Tag: cancer
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Laura Beil, “Is Your Breakfast Giving You Cancer?,” Prevention, March 29, 2010
“If there’s a nutrient it’s easy to overdose on, it’s folic acid,” writes Prevention columnist Laura Beil in this article citing research allegedly linking the synthetic form of B vitamin folate to colon, lung and prostate cancers. Beil reports that this nutrient is already a staple in most diets, partly because the government requires its…
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Federal Court Finds CSPI Lacks Standing to Pursue Consumer Fraud Claims
A federal court in California has dismissed a lawsuit that the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI) filed against a company which claimed its multivitamin supplements supported prostate health or reduced the risk of prostate cancer. CSPI v. Bayer Corp., No. 09-05379 (N.D. Cal., decided March 25, 2010). The court determined that CSPI could…
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Industry Comments Challenge EPA’s Use of Aspartame in Methanol Risk Assessment
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) published its toxicological review of methanol in early 2010, and comments recently filed by food industry interests have criticized the agency for using “surrogate” chemicals, such as formaldehyde and aspartame, an artificial sweetener, to support listing methanol as a likely human carcinogen. They also challenge the agency’s reliance on controversial…
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OMB Completes Review of Proposal to Remove Saccharin from Hazardous Substances List
The White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has reportedly completed its review of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA’s) proposal to take saccharin off its list of hazardous substances and wastes. The action will apparently allow EPA to grant a six-year-old industry petition claiming that scientific data suggest the artificial sweetener is “not…
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Study Alleges Link Between Soft Drink Consumption and Pancreatic Cancer
A recent study has allegedly linked soft drink consumption to an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer. Mark Pereira, et al., “Soft Drink and Juice Consumption and Risk of Pancreatic Cancer: The Singapore Chinese Health Study,” Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, February 2010. Using data from 60,524 participants enrolled in the Singapore Chinese Health Study, researchers…
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OEHHA Extends Comment Deadline on Latest Prop. 65 Food Warning Proposal
California EPA’s Office of Environmental Health Hazard Assessment (OEHHA) has extended the comment period for its food warning regulations until March 1, 2010. The latest proposal is to establish a pilot program that would impose Proposition 65 (Prop. 65) warning obligations on food manufacturers and retailers to inform consumers about the presence of food ingredients…
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Cancer Society Releases Position Paper Calling for Research into Chemical Exposures
The American Cancer Society has released a position paper, “American Cancer Society Perspectives on Environmental Factors and Cancer,” discussing human exposures to carcinogens, including those in food. The paper calls for additional resources to (i) “accelerate testing of new and existing chemicals for potential carcinogenicity,” (ii) “monitor the bioaccumulation of chemicals in humans and in…
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Fast Food Companies Sued in Connecticut for PhIP in Chicken Meals
Connecticut residents have filed a putative class action in state court against several fast food companies alleging that they violated consumer protection laws by selling grilled chicken products containing a carcinogenic chemical without providing warnings. Delio v. McDonald’s Corp., No. __ (Conn. Super. Ct., Hartford Cty., filed October 21, 2009). They seek to represent a…