Toxic Bullet

Katy Farber at Non-Toxic Kids lists five ways to avoid Bisphenol A (BPA) from thermal-printed receipts.

Inspiration Green lists many of the canned foods with and without the chemical BPA used in the lining.

‘Do Your Part’ lists their top seven ways to detox your life:

• Clean green.
• Free yourself of formaldehyde.
• Ban VOCs from your home.
• Choose better personal care products.
• Know what you’re eating.
• Give BPA the boot.
• Choose natural pest control products
.

Dr. Eliaz on toxic cookware:

Over the past decade, there have been a significant number of reports revealing the presence of harmful, carcinogenic chemicals and heavy metals in aluminum and Teflon-coated (non-stick coating) cookware.

The Associated Press reports:

More than 170 countries agreed Friday to accelerate adoption of a global ban on the export of hazardous wastes, including old electronics, to developing countries.

The deal seeks to ensure that developing countries no longer become dumping groups for toxic waste including industrial chemicals, discarded computers and cellphones and obsolete ships laden with asbestos.

Fifty-one nations have already ratified the 1995 amendment, which effectively enforces the Basel Convention, a treaty aimed at making nations manage their waste at home rather than send it overseas.

The United States, the world’s top exporter of electronic waste, is among nations that have not even ratified the original convention.

In its Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) raised concerns over acute illnesses associated with insecticides used to control bed bugs. Data was collected from 2003-2010 in seven states participating in the SENSOR-Pesticides program and from NYC DOHMH.

In most cases, chemical insecticides pyrethroids, pyrethrins or both were used:

A total of 111 illnesses associated with bed bug-related insecticide use were identified; although 90 (81%) were low severity, one fatality occurred. Pyrethroids, pyrethrins, or both were implicated in 99 (89%) of the cases, including the fatality. The most common factors contributing to illness were excessive insecticide application, failure to wash or change pesticide-treated bedding, and inadequate notification of pesticide application. Although few cases of illnesses associated with insecticides used to control bed bugs have been reported, recommendations to prevent this problem from escalating include educating the public about effective bed bug management.

In another case, malathion caused poisoning:

Another example of insecticide misuse to control bed bugs occurred in Ohio in 2010. An uncertified pesticide applicator applied malathion to an apartment five times over the course of 3 days to treat a bed bug infestation. The malathion product was not registered for indoor use and was applied liberally such that beds and floor coverings were saturated.

New York Times assistant editor and Pulitzer Prize winner Walt Bogdanich has written a series of investigative articles for the New York Times called “Radiation Boom” to examine issues arising from the increasing use of medical radiation and the new technologies that deliver it.

Exposure to radiation can lead to cancerous cells. Most scientists also believe the effects of radiation are cumulative — the more exposure to radiation, the greater the chances of developing cancer.

Fetuses, babies and children are even more vulnerable to radiation’s effects than adults because their cells divide quickly and more frequently. This provides greater opportunity for radiation to disrupt the natural cellular growth and repair process.

Read the “Radiation Boom” series by Walt Bogdanich.