Do commercial products we have body contact with contain toxic chemicals? In too many cases, states and environmentalists are saying, the federal government forbids consumers from knowing.
"One in four U.S. parents believes some vaccines cause autism in healthy children, but even many of those worried about vaccine risks think their children should be vaccinated. Most parents continue to follow the advice of their children's doctors, according to a study based on a survey of 1,552 parents. Extensive research has found no connection between autism and vaccines."
A former Occupational Safety and Health Administration official requested the data under the Freedom of Information Act in 2005, but was denied. He sued, won in 2007, and now has the data, but OSHA has still not released the data to the public.
"Nearly 50,000 US medical patients die every year of blood poisoning or pneumonia they picked up in hospital, a study has shown."
A court case involving a 1971 NY law may force manufacturers to make public unlisted toxic chemicals in products like stain remover, dish soap and laundry detergent. The cleanser industry says the action is "unwarranted, and that fears about health risks are misinformed," according to the AP.
Every year, an estimated 20,000 Americans die of lung cancer caused by exposure to radon — a naturally occurring radioactive gas that often finds its way into indoor air. So now's a good time to look at the ways radon impacts your audience and how people can protect themselves.
Washington Post reporter Lyndsey Layton writes about the thousands of chemicals exempted from EPA screening for potential harm to the environment and public health — and the three-decades-old Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) that renders it possible, in the interest of protecting manufacturers' bottom lines.
A consortium of US and British agencies, universities, and organizations published a series of studies in The Lancet that analyzed a number of specific situations involving climate change and health impacts, in countries rich and poor. Concurrently, a group of doctors from around the world launched the International Climate and Health Council.
The synthetic compound dinitrotoluene, contaminating military sites, industrial settings, and other areas, is used primarily to make polyurethane products found in goods such as bedding and furniture, as well as in explosives, ammunition, dyes, and air bags.
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