Posted by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
Today the President's Cancer Panel issued a ground-breaking report to President Obama focusing on the role of the environment in cancer. The Panel, appointed by the President, is charged to give an annual update on the status of the National Cancer...
Posted by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
Antibacterial chemicals in soaps have been in the news quite a bit lately since Representative Ed Markey called on federal agencies to scrutinize their safety more closely and specifically called on the FDA to ban triclosan from personal care products. Though...
Posted by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
Today, Representative Ed Markey released correspondence between his office and federal government agencies regarding concerns over the use of so-called “antimicrobial” chemicals. This was the result of concerns that NRDC brought to Mr. Markey's office and were focused on two...
Posted by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
Odds are that you know someone who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. One in eight U.S. women will develop this terrifying disease in their lifetime. Breast cancer is the most common invasive cancer and a leading cause of death in...
Posted by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
Today the state of California took an important step forward in protecting public health from the toxic chemical bisphenol A or BPA. By posting a request for information on their website, California EPA has just indicated that they intend to list BPA...
Posted by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
At long last, FDA has made an announcement today on the safety of BPA in our food supply. Today FDA announced that they now share the same concern as the National Toxicology Program for the impact of BPA on human...
Posted by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
We’ve been waiting several months for the FDA to complete a re-evaluation of the chemical bisphenol A (BPA). After their scientific advisors told them their initial evaluation was “inadequate”, they have gone back to reassess the safety of this chemical...
Posted by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
Yesterday, Consumer Reports released a study of the levels of bisphenol a (BPA) in food products. They found that nearly all of the 19 canned food products they tested contained levels of BPA which have been associated with harm in...
Posted by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
Last week, the FDA had a public meeting with their scientific advisors to give a regular quarterly update on what is happening at the Agency. This included an update on the re-evaluation of BPA that has now been slated for...
Posted by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
What does "known to cause" mean to you? Does it mean "beyond a reasonable doubt"? Or "clear and convincing"? To a scientist like me, this type of legal-speak is baffling, yet we were hearing a lot of it from the...
Posted by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
Many of my blog posts are about the hormone disrupting chemical, bisphenol A or BPA. This chemical has been in the spotlight quite a bit over the past several years and will be again this week in California when the...
Posted by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
Yesterday I posted a blog about the latest industry tactics to promote the continued use of the hormone-disrupting chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in our food packaging. There is widespread exposure to this chemical in the general public. And current levels...
Posted by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
I am a typical mom who makes most of the purchasing decisions in my family. I cut coupons, read labels, shop in bulk, and do my best to purchase healthy products. Because I am concerned about exposure to Bisphenol A...
Posted by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
Yesterday, NPR ran a story on the federal ban on phthalates (pronounced thal-ates) in children's products. Phthalates are chemicals used in many common consumer products, including as softeners of plastic children's toys. The NPR story interviewed just one scientist from the...
Posted by Sarah Janssen in Health and the Environment
Last Friday, the CPSC issued a stay of the testing and certification requirements for lead and phthalates. As a result, toy manufacturers and sellers small and large will NOT be required to test or provide COCs (certificates of compliance) for...
