Toxic Consumption: Big Pharma Putting Pharmaceuticals in Water
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- Toxic Consumption: Big Pharma Putting Pharmaceuticals in Water
- Deadly levels of radiation found in food 225 miles from Fukushima: Media blackout on nuclear fallout continues
- The Ultimate Craving – How Industry Designs Food to be as Addictive as Narcotics
- Chemical Clothing: Which Hidden Toxins are You Wearing?
- Court rules 8 Oregon children to be vaccinated against parents' will
- Definitive Link Confirms Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Transmits from Livestock to Humans
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Posted: 09 Apr 2013 02:08 AM PDT
The
United States is a consumption monster when it comes to prescription
drugs. And while we are beginning to see their effects on our health and
our wallets, we often don’t consider their effects on the environment
and the world around us. What’s more, we don’t even know how present
these drugs truly are, especially when considering how big pharma has
been putting pharmaceuticals in water across the nation for years.
Pharmaceuticals in Water Thanks to Big Pharma In 2002, federal scientists discovered that such pharmaceutical drugs are being dumped into the sewer systems and potentially finding their ways back into the drinking water. According to MSNBC, the presence of pharmaceuticals in water at sewage treatment plants downstream from drug manufacturing facilities are much higher than the levels at plants where there are no drug makers upstream. These drugs include opiates, tranquilizers, and barbiturates, among many other active pharmaceutical ingredients. 
Pharmaceutical companies are quick to say their wastewater doesn’t
pollute the water systems around them, but this analysis would suggest
that (like in many other situations), they aren’t being completely
honest.
One drug was detected in levels “hundreds of times higher than the level at which federal regulators can order a review of a drug’s environmental impact.” That drug was the muscle relaxer metaxalone. Read more »          
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Posted: 09 Apr 2013 02:08 AM PDT
New
data released by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW)
shows once again that the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster is far from
over. Despite a complete media blackout on the current situation,
levels of Cesium-137 (Cs-137) and Cesium-134 (Cs-134) found in produce
and rice crackers located roughly 225 miles away from Fukushima are high
enough to cause residents to exceed the annual radiation exposure limit
in just a few months, or even weeks.
According to Fukushima-Diary.com, which posts up-to-date information about the Fukushima disaster, rice crackers and tangerines produced in the Shizuoka prefecture are testing high for both Cs-137 and Cs-134. Rice crackers, according to the data sheet, tested at 3.7 Becquerels per kilogram (Bq/Kg) of Cs-137, while tangerines tested at 1.46 Bq/Kg of Cs-134 and 3.14 Bq/Kg of Cs-137. The Shizuoka prefecture is located about 80 miles southwest of Tokyo, which is highly concerning as it is actually farther away from Fukushima than Tokyo. This suggest that potentially deadly levels of radiation are still affecting large population centers across Japan, including those that are not even in close proximity to the Fukushima plant. 
It is generally regarded that adult radiation workers should be exposed
to no more than 50 millisieverts (mSv) of radiation per year in order to
avoid serious health consequences. For children, this number is far
lower, probably somewhere around 10 mSv, with this being on the high
end. But the average adult and child eating these tainted foods at their
current radiation levels will not only reach but exceed the safe
maximum in just a few weeks.
Read more »     
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Posted: 09 Apr 2013 02:08 AM PDT
It’s not surprising that processed foods are designed to foster addictive behavior
— robbing us of our health, serenity and hard-earned cash. Sugar, fat,
salt and artificial flavors are manipulated in such a way that after one
taste, consumers just cannot help themselves and a vicious cycle
begins. Not only ingredients, but texture, shape and ‘mouth feel’ are
all heavily researched and refined to create a highly pleasurable
experience as well.
Even though the average American does not view junk food as an addiction, researchers have discovered unhealthy food can actually seize the brain in the same way nicotine, cocaine and other drugs do — leaving us at the mercy of cravings and binges. Processed food – The devil is in the details 
Picture for a moment two pieces of chocolate. Both have identical
ingredients and are processed in the same manner except for one crucial
difference: shape. One is square and the other round. The commercial
food industry is betting the latter will be the chocolate of choice —
hooking more repeat customers while selling a higher volume. Incredibly,
the size and shape of chocolate is big business. For three years,
Nestle studied the “detection mechanisms in the oral cavity” and
“improving melt-in-mouth quality while simultaneously reserving enough
space in the mouth for the aroma to enrich the sensorial experience,”
according to their press release. In a nutshell, the round shape will
bring greater pleasure and higher consumption rates while increasing
corporate profits. And Nestle is just one instance. In the highly
competitive field of processed and fast food, neuroscience has entered
the scene to help create the most addictive, lucrative and sought-after
junk food.
Read more »     
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Posted: 09 Apr 2013 02:07 AM PDT
After
all the trouble you go through to avoid chemically sprayed foods and
toxins in tap and bottled water, now you hear that what you’re wearing
may actually be helping to make you sick. But could this really be true?
Are clothes toxic?
Toxic chemicals are used excessively for processing garment fibers and also for manufacturing clothes. Asian and third world countries manufacture most textiles and clothes, and their industrial pollution and workplace chemical safeguard standards are usually lacking or ignored. This is a bit concerning as clothing clings to our largest organ – the skin. Chemical Clothing: How the Garment Industry is Harming You and the Environment 
After clothes are made, they are often covered with formaldehyde to keep them from wrinkling or becoming mildewed during shipping. Several severe allergic reactions to formaldehyde
have been reported, and investigations have discovered up to 900 times
the recommended safe level of formaldehyde in clothing shipped to brand
name clothiers from factories in China and Southeast Asia.
These synthetic materials are produced with toxic chemicals, and while they may not produce immediate reactions for most, the long term accumulation of these toxins added to our polluted air, water, and food can cause numerous health ailments, including cancer. Clothing that doesn’t require ironing or is labeled wrinkle free may even contain perfluorinated chemical (PFC) used to make Teflon – this chemical is known to cause health issues. Read more »     
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Posted: 09 Apr 2013 02:07 AM PDT
Parents
in Marion County, Oregon lost their battle in court Wednesday to choose
whether or not their eight children would be vaccinated after losing
custody to the state last year.
A ruling from The Oregon Court of Appeals said that the parents did not have the right to exempt their children from forced vaccinations after child welfare workers and the Oregon Department of Human Services fought to obtain a court order demanding the children receive multiple vaccinations last year. The court also decided that since the state had custody of the children, it had the right to make all their medical decisions without the parents' consent. Although the children are living with relatives, they are considered wards of the state. 
The parents, who say vaccinations are against their religious beliefs,
had their children removed for undisclosed reasons last year after the
state claimed concerns over their welfare. Despite the ruling, it
appears the children have yet to be vaccinated while the parents have
the option of appealing the ruling to Oregon's Supreme Court.
Given the fact that children now receive as many as 26 shots by two years of age as compared to the 1960's number of 4 shots, parents choosing not to vaccinate in Oregon alone now accounts for 5.8% of kindergartners according to the Center for Disease Control. Several studies includng a recent independent German study from 2011 also found that vaccinated children had at least 2 to 5 times as many disorders and diseases as compared unvaccinated children. Read more »     
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Posted: 09 Apr 2013 02:07 AM PDT
Slaughter Demands Strong Federal Response
Rochester, NY – Today, Congresswoman Louise Slaughter (NY-25), the only microbiologist in Congress, reacted to a new study that conclusively identified transmission of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) from livestock to humans. Currently, MRSA kills more Americans each year than HIV/AIDS. The groundbreaking study was conducted by genetics researchers who analyzed the genomes of MRSA bacteria from patients and their farm animals, and found the samples to be genetically identical. Published on Tuesday in EMBO Molecular Medicine, the study confirms animal-to-human transmission of MRSA. In reaction, Slaughter sent a letter to Dr. Margaret Hamburg, the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration today calling for immediate action to reduce the use of antibiotics in livestock. Read the text of the letter by clicking here. 
In sending the letter, Slaughter said, “This study ends any debate.
The extreme overuse of antibiotics in livestock is endangering human
health.” Slaughter continued, “For decades, the United States Food and
Drug Administration has failed to act in the face of a growing threat.
These findings make it clearer than ever that their failure is
endangering human life. Starting today, the FDA must take strong federal
action to reduce antibiotic use in livestock and protect human health.”
To view the text of the legislation, click here. Currently, 80 percent of all antibiotics sold in the United States are sold for agricultural use. Most often, these antibiotics are distributed at sub-therapeutic levels to healthy animals as a way to compensate for crowded and unsanitary living conditions or to promote growth. Any effort to stop the growth of antibiotic-resistant bacteria must address the overuse of antibiotics in food-animals. Read more » |
