Maybe the FDA should move to China

Panel Faults F.D.A. on Stance That Chemical in Plastic Is Safe

By TARA PARKER-POPE
A scientific panel has issued a blistering report against the Food and Drug Administration, saying it ignored important evidence in reassuring consumers about the safety of the controversial chemical bisphenol-A.

The panel, in a report issued this week, did not draw any conclusions about the safety of the chemical, known as BPA. But it criticized the drug agency as ignoring crucial studies and using what it said were flawed methods in reaching its conclusions.

The agency’s evaluation of BPA “creates a false sense of security” and “overlooks a wide range of potentially serious findings,” the report said.

In a statement, the agency said that the report “raised important questions” and that more study was needed, but it did not back away from its claim that the chemical was safe. It will review the report on Friday.

BPA is widely used to make hard, clear plastic water bottles and baby bottles, and it is found in the lining of nearly every soft drink and canned food product. The chemical appears to have estrogen-like effects, and in animal studies it appears to accelerate puberty and pose a cancer risk.

While most worries about BPA focus on children, some reports suggest BPA may interfere with chemotherapy, and in adults the chemical has been tied to higher risk for heart disease and diabetes. The drug agency has said the levels of BPA to which children and adults are exposed do not pose a meaningful risk.

This fall, the agency asked an independent panel of scientific advisers to review its conclusions on BPA. The seven-member panel includes environmental health, toxicology and statistics experts from three major universities, the Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

These are among the concerns raised by the panel:

¶The F.D.A. assessment does not have an adequate number of infant-formula samples and relies too heavily on averages, rather than accounting for variability in the samples.

¶The agency excluded several important animal studies that raised questions about the safety of BPA.

¶New research on BPA in adult humans and animals was published after the F.D.A.’s draft report and should be included.

¶The margins of safety for BPA exposure used by the agency are “inadequate.”

In its statement, the agency said consumers should know that “based on all available evidence, the present consensus among regulatory agencies in the United States, Canada, Europe and Japan is that current levels of exposure to BPA through food packaging do not pose an immediate health risk to the general population, including infants and babies.”

More Bad News: China’s Quality Crises

The article below is from Today’s New York Times.  

It seems clear by now that this is a “tip of the iceberg issue”, that a country already under fire for so many tainted products hasn’t been able to even make a dent in the problems plaguing it. And this is very sad—tragic even— for the many honest, hard-working Chinese farmers and manufacturers who DO work ethically. They will surely suffer do to a bunch of thugs who shrug off the most basic health and safety measures.

But the bottom line is: the health and safety of a people (China’s, our’s, ALL people) is what’s at stake here and until it’s been proven to me beyond any doubt that they’ve sorted their issues out, I will not be buying ANY products that originate in China.

As always friends, Please READ LABELS CAREFULLY. 

October 30, 2008
More Tainted Eggs From China Found

By DAVID BARBOZA
SHANGHAI — Hong Kong officials said that for the second time in a week they have found a batch of eggs imported from China that contain high levels of melamine, the same industrial chemical that has been blamed for contaminating China’s milk supplies.

The announcement, which came late Tuesday from the territory’s food safety agency, is adding to growing concerns that melamine contamination may be more widespread in China’s food supplies than previously thought.

While Hong Kong officials cautioned that children and adults would have to consume a large number of tainted eggs in a single day to fall ill, the report is still another blow to China’s agriculture industry.

China is already struggling to cope with a milk scandal that has sickened over 50,000 children and caused the deaths of at least four infants this year after they consumed melamine-tainted baby milk formula. The victims suffered from kidney stones and other ailments. That case triggered a global recall of foods made with Chinese dairy products.

The Chinese government has tried to move boldly to deal with the crisis, promising to overhaul the nation’s food safety system, announcing dozens of arrests and sacking high-ranking government officials, including the head of the nation’s top quality inspection agency.

The government has blamed the dairy scandal on organized groups of scam artists who regulators say were intentionally adding melamine to milk as cheap filler in order to save money. Melamine is known to give feed and food an artificially high protein reading.

Chinese regulators say they are now investigating how melamine got into Chinese produced eggs. The government is also doing spots checks in supermarkets in some cities, such as Shanghai.

Zhang Zhongjun, an official in Beijing with the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization, said he met late Wednesday with officials from China’s Ministry of Agriculture and was told that they believed the problem eggs found in Hong Kong were probably contaminated by melamine-tainted animal feed.

But Mr. Zhang said the government told him the source of the contamination was still unclear. “It’s not clear where the problem is from,” he said. “It’s not clear whether the melamine was added by humans or by pollution.”

Some food safety officials say that if chicken feed is contaminated with melamine, it is possible some hog and fish feed could also be contaminated. The Chinese government has not made clear in recent weeks how broadly it is testing food products for melamine.

The chemical, which is used to produce some plastics and fertilizer, was blamed last year for contaminating Chinese feed ingredients that were exported to the United States and eventually sickened dogs and cats. The case led to a major pet food recall.

On Monday, Wal-Mart Stores said some of its stores (why not all?) had pulled the Hanwei brand of eggs from shelves in China as a precaution after the Hong Kong government finding. (and what about products MADE WITH these eggs like some canned, frozen or baked food?)

The first batch of eggs that tested positive for high levels of melamine by the Hong Kong Center for Food Safety came from a company in Dalian, a city in northeast China. Officials from the region told the state-run Xinhua News Agency that the contamination may have come from local poultry farms.

According to a notice posted on the Web site of the Dalian Hanwei Food Co., regulators in Dalian first learned on Sept. 27 that some eggs from Hanwei were contaminated. The company said they were ordered to recall eggs and exports to Hong Kong were halted by regulators in early October.

The second batch of tainted eggs found in Hong Kong came from the Jingshan Agriproducts Company in Hubei province. In a telephone interview Wednesday, Pan Fengxia, the company’s general manager, admitted that eggs tested in Hong Kong were found to have higher levels of melamine than permitted.

But Ms. Pan said she did not know how they got contaminated. “I still don’t know what happened to the eggs,” she said. “I never heard that melamine was added into feed or my products — never.”

now that’s Italian?

Gotcha Focaccia

“Select Italian style herbs and cheeses are mixed right into our light, airy focaccia crust,” says the box of DiGiorno Ultimate Focaccia Four Cheese with Basil Thick Crust Pizza. “We then layer classic Italian offerings on top for a premium pizza experience you can only have with DiGiorno Ultimate.”

What’s so premium about white flour, cheese, tomato paste, tomatoes, and partially hydrogenated soy and cottonseed oil?

Just when other food companies are trying to get rid of artery-damaging oils, Kraft launches a brand new line of pizzas with 1 1/2 grams of trans fat per serving? Not that it’s any of our business, but maybe someone over at corporate headquarters is overdue for a vacation.

Of course, that 1 1/2 grams assumes you eat the petite serving (1/6 pizza) shown on the box’s Nutrition Facts panel. If Kraft’s personal pizzas are any guide, most people will down at least twice that much. Now you’re talking a day’s bad fat (16 grams of saturated plus 3 grams of trans), 760 calories, and 1,760 milligrams of sodium.

DiGiorno’s other Ultimates–Meat Trio with Roasted Garlic, Pepperoni Asiago, Sundried Tomato & Basil, and Supreme with Roasted Vegetables–are essentially the same … that is, the same old unhealthy frozen pizza that Kraft has always sold.

Kraft: (800) 708-5580

COPYRIGHT 2008 Center for Science in the Public Interest
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning

Why dye?: Fake Food colors not OK in UK

The dyes have it

What gives Fanta Orange soda its color? In the United States, it’s two synthetic food dyes: Red 40 and Yellow 6. In England, it’s pumpkin and carrot extract. At a U.S. McDonald’s, the strawberry sundae gets its color from Red 40. In England, the red comes from (surprise!) real strawberries.

Americans consume five times as much food dye as they did 30 years ago, according to the Food and Drug Administration. But the trend in other countries may be turning. British arms of General Mills, Kellogg, Kraft, Mars, and McDonald’s, for example, use few or no dyes.

Why? Europeans dislike synthetic ingredients, and the companies aren’t keen on putting warning labels on their foods.

Last summer, the European Parliament approved this warning for packages of foods that contain any one of six synthetic food dyes: “May have an adverse effect on activity and attention in children.”

That was based on the results of two British studies that tested food dyes, together with the preservative sodium benzoate, in children from the general British population (and not suspected of being sensitive to dyes). (1,2) The British Food Standards Agency is urging companies to voluntarily dump the dyes.

In June, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (Nutrition Action’s publisher) petitioned the FDA to ban Yellow 5 and 6, Red 3 and 40, Blue 1 and 2, Green 3, and Orange B in the United States.

“Why should Americans continue to consume these synthetic dyes when many multinational companies are phasing them out elsewhere?” asked CSPI executive director Michael Jacobson.

“The FDA’s insistence that there is no evidence that dyes impair behavior is based on its misreading of a 25-year-old report.”

Do companies need synthetic dyes to make their foods look good? What do you think?

Parents, if you believe that food dyes affect your child’s behavior, please write to CSPI-Dye Reports, Suite 300, 1875 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009 or fill out a report form at cspinet.org/fooddyes.

(1) Arch. Dis. Child. 89: 506. 2004.

(2) Lancet, September 6, 2007.

DOI:10.1016/S0140-6736(07)61306-3.

COPYRIGHT 2008 Center for Science in the Public Interest
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning

Bishphenol A: Cancer’s friend?

FROM TARA PARKER-POPE AND THE NEW YORK TIMES:

Plastic Chemical May Interfere With Chemotherapy

A chemical widely used in hard plastic drinking bottles and the lining of food cans may reduce the effectiveness of chemotherapy treatment, a new study shows.

The findings, reported in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, adds to the growing list of concerns about bisphenol-a, or BPA, a chemical used to make the hard, clear and nearly unbreakable plastic called polycarbonate. The plastic is also found in the lining of nearly every soft drink and canned food product.

Most of the concern about BPA has focused on children, who are exposed to the chemical when trace amounts leach from polycarbonate baby bottles and the linings of infant formula cans. The worry is based on data from animal studies. Rat pups exposed to BPA, through injection or food, showed changes in mammary and prostate tissue, suggesting a potential cancer risk. In some tests of female mice, exposure appeared to accelerate puberty.

In the latest research, a team from the University of Cincinnati studied human breast cancer cells, subjecting them to low levels of BPA similar to those found in the blood of adults. They found that BPA acts on cancer cells similar to the way estrogen does — by inducing proteins that protect the cells from chemotherapy agents.

“It’s actually acting by protecting existing cancer cells from dying in response to anti-cancer drugs, making chemotherapy significantly less effective,” said Nira Ben-Jonathan, a professor of cancer and cell biology who has studied BPA for more than 10 years.

The research may help explain why chemotherapy appears to be less effective in some patients.

“These data,” study authors write, “provide considerable support to the accumulating evidence that BPA is hazardous to human health.”

The study was funded by grants from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation.

The 2003-4 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found detectable levels of BPA in 93 percent of urine samples collected from more than 2,500 adults and children over 6.

In September, The Journal of the American Medical Association reported that adults with higher levels of BPA in their urine were more likely to have heart disease or diabetes. The Food and Drug Administration has reassured consumers that the chemical appears to be safe, but the National Toxicology Program , which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services, has raised concerns.

In September, the American Chemistry Council wrote this response to concerns about BPA:

http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F0CE3DC1439F930A2575AC0A96E9C8B63&scp=2&sq=bpa&st=cse

And to learn more about our exposure to BPA and the chemical’s effects, read the New York Times’ recent Well column, A Hard Plastic Is Raising Hard Questions.

Inexpensive ways to Health

Four Inexpensive Whole Food Supplements

by Barbara L. Minton

Edited by Catherine Perry

(NaturalNews) There is no denying that times are tough for everyone. Some people may be considering cutting back on the amount they spend for supplements, thinking that they really aren’t seeing any results, so why keep buying them. This may be a good time to find out that all the nutrients needed for complete and perfect health can be found in some very low cost forms that provide perfect synergy between the nutrients, and extremely high bio-availability.

Isolated compounds vs. whole food supplements

Supplements made with isolated nutrients are probably the least effective way to present the body with what it needs. A multivitamin with many isolated ingredients crammed into a capsule is no better. It may be tempting to think that the supplement that is best is the one that delivers the highest milligram amount of a nutrient. But the reality is that a small amount of a nutrient in whole food form is many times more effective than a large dose in isolated form. As food forms of nutrients are slowly digested and absorbed, nutrients become available to be utilized over a period of several hours. Much of the large dose of an isolated nutrient is wasted because the body can only use a small amount at one time.

Here is a short list of whole food supplements that provide a wealth of nutrition at very reasonable cost. Because these are whole foods rather than isolated compounds, they can be consumed depending on need in different circumstances. If the plan is to engage in strenuous mental or physical exercise, these supplements can be taken at the beginning, during breaks to keep the endurance level up, and as replenishment at the end of the exercise routine. Anyone who has a shelf full of expensive isolated compounds can replace most of them with some of these inexpensive whole food choices.

Bee Pollen

Bee pollen is an energy enhancer and restorative tonic. It is used around the world to improve vitality and endurance, aid recovery from chronic illness, promote longevity, regulate intestinal functioning, boost blood, prevent infection, alleviate menstrual cramps, promote fertility, vanquish depression and fatigue, treat migraine headaches, normalize cholesterol levels, help children overcome developmental problems, and prevent and treat cancer.

Bee pollen has more protein than any animal source per equal weight, and contains more free-form amino acids than beef, eggs or cheese of equal weight. The protein is highly digestible and absorbable, rendering much more nutritive value than equal amounts of animal protein. It contains an abundance of carotenoids, including lycopene, zeaxanthin and beta carotene that the body will convert to vitamin A as needed. It also contains the complete vitamin B complex including folate, biotin, choline and inositol. It has vitamin C, vitamin D, the complete vitamin E complex, and vitamin K. It is rich in trace minerals including iodine, and macro minerals including selenium. It contains bioflavonoids and natural sugars. Its fatty acid profile is impressive and includes caproic, capric, myristic, palmitoleic, oleic, linoleic, arachidic, and eicosanoic, depending on the source of the pollen.

All known enzymes and co-enzymes are contained in bee pollen, along with gums, starch, sucrose, glucose, waxes, resins, steroids, growth factors, growth isorhanetin, nuclein, amines, quercitin, nucleic acids such as RNA and DNA, phenolic acids, tarpenes, and many other as yet unidentified nutrients. Its amino acid profile is also impressive and includes tryptophan, leucine, lysine, isoleucine, methionine, cystine, arginine, phenylalanine, histidine, valine, glutamic acid, tryrosine, glycine, serine, proline and alanine.

Each ounce of bee pollen contains 28 calories, 7 grams of carbohydrate, and is 15% lecithin and 25% pure protein.

Most bee pollen labels suggest starting with a few grains and working up to a teaspoon or more a day. Organic bee pollen can be bought online for a cost of around $10 for a ten ounce bottle. *Lucky Vitamin sells good quality bee pollen for about $10.00 a pound. And most health food stores and quality farmer’s markets will have bee pollen at a reasonable price.

Spirulina

Spirulina is another one of nature’s most perfect foods. These tiny blue-green algae were designed by nature 3.6 billion years ago and were the generators of the oxygen found in our atmosphere which allowed all higher life forms to evolve. They are single celled organisms containing everything needed by life to evolve into the rich diversity seen on earth today.

Spirulina is 65% highly digestible vegetable protein. This protein is complete, providing all eight essential amino acids in the proper ratios and in a form that is five times easier to digest than meat or soy protein. These amino acids are isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, treonine, trytophan, and valine. Additional amino acids needed for the cells to manufacture enzymes, protein, hormones, brain chemicals and other products for metabolism are also contained in spirulina. These include alanine, arginine, aspartic acid, cystine, glutamic acid, glycine, histidine, proline, serine and tyrosine.

The waters favored by spirulina are so saturated with mineral deposits from ancient soil and mountains that no other plants can live there. Since spirulina thrives in this alkaline environment, it incorporates and synthesizes many minerals and derivative compounds into its structure. It is an excellent source of potassium, calcium, zinc, magnesium, manganese, selenium, iron and phosphorus. As is bee pollen, spirulina is an excellent source of the entire vitamin B complex, and vitamin E. It contains the yellow/orange pigments from which vitamin A is made, along with substantial amounts of other carotenoids including the powerful antioxidants, zeaxanthin, lutein and astaxanthin, protectors of the eyes and skin.

Spirulina is rich in pigments, without which the synthesis of many of the enzymes necessary for metabolism could not take place. It is a storehouse of chlorophyll, very similar in structure to the hemoglobin molecule found in human blood cells except it contains magnesium at its core which gives it a green color. When chlorophyll is ingested with sufficient iron, the magnesium can be displaced to yield a hemoglobin molecule, allowing spirulina to have positive effect on anemia. Chlorophyll also increases peristaltic action relieving constipation, and normalizes the secretion of digestive acids. It is soothing to the digestive tract. Chlorophyll appears to encourage regeneration of liver cells and dilates blood vessels to increase circulation to all organs. It aids in transmission of nerve impulses that control heart contraction. Phycocyanin, the bluish pigment, is important for healthy liver function and digestion of amino acids.

Spirulina is 7 percent fat, and most of that is in the form of essential fatty acids, including linoleic, linolenic and arachidonic acid. These fats are used to produce prostaglandins, the hormonal regulators of blood pressure and capillary resilience, and to aid oxygen transport to the cells. They are vital to health and also have a positive effect on hair, nails and skin.

What sugar is in spirulina is in the form of rhamnose and glycogen. It is very low in sodium. The average 500 mg tablet of spirulina contains only one to two calories.

Spirulina can be bought in tablet or powdered form. The recommended serving size of spirulina is 3 grams, although you can consume as much as you like. Each tablet is usually ½ gram, though it varies from brand to brand.

Chlorella

Chlorella is a single-celled fresh water-grown green algae that helps build the immune system and detoxify heavy metals and other poisons in the body. It improves the digestive and elimination system, normalizes blood sugar and blood pressure levels, increases and clarifies focus and attention, improves energy level, balances body pH, and cleanses the breath.

Chlorella contains slightly less protein than spirulina, and this protein is also highly digestible. It contains the complete vitamin B complex with more B-12 than liver, vitamin C, vitamin E, a broad spectrum of enzymes including pepsin for digestion, beta-carotene, iron, zinc, macro minerals such as calcium, magnesium, zinc, potassium, rare trace minerals, essential fatty acids including gamma linolenic acid (GLA), and polysaccharides.

Chlorella is 18% chlorella growth factor that is a fabulous rejuvenator of the body produced in its nucleus, up to 10% RNA, and up to 3% DNA. Its chlorophyll content is higher than the other algae and grasses. The tough outer cell wall of chlorella, which must be broken in processing to allow access to its nutrients, provides a fiber that eliminates toxins, pesticides and heavy metals by binding with them in the body. It aids the body in the breakdown of persistent hydrocarbon and metallic toxins such as DDT, PCB, mercury, cadmium and lead, while strengthening the immune system response. This fibrous broken outer cell wall also provides material that greatly enhances digestion and digestive tract health.

The chlorophyll in chlorella like that in spirulina has a magnesium ion at its center, giving it the same remarkable red blood cell building ability. Chlorella is also an excellent transporter of oxygen to the body and brain. Its chlorophyll cleanses the bowel, bloodstream and liver.

Chlorella stimulates the activity of T-cells and macrophages by increasing interferon levels, enhancing the immune system’s ability to combat foreign invaders such as bacteria, viruses, chemicals and foreign proteins. It is a power cancer fighter.

NSI brand chlorella can be purchased online for $29.99. The bottle contains 1500 tablets. The suggested consumption amount is 3 grams which would be 15 tablets, yielding 100 servings per bottle. Kyoto chlorella from Swanson Vitamins is a high quality chlorella with packaging that allows the chlorella to remain extremely fresh. Swanson charges $35.99 for 1500 tablets. But there are MANY other good brands out there and I suggest you shop around.

There doesn’t seem to be much powdered chlorella around at a reasonable price with the exception of NOW Foods’ powdered chlorella, selling at Lucky Vitamin for $25.06 a pound. Unless the cell wall of the chlorella has been broken, the product is worthless. Check the labeling information.

Alfalfa

Alfalfa has roots that grow 130 feet into the earth and is one of the most mineral-rich foods known as it is able to seek out minerals inaccessible to other plants. Its minerals are in a balanced form that promotes proper absorption. It has helped many arthritis sufferers, and aids in the healing of intestinal ulcers, gastritis, liver disorders, eczema, hemorrhoids, asthma, high blood pressure, anemia, constipation, body and breath odor, bleeding gums, infections, burns, athlete’s food, and cancer.

Alfalfa is an important source for calcium, carotene, chlorophyll and xanthophyll. Its roots saponins inhibit increases in blood cholesterol by 25% in experimental animals fed a high cholesterol diet. The saponins have been shown to be antifungal.

Alfalfa is a vitality augmenter, and is excellent used as a spring tonic. It is one of the best sources of protein, and is high in vitamins A, E and B-6. It is one of the few vegetable sources of vitamin D, providing 4740 IUs of vitamin D per pound. It is rich in magnesium, phosphorous, iron, potassium, trace minerals, and several digestive enzymes. It also contains sterols, flavonoids, coumarins, alkaloids, and acids.

French scientists have shown that alfalfa can reduce tissue damage from radiotherapy. Alfalfa is a fiber that is able to bind and neutralize various types of agents carcinogenic to the colon. It has been shown to induce activity in a complex cellular system that inactivates dietary chemical carcinogens in the liver and small intestine before they have a chance to do harm.

Alfalfa is high in vitamin K, essential for the clotting of blood and a preventative against hemorrhages. Women who have just delivered babies have eaten large amounts of alfalfa to shorten their postpartum bleeding time. It helps to bring in milk in a nursing mother, and is instrumental in lowering high blood pressure.

Other important nutrients in alfalfa are copper, sulfur, manganese, and a range of B vitamins that includes thiamin, niacin, pantothenic acid, choline and biotin. Its amino acid profile is composed of arginine, methionine, cystine, phenylalanine, histidine, threonine, isoleucene, tryptophan, leucine, tyrosine, lysine, and valine.

Alfalfa contains a good amount of vitamin U that acts as a healing agent for ulcers.

The suggested serving for alfalfa is just over 3 grams. 1000 Source Naturals alfalfa tablets, 648 mg. each, can be bought from Vitacost for $11.21. Many consider alfalfa juice to be the best way to consume alfalfa. Powdered alfalfa juice capsules are available from NSI at Vitacost for $6.29 per 180 capsules, each containing 550 mgs.

Sources:

“Bee Pollen”, Encyclopedia of Herbs.

“Chemical Analysis of Honeybee Pollen”, Envirobee.

“Spirulina’s Nutitional Analysis”, Natural Ways.

“Chlorella: A Natural Wonder Food”. Dragonfly Health.

“Alfalfa The New Food”, Purlife.

* Please note that I have NO ties to any companies and do not endorse any particular brand. But some of that information was contained in the original article and I left it in to give an idea of price and brands to start with.

Bisphenol A: Scandal and lies

$$ Gift to Center Headed by FDA Panel Chairman Raises Questions
By Susanne Rust and Meg Kissinger
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
Monday, October 13, 2008;

A retired medical supply manufacturer who considers bisphenol A to be “perfectly safe” gave $5 million to the research center headed by the chairman of a Food and Drug Administration panel about to rule on the chemical’s safety.

The July donation from Charles Gelman is nearly 50 times the annual budget of the University of Michigan Risk Science Center, where Martin Philbert is founder and co-director. Philbert did not disclose the donation to the FDA, and agency officials learned of it when reporters asked about it.

Norris Alderson, the FDA’s associate commissioner for science, looked into the matter and said he was satisfied that there was no conflict of interest because Philbert’s salary is not paid by the donation.

Gelman said he considers the chemical, which is used to make baby bottles and aluminum can liners, to be safe. Worries about health risks posed by the chemical are exaggerated by “mothers’ groups and others who don’t know the science,” Gelman said.

He said he had made his views clear to Philbert in several conversations.

Philbert denied that.

“At no time have the Gelman family or any other interested/disinterested person, persons, corporations or other entity contacted me or attempted to influence my scientific judgment on the matter,” Philbert wrote in an e-mail.

Philbert’s committee is expected to release its opinion this month. It will advise the FDA on a draft assessment released by the agency in September. That draft found that products made with bisphenol A are safe for food storage.

The decision of Philbert’s committee is expected to have huge implications on the regulation and sale of the chemical in items such as baby bottles, reusable food containers and plastic wraps.

Since the late 1990s, studies have linked bisphenol A to cancer, heart disease, obesity, reproductive failures and hyperactivity in laboratory animals.

Gelman, a retired manufacturer of syringes and medical filtration devices, has fought against government regulation of pollutants for years.

He is an anti-regulation activist and an outspoken supporter of organizations such as JunkScience.com, the Cato Institute and the Competitive Enterprise Institute that attack the credibility of government and academic scientists on such topics as global warming and hazardous chemicals.

Gelman said he and Philbert talk often. He said Philbert eventually told him that he did not want to have any more discussions on the subject of bisphenol A because he was concerned about the appearance of impropriety. But, Gelman said, “He knows where I stand.”

Philbert steadfastly denied any conflict of interest.

“Until today, no question has been raised with respect to my impartiality in this matter,” he wrote in an e-mail. “I am not open to any undue influence and have taken on this (unwelcome) task with all due diligence and seriousness.”

ummmm. ok. yeah, sure…..

READ ON!

FDA Declares Bisphenol-A Plastics Chemical to be Safe, Relying on Industry-Funded Studies
by David Gutierrez

(NaturalNews) Testifying before the Senate, FDA Associate Commissioner for Science Norris Alderson insisted that products made with bisphenol A (BPA) are safe, even though a number of studies have implicated it as a carcinogen and hormone mimic.

BPA is used to make a variety of consumer products, such as hard, translucent water and baby bottles or the linings of food cans. Animal studies have linked the chemical to neurological and behavioral defects in infants and children, as well as early puberty and increased risk of breast and prostate cancer. In April, the National Institutes of Health’s National Toxicology Program ruled that there was cause for concern that exposure to BPA could cause health problems in humans.

Alderson admitted that the FDA has relied on two industry-funded studies to prove that BPA is safe, but said the agency is now reviewing the National Toxicology Program’s findings.

Democratic senators blasted the agency for its failure to take action on BPA, particularly in infant products.

Sen. Charles Schumer of New York Democrat accused the FDA of “looking the other way.”

“Parents always err on the side of caution when it comes to their kids’ health. We think that the law should do the same,” he said

“The FDA could hardly be doing less,” agreed former presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts.

Kerry and Schumer are among the senators who have introduced a bill to ban BPA from children’s products and direct the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to study the chemical’s human health effects. They have also criticized the FDA for failing to act on the plastic-softening chemicals known as phthalates, which are also believed to disrupt the hormonal system.

Following the findings of the National Toxicology Program and a ban on BPA-containing infant bottles in Canada, major retailers such as Wal-Mart and Toys R Us have begun pulling products made with BPA from their shelves in the United States as well.

Sources for this story include: www.reuters.com.

AND HERE’S MORE:
http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/green/Bisphenol_A_May_Affect_Brain__Behavior__Prostate_in_Children.html

Bottled Water Warning

Bottled Water: Buyer Beware

It’s just what we’ve all suspected – pure, “straight from the mountains” bottled water is not so pure after all. Yesterday, EWG released an industry-rattling report that reveals the dirty truth about bottled water.

They tested 10 brands and found an alarming array of contaminants, including cancer-causing byproducts of chlorination, fertilizer residue, industrial solvents and even caffeine.

In light of these disturbing findings, here’s what you can do:

• Drink filtered tap water instead of bottled or unfiltered tap water.
• Mix infant formula with filtered, non-fluoridated water.
• Carry water in safe, reusable containers.

Read the full report: http://www.ewg.org/bottledwater

or download their handy guide to safe drinking water for more tips: http://www.ewg.org/node/27196

Vitamin D: crucial to our health

Over the past several years, the medical community has been buzzing about vitamin D and it’s importance to our health and well-being. Dr. Joseph Mercola and others have led the way, urging EVERYONE to get their levels tested and supplement when needed (in addition, of course, to consuming healthy sources of Calcium and D rich foods).

Now, finally, the mainstream media is catching up with the idea that vitamin D is much more important than was assumed until recently and that insufficient levels can have disastrous effects on our bodies.

Here are a stories with details and studies:

Which Vitamin Will Improve Your Life Expectancy the Most?

(from Mercola.com)

Vitamin D supplements may lower your risk of dying from any cause, according to a new European study.

Researchers from the European Institute of Oncology in Milan, Italy, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon, France, reviewed 18 trials of more than 57,000 people.

The trials involved doses of vitamin D ranging from 300 international units (IUs) to 2,000 IUs. The average dose was 528 IUs.

After a period of six years, the data showed that people who took vitamin D supplements had a 7 percent lower risk of death compared to people who did not take the supplements.

Further, according to the nine trials that collected blood samples, people who took vitamin D supplements had a 1.4- to 5.2-fold higher level of vitamin D in their blood than those who did not.

Because vitamin D can reduce the proliferation of cells, which occurs in cancer, the researchers believe their finding could lead to new drugs to fight cancer and other illnesses.

Vitamin D also helps your body to uptake calcium for bone health.

The researchers recommend taking between 400 IUs and 600 IUs of vitamin D daily. Your skin can also produce its own vitamin D by getting moderate sun exposure each day.

Archives of Internal Medicine September 10, 2007;167:1730-1737
Forbes.com September 10, 2007

More Evidence Vitamin D Prevents Cancer

Two new meta-analysis studies (which combine data from multiple reports) have found even more evidence that vitamin D is an important cancer-fighting tool. The first study examined nearly 1,800 records and found that:

People with the highest blood levels of vitamin D had the lowest risk of breast cancer
The opposite was also true: those with the lowest vitamin D levels had the highest rates of breast cancer
The second study, which looked at nearly 1,500 people, found similar results. Raising vitamin D levels (serum level of 25-hydroxyvitamin D) to 34 ng/ml reduced rates of colorectal cancer by half, while raising levels to 46ng/ml cut the risk by two-thirds.

Optimizing your sun exposure and levels of vitamin D may, indeed, be one of the most important physical steps you can take in support of your long-term health, but it is important to understand that the ideal and STRONGLY preferred method of increasing your vitamin D level is through moderate and appropriate sun exposure.

Science Daily February 8, 2007

From today’s New York Times:

Doubling of Vitamin D for Children Is Urged

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
CHICAGO (AP) — The country’s leading group of pediatricians is recommending that children receive double the usually suggested amount of vitamin D because of evidence that it might help prevent serious diseases.

To meet the new recommendation of 400 units daily, millions of children will need to take vitamin D supplements each day, the American Academy of Pediatrics said. That includes breast-fed infants — even those who get some formula — and many teenagers who drink little or no milk.

Baby formula contains vitamin D, so infants fed only formula generally do not need supplements. However, the academy recommends breast-feeding for at least the first year of life, and breast milk is sometimes deficient.

Most commercially available milk is fortified with vitamin D, but most children do not drink enough of it — four cups daily would be needed — to meet the new requirement, said Dr. Frank Greer, who helped write the report.

The new advice is based on mounting research about potential benefits from vitamin D besides keeping bones strong, including suggestions that it might reduce the risk for cancer, diabetes and heart disease. But the evidence is not conclusive, and there is no consensus on how much of the vitamin would be needed for disease prevention.

The advice replaces a 2003 academy recommendation for 200 units daily. That is the amount the government recommends for people up to age 50; 400 units is recommended for adults ages 51 to 70, and 600 units for those 71 and older. Vitamin D is sold in capsules and tablets, as well as in drops for young children.

The Institute of Medicine, a government advisory group that sets dietary standards, is discussing with federal agencies whether the recommendations should be changed based on the new research, said a spokeswoman, Christine Stencel.

The recommendations were to be released Monday at an academy conference in Boston. They will be published in the November issue of the academy’s journal, Pediatrics.

Raw Milk and Civil Liberties

My pal Kimberly Hartke nails things right on the head with her excellent op ed (that’s been “climbing the charts”

since it first appeared on Counterpunch this past weekend). Go Kimberly!

Read it HERE:

Newsmax:http://tinyurl.com/3l2bam