There is a two-part series coming up June 2nd and 3rd on CNN called Toxic America that I think everyone needs to check out. The show will be hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta with the first night, dubbed Toxic Towns USA, focusing on a year-long investigation into the residents of Mossville, Louisiana, who for decades [...]
In the category of “Many of us having been saying this for a while now”, the President’s Cancer Panel recently published a report on risks of cancer from the chemicals in our environment. From the chemical BPA found in plastics to everyday pollution to drugs in our water supply, the report finally admits that we [...]
Dear EarthTalk: I understand there’s an issue with the herbicide atrazine showing up in dangerous quantities in drinking water, mostly throughout the central U.S. Why is this happening and what’s being done about it? Atrazine is an herbicide that is widely used across the U.S. and elsewhere to control both broadleaf and grassy weeds in [...]
It’s that time of year – ant season. The ground has thawed, temperatures are going up, and the ants are on a hunt for something yummy to eat. Although I don’t (knock on wood) have a problem where I am currently living, I have had to deal with an onslaught of ants in prior homes [...]
In my continuing series on toxic ingredients in our food and personal care products, this time I wanted to talk about phthalates. Phthalates are mainly used as plasticizers (which are substances added to plastics to increase their flexibility and durability) in products such as PVC (polyvinyl chloride) shower curtains, baby toys, enteric coatings of pills, [...]
Dear EarthTalk: Are there any health hazards associated with the use of the new silicone bake ware and cooking utensils? I have found information associated with the hazards/benefits of Teflon and other cookware but nothing on the use of silicone. With all the negative press about Teflon and about metals leaching out of pots and [...]
The Chinese have discovered fast food and throw-away packaging like Americans have – and it’s not good. They have a landfill stench problem that is growing exponentially, and instead of implementing controls on packaging, the Chinese government has decided that a better way to “fix” the issue is to use giant deodorant guns to cover [...]
