Category: Issue 362
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Prenatal Pesticide Exposure Allegedly Tied to Attention Problems in Young Children
A recent study has alleged a relationship between prenatal exposure to certain widely used pesticides and an increased risk of attention problems in preschool age kids. Brenda Eskenazi, et al., “PON1 and Neurodevelopment in Children from the CHAMACOS Study Exposed to Organophosphate Pesticides in Utero,” Environmental Health Perspectives, August 19, 2010. Researchers at the University of California,…
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Researchers Allege BPA Linked to Increased Levels of Testosterone, Other Health Effects
Two recent studies have linked bisphenol A (BPA) to hormonal changes in men and genetic changes in female mice. Researchers in the first instance analyzed urine samples from 715 participants ages 20 to 74 enrolled in an Italian population study, measuring average daily exposure to BPA at approximately 5 micrograms. Tamara Galloway, et al., “Daily…
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GM Crops Provoke Passions in Italian Countryside
An Italian agronomist, frustrated by the government’s refusal to approve the planting of genetically modified (GM) crops, has apparently engaged in an act of civil disobedience by planting two fields of GM corn and publicizing his action with a news conference and YouTube® video. Environmentalists reportedly responded by descending on the fields near Vivaro, which…
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Sweetener’s Ad Claims Could Mislead, Says Advertising Review Board
The National Advertising Review Board (NARB) has reportedly recommended that Heartland Sweeteners cease advertising its Ideal® sweetener as “more than 99 percent natural,” after finding that the claim could be misleading to consumers. The board, an appellate arm of the advertising industry’s self-regulatory system, apparently agreed with the National Advertising Division of the Council for…
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IOM Workshop to Target Legal Strategies for Preventing Childhood Obesity
The National Academies’ Institute of Medicine Standing Committee on Childhood Obesity Prevention will convene a public workshop on October 21, 2010, in Washington, D.C., to “highlight the evidence on current and potential legal strategies and their outcomes” in the prevention of childhood obesity. The gathering of researchers, policy makers, legal scholars, industry representatives, and public…
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Chinese Officials Arrest Dairy Personnel in New Melamine Contamination Scandal
After Chinese food safety authorities recently found milk powder laced with melamine, police have reportedly arrested three officials from the Dongyuan Dairy Factory in Qinghai province and three dairy suppliers from Hebei province. Another 41 suspects have apparently been detained. More than 225 tons of contaminated milk powder have been seized, and authorities believe it…
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Salmonella Litigants Close to Settling Claims Against Peanut Corp.
A magistrate judge has reportedly recommended that the trustee in bankruptcy for the Peanut Corp. of America (PCA), responsible for a Salmonella outbreak linked to nine deaths and hundreds of illnesses, distribute $12 million to resolve the tort claims of 120 individuals. The deal, which must be approved by a U.S. district court, involves insurance…
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Florida Consumers Bring Fraud Claims Against EVOO Companies
A putative class alleging that the extra virgin olive oil sold in the United States does not meet the “extra virgin” standard has filed consumer fraud claims against several of the largest importers of the product in a state court in Florida. Nachio v. Am. Rice, Inc., No. 10-33154 (Fla. Cir. Ct., filed August 13, 2010).…