Consumer Safety - REALscience

Articles in the Category: Consumer Safety

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Environment, Food and Nutrition, Health and Medicine, Horizon Oil Spill, Marine Science, Oceanography, Video on 06 14th, 2010 | No Comments

Health Concerns Rise Over Use of Oil Dispersant Corexit

Seven Louisiana fishermen reported getting sick after exposure to the oil dispersant that is being used to thin the oil slick on the Gulf of Mexico. Nalco, the company that makes Corexit, the dispersant used after the April 20 Horizon Deepwater oil spill, says it has faith in its product. It insists...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Environment, Featured Articles, Health and Medicine, Politics and Science, SciClips on 12 8th, 2009 | No Comments

Gaga for Zhu Zhu

The world has gone nuts for five robotic hamsters, called Zhu Zhu Pets. While the cute and cuddly creatures race around on a surfboard, skateboard or in a car, the “it” toy of 2009 has some heavy metals that are within safety limits but beg the question: Do toys need to have these toxic...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Diseases, Featured Articles, Health and Medicine, Politics and Science, SciClips on 11 19th, 2009 | 2 Comments

Mammogram Recommendations Pit Science Against Policy

A long-standing debate over younger women getting annual breast cancer screening is reigniting this week, after an independent medical panel changed its recommendations. Confusion, fear and politics are swirling around the new U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations. The task force now recommends...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Diseases, Health and Medicine, Video on 10 25th, 2009 | No Comments

H1N1 Flu Now a National Emergency

As the numbers of Americans sickened by the H1N1 swine flu skyrockets into the millions, President Obama declared the flu a national emergency.

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Diseases, Health and Medicine, Video on 10 14th, 2009 | 2 Comments

Anti-swine Flu Suit

Japanese menswear company Haruyama Trading has developed a suit that it claims can protect wearers from the swine flu. For only about $600, white-collar workers in Tokyo and other crowded Japanese cities will help reduce the spread of the H1N1 flu virus, which has already infected more than 350,000...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Diseases, Health and Medicine, Podcast, SciClips on 10 5th, 2009 | No Comments

H1N1 Vaccine Brings Big Shot Program

After months of speculation and waiting for the vaccine to grow, the new swine flu virus killer is ready and rolling out across the country this week. The CDC hopes that at least 150 million Americans will get the shot or nasal spray to fight the H1N1 flu virus that began its worldwide rampage in April. Some...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Diseases, Health and Medicine, SciClips, Video on 09 25th, 2009 | 2 Comments

Mouthrinses Awash in Controversy

New research coming from Johnson & Johnson shows that Listerine antiseptic not only kills germs that cause bad breath and gum disease but also could prevent those germs from entering the bloodstream where they can lead to diabetes, heart disease and pneumonia. This follows on the heels of an Australian...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Biology, Consumer Safety, Diseases, Health and Medicine, Physics and Chemistry, Podcast, SciClips on 09 1st, 2009 | No Comments

Retractions on the Rise

Hwang Woo Suk's Fake Cloned Human Embryonic Stem Cells Scientific papers are the hallmark of any scientist’s career and achievements. And having a published paper retracted spells trouble. Do rising retraction rates hurt the public trust in science? Or does closer scrutiny signal improved safeguards...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Environment, Featured Articles, Food and Nutrition, Health and Medicine, Video on 07 9th, 2009 | No Comments

Bottled Water Goes Under the Microscope

Water, water everywhere but no two types are regulated the same way. It’s a mouthful but a new report suggests that consumers know less about expensive bottled water than they do about what comes out of the tap for free. Now the Government Accounting Office is suggesting better labeling, to differentiate...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Diseases, Featured Articles, Health and Medicine, Video on 06 11th, 2009 | No Comments

Swine Flu Hits Pandemic Level

The H1N1 virus, also known as Swine Flu, has been declared a flu pandemic, the first in over 40 years. The World Health Organization has declared the H1N1 a level 6 pandemic, as global numbers top 29,000 in 70 countries and resulting in 150 deaths. Declaring the virus “unstoppable” will...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Engineering, Environment, Featured Articles, SciClips, Video on 05 5th, 2009 | No Comments

Jet Fueling Concern

When an emergency landing near Seattle forced a commercial aircraft to dump thousands of gallons of fuel, people misted during this incident began thinking about where that toxic mixture goes when after it hits the ground and water. The scientific consequences of this event are complicated and difficult...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Diseases, Featured Articles, Genetics, Genomics, Health and Medicine, SciClips on 05 1st, 2009 | 1 Comment

Swine Flu on the March

Swine flu is racing across the world, spreading a deadly virus from continent to continent. The World Health Organization is worried about the beginning of a pandemic. The Center For Disease Control is trying to learn all it can about the new strain of human influenza A H1N1. And, vaccine manufacturers...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Diseases, Health and Medicine, SciClips, The Brain on 04 1st, 2009 | No Comments

Toxic Tub

Chemicals pervade consumer products and most of them are unregulated. Many of them are harmful in large doses. But all pose potential hazards to children, especially babies. A new report by the Campaign for Safe Cosmetics has found two cancer-causing chemicals in baby shampoos and foaming soaps. To...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Diseases, Featured Articles, Food and Nutrition, Health and Medicine, The Brain, Uncategorized, Video on 03 25th, 2009 | 1 Comment

HowCast: Become a Medical Test Subject

Looking for a way to make extra money and help further medical research? Try becoming a medical test subject and give yourself over to the warm embrace of science where you can make up to $50,000 a year. Before starting, go here: BioTrax.com and here… GPGC.net to see if you qualify.

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Diseases, Health and Medicine, SciClips, The Brain on 02 11th, 2009 | No Comments

Vaccine-Austism Research Discredited

andrewwakefield1.jpg Concern over the link of vaccines and diseases like autism and even multiple sclerosis have created a confusing medical climate. Some parents are torn between vaccinating their children against things like measles, mumps and rubella or risking exposure to those diseases that are...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Food and Nutrition, Health and Medicine, SciClips on 01 30th, 2009 | No Comments

Mercury Study Leaks Out

Common processed food, including soda pop contain low levels of mercury. An internal analysis of high fructose corn syrup by an investigator at the Food and Drug Administration is trickling out, four years after the samples were taken. And, that study, printed in the journal Environmental Health this...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in 12 Days of Science, Biology, Consumer Safety, Diseases, Food and Nutrition, Health and Medicine, Marine Science, SciClips on 12 15th, 2008 | No Comments

Pond Scum’s Promise

12 Days of Science: Day 4 Collecting Klammath Lake algae Blue-green algae has been a health craze since the 1980s. The one-celled organism is staging a comeback with a new algae product that promotes the release of stem cells to repair damaged tissue. And, it says it can help fix aches and pains and...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in 12 Days of Science, Consumer Safety, Environment, Food and Nutrition, Health and Medicine, SciClips, The Brain on 12 11th, 2008 | No Comments

Toxic Tots

12 Days of Science: Day 3 Environmental toxins are all around. And, many consumer products contain these man made compounds that damage organs, mutate cells or disrupt one biological system or another. From bath toys to shower curtains, these chemicals are seeping into our lives. Two Reports: Body Burden:...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Biology, Consumer Safety, Genetics, Physics and Chemistry, Podcast on 08 8th, 2008 | 1 Comment

Anthrax Case Rests on Science

Bruce Edwards Ivins was the man behind the anthrax terror scare in 2001, according to an FBI task force. The agency, working for seven years with the U.S. Postal Inspection Service, says the evidence shows that Dr. Ivins, a respected government microbiologist acted alone when he mailed the deadly substance...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Biochemistry, Consumer Safety, Engineering, Environment, Health and Medicine, SciClips on 07 24th, 2008 | No Comments

Toxic Chemicals Found in Air Fresheners and Laundry Products

New research from University of Washington shows that the sweet, pleasant smells in fragrances that dominate air fresheners and laundry detergents may strike a sour health note when analyzed chemically. The researcher found toxic chemicals that are considered hazardous by the federal government. But...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Ethanol, Food and Nutrition, Genetics, SciClips on 05 5th, 2008 | No Comments

Rice Race

Dr. Om Parkash, courtesy of University of Massachusetts Amherst The current rice shortage being felt around the world doesn’t have just one source. It seems that many reasons are causing the food shortage. And, one is quite elemental. pp_flashembed( 'powerpress_player_5067', {src: 'http://www.realscience.us/blog/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/FlowPlayerClassic.swf',...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Podcast, SciClips on 02 4th, 2008 | No Comments

Duckie Danger

courtesy of Royalty free stock photography Just when you thought it was safe to go back in the bathtub. Rubber ducks could contain a toxin that interferes with reproduction. New research also finds that these chemicals called pthalates is found in many popular baby products. pp_flashembed( 'powerpress_player_5068', {src:...

Posted by Michael Bradbury in Consumer Safety, Podcast, SciClips, SciLebs on 01 22nd, 2008 | No Comments

The Accidental Discovery

Dr. Patricia Hunt, courtesy of WSU Dr. Patricia Hunt just landed on Scientific American’s list of Top 50 Researchers of 2007. Two years ago she was working away on long term research and then a lab accident led to a major discovery. pp_flashembed( 'powerpress_player_5069', {src: 'http://www.realscience.us/blog/wp-content/plugins/powerpress/FlowPlayerClassic.swf',...

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