A reprinted review surveys engineered nanomaterials such as silver, silicon dioxide, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide used in food packaging, processing and supplements, their toxicity profiles, and evidence that eating them may harm gut health and cause systemic toxicity.
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Page 8 of 28
Chemical
Chemical hazards: fluoride, pesticides, BPA and other contaminants.
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Chemical
What's the Deal with Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)?
The Glutamate Association released an animated video, funded by Ajinomoto, explaining umami and glutamate and countering myths about monosodium glutamate. Executive director Lisa Watson says it gives viewers grounding to judge what they read online for themselves.
Chemical
Big Victory & U.S. Congressman Opposes Fluoridation
The Bucks County Water & Sewer Authority switched to a non-fluoridated supplier on July 1, ending fluoridated water for about 385,000 people in southeastern Pennsylvania. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher separately said he opposes fluoridation, framing it as a question of who decides what goes into our bodies.
Chemical
Low doses of arsenic cause cancer in male mice
NIH researchers gave mice arsenic in drinking water at 50, 500 and 5,000 ppb from before breeding through adulthood, and the adult offspring developed lung cancer. Fifty ppb is the lowest concentration yet tested in an animal study.
Chemical
Chemical Goliaths
An Environmental Working Group fundraising appeal urging readers to act before the EPA's June 30 comment deadline on Dow's Enlist Duo, a mix of 2,4-D and glyphosate. EWG says 2,4-D has been linked to hormone disruption, cancer and Parkinson's disease.
Chemical
Food dyes may not be as safe as thought
A UCLA-led review finds none of the nine food dyes approved in the U.S. adequately proven safe: Red 3 causes cancer in animals, Red 40 and Yellows 5 and 6 have been found contaminated with carcinogens, and Yellow 5 is genotoxic. It urges replacing them with safer colorings.
Chemical
Silica may cause fetal kidney disease
A survey of studies tying silica exposure to kidney damage: more nephritis and nephrosis deaths among mineral fiber workers, more end-stage renal disease in exposed men, and excess albumin excretion in Singapore granite workers. Synthetic silica is common in food and supplements.
Chemical
Titanium dioxide may cause chronic damage
A study found titanium dioxide nanoparticles crossed gut epithelium in vivo and ex vivo and changed its permeability. The authors say the particles would persist in gut cells and possibly cause chronic damage. Some supplement makers have stopped using the additive.
Chemical
Shiitake mushroom high in toxic arsenic
A Food Chemistry study found shiitake products carry mostly toxic inorganic arsenic, at up to 1.38 mg per kg, across fresh, canned, dried and supplement forms. The authors say shiitake should not be ignored where intake is high; an editor's note suggests occasional use is likely fine.
Chemical
Study Claiming Fluoride Does Not Lower IQ is Flawed
The Fluoride Action Network argues a New Zealand study in the American Journal of Public Health clearing fluoridation of any effect on IQ is flawed, citing its small unfluoridated group of 99 against 891 fluoridated subjects and 139 subjects whose fluoride tablet use is unreported.
Chemical
High Cholesterol Levels Lower Fertility
In the NICHD-led LIFE study of 501 couples, those with higher total cholesterol had lower pregnancy rates or took longer to conceive than couples with lower levels, which the researchers say suggests lifestyle may affect conception.
Chemical
Recent Evidence Regarding Triclosan and Cancer Risk
A commentary in the International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health reviews human triclosan exposure and cancer evidence. The authors say recent evidence suggests the antibacterial may play a role in cancer development, perhaps through estrogenicity.
Chemical
Oxidized cholesterol damages men's fertility
Rats fed oxidized LDL cholesterol for 14 weeks had smaller sex organs, and those with high serum oxidized cholesterol had much lower sperm counts and lower FSH, LH and testosterone, an Iranian study reports. Non-oxidized LDL did not affect spermatogenesis or organ weight.
Chemical
Acrylamide exposure impairs blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier function
Yanshu Zhang and colleagues at Hebei United University report in Neural Regeneration Research that acrylamide exposure damages the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier and impairs its secretory and transport functions, changes that may underlie acrylamide's neurotoxicity.
Chemical
How Sweet It Is: All About Sugar Substitutes
FDA has approved advantame, a high-intensity sweetener cleared as a food additive and flavor enhancer for uses from baked goods and soft drinks to jams and frozen desserts, but not meat or poultry. FDA's Andrew Zajac explains how such sweeteners add few or no calories.
Chemical
Three Fluoride-Free Victories & Exciting Conference Update
Three more US communities ended fluoridation: Boyne City, Michigan voted 3-2, while Buffalo and Union, Missouri cited corrosion damage to pipes and equipment. More than 135 have stopped since 2010. Oregon also fined Intel $143,000 for failing to disclose fluoride emissions.
Chemical
EPA proposes to approve toxic 2,4-D for Dow's GE crops
The EPA has opened a public comment period on approving 2,4-D for Dow Chemical's genetically engineered corn and soybeans. The piece urges readers to object, citing links between 2,4-D and cancer, Parkinson's, endocrine disruption, and dioxin contamination.
Chemical
The Arrogance of Fluoridation
A letter to readers sets out the case against artificial water fluoridation: fluoride is not a nutrient, formula-fed infants get far more than breastfed ones, it accumulates in bone for decades, and once it is in the supply no one controls the dose or who receives it.
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