A CDC official makes the case for handwashing as one of the most effective defenses against foodborne illness, then walks through the method: wet, lather and scrub for 20 seconds including nails, rinse and dry, plus a list of the moments when it matters most.
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Page 38 of 47
Food Safety
Contaminants, chemicals, genetically engineered food and what is really in the food supply.
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Chemical
High fluoride intake may boost risk of forearm fracture
Feskanich and colleagues measured toenail fluoride in 62,641 women in the Nurses' Health Study. Those in the highest quartile had a 60 percent higher risk of forearm fracture than those in the lowest, though they were also 20 percent less likely to break a hip.
Chemical
EPA wants less fluoride in water, but do we need any of the chemical?
HHS and the EPA now recommend fluoridating water at 0.7 milligrams per liter rather than the old 0.7 to 1.2 range, with 30 days for public comment before the rule is final. The piece notes fluorosis, the Fluoride Action Network's list of concerns, and the long-running dispute.
Biological
Prevent the Spread of Norovirus
CDC estimates norovirus causes more than 20 million cases of acute gastroenteritis a year in the US, about 1 in 15 Americans, plus over 70,000 hospitalizations and more than 500 deaths. There is no vaccine and no drug treatment, so handwashing is the main defense.
GMO
Are YOU a GMO Dragon Slayer?
The writer argues that consumer rejection is the biotech industry's weak point, citing Europe's 1999 turnaround, and lists campaign wins against GM rice, wheat and bovine growth hormone as the industry pushes GM alfalfa, sugar beets and fish in the US.
Biological
Salami products linked to salmonella outbreak
An MMWR report on a multistate Salmonella Montevideo outbreak traced to salami made with contaminated imported black and red pepper: 272 cases across 44 states and the District of Columbia, with illness onsets from July 2009 to April 2010.
Chemical
Chromium-6 is on tap in drinking water across America
Tests commissioned by the Environmental Working Group detected carcinogenic chromium-6 in 31 of 35 tap water samples from cities across the country. EWG says 74 million Americans in 42 states drink chromium-polluted water and links chromium-6 to stomach and gastrointestinal cancers.
Biological
Basics About Listeria
A primer on Listeria: it grows even at refrigerator temperatures and turns up in soft cheeses, unpasteurized milk, deli meats and hot dogs. Pregnant women are 20 times more likely than other healthy adults to be infected, and prompt antibiotics can often protect the fetus.
Biological
'Tis the season for foodborne illness
New CDC estimates attribute 9.4 million of the 48 million annual US foodborne illnesses to 31 known pathogens, with the rest from unspecified agents. FoodNet data show a 20 percent drop in illnesses from key pathogens over 10 years. FDA's Hamburg pressed for new food safety legislation.
Chemical
Tuna and mercury: New tests by Consumer Reports
Consumer Reports found measurable mercury in every sample of canned and pouched tuna it tested, from 0.018 to 0.774 parts per million, with white albacore usually far higher than light tuna. The EPA says one weekly serving of white tuna could give women and children an unsafe dose.
Chemical
Is Wildlife Meat Really Safe and Organic?
Lead fragments and wildlife diseases such as Chronic Wasting Disease make hunted meat less safe than other meat, not more, this piece argues against Sarah Palin's claim that hunting yields wild, organic, healthy food. The CDC has reported fatal neurologic illness after wild game feasts.
GMO
GMOs in Food
A May 2010 tally of genetically modified crops in the US — soy at 91%, sugar beets 90%, canola 88%, corn 85%, cotton 71% — plus the derived ingredients, additives and animal products that may carry GM material, and the packaged foods likely to contain them.
GMO
GMO: Health Risks
The American Academy of Environmental Medicine points to animal studies tying GM food to infertility, immune problems and organ changes, and asks doctors to advise patients to avoid it. The piece says political appointees shaped the FDA's 1992 no-testing policy over scientists' warnings.
GMO
GMO: Higher Risks for Children
An argument that children face the greatest risk from GM foods: fast-developing bodies, three to four times the allergy rate of adults, and diets heavier in corn. It cites independent feeding studies in which young rats showed immune, digestive and organ damage after 10 days.
Biological
What are some food safety tips?
Where to get free federal food safety publications from the FCIC and USDA, plus what FoodSafety.gov, the Food Safety and Inspection Service, the CDC and the FDA each cover, from recalls and alerts to foodborne disease surveillance.
Chemical
Carcinogen in fries linked to breast cancer in younger women
A UK Women's Cohort Study analysis in the British Journal of Cancer found dietary acrylamide, a carcinogen present in fries and chips, was not linked to breast cancer overall but, after adjustment, was associated with a 20 percent higher risk in premenopausal women. The authors call the link weak.
Food Safety
Surgical Mishaps Still a Problem
A Joint Commission study of 23,370 self-reported adverse events in Colorado from 2002 to 2008 counted 25 wrong-patient surgeries and 107 wrong-site procedures, 43 of which significantly harmed patients, six years after the Universal Protocol took effect.
Chemical
Fries, chips linked to breast cancer - new study
Among 62,573 Dutch women followed 13 years, the highest acrylamide intakes showed no link to overall breast cancer risk. Receptor-positive cases rose among never-smokers, but not significantly. The study is observational and cannot show that acrylamide-rich foods raise risk.
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