May 2012
20 posts
April 2012
13 posts
“The United States is unlike every other country because it maintains so many separate systems for separate classes of people. All the other countries have settled on one model for everybody. This is much simpler than the U.S. system; it’s fairer and cheaper, too.”
—T.R. Reid
Check out these resources provided by the Environmental Working Group
The Environmental Working Group is a nonprofit specializing in providing useful resources to consumers while simultaneously pushing for national policy change. Their mission: to use the power of public information to protect public health and the environment.
Here are some of the resources which the EWG has made available:
Skin Deep: Cosmetic Safety Database
Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides in Produce
2011 Sunscreen Safety Guide: Best & Worst
I won't walk for Komen →
bcaction.org
Here’s the link to a letter written by Former Komen supporter and Breast Cancer Action member. The writer speaks from personal experience about the flaws of Breast Cancer Culture, and the effects of politics and corporate involvement on the struggle to end the breast cancer epidemic.
Komen’s decision to cut funding to Planned Parenthood opened up my eyes to the current state of affairs in breast cancer. Too many breast cancer organizations are pinkwashers who exploit this disease to make a buck at any cost; have agendas that put politics and profits before patients; place too much emphasis on mammograms despite their demonstrated failure to reduce the death rate; and, repeatedly leave poor and underserved communities and women of color to fend for themselves.
This year, I opened my eyes and I am not going to ignore what I see. I stand firm in my decision to sever my ties with Komen for the Cure because I need to make a difference.
Click the link to read the whole thing!
Updates on Methyl Iodide, BPA, and the ACA!
Here are a few updates on some pressing public health issues:
Methyl Iodide
The fumigant Midas, or methyl iodide, is being pulled from the market! The pesticides manufacturer, Arysta LifeScience Inc., caved to the pressure of environmental activists and farmworkers adamant about the chemical’s link to cancer and pollution to air and water. The pesticide methyl iodide, most commonly used in the strawberry industry, has been recognized as a highly toxic chemical; “tests on rats and rabbits have shown that exposure to the chemical causes thyroid cancer, miscarriages and damage to the nervous system.”
Furthermore, the California Strawberry Commission and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation are together planning on researching alternatives to fumigants in a three year project that will focus on growing strawberries in “non-soil substances that are disease-free.”
FDA on Bisphenol A
Unfortunately, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration did not ban bisphenol A (BPA) despite evidence linking BPA – a hormone disruptor commonly used in canned food and liquid infant containers – to breast cancer and other health problems, including reproductive defects and diabetes. The FDA’s decision was released on March 30th and was highly awaited by activists, and especially the Environmental Working Group, an organization that has been conducting studies about the presence of BPA in the actual food and drink being packaged. The EWG reports that “studies have found BPA in breast milk, saliva, urine, amniotic fluid and umbilical cord blood.”
The Affordable Care Act in the Supreme Court
The Supreme Court case on the 2010 Health-Care Reform Law – The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – was heard 26 March – 28 March. The decision will be announced in June and will determine whether or not the law is constitutional or not, and whether the entire law will be overturned. The Washington Post has made available the complete transcripts of the hearing during each of the three days it was in court last month.
White House and F.D.A Often at Odds →
nytimes.com
An article by the NYTimes about the relationship between the White House and the F.D.A
