The Café Near You Might Be Using 'Green' Plastic. Is That an Oxymoron? | OnEarth Magazine

The Café Near You Might Be Using 'Green' Plastic. Is That an Oxymoron? | OnEarth Magazine:

  But plastic made from crops introduces a new set of environmental problems. Food service suppliers don’t make their own plastic -- they buy it, wholesale, from a company called Natureworks. Natureworks is owned by multinational agribusiness giant Cargill; its plant-based plastic, branded Ingeo, is the only game in town for eco-plastic goods. That means the corn inside each “eco-friendly” plastic cup was grown with stiff pesticides and gas-guzzling combines. Still, according to Natureworks, “Ingeo results in 60% less greenhouse gases than the oil-based … plastic it replaces.”

Read more at: http://www.onearth.org/blog/green-plastic-sustainable-disposable

HUH? Children's EPA Dir. Nancy Swan asks,

• "Which do product is more likely to harm your child's health? Pesticides and industrial waste? Or greenhouses gases?"
• Are we making healthier choices for our children or are they being made for us as a sales promotion? 
• What choices would you like to see offered in school cafeterias and child eateries?

Your chance to weigh in -

Toxic leak in South Korea sickens thousands, ruins crops - CNN.com

Toxic leak in South Korea sickens thousands, ruins crops - CNN.com:

Thousands of people in the area have been affected by the blast at the chemical factory on September 27, which killed 5 people and injured 18 others at the time.

The exact cause of the explosion, which involved 8 tons of hydrofluoric acid, is still being investigated, according to authorities. But the blast spread toxic vapor from the acid -- which is used for tasks like metal cleaning and rust removal -- across the surrounding area. Read more about this story:  http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/09/world/asia/south-korea-toxic-leak/index.html?iref=obinsite

• Can a similar explosion and injuries happen in the U. S.?  Yes.  
• Do US courts and politicians aid in covering up harmful environmental and chemical exposures and injuries? Yes.  
• Are Presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney exposing need for reporting environmental and chemical exposure and injuries in the U. S., especially involving injuries to children? No. 

Read more about this story:  http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/09/world/asia/south-korea-toxic-leak/index.html?iref=obinsite

Woman Loses Stomach After Drinking Liquid Nitrogen Cocktail | NewsFeed | TIME.com

 

Teen Loses Stomach After Drinking Liquid Nitrogen Cocktail | NewsFeed | TIME.com

Dry Ice (Liquid Nitrogen) has many uses in medicine and food preparation because of its ability to instantly freeze objects at lower temperatures. 

Dry Ice is also used at Halloween because it gives off a spooky, smoking, appearance.  Would a child consume liquid nitrogen through inhaling or ingestion?  Quite possibly.  A child can also get hurt by touching dry ice.  The EPA and CDC have warned that children can be harmed by chemicals more quickly than adults because their organs are still growing and they consume for air per pound.

Perhaps the EPA and CDC need to warn the US public about dangers of using dry ice in Halloween decorations and where children can be harmed.

 The UK Food Standards Agency released a statement warning consumers to exercise caution when consuming cocktails made with liquid nitrogen because of the human body’s inability to deal with the chemical’s cold temperature.

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/10/09/woman-loses-stomach-after-drinking-liquid-nitrogen-cocktail/#ixzz28vk3UbSy

Why Liquid Nitrogen Is Dangerous | Healthland | TIME.com

Why Liquid Nitrogen Is Dangerous | Healthland | TIME.com
Halloween decorations often include a spooky, "smoking" cauldren containing dry ice made of liquid nitrogen. 
 But do people drink it as well?  How dangerous is liquid nitrogen, especially around children?  Children can be harmed at lower levels and duration of exposure to dangerous products and chemicals.  Would a child be tempted to drink it?  Possibly.

Recently, an 18-year-old British teen named Gaby Scanlon made news when she underwent an emergency gastrectomy — the surgical removal of part of the stomach — after drinking a Jagermeister cocktail made with liquid nitrogen at a bar in northern England.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/10/why-liquid-nitrogen-is-dangerous/#ixzz28vh1vhGJ

Four Conditions Responsible for Most Pregnancy-Related Infections | Healthland | TIME.com

Four Conditions Responsible for Most Pregnancy-Related Infections | Healthland | TIME.com: Pregnancy-related infections are one of the leading causes of death among pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries — but most of these infections are treatable and preventable, researchers say.

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/10/study-four-treatable-conditions-cause-most-pregnancy-related-infections/?xid=newsletter-healthland

Meningitis Outbreak Toll: 137 Cases, 12 Deaths | Healthland | TIME.com

Meningitis Outbreak Toll: 137 Cases, 12 Deaths | Healthland | TIME.com:

Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/09/meningitis-outbreak-toll-119-cases-11-deaths/#ixzz28vax77x7

Officials have tied the outbreak of rare fungal meningitis to steroid shots for back pain. The steroid was made by a specialty pharmacy in Massachusetts. At least one contaminated vial was found at the company.

Mom’s Exposure to Mercury Linked to Kids’ ADHD Symptoms | Healthland | TIME.com

Mom’s Exposure to Mercury Linked to Kids’ ADHD Symptoms | Healthland | TIME.com: The health risks of mercury exposure are well documented, and the harms for still-developing fetuses are particularly concerning. Now, the latest study finds that kids who were exposed to more mercury in the womb were more likely to show problems with attention and hyperactivity and other symptoms of ADHD at age 8.

 

                                                                                      Dwight Eschliman / Getty Images