad? Let them count the ways.

Okay, they stopped counting at six.

1. Sponges will kill you. Throw your sponge into a centrifuge (or whatever it is scientists throw things into) and you'll likely discover E Coli, salmonella, and poop.

Most people clean their countertops and table after a meal with the one tool found in almost all kitchens: the sponge. In addition to sopping up liquids and other messes, the kitchen sponge commonly carries E. coli and fecal bacteria, as well as many other microbes. "It's the single dirtiest thing in your kitchen, along with a dishrag," says Tierno.

Ironically, the more you attempt to clean your countertops with a sponge, the more germs you're spreading around. "People leave [the sponge] growing and it becomes teaming with [millions of] bacteria, and that can make you sick and become a reservoir of other organisms that you cross-contaminate your countertops with, your refrigerator, and other appliances in the kitchen," Tierno explains.

Their recommendation: Bleach. Which is, of course, highly toxic.

My recommendation: Only eat at other people's houses, leaving your kitchen spotless.

2. Vacuuming. Regular vacuuming releases a storm cloud of dust and other fine particles into the air, triggering asthma attacks, soil erosion, and crop failure.

Their recommendation: Buy some fancy spancy vacuum for a gazillion dollars.

My recommendation: Stop vacuuming. Duh.

3. Sleeping with pillows and a mattress.

The average person sheds about 1.5 million skin cells per hour and perspires one quart every day even while doing nothing, says Tierno. The skin cells accumulate in our pillows and mattresses and dust mites grow and settle.

If that's not gross enough for you, Tierno explains that a mattress doubles in weight every 10 years because of the accumulation of human hair, bodily secretions, animal hair and dander, fungal mold and spores, bacteria, chemicals, dust, lint, fibers, dust mites, insect parts, and a variety of particulates, including dust mite feces. After five years, 10% of the weight of a pillow is dust mites. This is what you're inhaling while you sleep.

"What you're sleeping on can exacerbate your allergies or your asthma," says Tierno.

Their recommendation: Put some giant bags over your bed. And wash your sheets once a week (seriously).

My recommendation: Sleep on the couch or in your car.

4. Grilling meats. Okay, they must have read my post from April. Basically, the fat drips down causing cancer to spray all over your burger.

Their recommendation:

"Limiting your outdoor cooking, using tin foil, or microwaving the meat first is a sensible precaution," says Michael Thun, MD. He is emeritus vice president for epidemiology and surveillance research with the American Cancer Society.

My recommendation: Don't ever invite Michael Thun, MD, to your barbecue.

5. Opening your windows. Outside air pollution will kill you. Inside air pollution will kill you even faster.

Their recommendation: Run the air conditioner and keep the windows shut. The a/c will filter out the cancer dust, although the really deadly stuff will sneak in and kill you anyway.

My recommendation: Start smoking. Cigarette smoke will kill off the dust mites.

6. Watching TV. Americans are fat and lazy. It is the fault of the tv.

Their recommendation: Turn off the tv, put down the junk food, and go for a walk.

My recommendation: Get an old tv that uses an antenna. The US is switching to digital tvs on Friday. Without a converter box, your old tv won't get any reception.

Chicago Says Goodbye To BPA Plastics

As I reported last September, plastics are scary. Specifically, Bisphenol A, also known as BPA. Independent researchers in white coats, the stuff found in everything from baby bottles to, well, water bottles, and can leach out with repeated uses, cleanings, etc. Researchers claim it is linked to birth defects, early onset of puberty, miscarriages, and other scary things.

For its part, the plastics industry has tried to get everyone to worry about other stuff, like swine flu, and exploding toy helicopters (okay, that was me, but I'm sure they didn't object).

So back in September I said it was time for the government to do something. Well, they have. At least Chicago's government has. Last week they became the first city in the country to outlaw BPA. Here's hoping others follow suit.

Chinese Sofa = Death

A rash of complaints by British couch potatoes has lead to the discovery that as many as 200,000 Chinese-made sofas were made with toxic chemicals that have caused skin rashes, increased the likelihood of cancer, and even allegedly caused one death.

From The Sun:

TOXIC Chinese sofas that left thousands of Brits with burns have now been linked to CANCER, The Sun can reveal.

Medics are probing claims the couches triggered the disease in the skin and lower body.

Lawyer Richard Langton, who has led legal action for victims, said cancer cases were being investigated among 5,000 complaints - including one death.

The Sun told last year how Brits had been left with burns, eye problems and breathing trouble by the sofas, which were packed with toxic fungicide DMF to prevent mould on the voyage from China.

Mr Langton, of lawyers Russell Jones and Walker, said: "The mystery of the sofas is far from over."

"We have several cases involving serious complications - including cancer and even death - and we are investigating."

He said other fungicides may also have been used.

Mr Langton added: "DMF was identified by chance after months of detective work."

"Hundreds of other banned chemicals could cause problems."

It is believed DMF has the effect of stripping the human skin, exposing it to toxins.

A total of 200,000 sofas were sold in stores including Argos and Land of Leather in three years.

Cats Are Controlling Your Thoughts

A study by people in white coats have discovered what many (including The Wife) have assumed for years: Cats are controlling our minds for their evil plans.

What are their plans? It's not entirely clear, but I have some ideas. The first phase involves making everyone anxious (about dogs, no doubt), depressed (leading to the acquisition of a cat), and insecure ("Why doesn't my cat love me? I must buy it more expensive food!"). Some are led to engage in reckless behavior (presumably leading to doomed relationships and the acquisition of more cats). Women also tend to develop a condition of "guilt proneness" ("My cats are unhappy! It's all my fault!").

From LiveScience:

A parasitic microbe commonly found in cats might have helped shape entire human cultures by manipulating the personalities of infected individuals, according to a new study.

Infection by a Toxoplasma gondii could make some individuals more prone to some forms of neuroticism and could lead to differences among cultures if enough people are infected, says Kevin Lafferty, a U.S. Geological Survey scientist at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

In a survey of different countries, Lafferty found that people living in those with higher rates of T. gondii infection scored higher on average for neuroticism, defined as an emotional or mental disorder characterized by high levels of anxiety, insecurity or depression.

His finding is detailed in the Aug. 2 issue of the journal for Proceedings of the Royal Society, Biology.

Manipulating behavior

T. gondii infects both wild and domestic cats, but it is carried by many warm-blooded mammals. One recent study showed that the parasite makes normally cautious rats outgoing and more prone to engage in reckless behavior, such as hanging around areas frequently marked by cat urine, making the rats easy targets.

Scientists estimate that the parasite has infected about 3 billion people, or about half of the human population. Studies by researchers in the Czech Republic have suggested T. gondii might have subtle but long-term effects on its human hosts. The parasite is thought to have different, and often opposite effects in men versus women, but both genders appear to develop a form of neuroticism called "guilt proneness."

Other studies have also found links between the parasite and schizophrenia. T. gondii infection is known to damage astrocytes, support cells in the brain that are also affected during schizophrenia. Pregnant women with high levels of antibodies to the parasite are also more likely to give birth to children who will develop the disorder.

In light of such studies, Lafferty wondered whether high rates of T. gondii infection in a culture could shift the average personality of its individuals.

"In populations where this parasite is very common, mass personality modification could result in cultural change," Lafferty said.

Kind of makes you wonder if this whole Swine Flu (err, sorry, H1N1 flu) paranoia wasn't some sort of a test run by the cats on their human servants...

WHO Declares End Of Swine Flu!

The World Health Organization (WHO) has declared an official end to the swine flu apocalypse of 2009. Due to pressure from the pork industry, the WHO announced that it will no longer refer to the global pandemic as "Swine Flu" but instead will refer to it only as H1N1 influenza A.

H1N1 -- The other virulent infectious disease!

Alfalfa Sprouts Will Kill You

I always remember when I first left the East Coast for California for college so many years ago (How long ago? Let's just say that I brought an electric typewriter with me). I was a stranger in a strange land but I was pleased to see that the sandwich shop I had walked into offered Pastrami. In my religion, you eat Pastrami on rye (or marble rye if you're feeling a little crazy), put a little mustard on it, and have it either hot or cold, and have a nice kosher pickle on the side. This is what I was expecting. Imagine my shock, then, as I was served a Pastrami sandwich with more sprouts on it than meat. As Colonel Kurtz liked to say "The horror. The horror. It really gets to me sometimes!"

So I really wasn't surprised to read that the FDA has issued a warning against eating raw alfalfa sprouts because of a salmonella outbreak.

Raw sprouts have been linked to several outbreaks of salmonella over the past two decades, FDA says. There have been 31 cases in six states since mid-March, and another 100 or so since February.

Anyway, I'm back on the East Coast now. Not a sprout in sight.

Bad Piggies -- Track the Swine Flu In Real Time

Turns out that all the hype about bird flu and mad cows a few years back was just a huge plot to get us to ignore the danger of pigs. The swines have given us their flu, also known as H1N1. What started in Mexico has now spread to the US and Spain.

In another bad sign, Europe's health commissioner has urged that people avoid all non-essential travel to the US and Mexico. For those of us already here, the advice generally seems to be that the best way to stay healthy is to stop breathing.

Someone figured out how to track the whole thing on Google maps so you can watch the end of the world unfold with helpful color coded stickies. Click here for all the fun (zoom back to see the whole world).

Meat Will Murder You

With the weather here in the Boston area having finally turned the corner, a carnivore's thoughts naturally turn to the backyard grill (please stay away from the flowers though).

Now we ponder the eternal question: How do you like your burger? If you said "rare" (and we likes 'em rare around here) then you are going to get sick from E. Coli, make the bathroom stinky, and possibly die.

So, just grill all the bad stuff out of it, right? Sure, unless you want to die of cancer. Turns out, people in white coats at the University of Minnesota School of Public Health have discovered that high consumption of carcinogens from overcooked meat is correlated to an increased risk of pancreatic cancer. Basically, you up your risk of getting cancer by 60% if you eat all the blackened stuff on your burgers.

A Straight Dope column from a few years back goes into a lot of the gory details, but it was written before the latest studies came out.

Your Garden Can Kill You And Your Kids

Spring has finally sprung in the greater Boston area. The perennials are popping their heads up, the fish in our little pond have thawed out, and I'm doing a truly half-assed job of growing plants from seeds (some plastic covers, seeds from last year's marigolds and sunflowers, plus some mystery packets that I've picked up somewhere, and two halogen bulbs in a table lamp).

But just when I thought it was safe to go back in the garden, I stumble across this headline from the Washington Post:

Behind Some Plants' Beauty Lurks Danger

When designing ornamental gardens, homeowners usually think about looking at the plants, not eating them. However, many plants can be poisonous. One of the most common ways young children are poisoned is by eating pretty berries or flowers that look like candy.

Offenders in our garden include azaleas, hollies, and daffodils. Plus we have some aloe in the house.

If you have children, take the safe approach indoors, too. Common houseplants that can have toxic effects include aloe, dieffenbachia, philodendron and calla lily. Also avoid these if you have pets that like to nibble on plants. Some houseplants that are safe to grow are African violets, begonias, spider plants, Swedish ivy, wandering Jew, snake plant, weeping figs, dracaenas and jade plants.

Has your kid ever claimed that rhubarb could kill them? They were right. Plus tomatoes and brussel sprouts (okay, I made that last one up, but it should be true).

And don't think your vegetable garden is exempt from poisonous plants. Eating potato and tomato plants can cause severe stomach and nervous system problems. Rhubarb is probably one of the most dangerous kitchen-garden plants. Its leaf has been responsible for many deaths because people think they can eat it. The only harmless part of rhubarb is the stalk of the leaf.

The article explains that roasting marshmallows will also kill you and all your loved ones--if you nibble the stick from the wrong tree (hint: George Washington was right).

Oleander is a very poisonous and common outdoor plant in the southern United States. Its branches are perfect for cooking hot dogs and marshmallows, and when limbs are pruned and used for this purpose, they kill or sicken people every year.

Happy gardening!

Many Kids' Multivitamins Have Too Much Vitamin A

According to a new report by Consumer Labs, several popular brands of children's chewable multivitamins have too much of a good thing -- namely Vitamin A (as retinol).

The culprits were: Hero Nutritionals Yummi Bears, L’il Critters Groovy Gummy Vites, and Trader Darwin’s Children’s Chewable Vitamins (my daughter Cinderella's faves).

The Institute of Medicine recommends an RDA of 1,300 IU of Vitamin A for a child 4-8 years old, and an upper tolerable limit (UL) of 3,000 IU. Some of the vitamins tested contained 5,000 IU.

According to Consumer Labs,

Excess vitamin A in the retinol form is of concern as it may, in the short term, cause nausea and blurred vision, and, long-term, lead to bone softening and liver problems. ULs for niacin and zinc were also exceeded by some of the products for young children. Excess niacin may cause skin tingling and flushing and high levels of zinc can cause immune deficiency and anemia.

In addition, many supplements like these generally provide an "overage" of ingredient, i.e., more than the listed amount of ingredient to make sure that the product maintains potency over its shelf-life. Although an accepted practice, actual levels may be up to 50% higher than on the label.

A reason why so many children's vitamins exceed the newer recommended levels is that they are designed to meet "100%" of the Daily Values (DVs) which were last updated in 1968 and have yet to be re-set by the FDA. The out-dated DVs for vitamin A on supplement labels are actually two to three times higher than the newer RDAs and exceed tolerable intake levels for young children.

Pistachios = Death

Seems like pistachios are the source of a new salmonella outbreak. From the wires:

The company at the center of a nationwide pistachio recall says the salmonella contamination could have come from raw nuts during processing but not a human or animal source in its plant.

Lee Cohen, the production manager for Setton International Foods Inc., said Tuesday the company suspects roasted pistachios sold to Kraft Foods may have become mixed at Setton's plant with raw nuts that could have contained traces of the bacteria.

The pistachios were processed at central California-based Setton Pistachio of Terra Bella Inc., which is in the corporate family of Setton International Foods Inc.

Meanwhile, Kraft expanded its recall to include any Planters and Back to Nature products that contain pistachios.

Health officials have warned people not to eat any products containing pistachios while they investigate.

Even when they get this thing under control, several issues remain for the FDA to address:

• It's kind of creepy eating green nuts


• I can't eat them when my fingernails are either too long or too short


• They're a lot of trouble for not much food


• I find using a nutcracker on a walnut to be a much more satisfying experience than prying open a pistachio with my fingernails

Take Out Containers Are Toxic

And you thought the take-out food was the thing that was going to kill you. Turns out the plastic in the container will leach into your food, mess with your hormones, and possibly give you cancer. See this post from the Educational Cyber Playground (and scroll to their discussion of #6 PS). It was based on this study published in Environmental Health Studies and conducted by people in white coats.

The good news is that the nasty chemicals only leach into your food and drinks if they are heated. So, as long as you get all your food and drink chilled, you won't have a problem.

Toxic junk found in baby shampoos and soaps

All those times our kids screamed bloody murder when we forced them into the bathtub -- now it looks like they were onto something:

According to a new report by scary people in white coats:

More than half the baby shampoo, lotion and other infant care products analyzed by a health advocacy group were found to contain trace amounts of two chemicals that are believed to cause cancer, the organization said yesterday.

Some of the biggest names on the market, including Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo and Baby Magic lotion, tested positive for 1,4-dioxane or formaldehyde, or both, the nonprofit Campaign for Safe Cosmetics reported.

The chemicals, which the Environmental Protection Agency has characterized as probable carcinogens, are not intentionally added to the products and are not listed among ingredients on labels. Instead, they appear to be byproducts of the manufacturing process. Formaldehyde is created when other chemicals in the product break down over time, while 1,4-dioxane is formed when foaming agents are combined with ethylene oxide or similar petrochemicals.

The organization tested 48 baby bath products such as bubble bath and shampoo. Of those, 32 contained trace amounts of 1,4-dioxane and 23 contained small amounts of formaldehyde. Seventeen tested positive for both chemicals.

"Our intention is not to alarm parents, but to inform parents that products that claim to be gentle and pure are contaminated with carcinogens, which is completely unnecessary," said Stacy Malkan, a spokeswoman for the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, which is calling for the government to more strictly regulate personal care products such as shampoo, lotion and makeup.

So, no need for alarm. Just know that you are washing cancer into your kid's hair.

No More Kids' Stuff At Goodwill

Ack. A serious dilemma for this here Worried Dad and several of his co-conspirators in the world of guerrilla parenting.

Here's the short of it:

* America want cheap junk from China.

* China complies, but slaps extra lead on every kind of book, toy, lunchbox, and article of clothing to help keep costs down.

* Americans freak out (including your humble blogger here).

* American Congress passes sweeping anti-lead law. Now every store, vendor, producer, etc. of children's anything must prove that their products are lead free.

* Worried Dad then walks into favorite Goodwill store and discovers that all children's clothing and toys are gone, baby, gone.

* Worried Dad ponders global economic apocalypse and wonders if kids today really need all those extra IQ points after all...

Nigerians Scam Citibank

As if we didn't need any more reasons to be worried about the people running our banks, it seems that the geniuses at Citibank just fell for a Nigerian scam (run by real Nigerians!) for $27 million posing as representatives of the Bank of Ethiopia. The bank refunded the money to the Ethiopians, which probably wasn't a big deal since they are sitting on billions of dollars of taxpayer bailout money.

From the Times:

Swindles in which someone overseas seeks access to a person’s bank account are so well known that most potential victims can spot them in seconds.

But one man found success by tweaking the formula, prosecutors say: Rather than trying to dupe an account holder into giving up information, he duped the bank. And instead of swindling a person, he tried to rob a country — of $27 million.

To carry out the elaborate scheme, prosecutors in New York said on Friday, the man, identified as Paul Gabriel Amos, 37, a Nigerian citizen who lived in Singapore, worked with others to create official-looking documents that instructed Citibank to wire the money in two dozen transactions to accounts that Mr. Amos and the others controlled around the world.

The money came from a Citibank account in New York held by the National Bank of Ethiopia, that country’s central bank. Prosecutors said the conspirators, contacted by Citibank to verify the transactions, posed as Ethiopian bank officials and approved the transfers.

...

Prosecutors said the scheme began in September, when Citibank received a package with documents purportedly signed by officials of the Ethiopian bank instructing Citibank to accept instructions by fax. There was also a list of officials who could be called to confirm such requests. The signatures of the officials appeared to match those in Citibank’s records and were accepted by Citibank, the complaint says.

In October, Citibank received two dozen faxed requests for money to be wired, and it transferred $27 million to accounts controlled by the conspirators in Japan, South Korea, Australia, China, Cyprus and the United States, the complaint says.

Citibank called the officials whose names and numbers it had been given to verify the transactions, prosecutors said. The numbers turned out to be for cellphones in Nigeria, South Africa and Britain used by the conspirators.

Citibank, in its investigation, later determined the package of documents had come via courier from Lagos, Nigeria, rather than from the offices of the National Bank of Ethiopia, in Addis Ababa.

Citibank has credited back the lost funds to the National Bank of Ethiopia, said one person who was briefed about the situation.

Organic Farms Got Phony Fertilizer

Organic farmers in California, including some of the largest producers in the country, have been unwittingly using a synthetic fertilizer for up to seven years. The product, made by California Liquid Fertilizer, was cheap, effective and certified organic. It captured a third of California's organic farming market by 2006.

The California Department of Food and Agriculture had been notified of the problem in 2004, but didn't order the company to remove its product from the market until January 2007. It didn't notify the company's clients until a year and a half later.

Another major producer of liquid fertilizer pulled its product from the organic market in November 2007 after regulators initiated an investigation.

The organic produce market has grown from small farmers to a multi-billion dollar megabusiness, but regulation hasn't kept pace. State regulators only initiate inspections after receiving a complaint. Most of the regulation falls on the industry certification groups, but they often rely on company-provided information to determine if products meet federal standards.

From the Sacramento Bee:

For up to seven years, California Liquid Fertilizer sold what seemed to be an organic farmer's dream, brewed from fish and chicken feathers.

The company's fertilizer was effective, inexpensive and approved by organic regulators. By 2006, it held as much as a third of the market in California.

But a state investigation caught the Salinas-area company spiking its product with ammonium sulfate, a synthetic fertilizer banned from organic farms.

As a result, some of California's 2006 harvest of organic fruits, nuts and vegetables – including crops from giants like Earthbound Farm – wasn't really organic.

According to documents obtained by The Bee through a Public Records Act request, California Department of Food and Agriculture officials were notified of the problem in June 2004 but didn't complete their investigation and order the company to remove its product from the organic market until January 2007.

State officials knew some of California's largest organic farms had been using the fertilizer, the documents show, but they kept their findings confidential until nearly a year and a half after it was removed from the market. No farms lost their organic certification.

The rest of the story (a very interesting read) is here.

Killer Peanuts

I take a month away from the blog and peanuts threaten to rise up and kill all our children.

Since the peanut uprising began, at least 575 people in 43 states have been sickened by salmonella-tainted PB. At least 8 have died.

The Times reports today that peanut agents have apparently infiltrated the government and had the Agricultural Department send out tainted peanut butter to schools across the country as part of the free-lunch program (moral: there is a free lunch, but it will kill you).

This interesting tidbit was buried deep in the story:

Despite ongoing reports of illnesses linked to the company, the Agriculture department only Thursday suspended Peanut Corp. from participating in government contract programs, for at least a year. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also removed Stewart Parnell, president of the company, from USDA's Peanut Standards Board.

...

The Food and Drug Administration learned only weeks ago that the Peanut Corp. of America had received a series of private tests dating back to 2007 showing salmonella in their products from the Georgia plant, but later shipped the items after obtaining negative test results.