"the family's bag of Fast Fixin Frozen Chicken Strips contained mercury and glass shards. The parents learned of the problem after their children complained about the taste of the chicken"
read it here: http://www.wgal.com/news/13957356/detail.html
and
"'We've urbanized a world. We have moved people and food around that world at ever increasing speed,' World Health Organization (WHO) epidemics expert Dr. Mike Ryan said. WHO Director-General Dr. Margaret Chan said one of the changes affecting human health was increasingly intensive poultry farming, which may account for the global spread of bird flu.
'It should not come as a surprise that we are seeing more and more disease outbreaks coming from the animal sector,' including Ebola, SARS, or bird flu."
read it here: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/20416085
[Boy am I hungry!]
Friday, August 24, 2007
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Get the [friggin'] lead out
The recent discovery that several of Mattel's toy lines that were made in China were painted with lead now appears to be taking the usual turn that many problems we're dealing with these days are, where politically-appointed bureaucrats' incompetence is (thankfully) being exposed.
Darshak Sanghavi, in Slate Magazine, wrote an interesting article where he stated that "Just before the CDC [Center for Disease Control] considered lowering lead limits once again in 2003, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson removed a qualified scientist, Michael Weitzman, from the CDC's lead advisory committee and then rejected the appointments of Bruce Lanphear and Susan Klitzman, the researchers who found toxic effects of lead at low levels. Instead, Thompson moved to appoint Joyce Tsuji, who worked for two companies that represented lead firms, and William Banner, who has stated publicly that 70 mcg/dl of lead is safe for children's brains—a view not shared by any respectable scientists. [The Union of Concerned Scientists and Rep. Henry Waxman publicized Thompson's abuses in a recent New Republic article.] But the political message had already been sent, and no lowered limit resulted. Today, all those parents whose children will be tested in the wake of the Mattel scandal continue to be falsely reassured that all is well, even if the kids have lead levels of 5 to 10 mcg/dl, which may cost them 7 IQ points." And "A few years ago, I talked with Bruce Lanphear at a conference in San Francisco, just after he'd been rejected from the CDC's lead advisory committee. Resistance to lead control is a historical problem, he said. He was clearly frustrated by the politics but said he'd continue working in the field with the hope that somebody will listen. Perhaps the Mattel fiasco will finally bring attention to the hidden toll of lead paint."
Here' some other related articles:
How publicizing the truth about lead poisoning can get you attention by certain offending companies:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/90/6/977
On the ["secret"] history of lead use:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20000320/kitman/20
On a Chinese toymaker committing suicide after the lead-tainted toy recall:
http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/13/news/international/bc.news.china.safety.mattel.dc.reut/index.htm?postversion=2007081305
Darshak Sanghavi, in Slate Magazine, wrote an interesting article where he stated that "Just before the CDC [Center for Disease Control] considered lowering lead limits once again in 2003, Secretary of Health and Human Services Tommy Thompson removed a qualified scientist, Michael Weitzman, from the CDC's lead advisory committee and then rejected the appointments of Bruce Lanphear and Susan Klitzman, the researchers who found toxic effects of lead at low levels. Instead, Thompson moved to appoint Joyce Tsuji, who worked for two companies that represented lead firms, and William Banner, who has stated publicly that 70 mcg/dl of lead is safe for children's brains—a view not shared by any respectable scientists. [The Union of Concerned Scientists and Rep. Henry Waxman publicized Thompson's abuses in a recent New Republic article.] But the political message had already been sent, and no lowered limit resulted. Today, all those parents whose children will be tested in the wake of the Mattel scandal continue to be falsely reassured that all is well, even if the kids have lead levels of 5 to 10 mcg/dl, which may cost them 7 IQ points." And "A few years ago, I talked with Bruce Lanphear at a conference in San Francisco, just after he'd been rejected from the CDC's lead advisory committee. Resistance to lead control is a historical problem, he said. He was clearly frustrated by the politics but said he'd continue working in the field with the hope that somebody will listen. Perhaps the Mattel fiasco will finally bring attention to the hidden toll of lead paint."
Here' some other related articles:
How publicizing the truth about lead poisoning can get you attention by certain offending companies:
http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/90/6/977
On the ["secret"] history of lead use:
http://www.thenation.com/doc/20000320/kitman/20
On a Chinese toymaker committing suicide after the lead-tainted toy recall:
http://money.cnn.com/2007/08/13/news/international/bc.news.china.safety.mattel.dc.reut/index.htm?postversion=2007081305
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