Results from the largest study of its kind show that the risk of developing certain types of brain tumour are increased with the use of mobile/cell phones.

The worrying news has come out of research conducted by the International Agency for Research on Cancer which is part of the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Researchers report that the chances of developing a malignant tumour are "significantly increased" for people who have used a mobile phone for ten years or more.

Compounds found in perfumes, cosmetics, and other chemical products could contribute to infertility in the male offspring of mothers who use them during pregnancy new research suggests.

The study by researchers at Edinburgh University, Scotland provides further evidence that products based on synthetic chemicals such as perfumes and cosmetics are not innocuous fashion accessories or beauty products but are a potential danger to health.

The study led by Professor Richard Sharpe of the Medical Research Council's Human Reproductive Sciences Unit, based in Edinburgh, discovered a period between 8 and 12 weeks of pregnancy was critical to determining future reproductive problems. This is the time in the development of the male foetus when certain hormones are switched on and the reproductive system comes into being.

Bills which would see Bisphenol A and perfluorochemicals banned from products in the state of California have passed the state Senate and all required Assembly committees.

The legislation sponsored by Environmental Working Group (EWG), a non-profit organisation, would ban Bisphenol A (BPA) from baby bottles and children's cups through bill SB 1713 and would ensure food products are free from perfluorochemicals (PFCs) through bill SB 1313.

BPA is used to soften plastic and is an 'endocrine disrupter', in other words it interferes with hormones in the human body. PFCs are Teflon-like chemicals which are known to be carcinogenic (cancer-causing).

by Naomi Spencer
World Socialist Web Site

Approaching three years since the devastation of the US Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina, a public health nightmare continues for thousands of survivors who were housed in government-supplied trailers.

Many of the 300,000 residents who were relocated into housing provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have developed serious respiratory problems because of excessive levels of the industrial chemical and known carcinogen formaldehyde, according to a report by Spencer Hsu published May 25 in the Washington Post.

Some of the most seriously affected are infants and children, who have developed chronic asthma and require lifelong medical care. The cancer rates will not be known for at least a decade, according to health experts.