Ban BPA Food Containers & Chemicals in Shampoos

Bills Would Ban BPA From Food and Drink Containers - washingtonpost.com

The move came a day after Sunoco, the gas and chemical company, sent word to investors that it is now refusing to sell bisphenol A, known as BPA, to companies for use in food and water containers for children younger than 3. The company told investors that it cannot be certain of the chemical compound’s safety. Last week, six baby-bottle manufacturers, including Playtex and Gerber, announced that they will stop using BPA in bottles.

Tests have found toxic levels of the chemical in products, including those marked as “microwave safe.”

The amounts detected were at levels that have caused neurological and developmental damage in laboratory animals. The problems include genital defects, behavioral changes and abnormal development of mammary glands.

The changes to the mammary glands were identical to those observed in women at higher risk for breast cancer.

Studies have shown that the chemical can cause breast cancer, testicular cancer, diabetes, hyperactivity, obesity, low sperm count, miscarriage and a host of other reproductive problems in laboratory animals.

More recent studies using human data have linked BPA to heart disease and diabetes. It has been found to interfere with the effects of chemotherapy in breast cancer patients.

More info on the BBC web site.

And on another related topic… The Mommy Files : High chemical levels in some kids’ shampoos

The CSC tested 48 different name-brand kids’ bath products for 1,4-dioxane; 28 of those items were also tested for formaldehyde. According to the CSC, 61 percent of 28 products tested contained both chemicals. Twenty-three out of 28 contained formaldehyde at levels ranging from 54 to 610 parts per million. In the broader spectrum test of 48 products, 35 contained 1,4-dioxane with levels up to 35 parts per million.

The Environmental Protection Agency classifies 1,4-dioxane as a probable carcinogen, and the European Union bans the chemical from personal care products at any level and has recalled products that contain the chemical. Several samples of American Girl shower products were found to contain the highest levels of 1,4-dioxane.

The EPA considers formaldehyde as a probable human carcinogen; the chemical can also trigger adverse skin reactions in children and adults who are sensitive to the chemical. Formaldehyde is banned from personal care products in Japan and Sweden. Baby Magic Baby Lotion, made by Ascendia Brands, contained the highest levels of formaldehyde found in the tests; two samples had formaldehyde at levels that would trigger warning label requirements in Europe (above 500 ppm or .05 percent).

“When products for babies are labeled ‘gentle’ and ‘pure,’ parents expect that they are just that,” says Senator Diane Feinstein (D-Calif.). “To think that cancer-causing chemicals are contaminating baby shampoos and lotions is horrifying. I intend to soon introduce legislation requiring greater oversight of our cosmetics industry. We need to ensure that the chemicals that are used in our everyday products are safe.”

See the full report.

Slashdot | Court Demands Private Facebook Data

Slashdot | Court Demands Private Facebook Data

a Canadian court decision that has ordered a man suing over injuries from a car accident to answer questions about content on his private “friends only” Facebook page.
“Lawyers for Janice Roman, the defendant in the lawsuit, believe information posted on John Leduc’s private Facebook site — normally accessible only to his approved ‘friends’ — may be relevant to his claim an accident in Lindsay in 2004 lessened his enjoyment of life. As a result of the ruling by Justice David Brown of Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice, Leduc must now submit to cross-examination by Roman’s lawyers about what his Facebook page contains. Brown’s Feb. 20 ruling also makes clear that lawyers must now explain to their clients ‘in appropriate cases’ that postings on Facebook or other networking sites — such as MySpace, LinkedIn and even blogs — may be relevant to allegations in a lawsuit, said Tariq Remtulla, a Toronto lawyer….

Here’s the full article.

I thought I posed about something like this last week. Will it never end? What happens online doesn’t stay where you put it. Don’t worry. I’m not squeaky clean… but I can say that we didn’t know that our past was being recorded forever… and luckily I haven’t done anything that foolish. If you’ve got info on the internet that you don’t want your: partner, grandparents, children or present and future employers… panic. Why not. Panic is a good motivator to get you to do things. You want to live the wild life online, fine. Invent a secondary persona as a creative experiment and create online fictions of social interactions that are really your creative expression of talking about what you’d not really ever do or want to do, as cathartic narrative construction. Not as documents of reality.

new shoes

I got another pair of fluevogs today… I think that’s my 14th pair. They were on sale for almost half off, and I do need a nice and shiny pair for when I have important meetings and all.