ABOUT
Smart discussion of the latest science and news on toxins in your food, water, and air, and what government agencies should be doing to protect public health. Written by EWG staff.
DONATE TO EWG!
Help us protect your health and environment! Please donate $5 to EWG today.
GET EWG'S TIPS & ACTION ALERTS
Sign Up here to receive email updates and tips from EWG and stay informed on the issues that matter most to you.
ENVIROBLOG VIA EMAIL
New tax rebate ideas from the ONION
Soda Ban in Schools Does Not Protect Students From Benzene
SEARCH ENVIROBLOG
FEATURED
Toxins in our Kids' Foods: Where is the FDA?
Why, oh why is there plastic in my aluminum water bottle?
Fluoride in Your Water: How much is too much?
Borax: Not the Green Alternative It's Cracked Up to Be
Test Your Knowledge of Cosmetics Safety: 8 Myths Debunked
EWG's Tips to avoid BPA exposure
EWG on TV
Cutting the Pork from U.S. Farm Bill
Sunscreen safety & DC drinking water
Perchlorate in people, kids' personal care products & plastics, and sunscreen
BPA in baby formula & safe cosmetics
What can I do about fluoride in my water?
What is new carpet treated with? What can I do?
Are stainless steel water bottles safe?
Is mineral-based makeup safer?
PEOPLE TALKING TOXICS
TALK TO US
Did we miss something? Email Enviroblog.
Monthly Archive
Grassley: Will We Help Everybody in the Food Supply?
When asked in a recent interview about a provision in the Senate's emergency spending bill that would give some, not all, farmers extra money to compensate for high energy costs, Senate Finance Committee Chairman said:
"If you start helping farmers with the cost of production, where are you going to end with everybody else in the food supply, from the farm to the table? You could justify helping everybody."
Sen. Grassley pointed out that the president has threatened to veto the Senate's bill if it exceeds $92.5 billion, and said he could see removing the $1.5 billion slated for a small subset of farmers.
To see who would share the $1.5 billion bonus, please visit http://www.ewg.org/reports/agsupp2006/cdmap.php .
Seattle Slew
The body burden ball just keeps getting bigger, this time with test results from 10 Washington residents, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer reports. The Toxic-Free Legacy Coalition of Washington State tested for the usual suspects -- fire retardants, pesticides, mercury, lead and phthalates -- among others, and found five to seven of eight classes of chemicals in each participant.
This one's just another good article in an increasing stream coming out around the country as more and more tiny groups of people receive these still highly expensive tests. Still, it's great that awareness is on the rise, and you can increase yours by taking a look at EWG's work on body burden here.
FDA Test Finds High Benzene Levels in Soda
Last Friday, FDA released results of a limited sampling of sodas the agency tested for benzene, thanks in part to the more than 4,300 signatures on EWG's benzene petition asking the agency to remove the chemical from drinks on store shelves. FDA didn't test many samples, but found two brands at 17 times the level of benzene allowable in tap water, and six others at two to four times the limit.
Get up to speed on the issue on our benzene page.
Flushing Uwanted Meds No Longer The Conventional Wisdom
According to the San Francisco Chronicle, surveys last year in the Bay area found detecable levels of ibuprofen, DEET and other chemicals, Prozac, and a handful of antibiotics in streams and rivers. The culprit: flushing medication down the toilet. No longer the suggested method of unwanted or expired drug disposal, LA County has started to accept the pills (controlled substances excluded) at hazardous waste collection sites. For the rest of us who don't live in California, or can't make it to the hazmat center: discreetly disposing of pills in your garbage will have to do.
Tuna Warning Overturned
A California Superior Court judge has overturned a ruling requiring tuna companies to brand their cans with mercury warning labels under the state's Prop 65 legislation. Prop 65 requires that products that may cause cancer or reproductive harm carry warning labels, but the judge decided that mercury in tuna doesn't qualify, despite tuna's popularity and the clear threat mercury poses to the development of fetuses, infants and children. Read why at the LA Times.
Contaminating science
Check out this editorial from the Toledo Blade on the role of the military and its contractors in watering down EPA regulations.
New tax rebate ideas from the ONION
The ONION's latest infographic reveals eight humourous tax rebates in addition to the already laughable $100 rebate proposed by Senate Republicans to combat rising gas prices. Among them are:
$120 per family member: Compensation for Hummer-related wear and tear on the driveway.Check out the rest of the tax breaks here.
Soda Ban in Schools Does Not Protect Students From Benzene
The beverage industry has conceded to remove high-calorie soft drinks from schools. They will, however, be continuing to sell diet sodas and fruit drinks, which contain fewer calories and less sugar. What many of these drinks do contain are the two ingredients which can form Benzene, a known human carcinogen.
Learn more about Benzene in sodas.
Tell FDA: Get benzene out of my soft drinks
- - - - - - - - Photo of the Day - - - - - - - -
This shot was submitted by Susan A. from Dallas who would like to remind us that:
"While consumers are paying record-breaking high prices for gasoline, former Exxon CEO Lee Raymond got a $400,000,000 compensation package in 2005."
Thanks Susan!
EWG to Congress: GET REAL about developing alternative energy options
Congress and the Bush Administration have done nothing to solve the USA's addiction to fossil fuels. Even worse, they are subsidizing Big Oil at a time of record profits.
Sign our open letter to Congress and tell them to get real about developing a meaningful national energy strategy.
