Installing a massive water-filled tank full of colorful floral and different species of fish might sound like great way to give your home that enormous little touch of pizzazz you always envisioned. Or could prove to be a dangerous addition, as some species of coral can emit deadly chemicals. [More]
toxins
Your Tank Of Colorful Coral Could Pose A Toxic Danger
By 7.28.17
EPA Sued In Effort To Remove Potentially Toxic Chemicals From Fido’s Flea Collar
By 2.7.14
It is the worst when our furry friends pick up fleas and then bring them into our homes. Except, it’s really not quite the worst. What’s worse? When the flea collar you buy for Fido damages your child’s brain with neurotoxins. [More]
It Turns Out Mothballs Aren't Just Bad For Moths
By 2.8.11
In a newly released study, doctors say the idea of preserving kids’ clothing in mothballs should be mothballed. An ingredient that had been widely used in the pest repellent has been found to cause neurological damage, and sometimes death, in infants. [More]
When Is It Worthwhile To Buy Organic?
By 6.30.09
Want to avoid eating pesticides without breaking the bank on organics? The handy “Shopper’s Guide to Pesticides” makes it easy to keep track of which fruits and vegetables are likely to have bug spray all over them and which are not. Peaches, apples, bell peppers, celery, and strawberries head up the “dirty dozen” with the highest pesticide load. At the bottom: onions, avocados, frozen sweet corn, pineapple, and mangoes, which have so little pesticide, you’re better off buying conventionally grown varieties (unless you’re rich).
New York Times Calls Botox "The Duct Tape Of Medicine"
By 4.13.09
Who knew botulism could be so awesome? Botox is Allergan’s cash cow, earning the pharmaceutical company $1.3 billion last year alone. The funny thing about the toxin—originally developed as a biological weapon—is it works for a lot of “off-label” uses as well (like treating anal fissures and preventing hair loss), and Allergan says that non-cosmetic applications could be an even bigger market because health insurers will help pay for the treatments. Likely upcoming FDA-approved treatments: stroke-induced muscle spasms, chronic migraines, and enlarged prostates.
China Pulls Carcinogenic US Pringles From Hong Kong Shelves
By 12.10.07
Ah, the game is afoot, China! See how the worm turns! Cliché #3 should go here! China has pulled some unofficially imported (from the U.S.) Pringles chips because they contain potassium bromate, a preservative that we Americans happily ingest in order to breed a race of lumpy super-capitalists—but that China, Hong Kong, and other countries have banned “because tests have found it to be carcinogenic.”
Breast Milk Contains Oodles of Toxins
By 3.21.06
The Environmental Working Group published a report on the toxicity of breast milk. The research found breast milk to contain, “paint thinners, dry-cleaning fluids, wood preservatives, toilet deodorizers, cosmetic additives, gasoline byproducts, rocket fuel, termite poisons, fungicides and flame retardants.”
