Toxics
angrytoxicologist | July 26, 2007Seems appropriate since controversial topics like vaccines are on the agenda this week.
A study published in EHP finds that high fluoride (mean of 8.3 mg/L) or arsenic in water decreases IQ (it's very rare to have a fluoride level this high in the US, artificial fluoridation is supposed to be 0.7-1.2 mg/L and usually is). This isn't anything new really, it's been published multiple times before, just not in a major English language journal (and a couple of the previous studies had some control issues - controlling for Arsenic for one). This comes on the heels of a couple other interesting…
angrytoxicologist | July 23, 2007The NYTimes reports today that the Charles River is clean enough to swim in. Well, sort of. Caveats:
No diving...lest that stir up the toxic sediment at the bottom of the river.
Do not expect to see the river bottom. The water is too murky.
Be prepared to encounter bits of flotsam and jetsam.
Toxic sediment? Doesn't sound so good to me. I'd like to know more about the toxic sediment and how this river has been cleaned up. You too? Well, you're out of luck because the rest of the article is largely devoid of any facts (other than the helpful fact that the river which once got a 'D' now gets a…
angrytoxicologist | July 2, 2007The Washington Post reported yesterday on the vaccine court proceeding that starts today. Almost 5000 families will make the case that vaccines caused their children to develop autism. I don't think the families have a good case. To start off, the large majority of findings would suggest that there is not link. There are, however, some very good reasons why these studies could be wrong and that's what's keeping the theory alive. Let's look at a couple of arguments that people like to make and what I think about them.
Con - The IOM said that overall there was no link. While this is true,…
angrytoxicologist | April 27, 2007The WaPo reports today that Assemblywoman Sally Lieber (D) has introduced a bill to ban diacetyl use by 2010. The chemical is an artificial butter flavoring most commonly used in microwave popcorn. Numerous studies have found links between the chemical used by flavor workers and a rare disease called bronchiolitis obliterans. For those of you who aren't 2000 yr old Romans, that means that the bronchioles and some of the smaller bronchi are obliterated by masses made up of fiberous tissue. It's like sticking marbles into the networks of tubes in your lung that connect fresh air to the alveoli…