Category: Issue 331
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Phthalates Purportedly Linked to Breast Enlargement in Boys
A Turkish study has reportedly found that adolescent boys with abnormal breast enlargement, a common condition known as pubertal gynecomastia, had significantly higher phthalate blood levels than boys in a control group. Erdem Durmaz, et al., “Plasma Phthalate Levels in Pubertal Gynecomastia,” Pediatrics (December 2009). The study specifically focused on the most commonly used phthalate,…
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Mixing Caffeine and Alcohol May Pose Serious Risks, Pennsylvania Research Team Says
A Temple University study challenges the sobering effects of caffeine by asserting that mixing caffeine and alcohol could “lead to poor decisions with disastrous outcomes.” Danielle Gulick and Thomas J. Gould, “Effects of Ethanol and Caffeine on Behavior in C57BL/6 in the Plus-Maze Discriminative Avoidance Task,” Behavioral Neuroscience (2009). The authors observed mice in a maze…
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New Fears Surround Alleged Health Effects of Bisphenol A
A French study on bisphenol A (BPA) has suggested a link between exposure to the chemical used in plastic containers and drink cans to reduced intestinal functioning. Viorica Braniste, et al., “Impact of oral bisphenol A at reference doses on intestinal barrier function and sex differences after perinatal exposure in rats,” Proceedings of the National Academy Sciences…
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Paul Greenberg, “A Fish Oil Story,” The New York Times, December 16, 2009
This op-ed article examines the environmental sustainability of fish oil as more and more consumers are reportedly choosing supplements “as a guilt-free way of getting their omega-3 fatty acids.” According to author Paul Greenberg, most fish oil “comes from a creature upon which the entire Atlantic coastal ecosystem relies, a bigheaded, smelly, foot-long member of the…
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Advocacy Organization Urges Obama Administration to Take Agricultural Antitrust Action
Food & Water Watch has issued an alert seeking support for its call on the Obama administration to enforce antitrust laws against the agribusiness industry. According to the alert, “[m]ore than 85 percent of U.S. beef cattle are slaughtered by just four companies,” “[t]wo companies sell half of U.S. corn seed,” “[o]ne company controls 40…
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Three Arrested in China for Selling Melamine-Contaminated Milk Powder
According to a press report, three people from the Shaanxi Jinqiao Dairy Co. have been arrested and charged with producing and selling toxic food. They are apparently accused of selling more than five tons of milk powder laced with melamine to a food additive firm, which discovered the contamination. The tainted product was apparently recovered…
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Settlement Reached in Diacetyl Case Arising from Popcorn Consumption
According to a news source, a Denver man who alleged that his habit of consuming two bags of microwave popcorn every day caused his bronchiolitis obliterans, a debilitating lung condition purportedly associated with exposure to the butter flavoring diacetyl, has settled his claims against a flavoring manufacturer. Watson v. Dillon Cos., Inc., (D. Colo.) One of…