Regulation and industry

General:

Dark Waters (2019) - Movie covering DuPont, Teflon, PFOA, C8, lack of government regulation, the extreme difficulty of holding companies responsible, and the tiny slap on the hand the companies sometimes get. Based on The New York Times magazine article "The Lawyer Who Became DuPont's Worst Nightmare" by Nathaniel Rich.

PBS Frontline (2015) - The Trouble with Chicken https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/trouble-with-chicken/ - USDA testing is sporadic, unreliable, and operating on standards a century old. Lack of enforcement and penalties. Refusal to list salmonella as an adulterant, like e.coli, possibly due to industry pressure (corruption).

Chlorinated chicken - only puts bacteria into a dormant state rather than killing them, and those microbes are still harmful. For world animal protection rankings US scores D, while UK scores A. EU says high farming standards are the best way to prevent pathogens. (Mar 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gAMpJ9Yr56Y

PBS - The stunning truth about asbestos use in the U.S. (Mar 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOFioumFt3Y

VICE - Why Men’s Sperm Count Is Decreasing (2023) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHxu6ahbOIY

China has an infamous reputation as one of the world’s worst food safety offenders. Earlier this year, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a report on a Chinese chicken jerky manufacturer that created dog treats tied to more than 500 dogs’ deaths. https://realfarmacy.com/usda-to-allow-chickens-from-u-s-to-be-shipped-to-china-for-processing-and-back-to-u-s/

The USA lags behind other agricultural nations in banning harmful pesticides (June 2019) http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s12940-019-0488-0

Guess who makes the "generally recognized as safe" determination? It’s not the government or a scientific body. It’s the manufacturer. You read that right. The food maker gets to determine whether or not its own product is safe for the public, a process the FDA refers to as "GRAS self-determination." What’s more, these manufacturers can legally add things to our food supply without informing the FDA.92 An estimated one thousand food-additive safety decisions have never even been reported to the FDA or the public. Navigating the U.S. Food Additive Regulatory Program (2011): https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1541-4337.2011.00166.x

Study finds that welders exposed to airborne manganese at estimated levels below federal occupational safety standards exhibit neurological problems similar to Parkinson’s disease. The more they are exposed to manganese-containing welding fumes, the faster the workers’ signs and symptoms worsen. https://medicine.wustl.edu/news/low-levels-manganese-welding-fumes-cause-neurological-problems/

My experiences:

FDA publicly lies about "no illnesses regarding these products (Prescript-Assist probiotic) have been reported to date". (2018): https://archive.fo/Tg30u

FMT donor quality, cancer patients as FMT donors, clinical trial oversight and enforcement of adverse event reporting (2019): https://archive.fo/KRy7n

Corruption:

Post-Hurricane Harvey, NASA tried to fly a pollution-spotting plane over Houston. The EPA said no. | The key decision-maker was Honeycutt, known for his energy industry-friendly views on toxic chemicals and pollutants. (Mar 2019) https://www.latimes.com/local/california/la-me-nasa-jet-epa-hurricane-harvey-20190305-story.html

FDA:

Clinical Trial Transparency:The FDA Should and Can Do More (2017): https://law.yale.edu/system/files/area/center/ghjp/documents/kapczynski_kim_fda_blueprint_commentary.pdf

FMT donor quality, cancer patients as FMT donors, clinical trial oversight and enforcement of adverse event reporting (2019) https://archive.fo/KRy7n

Medtronic Pump recall: The Food and Drug Administration quietly took steps to keep critical information out of the public light. Hidden Reports Masked The Scope Of Widespread Harm From Faulty Heart Device (May 2019): https://archive.fo/oQnBj - https://khn.org/news/hidden-fda-database-medical-device-injuries-malfunctions/

Medical Devices: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tIdzNlExrw John Oliver discusses the medical device industry, which is a huge business with a hugely troubling lack of regulation.

FDA corruption: https://archive.fo/PdBtl – http://i.bnet.com/blogs/cert-fda-letter-to-the-president-4-2-09-and-trans-team-1-7-09.pdf

Part 1: Bottle of Lies: How Poor FDA Oversight & Fraud in Generic Drug Industry Threaten Patients’ Health (May 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCrTuT5ywvI - see video description for more. https://www.democracynow.org/2019/5/20/bottle_of_lies_how_poor_fda

Part 2: Why Did the FDA Go Easy on Generic Drug Makers After Inspections Exposed Quality & Safety Concerns? (May 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_g0HlA5xaMo - https://www.democracynow.org/2019/5/20/why_did_the_fda_go_easy

Clip: Poor regulation makes drugs in developing countries "worse quality" than drugs in U.S (May 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0QPJadoWDWo

How tainted drugs get to market, and make sick patients sicker (2019): https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/how-tainted-drugs-get-market-make-sick-patients-sicker-n954786 "Hundreds of plants haven’t been inspected for years, if ever."

The FDA buries evidence of fraud in medical trials. My students and I dug it up: http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2015/02/fda_inspections_fraud_fabrication_and_scientific_misconduct_are_hidden_from.html

EPA - Industry Pressure Trumps Sound Science in Pesticide Regulation: http://www.ucsusa.org/our-work/center-science-and-democracy/promoting-scientific-integrity/epa-and-pesticides.html

Majority of doctors who oversee FDA drug approval receive payments from companies they monitor (2018): https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/fda-drugs-companies-pharmaceutical-us-pay-doctors-approval-fompanies-astrazeneca-a8433621.html

Hidden conflicts? Pharma payments to FDA advisers after drug approvals spark ethical concerns (2018): https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/07/hidden-conflicts-pharma-payments-fda-advisers-after-drug-approvals-spark-ethical

As of 2017, 3/4th of the FDA budget (approximately $700 million) is funded by the pharmaceutical companies due to the Prescription Drug User Fee Act https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Food_and_Drug_Administration

95 percent of baby foods tested contain toxic metals (Oct 2019) https://www.nbcnews.com/health/kids-health/new-report-95-percent-baby-foods-tested-contain-toxic-metals-n1068306 For nearly 90 percent of the baby foods tested, the FDA has not issued guidance or set standards for the maximum safe limit of heavy metals, according to the report. "The FDA should be doing more," Brody said. "It's the FDA’s job to set rules that make food safe."

"Congress, Wary of Tainted Chinese Drugs, Is Baffled by Lack of Oversight - Following major recalls of Chinese-manufactured medication that contained carcinogenic ingredients, lawmakers express alarm & disbelief at the FDA's inability to regulate foreign suppliers" (Oct 2019) https://www.newsweek.com/congress-spooked-tainted-chinese-drugs-eyeing-pharmaceutical-supply-chain-1468753

LASIK eye surgery should be taken off market, former FDA adviser says (Nov 2019) https://www.cbsnews.com/news/lasik-eye-surgery-retired-fda-adviser-says-procedure-should-be-taken-off-market/ "Essentially we ignored the data on vision distortions that persisted for years"

FAA:

FAA allows Boeing to regulate themselves, this resulted in incompetence and safety problems that lead to crashes and deaths: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rPY7KM8goGs

Boeing knew of 737 Max software error for a year before telling FAA https://www.businessinsider.com/boeing-knew-737-max-software-error-year-before-telling-faa-2019-5

Whistleblower says 737 factory was in chaos https://youtu.be/E-axI641oo8?t=1380

EPA:

EPA 28 years behind on chemicals review: http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/6/27/epa-chemical-regulation.html

EPA corruption in the instance of Syngenta's Atrazine that changes sex of frogs: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5uSbp0YDhc

War on the EPA (PBS Frontline, 2017) https://www.pbs.org/video/war-on-the-epa-tz8z7j/ - How did Scott Pruitt go from fighting the EPA to running it and rolling back years of environmental protections?

1/3 of Americans to have their drinking water deregulated by the (Trump/Pruit) EPA: https://archive.fo/7smwi + comments

E.P.A. Approved Toxic Chemicals for Fracking a Decade Ago, New Files Show. The compounds can form PFAS, also known as “forever chemicals,” which have been linked to cancer and birth defects. The E.P.A. approvals came despite the agency’s own concerns about toxicity. (Jul 2021) https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/12/climate/epa-pfas-fracking-forever-chemicals.html

Finance:

The Big Short 2015 shows the corruption, idiocy, self-centeredness, sociopathy and psychopathy, lack of regulation, etc. that lead to the housing market crash.

Bank regulation problems; regulatory capture; regulatory system is understaffed – https://archive.fo/ZQ0m5

Self regulation:

Companies cannot be trusted to self-regulate, they lie and coverup for profit: https://archive.vn/GLW9v#selection-1957.0-1957.1

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/02/03/1271430/-25-Images-of-Markets-Regulating-Themselves
List of shady things companies have done over the years: https://archive.fo/4fJaz
Water in anti-regulation state (Alabama) becomes contaminated with dangerous chemical: https://archive.fo/w02B0
Horrible pollution in Louisiana: PBS, Mar 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4qQWoDCsEA
Fracking Waste is Being Dumped Into the Ocean Off California's Coast: https://archive.fo/cA1f7
Texas coal power plants leaching toxic pollutants into groundwater (2019): https://www.texastribune.org/2019/01/17/report-texas-coal-power-plants-leaching-toxic-pollutants-groundwater/
Samsung responsible for deaths at chipmaking plant: http://www.businessweek.com/articles/2014-04-10/deaths-at-samsung-alter-south-koreas-corporate-is-king-mindset
Bayer sold HIV and Hepatitis C contaminated blood products that caused up to 10,000 people in U.S.A alone to contract HIV. After they found out they pulled it off the shelves in the U.S. and sold it to countries in Asia and Latin America so they wouldn't lose money from it. https://old.reddit.com/r/todayilearned/comments/2kz9ei/til_bayer_sold_hiv_and_hepatitis_c_contaminated/
"Enbridge Lies and I have the video PROOF" (2016) whistle blowers documents the hidden oil spills of his former company and the disastrous health effects it has had on his town: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSBSLkQAkb8
Lack of regulation results in buildings collapsing: https://archive.ph/33sKu#selection-2567.41-2567.42
Peanut plant linked to deadly outbreak faked salmonella results – http://consumerist.com/2014/09/19/former-peanut-butter-moguls-found-guilty-of-knowingly-shipping-contaminated-food/ – Caused 9 deaths
Company knowingly allows salmonella-contaminated chocolates to be sold
Companies building dam ignore geologists warnings, 4 years later dam causes 2500 deaths
Bar mixed rubbing alcohol with caramel food coloring and served it as scotch: http://www.nj.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/05/rubbing_alcohol_as_scotch_nj_o.html
71 killed in mass poisoning with ‘surrogate alcohol’ in Russia https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6lH82BlxQQ
Self-regulation has had disastrous consequences across the New Zealand economy, from mining to electricity to health and safety
Blind Faith: How Deregulation and Enron’s Influence Over Government Looted Billions from Americans
Deregulation's part in the financial crisis
Ohio contractor orders illegal dumping of fracking waste and lies about it
DNA test shows Subway sandwiches could contain just 50% chicken. The majority of the remaining DNA? Soy.
Upton Sinclair's book, The Jungle. – Modern cases: http://thinkprogress.org/health/2015/01/12/3610616/schumer-fda-inspections/ – http://munchies.vice.com/articles/being-a-food-safety-inspector-means-never-forgetting-the-smell-of-cockroaches. Ralph Nader's work.
PBS "The Poison Squad" (2020) - Story of Dr. Harvey Wiley who, inspired to remove dangerous substances - like formaldehyde in milk that may have killed thousands of kids per year in NYC alone - from dinner tables, took on the major food producers and helped spark the creation of the FDA [01:51:02] https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/films/poison-squad/#part01
More examples from US history: https://archive.ph/lVbJU
RCA workers in Taiwan: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJjb3lPL7E0 - GE knew, didn't tell workers, and face no penalties. At the time, Taiwan had no laws covering contamination of ground water.
After children die from fires, Governor announces all daycares must be licensed and inspected: https://archive.ph/7spnP
GNC, Target, Walmart, Walgreens selling bogus herbal supplements, DNA tests found only 21% of tested supplements contained what the labels promised: https://www.consumeraffairs.com/news/gnc-target-walmart-walgreens-selling-bogus-herbal-supplements-ny-charges-020315.html
FRONTLINE | A Dangerous Business (2003) – How the McWane corporation forces workers to operate in an unsafe and illegal manner, whilst simultaneously covering up their systematic flouting of safety regulations, leading to death, dismemberment and pollution, all to pad their bottom line: https://old.reddit.com/r/Documentaries/comments/3t5tf6/frontline_a_dangerous_business_2003_how_the/
Records analyzed by The New York Times indicate that the Clean Water Act has been violated more than 506,000 times since 2004, by more than 23,000 companies and other facilities, according to reports submitted by polluters themselves. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/13/us/13water.html - https://archive.ph/OOYYY
Undercover footage that appears to show extremely sick cows being smuggled into a Polish slaughterhouse and sold on with little or no veterinary inspection has raised alarm about standards in one of the EU’s largest meat exporters. https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/27/secret-filming-shows-sick-cows-slaughtered-for-meat-in-poland
Regulation free ambulance service results in poorly trained medics sending a live woman to the morgue instead of ER: https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/07/03/woman-declared-dead-found-alive-south-africa-morgue-freezer/757324002/
Lax regulation caused lake Erie's water supply to become poisoned from over-fertilized fields and lawns, malfunctioning septic systems, and livestock pens: https://archive.ph/dytI7
Lack of regulation allowed Koch industries to put profit margins over safety, falsify maintenance records, cover up spills, and lie about volume of spills. Koch pleaded guilty to felony for covering up the fact that it had disconnected a key pollution-control device. Federal investigators documented both "severe corrosion" and "mechanical damage" in a Koch pipeline that exploded and killed 2 children: http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/news/inside-the-koch-brothers-toxic-empire-20140924?page=4
A building inspector here. I understand why property owners hate us, but every line of building code was put there because someone somewhere paid with their life for imposed and enforced safety standards. https://archive.fo/ZX660#selection-8913.10-8913.11
Problems due to lack of regulation in the food industry (fake olive oil): https://archive.ph/uOKzP
GM buys out and destroys public transport in order to make more money long term: https://archive.ph/KLoOA
No regulation of the bottled water industry meant that companies were selling tap water as "spring water". No regulation of the supplement industry results in:

Toxic chemicals & other toxins:

Chemical pollution has passed safe limit for humanity, say scientists (Jan 2022) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/18/chemical-pollution-has-passed-safe-limit-for-humanity-say-scientists

12 Hormone-Altering Chemicals and How to Avoid Them http://www.ewg.org/research/dirty-dozen-list-endocrine-disruptors

Scented candles: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/06/16/scented-candles-toxic-safer-options_n_7536410.html

Potassium Bromate in bread: http://www.ewg.org/research/potassium-bromate

New report finds heavy metals like arsenic and lead in 45 packaged fruit juices (2019): https://archive.fo/8PSzs

Environmental toxicants in breast milk of Norwegian mothers and gut bacteria composition and metabolites in their infants at 1 month (Feb 2019): https://microbiomejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40168-019-0645-2 "Environmental toxicant exposure may influence infant gut microbial function during a critical developmental window"

Chemical pollutants in the home degrade fertility in both men and dogs, study finds (Mar 2019): https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-03/uon-cpi030119.php Independent and combined effects of diethylhexyl phthalate and polychlorinated biphenyl 153 on sperm quality in the human and dog https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-39913-9

PBS - The stunning truth about asbestos use in the U.S. (Mar 2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOFioumFt3Y

Horrible pollution in Louisiana: PBS, Mar 2019: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4qQWoDCsEA

Rates of Parkinson’s disease are exploding. A common chemical (trichloroethylene (TCE)) may be to blame. Researchers believe a factor is a chemical used in drycleaning and household products such as shoe polishes and carpet cleaners in the US https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2021/apr/07/rates-of-parkinsons-disease-are-exploding-a-common-chemical-may-be-to-blame

'Forever chemicals' found in seafood, meats and chocolate cake, FDA says. Nearly half the meat and fish tested had double the advisory level for PFAS, chemicals linked to cancer and liver problems (June 2019) https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/03/chemicals-seafood-meat-chocolate-cake-pfas-fda-report

Journalist Sharon Lerner covers plastics, chlorpyrifos, PFOA "The Teflon Toxin", PFOS, and more (Sep 2019) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZbIDPisw1U

Administration of the antibiotics reduced the excretion of inorganic mercury in the faeces to 26% of that of control mice and also reduced the excretion of total mercury to 60%. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7342686 Methyl mercury decomposition in mice treated with antibiotics. (1981).

The gut microbiome is required for full protection against acute arsenic toxicity in mouse models (2018): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-07803-9

Flame retardants:

Flame-retardant chemicals used in furniture and gym mats could be making women infertile, suggests Harvard study published in Environmental Health Perspectives. More than 80% of women having IVF had traces of these chemicals in the urine. Those with high levels were 38% less likely to have a child. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/female-fertility-chemicals-gym-mats-furniture-threat-warning-study-flame-retardant-a7911091.html - https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/news/press-releases/chemicals-flame-retardants-pregnancy/

Flame Retardants & Pesticides Overtake Heavy Metals as Biggest Contributors to IQ Loss (Jan 2020) https://nyulangone.org/news/flame-retardants-pesticides-overtake-heavy-metals-biggest-contributors-iq-loss

Teflon:

Teflon Toxin Safety Level Should Be 700 Times Lower Than Current EPA Guideline (June 2019) https://theintercept.com/2019/06/18/pfoa-pfas-teflon-epa-limit/

Titanium Dioxide:

Precancerous growths in 40% of rats. Is added to skim milk: https://archive.fo/DlUUs

Plastic:

The Minderoo-Monaco Commission on Plastics and Human Health https://annalsofglobalhealth.org/articles/10.5334/aogh.4056 "It is now clear that plastics are also responsible for significant harms to human health, the economy, and the earth’s environment"

Landmark study links microplastics to serious health problems. (Mar 2024, n=304) https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00650-3 Microplastics and Nanoplastics in Atheromas and Cardiovascular Events.

Problems with plastic; toxicity, pollution. The Recycling Scam. The promotion of recycling has proven particularly useful to the industry in shifting responsibility for the waste to consumers, but much of what is “recycled” ends up in landfills or incinerators, and we’re well past the point where anything short of limiting production will alleviate the problem. (Jul 2019) https://theintercept.com/2019/07/20/plastics-industry-plastic-recycling/

Sperm counts are on the decline – could plastics be to blame? A recent study that tested both men and dogs added to concerns that chemicals in the environment are damaging the quality and quantity of sperm (May 2019) https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/may/24/toxic-america-sperm-counts-plastics-research

Prenatal Exposure to Plasticizers Linked to Motor Skill Deficiencies at Age 11 (Feb 2019): https://www.mailman.columbia.edu/public-health-now/news/prenatal-exposure-plastics-linked-motor-skill-deficiencies-age-11

Pregnant women warned of 80% increased risk of miscarriage from food heated in plastic (2013) https://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-health/10376043/Pregnant-women-warned-of-80pc-increased-risk-of-miscarriage-from-food-heated-in-plastic.html

AAP warns of plastics, with recommendations for consumers, health sector, and government (2018): http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/142/2/e20181408 Food Additives and Child Health. Discussion: https://archive.fo/C9tcS

Evidence linking pregnant women’s exposure to phthalates, found in plastic packaging and common consumer products, to altered cognitive outcomes and slower information processing in their infants, with males more likely to be affected. (Feb 2021) https://news.illinois.edu/view/6367/708605600

Phthalates and attributable mortality: A population-based longitudinal cohort study and cost analysis (Oct 2021) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0269749121016031 "Phthalate exposures were associated with all-cause and cardiovascular mortality"

Neurotoxicity of Ortho-Phthalates: Recommendations for Critical Policy Reforms to Protect Brain Development in Children (Mar 2021) https://ajph.aphapublications.org/doi/full/10.2105/AJPH.2020.306014

Epigenetic mechanism can explain how chemicals in plastic may cause lower IQ levels in children (May 2021, n=799) https://www.uu.se/en/press/press-release/?id=5528&typ=pm&lang=en

Chemical pollutants in the home degrade fertility in both men and dogs, study finds (Mar 2019): https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-03/uon-cpi030119.php Independent and combined effects of diethylhexyl phthalate and polychlorinated biphenyl 153 on sperm quality in the human and dog https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-019-39913-9

Study links high cholesterol, cardiovascular disease to plastics https://medicalxpress.com/news/2021-12-links-high-cholesterol-cardiovascular-disease.html Effects of Dicyclohexyl Phthalate Exposure on PXR Activation and Lipid Homeostasis in Mice (Dec 2021)

Plankton are eating the plastic dumped into the ocean. It bioaccumulates in the food chain when they get eaten. https://www.pbs.org/newshour/science/giant-plankton-eat-transport-plastic-ocean

And kills other ocean animals: https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/02/microplastics-killing-fish-before-they-reach-reproductive-age-study-finds - https://www.iflscience.com/environment/ocean-animals-%E2%80%98death-plastic%E2%80%99-could-be-occurring-more-frequently/

How plastic from clothing gets into seafood (2019): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beUhzQAkanM

Healthcare costs & how to avoid (3, 6, 7, PC, plastics): https://archive.fo/6uvQp

BPA:

Bisphenol A and human health: A review of the literature (2013): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.reprotox.2013.08.008

Daily exposure to BPA in amounts that are FDA-approved to be “safe” may still be altering insulin release and be enough to have implications for the development of Type 2 diabetes and other metabolic diseases, finds the first study of its kind. https://archive.fo/KCgCa (only 8 people). Experimental BPA Exposure and Glucose-Stimulated Insulin Response in Adult Men and Women (2018): https://doi.org/10.1210/js.2018-00151

BPA exposure has transgenerational effects on gene linked to autism, suggests a new study, which found that mice who were never exposed to BPA, but whose great grandmothers were exposed to BPA during pregnancy, showed autistic behavior. BPA is a common EDC used in plastics and food storage material. https://www.endocrine.org/news-room/2019/mouse-study-finds-bpa-exposure-has-transgenerational-effects-on-gene-linked-to-autism. Transgenerational Bisphenol A causes deficits in social recognition and alters post-synaptic density genes in mice (June 2019) https://doi.org/10.1210/en.2019-00196

Thermal paper, the kind that virtually every receipt is printed on is dusted with a BPA to help the ink develop https://archive.fo/tLp6v

CLARITY-BPA was supposed to resolve the conflict. But it hasn't. Laura Vandenberg, an associate professor at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, said her own analysis of the study data comes up with a different result — low doses of BPA are a problem. https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/09/13/647246241/study-bpa-safety

BPA-free plastic is just as toxic: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bpa-free-plastic-containers-may-be-just-as-hazardous/ and https://news.wsu.edu/2018/09/13/wsu-researchers-see-new-plastics-causing-reproductive-woes-old-plastics/ Replacement Bisphenols Adversely Affect Mouse Gametogenesis with Consequences for Subsequent Generations (2018): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.06.070

Feb 2020: https://news.missouri.edu/2020/think-all-bpa-free-products-are-safe-not-so-fast-scientists-warn/

After 2008, bisphenol F and S (BPF, BPS) were used to replace bisphenol A (BPA) in many plastics because BPA was shown to be an endocrine disruptor. Now, urine levels of BPF and BPS are significantly associated with a higher risk of obesity in kids aged 6-19. (July 2019) https://www.inverse.com/article/58021-are-bpf-or-bps-any-safer-than-bpa

BPA associated with obesity; alternatives not. But alternatives have other detrimental effects: https://archive.vn/wip/sJSMo

Microplastics:

Plastic Particles Can Alter Sex Hormones | Amid rising evidence that additives designed to improve plastics also disrupt sex hormones, trial shows that plastic itself can do likewise when inhaled at moderate levels. https://www.technologynetworks.com/tn/news/plastic-particles-can-alter-sex-hormones-372625 Single inhalation exposure to polyamide micro and nanoplastic particles impairs vascular dilation without generating pulmonary inflammation in virgin female Sprague Dawley rats (2023)

Tissue accumulation of microplastics in mice and biomarker responses suggest widespread health risks of exposure (2017) https://www.nature.com/articles/srep46687

A Detailed Review Study on Potential Effects of Microplastics and Additives of Concern on Human Health (Feb 2020) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7068600/

Microplastics Hurt Gut Health (Mar 2019): https://www.forbes.com/sites/linhanhcat/2019/03/11/microplastics-hurt-gut-health/

Nanoplastics alter intestinal microbiome and threaten human health. (Aug 2020) Insights into nanoplastics effects on human health https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-12/uadb-nai122120.php

PET microplastics affect human gut microbiota communities during simulated gastrointestinal digestion, first evidence of plausible polymer biodegradation during human digestion (Jan 2022) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-021-04489-w

Microplastics may alter our cell metabolism. https://www.zmescience.com/science/microplastics-may-alter-our-cell-metabolism/ Polystyrene microplastics induce an immunometabolic active state in macrophages (May 2021)

Review, Nov 2021: A rapid review and meta-regression analyses of the toxicological impacts of microplastic exposure in human cells https://www.zmescience.com/science/microplastics-human-health-09122021/ "found that four specific types of harm to human cells (cell death, damage to cell membranes and allergic response) were directly caused by the microplastic that people eat"

Microplastic contamination found in common source of groundwater, researchers report. A new study is the first to report microplastics in fractured limestone aquifers - a groundwater source that accounts for 25 percent of the global drinking water supply. (2019): https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-01/uoia-mcf012519.php

Microplastics found in every marine mammal surveyed in UK study. The research on 50 stranded creatures, including porpoises, dolphins, grey seals and a pygmy sperm whale, found an average of 5.5 particles in their guts, the most comprehensive analysis of microplastics in wild cetaceans and seals. (2019): https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/31/microplastics-found-every-marine-mammal-uk-study

Human Consumption of Microplastics (2019) https://pubs.acs.org/doi/full/10.1021/acs.est.9b01517 "we estimate that annual microplastics consumption ranges from 39000 to 52000 particles depending on age and sex. These estimates increase to 74000 and 121000 when inhalation is considered"

Researchers find microplastics in every human tissue studied (2020) https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-08/acs-man072320.php

For the first time, researchers say they found microplastics in the placenta (Dec 2020) https://www.ctvnews.ca/health/for-the-first-time-researchers-say-they-found-microplastics-in-the-placenta-1.5229706

Mouse study shows microplastics infiltrate blood brain barrier (Nov 2021) https://newatlas.com/environment/microplastics-blood-brain-barrier/

Microplastics can change soil properties and affect plant performance (April 2019): https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.9b01339

Synthetic fabrics, such as polar fleece and nylon, shed microscopic plastic fibres when washed. Synthetic clothing has released about 5.6 million tonnes of microfibres since 1950, polluting land and water alike. (Sep 2020) https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0237839

"Our results demonstrate for the first time that direct release of microfibers from garments to air as a consequence of wear is of equal importance to releases to water" (Feb 2020) https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.est.9b06892

Researchers found substantial amounts of microplastics in freshly fallen snow in Europe and the Arctic, indicating widespread dispersion of airborne microplastic. (Aug 2019) https://archive.ph/NGk9g

A large amount of city dust is microplastics [1][2][3][4][5][6].

Cosmetics, Makeup:

Teen girls see big drop in hormone-disrupting chemical exposure with switch in cosmetics: http://news.berkeley.edu/2016/03/07/cosmetics-chemicals/

Prenatal exposure to chemicals in personal care products may speed puberty in girls. Many personal care products contain chemicals that are known endocrine-disruptors. A new study shows that prenatal exposure to two common chemicals, diethyl phosphate and triclosan, may be linked to earlier puberty in girls. (2018): https://news.berkeley.edu/2018/12/03/prenatal-exposure-to-chemicals-in-personal-care-products-may-speed-puberty-in-girls/

Mercury: Mascara & Other Eye Makeup Exempt from Ban - Small amounts of mercury are used in mascara as a preservative & to prevent bacterial growth. Consumer advocates take issue with the FDA. "There is no justification a known neurotoxin should be allowed in any of these products.” (2013) http://healthland.time.com/2013/10/18/eye-on-mercury-mascara-exempt-from-ban/

Chemicals are not tested for long-term affects, could be carcinogenic & endocrine disrupting: http://www.cancer.org/cancer/cancercauses/othercarcinogens/athome/cosmetics

"There is effectively no regulation of cosmetics", unlike pharmaceutical companies, cosmetic companies are not required to notify the government of “adverse reaction” reports — even if someone dies: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/16/us/politics/cosmetics-industry-congress-regulation-wen.html - http://www.nytimes.com/2013/04/14/sunday-review/think-those-chemicals-have-been-tested.html

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration doesn’t approve cosmetics before they’re sold and has never levied a fine for selling fake aloe. That means suppliers are on an honor system. Fake Aloe Vera: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-11-22/no-evidence-of-aloe-vera-found-in-the-aloe-vera-at-wal-mart-cvs

Dark hair dye and chemical relaxers linked to breast cancer: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-breastcancer-hair-dyes-idUSKBN19X229 - https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2019/12/04/784838430/hair-dye-and-straightener-use-linked-to-higher-cancer-risk-especially-for-black-

Mixed Chemicals in Beauty Products May Harm Women’s Hormones https://chhs.gmu.edu/news/571246 - Exposure to bisphenol A, chlorophenols, benzophenones, and parabens in relation to reproductive hormones in healthy women: A chemical mixture approach (2018): https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envint.2018.07.028

The Food and Drug Administration issued a rare alert today, urging consumers to stop using certain cosmetics products from the national retailer Claire’s, after the agency found the deadly carcinogen asbestos in at least three different talc-based products. (Mar 2019): https://www.ewg.org/release/breaking-fda-finds-asbestos-claire-s-cosmetics-products-issues-safety-alert-consumers - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cexy-TPXAtY&t=598

Talc is an ingredient used in many cosmetics, from baby powder to blush. From time to time, FDA has received questions about its safety and whether talc contains harmful contaminants, such as asbestos. https://www.fda.gov/cosmetics/cosmetic-ingredients/talc

Johnson & Johnson Under Criminal Investigation For Concealing Cancer Risks Of Baby Powder (Jul 2019, talcum, asbestos) https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelsandler/2019/07/12/johnson--johnson-under-criminal-investigation-for-concealing-cancer-risks-of-baby-powder/

Heavy metals:

Turmeric:

All Turmeric from India & Bangladesh is contaminated with lead: https://archive.fo/bP7od - https://archive.fo/eX6qi - Swanson & other companies denying proof of testing: https://archive.fo/Tvp3I | Can buy from here: https://www.starwest-botanicals.com/category/curry-powder/ - Sports Research C3 lets you look up the 3rd party testing on their site with the lot number.

A new Stanford-led study reveals that turmeric—a commonly used spice throughout South Asia—is sometimes adulterated with a lead-laced chemical compound in Bangladesh, one of the world's predominant turmeric-growing regions. It's a potent neurotoxin considered unsafe in any quantity (Sep 2019) https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0013935119305195 "Turmeric adulteration was found to be driven by consumer demand for yellow roots"

Ground Turmeric as a Source of Lead Exposure in the United States (2017) https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5415259/

They're dyeing and polishing the roots with lead chromate: https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/yellow-dye-in-turmeric-linked-with-lead-poisoning-in-bangladesh-66854 - https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/09/28/turmeric-wellness-potion-moment-may-owe-its-yellow-color-lead-contamination-study-says/

In 2014 dry turmeric roots that had been boiled and polished but not ground had 3x as much lead as packaged powder samples: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5415259/ "If lead chromate is being used as an adulterant to polish turmeric roots before they are ground, it is plausible that the use of whole, unpeeled turmeric roots might avoid exposure to lead. Unfortunately, fresh turmeric is not available for purchase in many geographic regions"

Pollution:

The IPBES report noted that 300-400 million tonnes of industrial waste, such as heavy metals, toxic sludge, and solvents are put into the ocean each year. Fertilizers leak into coastal ecosystems and have caused over 400 dead zones, areas in which even the simplest of marine life cannot survive. An estimated 250,000 tonnes of plastic are also in the ocean. About 33% of fish populations are being harvested at unsustainable levels. http://thehappyneuron.com/2019/06/05/the-6th-great-extinction/

Air pollution:

Air pollution causes ‘huge’ reduction in intelligence, study reveals (2018): https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/aug/27/air-pollution-causes-huge-reduction-in-intelligence-study-reveals

Impact of air pollution on health may be far worse than thought, study suggests. Results chime with earlier review indicating almost every cell in the body may be affected by dirty air (Nov 2019, BMJ) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/nov/27/impact-of-air-pollution-on-health-may-be-far-worse-than-thought-study-suggests

Evidence from a new study indicates that supposedly safe levels of air pollution can actually be deadly. The research links the deaths of 200,000 military veterans to long-term exposure to ultra-fine particle pollution at levels below current Environmental Protection Agency acceptable limits. (Nov 2019, JAMA) https://www.pri.org/stories/2020-01-07/air-pollution-silent-killer-even-when-it-meets-epa-standards

Air pollution is responsible for shortening people's lives worldwide on a scale far greater than wars and other forms of violence, parasitic and insect-born diseases such as malaria, HIV/AIDS and smoking, according to a study published in Cardiovascular Research. (Mar 2020) https://www.escardio.org/The-ESC/Press-Office/Press-releases/The-world-faces-an-air-pollution-pandemic

"air pollution may be damaging ‘every organ in the body’" (May 2019): https://www.theguardian.com/environment/ng-interactive/2019/may/17/air-pollution-may-be-damaging-every-organ-and-cell-in-the-body-finds-global-review. Air Pollution and Noncommunicable Diseases.

A study finds that exposure to fine particulate matter in the first years of life is associated with poorer performance in working memory and executive attention https://www.isglobal.org/en/-/la-exposicion-a-la-contaminacion-atmosferica-antes-y-despues-del-nacimiento-podria-afectar-a-habilidades-cognitivas-fundamentales Association between Early Life Exposure to Air Pollution and Working Memory and Attention (May 2019) https://doi.org/10.1289/EHP3169

Air pollution and lung cancer: what more do we need to know? (2003): https://thorax.bmj.com/content/58/12/1010 "Exposure to air pollution is estimated to contribute to 62 000 lung cancer deaths per year worldwide—a large number of deaths, to be sure, but considerably less than the 712 000 deaths from non-malignant cardiac and respiratory disease attributable to air pollution"

Billions of air pollution particles found in hearts of city dwellers. Exclusive: Study shows associated damage to critical pumping muscles, even in children (July 2019) https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/jul/12/billions-of-air-pollution-particles-found-in-hearts-of-city-dwellers

Air pollution contributes to the deaths of an estimated 1.6 million people in China every year: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/08/14/world/asia/study-links-polluted-air-in-china-to-1-6-million-deaths-a-year.html

Kids who breathe more pollution have lower grades: https://archive.fo/mEXrG#selection-805.0-805.1

Prenatal and early life exposure to indoor air pollutants increases odds of toddler allergies, with candles, cats and tobacco smoke showing greatest impact, especially with the increase in the average amount of time indoors, suggests new study of 108 mother-child pairs followed from birth to age 2. (Nov 2019) https://acaai.org/news/prenatal-and-early-life-exposure-multiple-air-pollutants-increases-odds-toddler-allergies

Air pollution's negative affect on brain health: http://www.vox.com/2016/2/23/11094686/air-pollution-dementia – https://archive.fo/kzDqi#selection-1745.0-1745.91

Air pollution particles found in mothers' placentas. New research shows direct evidence that toxic air – already strongly linked to harm in unborn babies – travels through mothers’ bodies (Sep 2018) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/sep/16/air-pollution-particles-found-in-mothers-placentas

Our finding that black carbon (BC) particles accumulate on the fetal side of the placenta suggests that ambient particulates could be transported towards the fetus and represents a potential mechanism explaining the detrimental health effects of pollution from early life onwards. (Sept 2019) https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-019-11654-3

On average, an increase in pollution particles in the air of 10 micrograms per cubic meter cuts victims' life expectancy by 9-11 years - more than previously thought (plus more in comments): https://archive.fo/PqgS7#selection-1745.0-1745.190

Air pollution is as bad for pregnant women as smoking in raising the risk of miscarriage, according to a scientific study. They said the finding was upsetting and that toxic air must be cut to protect the health of the next generation. (2019): https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/jan/11/air-pollution-as-bad-as-smoking-in-increasing-risk-of-miscarriage

Air pollution may be leading cause of cancer (2013): https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/air-pollution-a-leading-cause-of-ca/

Microscopic particles in air pollution inhaled by pregnant women may damage fetal cardiovascular development. The study found that one exposure late in pregnancy can restrict maternal and fetal blood flow, which can continue to affect the child into adulthood. (Mar 2019): https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-03/ru-apm030819.php

California loses up to $1 billion in crops each year because of air pollution, according to research that looked at trends from 1980 to 2015. Table grapes — the kind for snacking — were the most vulnerable among seven crops badly affected by smog, including: wine grapes, strawberries, walnuts (Mar 2020) https://www.theverge.com/2020/3/16/21181725/air-pollution-california-crops-agriculture-1-billion

Indoor air pollution:

Polluted air killing half a million babies a year across globe. State of Global Air report says indoor air quality causing two-thirds of the deaths and affecting health in the womb (Oct 2020) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/oct/21/polluted-air-killing-half-a-million-babies-a-year-across-globe

Toxic ‘forever chemicals’ contaminate indoor air at worrying levels, study finds (Aug 2021, PFAS) https://www.theguardian.com/society/2021/aug/31/pfas-toxic-forever-chemicals-air-breathing

Remedies:

Installing air filters in classrooms has surprisingly large educational benefits - a few months of air filtering dramatically improves test scores (Jan 2020) https://www.vox.com/2020/1/8/21051869/indoor-air-pollution-student-achievement

High dose B vitamins may protect against harmful effects: http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-39231896

Water pollution:

Clean Water Act has been violated more than 506,000 times since 2004, by more than 23,000 companies and other facilities; 5,300 U.S. water systems are in violation of lead rules. The Safe Drinking Water Act is so out of date that the water Americans drink can pose what scientists say are serious health risks — and still be legal. Only 91 contaminants are regulated by the Act, yet more than 60,000 chemicals are used within the United States, according to EPA estimates: https://archive.li/SJsWY

Good PBS piece on lead. We wait for kids to get poisoned by lead before we do anything: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xmJJagNUDCk

TheRealNews piece on lead: https://therealnews.com/stories/bmore0414leadpt2 - no safe levels of lead, any exposure lowers IQ points, poor blacks exposed more. Variety of harms to adults, not just kids.

Newark's Water Crisis is One of Thousands That Are Worse Than Flint's. Lead poisoning is a public health emergency in poor working class communities across the United States, raising crime rates, causing school dropouts, filling our prisons and creating human tragedy. (Aug 2019) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ksQAmeFN7c

4 million Americans could be drinking toxic water and would never know. "Tiny utilities" - those serving only a few thousand people or less - don’t have to treat water to prevent lead contamination until after lead is found: http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/12/13/broken-system-means-millions-of-rural-americans-exposed-to-poisoned-or-untested-water/94071732

A USA Today investigation has identified "almost 2,000 additional water systems spanning all 50 states where testing has shown excessive levels of lead contamination over the past four years, and at least 180 of the water systems failed to notify consumers about the high lead levels as federal rules require." (2016): https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2016/03/11/nearly-2000-water-systems-fail-lead-tests/81220466/

Lead contamination of water in schools all around the country: http://www.motherjones.com/environment/2016/03/newark-baltimore-camden-bosteon-flint-public-schools-bottled-water-lead-contamination – http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2016/03/17/drinking-water-lead-schools-day-cares/81220916/

Lead in Portland school water system: http://www.kgw.com/news/health/high-lead-levels-found-at-all-11-pps-buildings-tested-so-far/268102018

More than 1,600 California school water fountains test positive for lead (Aug 2019) https://calpirg.org/blogs/news-briefs/cap/more-1600-california-school-water-fountains-test-positive-lead - https://kfbk.iheart.com/featured/sacramentos-latest-news/content/2019-07-01-drinking-water-lead-testing-deadline-arrives-in-ca-was-your-school-tested/

Lead levels in water at Ann Arbor schools spark concerns (2018): https://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2018/09/lead_levels_in_water_at_ann_ar.html

Lead contamination of public water systems across the country: https://archive.li/Uv3T0

Lead poisoning is widespread across the country and disproportionately affects the poor: http://act.colorofchange.org/sign/congress-durbin-lead-bill-2016

At least 33 US cities used water testing 'cheats' over lead concerns: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/02/lead-water-testing-cheats-chicago-boston-philadelphia

"NYC fudged records to show day care centers’ water was tested for lead, but no tests were performed. DOHMH — the agency that's required to inspect all 11,000 child care centers in New York City annually — had more or less given up on the task." (2016) http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-faked-day-care-centers-lead-water-level-test-records-article-1.2686760

Teflon, PFOA, PFAS contaminating water supply (Aug 2016): https://thinkprogress.org/millions-of-americans-may-be-drinking-toxic-water-harvard-study-finds-5778082bf7aa/

Housatonic River flowing through the West side of Massachusetts and Connecticut is contaminated with PCBs from industrial pollution: https://vimeo.com/417737294

As EPA stalls, 43 states have water sites contaminated with toxic chemicals. Michigan is by far the most impacted by PFAS contamination, followed by California and New Jersey. (May 2019): https://thinkprogress.org/water-toxic-chemicals-pfas-states-2f68b1c6b7f3/

U.S. drinking water widely contaminated with 'forever chemicals' (PFAS): environment watchdog (Jan 2020) https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-water-foreverchemicals/u-s-drinking-water-widely-contaminated-with-forever-chemicals-report-idUSKBN1ZL0F8

"higher concentrations of a particular PFAS correlated to greater rates of tooth decay in children" (Dec 2019) https://wvutoday.wvu.edu/stories/2020/02/06/chemical-found-in-drinking-water-linked-to-tooth-decay-in-children

PBS piece on 1,4-dioxane: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyLGdosrV6k

PBS piece on GEN X fluorochemical: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sMBeyqjyvuM

Another documentary and press articles on GEN X: https://archive.fo/m5CA1

23 Counties With the Most Contaminated Water https://archive.fo/Hm99h

Microplastic contamination found in common source of groundwater, researchers report. A new study is the first to report microplastics in fractured limestone aquifers - a groundwater source that accounts for 25 percent of the global drinking water supply. (2019): https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2019-01/uoia-mcf012519.php

Drug pollution in rivers reaching damaging levels for animals and ecosystems. Between 1995 and 2015 it found that rising concentrations of the drugs and the increasing number of water tables affected meant the risks to aquatic ecosystems are 10 to 20 times higher than two decades earlier. (Feb 2019): https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/drug-pollution-in-rivers-reaching-damaging-levels-for-animals-and-ecosystems-scientists-warn-a8792566.html

Drugs have dangerously polluted the world’s rivers, scientists warn. Pharmaceutical pollution poses ‘global threat to human and environmental health’, major study finds (Feb 2022) https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/feb/14/drugs-have-dangerously-polluted-the-worlds-rivers-scientists-warn

3/7/2019 update on Flint water situation, and info on Portland water contamination: https://archive.fo/yLV2d

Bottled water:

Is wasteful: https://archive.fo/66GXg

Wasteful and contaminated: https://archive.fo/WvPzB

Bottled water is 3,500 times worse for the environment than tap water, say scientists (2021) https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/08/05/bottled-water-is-3-500-times-worse-for-the-environment-than-tap-water-say-scientists

High levels of arsenic in bottled water sold at Whole Foods, Target, Walmart, study says (June 2019) https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/food/2019/06/20/penafiel-starkey-water-sold-target-whole-foods-has-high-arsenic/1513176001/ - https://www.consumerreports.org/water-quality/arsenic-in-some-bottled-water-brands-at-unsafe-levels/

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