"Be Afraid of Your Nail Polish, says the NYTimes’ 'Ask Well' Column. Really?" by American Council on Science and Health. This is what happens when you let your “health” advice column be taken over by an “environmental writer.” This week’s Science section of the New York Times included an advisory about cosmetics entitled, “Is nail polish harmful?” So what sort of answer would you expect? What if you substituted “artichokes” for “nail polish”? Certainly too much H2O can be harmful: more people … [Read more...]
Why Pesticides Should be a Favorite Thing
January 6, 2014
"Why Anti-Pesticide Campaigns do Unintended Harm," by Angela Logomasini. Black spots on roses and flea bites on kittens; blight fallen petals and overwrought Britons. These are just a few unfavorable things associated with “green” attacks on pesticides. While pesticides have risks that must be managed, they also provide important benefits to farmers, gardeners and consumers. These benefits are being lost in a politically correct sea of regulations and blind support for everything “organic.” … [Read more...]
Organic Food Not Better for the Environment
January 6, 2014
"If You Care About The Environment, Here Are Two Reasons To Support Big Ag," by Hank Campbell. There's no greater feel-good fallacy than the belief that organic food is somehow superior to conventionally farmed food. In reality, organic food isn't more environmentally responsible, it is worse, it isn't better for your health, it is worse and, for the most part, it isn't even grown by small farmers, it is giant conglomerates who, like with gluten-free, fat-free or any other food fad, encourage … [Read more...]
Federal Regulators Inquire about Antibacterial Soap
January 6, 2014
"What’s in That Soap? Inquiring Federal Regulators Want to Know," by American Council on Science and Health. The FDA, after years of evading activist and scientific inquiries into the actual benefits and risks of certain chemicals in “antibacterial” soaps, has finally taken action, demanding data showing efficacy and safety of these ingredients (this has nothing to do with hand sanitizers, by the way). The issues involved here are, however, more complex than it seems at first glance. As for … [Read more...]
Evidence of BPA Safety
January 6, 2014
"Evidence Released Supporting BPA Safety," by Kari Embree. NAMPAThe North American Metal Packaging Alliance, Inc. (NAMPA) reminds consumers of the important scientific evidence released in 2013 that supports the safety of Bisphenol A (BPA) in food contact applications. Data from key studies, including large-scale regulatory studies by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) in collaboration with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the U.S. Environmental … [Read more...]
Scientists Say Chemical Policy Guided by Junk Science
January 2, 2014
"Politics, Environmentalism Beating Out Science In Regulating Risk Say Experts," by Trevor Butterworth. A survey of three professional societies, each focused on risk assessment, reveals that science is being pushed aside by politics and environmental advocacy when it comes to protecting the public from the risks of chemicals. When asked to weigh the most important factor that should go into managing risk, the scientists overwhelmingly said science (98 percent). But when asked to weigh the … [Read more...]
BPA Headaches and Bottled Water
December 16, 2013
"BPA Junk Science Headaches," by Angela Logomasini. Could your affection for bottled water be responsible for your bout with migraines? Apparently so, if you believe the latest headlines about the chemical bisphenol A (BPA). But its wise to be wary of such silly claims. First of all, it’s wrong to suggest that single serving bottled water commonly contains BPA, because that’s simply not true. BPA is not used for single-serving, flexible plastic water bottles, as pointed out on the … [Read more...]
New York Times, DDT, & Malaria
December 16, 2013
"Is the NYTimes Rreverting to the Bad Old Days of DDT Denial?" by American Council on Science and Health. Over the 51 years since Rachel Carson’s poetic attack on DDT in her “Silent Spring” novel, the chemical pesticide became the poster child for the nascent environmental movement’s inchoate wrath. The victims: millions of African and Asian children and pregnant women who succumbed to malaria in the absence of DDT. (Note: the discoverer of DDT’s potent insecticidal prowess, Dr. Paul Mueller, … [Read more...]
Ignore Alarmism: Common Sense Advice to Parents
December 16, 2013
"Advice for Parents: Common Sense, Moderation and Ignore those Alarmist Warnings," by American Council on Science and Health. Julie Gunlock, the director of the Independent Women’s Forum Culture of Alarmism Project, has written a new book, “From Cupcakes to Chemicals: How the Culture of Alarmism Makes Us Afraid of Everything and How to Fight Back,” based on the premise that “It’s critical that moms be able to discern between false alarmism and real risks.” She discusses her book in a recent … [Read more...]
Farmers Detail Farming Practices and Safe Use of Pesticides
December 16, 2013
"Farmer Videos Show Food Safety Commitment," by SafeFruitsand Veggies.com The AFF has recently reposted on our Facebook page the videos of farmers describing how they control pests and diseases on their organic and conventional fruit and vegetable farms. These videos clearly show the scientific and technical knowledge that goes into making each and every pest and disease control decision. The reposting of the videos is in response to increasing consumer questions and comments about how and why … [Read more...]
Phony Phthalates Scare
December 9, 2013
"What Started the Phony Phthalates Scare? Utterly Inept Science, by American Council on Science and Health." Phthalates, a group of ubiquitous chemicals that are perennial darlings of the anti-chemical movement, have been accused of being responsible for just about everything from birth defects to the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand. Well, now they may be going onto California’s chemical wastebasket called “Proposition 65”, ostensibly a list of chemicals that cause cancer or reproductive … [Read more...]
Fight Cancer by Attacking Known Causes
December 9, 2013
"Six Solid Ways To Reduce Your Cancer Risk -- And That Of Your Children," by Geoffrey Kabat. We hear so much these days about cancer threats from exposure to trace amounts of pesticides and industrial chemicals in our food, water, cosmetics, sleepwear, and in playgrounds. This constant drumbeat of what invariably turn out to be miniscule or non-existent threats confuses many people, and diverts attention from what are the major known, avoidable causes of cancer and what we can do to reduce our … [Read more...]
Cupcakes and Chemicals: NRO Interviews Julie Gunlock
December 9, 2013
"Cupcakes, Chemicals, and a Culture of Alarmism," Katheryn Jean Lopez interview with Julie Gunlock. ‘I’m a mother — a mother of three hungry, energetic boys — who is tired of those who try to make parenting, and plain old living, more complicated, stressful, and less fun than it should be,” Julie Gunlock declares in the introduction of her new book, From Cupcakes to Chemicals: How the Culture of Alarmism Makes Us Afraid of Everything and How to Fight Back. “It’s critical,” she adds, “that moms … [Read more...]
California Wrongly Lists Plasticizer, Phthalate DINP, on Prop. 65
December 9, 2013
"California’s Prop 65 Bandwagon Rolls Over Another Safe, Useful Chemical," by American Council on Science and Health. Yesterday, the California Environmental Protection Agency’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA), the mega-brains deciding on which chemicals need to be labeled under Proposition 65’s dictum, “known to the State of California” to be a carcinogen or reproductive toxicant, announced that the phthalate DINP (diisononylphthalate) would be included on the list. … [Read more...]
Junk Science Alert: Headaches & BPA Water Jugs
December 6, 2013
"A Debate that Causes Headaches: Rushed Conclusions from Recent Study on BPA," by BPA Coalition. A new study from the University of Kansas was published claiming that drinking water from plastic bottles and water coolers containing BPA could cause migraines. It has since been picked up by media such as the British Daily Mail which reported that the study imitated human exposure to BPA in a laboratory where rats were administered BPA once every three days. The results of the study allegedly … [Read more...]
EPA Appoints “Science” Official
November 27, 2013
"In the mood for some nice government-speak? EPA appoints new 'Scientific Integrity Official,'” by American Council on Science and Health. Well, we can all rest a little uneasier today: thanks to a new EPA appointee, there will be a sudden and profound uptick in the environmental agency’s integrity when evaluating research and formulating scientific policies. Not. In announcing the creation of a new Orwellian-sounding position called the “scientific integrity official,” EPA administrator Gina … [Read more...]
From Cupcakes to Chemicals
November 27, 2013
"Fearmongering: Be Afraid… Of Everything!" by Julie Gunlock. A few years ago, I was watching the news and was shocked to learn that my garden hose was incredibly dangerous. Say, what? The newscaster anchoring the program that night seemed really upset about this story. He leaned forward in his seat, stuttered… and…wait…did I see him tear up? Did his voice just crack? Oh my gosh, he’s going to cry! Read more at IWF's Inwell Blog. … [Read more...]
Toxin’s, Turkey-Day, and Chemophobia
November 27, 2013
"Thanksgiving Chemophobia - If Toxins Scare You, Stop Eating," By Hank Campbell. When I was younger, only Rachel Carson was ruining dinner and her evidence-by-anecdote heritage in Silent Spring still lingers with us today. To many in America, 'carcinogens' are a bad word, DDT will give you cancer 6 months after you spray it on crops and all chemicals are bad. And that is just among Grist readers. Once you broaden it out to the rest of progressives, you will find them paralyzed by "chemophobia" … [Read more...]
Chemicals “Lurking” in Your Turkey-Day Menu?
November 25, 2013
"Disregard Toxic Advice on Turkey Day," by Angela Logomasini. Toxic chemicals lurk in the “typical” Thanksgiving meal, warns a green activist website. Eat organic, avoid canned food, and you might be okay, according to their advice. Fortunately, there’s no need to buy this line. In fact, the trace levels of man-made chemicals found in these foods warrant no concern and are no different from trace chemicals that appear in food naturally. The American Council on Science and Health (ACSH) … [Read more...]
Anti-Flame Retardant “Toxic Hot Seat”
November 25, 2013
"HBO’s “Toxic Hot Seat” is Toxic All Right: It Seems to Have Addled Kristof’s Brain," By American Council on Science and Health. 1181213_88625943New York Times columnist Nicholas D. Kristof, in his latest opus entitled Danger Lurks in That Mickey Mouse Couch — wait, did he really say that? Anyway, Nick has gone off the rails again, intoxicated by the siren song of an HBO special on tonight (Monday, November 25th), similarly entitled Toxic Hot Seat. The producers of that documentary have the … [Read more...]
Black Widow Spiders Thrive with Reduced Pesticide Use
November 25, 2013
"Are There Spiders Lurking In Your Food?" by Lindsey Jahn. Occurrences of shoppers discovering spiders lurking in grocery-store grapes have been reported throughout the Midwest over the past month — and the issue isn’t limited to one retail chain. Budget supermarket chain Aldi pulled all grapes from its Milwaukee locations after a consumer found a black widow spider in a package of grapes from an Aldi store in Wauwatosa, Wis....The prevalence of black widows being found in grapes has increased … [Read more...]
Statistical Shenanigans: JAMA “Study” on Phthalates
November 20, 2013
"Results First, “Study” Later: JAMA Dredges up More Junk against Phthalates," by American Council on Science and Health. An article published in today’s JAMA Pediatrics purports to link premature birth to exposure to the group of chemicals known as phthalates. These are plastic softeners-plasticizers, and are also found in numerous household products and cosmetics and shampoos. In fact, this so-called study is a typical product of those researchers whose goals are — rather than the advancement … [Read more...]
Unscientific EU Pesticide Regulations
November 15, 2013
"Bad Science Could Kill Global Trade Talks," by John R. Block. Has irresponsibility gone intercontinental?...The European Commission has laid out a set of new rules that could effectively ban a quarter to a third of U.S. agricultural output and keep out U.S.-made products for controlling weeds, funguses and insects. The United States sets standards for pesticides essential to providing the world's food needs based on scientifically determined levels of safety, then applies a 100 to 1000 fold … [Read more...]
Dr. Oz Admits: Conventional Produce is Safe and Healthy
November 15, 2013
"Dr. Oz Agrees With Health Experts - Eat More Conventional and Organic Produce," by SafeFruitsandVeggies.com. Despite his segment last week about pesticide residues which was clearly designed to scare viewers and raise produce safety concerns, Dr. Oz’s own viewpoint regarding consumption of conventionally grown produce appears to agree with health experts everywhere who recommend consuming more of either conventionally or organically grown produce for improved health. Following the airing of … [Read more...]
Plastics, Pregnancy & Bad Journalism
November 14, 2013
"Can't Get Pregnant? Blame It On Plastics! Well, Not If Science Matters," Jon Entine. If you’re having trouble getting pregnant, plastics may be the culprit—at least that’s what a credulous reader might conclude based on recent news reports and a slew of website stories with headlines like: “New studies link BPA and phthalates to miscarriage and infertility.” But as is often the case when journalists report on complex science issues, the headlines do not align with the facts. A careful reading … [Read more...]
