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• Looking for ways to help the earthquake relief effort in Haiti? The Craft Hope Etsy shop is donating all proceeds to Doctors Without Borders. Whether you donate items or are interested in purchasing one, you can help.
• Nearly 1 million plastic bags come home with us per minute in this country, so replacing them with sustainable alternatives is of utmost importance. Planet Green has some useful tips on how to select the right reusable bags.
• Monterey Bay Aquarium’s new “Super Green” list makes choosing seafood a lot easier by identifying which types are the healthiest, lowest in toxins like mercury and PCBs and environmentally friendly. The Monterey Bay Aquarium developed the list with experts at the Harvard School of Public Health and Environmental Defense Fund. 

Recent Research

• Research shows Monsanto genetically modified corn (GM) causes organ failure in laboratory animals. Researchers state "effects were concentrated in kidney and liver function, the two major diet detoxification organs” and request further testing on “substances which have never been an integral part of the human diet” for which health consequences are unknown. Currently the GM corn in question is approved by the FDA and is widely used in both human and animal food products. Here are some ways to avoid GMOs in your diet.
• Study links increased air pollution with high number of school absences. Due to their small size, high metabolic rates, and developing systems “kids are particularly sensitive to pollution”, said Steven Rivkin, a professor at Amherst College in Massachusetts. Pollutants hamper the health and ability of children to perform daily activities, imposing additional costs on children and their families to account for days missed in school. Even as pollution rates dropped below the level considered safe by the EPA school absences were still high.
• BPA to blame for rise in infant obesity. In a study conducted by Harvard University, infant obesity has risen more than 70 percent since 1980. "Research has shown since 2001 that being exposed to BPA during development, changes your body weight," explains Tufts University Scientists, Dr. Laura Vandenberg. BPA is most often transferred through oral exposure, such as cans and plastic water bottles. Dr. Vandenberg adds, “it's impossible to shop your way out of this problem” since even organic foods are stored in BPA lined cans.
• Silver is a potent nerve cell toxicant. A study finds that silver has the potential to cause problems with nerve cell development at concentrations five times less than that of the pesticide chlorpyrifos, a known nerve cell toxicant. The findings call into question the widespread and increasing use of nanoparticles of silver in consumer products.

Other News

• FDA changes mind on safety of BPA, but “hands tied” in banning the industrial chemical. Contradicting their 2008 report, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) now agrees that exposure to the chemical should be avoided by fetuses, infants, and young children due to dangerous health effects. Regulations which approved BPA for food contact issued over 40 years ago, limits new regulations imposed by the federal government. The FDA will now take steps to “support” industry action to stop producing BPA containing products and facilitate the development of safer alternatives; yet BPA will be legally used for food packaging, even in baby bottles, until further notice.

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