Healthbuzz

Scope of salmonella-tainted flavouring recall will continue to grow.

lavonne — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0000

It could take months for some companies to figure out whether a flavoring ingredient contaminated with salmonella found its way into their products, experts say. The U.S. FDA says this could turn into one of the largest-ever food recalls in North America.

Boys and girls differ in genetic response to what mom eats.

dr. daniel seidman — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0000

A new study in mice reveals that expectant mothers’ diets influence gene activity more in the placentas of female than male offspring, with females producing more of a protein that responds to estrogen. The extra sensitivity could make female offspring more susceptible to estrogen-mimicking chemicals in the environment.

Court to decide if vaccine makers can be sued.

stefan aschan — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0000

The Supreme Court said on Monday that it would decide whether a federal law protects vaccine manufacturers from lawsuits in state court seeking damages for alleged design defects. The case involves a lawsuit by the parents of a child who suffered seizures after her third dose of a DTP vaccine.

Burned by flame retardants?

drs. stephanie mcclellan and beth hamilton — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0000

You have flame retardant chemicals in your body. They’re toxic. Americans have the highest levels of anyone in the world. The chemicals are in the dust in our homes and offices and schools. And they’re showing up in our food.

Yale study details how and why of BPA’s dangers.

susan weissman — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Exposing a female fetus to a chemical found in plastics causes permanent changes in a daughter’s uterus that might result in cancer — and a research team led by a Yale doctor has figured out why.

EPA official says agency will act soon on BPA.

hyla cass m.d. — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Responding to criticism that the Environmental Protection Agency delayed action on regulating the chemical bisphenol A, Administrator Lisa Jackson said Monday that her agency is planning to “finalize an action plan on BPA in the very near future.”

Clashing lead laws may derail progress.

neil zevnik — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0000

Housing and public health advocates have been trying to get the state to enforce its lead paint law for almost 10 years, and the Attorney General’s office is finally cracking down on landlords who are failing to comply.

Sex-change in frogs and chemical castration ’caused by weedkiller.’

tara stiles — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0000

One of the most common weed-killers in the world, atrazine, causes chemical castration in frogs and could be killing off amphibian populations worldwide.

Study says herbicide causes frogs’ sex change.

lindy — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0000

A powerful and widely used herbicide called Atrazine changes the sex of many male frogs to females and emasculates three-quarters of others, according to research reported this week by a UC Berkeley professor and molecular toxicologist.

Tap water contaminant ‘castrates’ frogs.

susan weissman — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 14:00:00 +0000

An herbicide that contaminates the tap water consumed by millions of Americans has been found to produce gender-bending effects in male frogs, “chemically castrating” some and turning others into females, a study shows.