Health

Common herbicide atrazine emasculates male frogs in study

African clawed frog (Photo: Columbia University)

Blame lawns. And Big Ag. A new study looking at the effects of the common pesticide atrazine has found that it emasculated three-quarters of the male frogs exposed to the chemical.

It turned one in ten of the male frogs into females.

The study suggests that a key reason for the vast worldwide decline of frogs could be their exposure to atrazine and similar pesticides. “The 75 percent that are chemically castrated are essentially ‘dead’ because of their inability to reproduce in the wild,” says Dr. Tyrone B. Hayes, a University of California-Berkeley professor and lead researcher of the study.

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Butt out! Smoking is both health and environmental risk

By Janna Vanderyt Tebbs

It’s not news that smoking is bad for you. In fact, tobacco use causes more deaths each year than human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), illegal drug use, alcohol use, motor vehicle injuries, suicides and murders combined. On top of that, we’ve all heard the risks of second-hand smoke. Not only is it a nuisance, but second-hand smoke poses serious health risks such as cancer, lung disease and heart disease. That’s right – you don’t even have to smoke to endanger your health, you just have to be breathing near someone else who’s smoking.

Even in the face of such staggering statistics and increasing social pressures (more states are passing legislation to create smoke-free public places), roughly 43.4 million adults in America continue to smoke, putting their health and the health and comfort of others around them at risk. And as if we need it, here’s one more reason to heap onto the reasons-to-kick-the-habit pile: Smoking is bad for the environment!

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Chocolate: How do we love thee? Let us count the ways

By Shermakaye Bass

Over the past year or so, there’s been a velvety, yummy buzz: Chocolate may just save the planet!

Divine Hearts are actually good for your heart

Actually, that’s a stretch. But in the months leading up to the Copenhagen climate talks last December, several chocolate-makers claimed they were venturing further into fair trade practices, including Nestle, Mars and Cadbury.

Add to that the promising method of “cabruca farming” in Brazil — a way of supplementing rainforests with valuable cacao plants to offset wholesale slash-and-burn techniques. Then multiply those happy developments by now-abundant data showing that chocolate — dark chocolates and bittersweets, specifically — are good for our health, and you’ve got a growing body of evidence that semi-sweet, Fair Trade chocolate is not only good for body, heart and soul; it could be good for the environment.

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Fish, mercury and your health

USGS scientists collecting fish from the St. Marys River near MacClenny, Fla., for the National Fish Mercury Model data base. (Photo: USGS)

By Steve Beck

Eating fish and shellfish generally is very good for you. Fish and shellfish contain omega-3 fatty acids (good for the heart, among other benefits), high-quality protein and other important nutrients, and are low in saturated fat. Experts recommend that women and young children, in particular, should include fish and shellfish in their diets.

Eating mercury, on the other hand, can be very bad for you. It can harm the brain and nervous system — especially while they are still developing, as in a fetus or young child. In addition, ingested mercury tends to build up in the body and stay for prolonged periods. Children, and women who are pregnant or may become pregnant within a year or so, should particularly avoid foods containing mercury.

Unfortunately, mercury can be found throughout the Earth’s water supply and the food chain, and at least trace amounts are present in nearly all fish and shellfish. So how can we enjoy the nutritional benefits of seafood without poisoning ourselves?

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Quenching your thirst: Bottled water vs. tap water

(Photo: International Bottled Water Association)

By Sarah Beck

Drinking enough water each day prevents dehydration and helps our bodies function. With all of the water options available to help keep us hydrated — from tap water to a variety of bottled water brands — it’s difficult to decide which option is better for your health. And, is bottled water better for you than tap water?

Water varies by taste and quality, as well as other factors. That said, if your tap water meets the standards of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or your bottled water meets U.S. Federal Drug Administration standards, it generally is safe to drink.

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Movement urges kids to get out there for a green hour

Photo: Charlie Archambault

By Ashley Phillips

In 2007, the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) launched Green Hour, a campaign that encourages children to have 60 minutes of unstructured play outside. The campaign has since branched out into NWF’s “Be Out There” movement. “Be Out There” officially kicked off last October in association with the movie Where the Wild Things Are. Sponsored by Wild Birds Unlimited and the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, “Be Out There” seeks to inspire and connect children with the great outdoors.

“National Wildlife Federation’s Be Out There campaign engages families, schools, communities and policy makers to give back to American children what they don’t even know they’ve lost: their connection to the natural world,” said Rebecca Garland, executive director of NWF’s Connecting People with Nature.

According the NWF’s website, the average American child now spends only four to seven minutes each day playing outside. This is half the amount of time that their parents’ generation spent outdoors. The negative health risks that are associated with this change are scary; the statistics are thoroughly documented.

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Pomme Bébé delivers organic baby food

From KABC — Los Angeles

Pomme Bébé is an organic baby food store located in Newport Beach. With a team of professional chefs, Pomme Bébé peels, steams and purées wholesome fruits and vegetables making nutritious baby and toddler baby meals. For the busiest of parents, Pomme Bébé delivers nationally. By placing your order online, freshly made organic baby food will be delivered to your front door in environmentally friendly packaging.

For more information or to order online, visit: www.pommebebe.com

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Help contain plastics by knowing your plastic containers

By Kelly Rondeau

It’s the holiday season, and along with the many joys that are associated with this fun time of year – cooking, baking, parties with friends and family – comes a lurking environmental problem: Toxic chemicals in everyday plastics. Plastics that seem to be everywhere in our holiday midst — in the packaging of toys, the toys themselves, our food packaging, in our holiday leftover storage containers, in plastic wrap, in water bottles — and the list goes on.

Many valid health concerns have been raised about poisonous chemicals present in our everyday plastics, and the headlines about these toxins leaching into our food are frightening. A recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation found, for instance, that food containers labeled as “microwave safe” leached BPA when heated.

Just this fall, a scientific advisory panel set up specifically to review the Food and Drug Administration’s assessment of Bisphenol A (BPA), a plastic additive, concluded that the agency had ignored scientific evidence and used flawed methods when determining that it was safe.

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Growing evidence suggests climate change affects infectious disease transmission

From Green Right Now Reports

An emerging body of evidence suggests that the changing global climate is already affecting infectious disease transmission patterns. At a symposium today at the 58th annual meeting of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene in Washington D.C., experts reported that such changes are expected to have a profound impact on global public health.

“There is concrete evidence that the global climate is changing, and these changes are expected to greatly impact human health as surface temperatures rise, agricultural belts shift, and extreme weather events become more commonplace,” Mary H. Hayden, Ph.D. of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder, Colo., said in a statement. “Although most scientists agree that climate change is underway, the role it plays in infectious disease transmission is still in contention. The evidence presented today suggests that climate change will exacerbate the challenges of controlling infectious diseases in the developing world.”

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Chemicals (PFCs) found in an array of consumer goods linked to high cholesterol

Jessica Nelson, one of the authors of a new study of chemicals' impact on cholesterol

By Melissa Segrest

Man-made chemicals that have long made life easier for everyone from cooks to clothiers are getting another round of scientific scrutiny. They may be related to unhealthy levels of cholesterol, a new study suggests.

The chemicals are PFCs, and they’ve already been proven problematic. The Environmental Protection Agency and the top producers of one PFC (perfluoroalkys) have agreed to eliminate its use and emissions worldwide by 2015.

Even if they were eradicated tomorrow, the researchers at Boston University School of Public Health point out that some PFCs linger in the body a long time – one has a half-life of up to 8½ years.

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