"Campbell’s Promises More Than It Can Deliver," by American Council on Science and Health. And while we’re on the topic of BPA, we’d like to applaud ACSH colleague Jon Entine’s recent exposé of the disconnect between public relations and scientific evidence that has resulted from uninformed public outcry over the chemical. “How did the world’s largest soup company go from pariah to paragon over its use of the controversial chemical bisphenol A?” Entine asks in his investigative piece for … [Read more...]
Meaningless BPA Study on Obesity
September 18, 2012
"BPA-Obesity Study Virtually Meaningless," by American Council on Science and Health. In April of this year, the FDA rejected a petition by the Natural Resources Defense Council to ban the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging. We at ACSH applauded the agency’s decision, which was based on a research review finding that normal levels of exposure to this chemical — used to protect canned foods from contamination and spoiling — do not pose a health risk to humans. So we were more than a … [Read more...]
Flame Retardants in the News
September 11, 2012
"More Smoke about Flame Retardants," by Roya Heydari. ACSH staffers couldn’t help but shake their heads in disappointment this morning at a recent New York Times article questioning the safety of our furniture. The piece, entitled “How Dangerous is Your Couch,” is an extremely long recounting of Dr. Arlene Blum’s crusade against the ‘toxic chemicals’ found in furniture. Dr. Blum, co-author of the journal article that spearheaded the removal of so-called toxic flame retardants from children’s … [Read more...]
Organic Foods No Better than Conventional
September 5, 2012
"Organic Foods Provide no Health Bonus," by Roya Heydari For years now, the organic food industry has staked its business on the idea that “organic” means “healthier.” And for just as long, ACSH has been saying that the claim is false: There are no nutritional or safety differences between foods produced according to organic standards and those produced by means of conventional agricultural methods. Now, a study appearing in the current issue of Annals of Internal Medicine provides evidence … [Read more...]
Questionable Claims Regarding Chemicals and Sperm Counts
August 30, 2012
"No evidence for declining sperm quality, by American Council on Science and Health." Is sperm quality and quantity on the decline? That’s the focus of a recent article which investigates the issue by citing a number of studies over the years that either support or refute the notion that male fertility is decreasing. Though some of the evidence is anecdotal — such as reports from Israeli sperm banks on increases in low quality donations — other research that analyzed eight years worth of … [Read more...]
Hyped Risks About Phthalates in School Supplies
August 27, 2012
"Activist Group Scares Parents About 'Toxic' School Supplies," by American Council on Science and Heath. As the summer season draws to a close, students and parents are making their annual back-to-school shopping trips, stocking up on pencils, notebooks, and backpacks. But before you pick up that Dora the Explorer backpack, the Center for Health, Environment & Justice (CHEJ) wants the public to know that the popular Disney, Spiderman, and Dora branded children’s products (among others) are … [Read more...]
Improving Scientific Research
August 21, 2012
"A Reality Check for Scientific Studies? by American Council on Science and Health." Scientific investigation relies on the publication of peer-reviewed studies to communicate advances in research, including medical research. Over the course of the last decade, however, several important paradigms have been found baseless. Now, a new project, the “Reproducibility Initiative,” announced last Tuesday by the company Science Exchange, will provide researchers with an opportunity to replicate their … [Read more...]
West Nile Outbreak in Texas
August 17, 2012
"West Nile Virus Hits Texas Hardest of All," by American Council on Science and Health. West Nile virus has reached a state of emergency in Dallas County, Texas this summer. Thus far, the area has seen 200 cases of human infection and 10 deaths from the mosquito-borne virus now endemic to the U.S. And while the infection rate is the worst in Texas, the CDC reports 693 cases of West Nile virus nationwide. No other state besides Louisiana, however, reported more than one death from the disease. … [Read more...]
Johnson & Johnson Goes “Beyond Science” to be Green
August 17, 2012
"Johnson & Johnson Kowtows to Chemophobic Activists," by American Council on Science and Health We were more than a bit dismayed to learn that health care and consumer product giant Johnson & Johnson (J&J) plans on removing a number of allegedly “toxic” chemicals from its line of consumer products. J&J, which also owns popular skin care brands such as Neutrogena, Aveeno, and Clean & Clear, has pledged to remove certain chemicals from its baby products by the end of 2013 and reformulate all … [Read more...]
BPA Ban for no Good Reason
July 18, 2012
"FDA Bans BPA in Baby Bottles Based on Pressure, not Science," by American Council on Science and Health. In April, we lauded the FDA for ignoring chemophobic hype when the agency refused to ban the use of bisphenol A (BPA) in food packaging, cans, and other consumer products. Despite activist pressure — including a lawsuit by the Natural Resources Defense Council — the FDA stuck to its scientific guns and determined that BPA posed no health threats to consumers. Imagine our disappointment, … [Read more...]
Pesticides, Junkscience, and Fraud
July 10, 2012
"More Pesticide Junk-Science Exposed," by American Council on Science and Health. A researcher whose work was supported by the Federal government, among others, has agreed to retract two of her papers published in 2009 in the pages of Environmental Health Perspectives and the Journal of Biological Chemistry, respectively. Dr. Mona Thiruchelvam, a former assistant professor at the University of Medicine and Dentistry, New Jersey (UMDNJ), committed research misconduct by fabricating data, … [Read more...]
Pesticide Fear-mongering
March 29, 2012
"Pesticide Fear-mongering is the Real Pest," by American Council on Science and Health. As crop growers endeavor to meet the increasing global demand for food, fuel, and livestock feed, a longstanding debate has intensified: Do the higher levels of herbicides, insecticides, and fertilizers used in agriculture today pose an environmental hazard? Groups ranging from the Union of Concerned Scientists to the Natural Resources Defense Council are lobbying both Congress and the EPA to address these … [Read more...]
Neurotic Green Hype about Chemicals
March 19, 2012
"The Land of the Free, and the Home of the Neurotic," By Josh Bloom. Many things in life make me crazy. It doesn't take much, as anyone that knows me will confirm. So, it is no surprise that the feature article in last week's Times called "Is It Safe to Play Yet?" did the job. But it happened before the end of second sentence. And that takes something special. Things certainly have changed since I was a kid. People had a slightly different idea of the meaning of the word "safe." Biking to … [Read more...]
