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A new study finds that fetal exposure to the plastic additive bisphenol A, or BPA, alters mammary gland development in primates. The finding adds to the evidence that the chemical can be causing health problems in humans and bolsters concerns about it contributing to breast cancer. "Previous studies in mice have demonstrated that low doses of BPA alter the developing mammary gland and that these subtle changes increase the risk of cancer in the adult," says Patricia Hunt, a geneticist in Washington State University's School of Molecular Biosciences. "Some have questioned the relevance of these findings in mice to humans....

WASHINGTON, March 10 (LID) – Federal regulators will decide this month whether to ban use of the synthetic chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) in all food packaging, officials said.

Ingredient of some plastics and food packaging can interfere with cardiac rhythm Bisphenol A toys with the female heart, a new study finds. And under the right conditions, its authors worry, this near-ubiquitous pollutant might even prove deadly. BPA is a building block of clear hard plastics, dental sealants and the resins lining food cans. Studies have shown that throughout the industrial world, nearly everyone regularly encounters the compound, albeit at trace concentrations. That’s small consolation, says Laura Vandenberg of Tufts University in Medford, Mass.: In the new BPA study, “the most effective dose was very close to — if...

A brewing ethical brouhaha at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel illustrates the hazards of politicized science reporting. In an era of partisan journalism, some have presumed that at least one area of reporting, science, was insulated from blatant bias. After all, there are facts, and it’s presumably easy to identify when data is being cooked. But that's naive, and a brewing ethical brouhaha at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel underscores how the public can be short-changed when ideology, ambition, or hubris takes precedence over a news organization’s public responsibility to report controversies in context.This incident erupted after a comprehensive review of plastic...

Advocacy groups targeting plastic products made with bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates took it on the chin last week.A comprehensive review by the German Society of Toxicology of thousands of studies on BPA concluded, “[BPA] exposure represents no noteworthy risk to the health of the human population, including newborns and babies.� The group, which included several scientists who have advised regulatory caution on BPA, bucked calls by advocacy groups to lower safe exposure levels.This is a huge development in this ongoing saga and a major endorsement of the scientific method. Over the past decade, German toxicologists had been among...

A month before the massive salmonella outbreak in eggs was discovered, one Democratic politician was warning another Democrat of the inherent dangers of holding up the "Food Safety Enhancement Act," legislation which very well could have reduced the harm of such an outbreak. A recall on eggs nationwide was announced after hundreds of people were sickened by salmonella that was found on the shells of the eggs. One benefit of the Food Safety Enhancement Act is that it will allow the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to order a mandatory recall of foods that are suspected to be tainted. Currently,...

The BPA MythEnvironmentalists are unbendable on plastics.  On Thursday, April 1, Time published a list of the “ten most common household toxins,� focused on plastics. It claimed, “Chemicals in plastics and other products seem harmless, but mounting evidence links them to health problems — and Washington lacks the power to protect us.� Top of the list was Bisphenol A, or BPA for short. BPA is an important ingredient in many of the plastic products that have made modern life inexpensive and convenient. BPA is used to make shatterproof water bottles, CDs, food and beverage cans, sporting equipment, eyeglass lenses, and...

LONDON (Reuters) – Exposure to a chemical found in plastic containers is linked to heart disease, scientists said on Wednesday, confirming earlier findings and adding to pressure to ban its use in bottles and food packaging. > The analysis also confirmed that BPA plays a role in diabetes and some forms of liver disease, said Melzer's team, who studied data on 1,493 people aged 18 to 74. > U.S. government toxicologists at the National Institutes of Health concluded in 2008 that BPA presents concern for harmful effects on development of the prostate and brain and for behavioral changes in fetuses,...

Last week, someone mentioned the Bisphenol A (BPA) leaching tendencies of canned tomatoes. That was all it took to send me on a tear. First, I looked deeper into the BPA issue. I’ve mentioned it before, and the battles over BPA content in plastics have gotten a lot of publicity, but after looking at the preponderance of evidence derived from recent animal trials, I’m not sure I can recommend using canned food at all anymore. Industry leaders say BPA is crucial for preventing direct contact between food and metal; they also say ditching the stuff would lead to far more...

The chemical Bisphenol A, which has been used for years in clear plastic bottles and food-can liners, has been restricted in Canada and some U.S. states and municipalities because of potential health effects. The Food and Drug Administration will soon decide what it considers a safe level of exposure to Bisphenol A (BPA), which some studies have linked to reproductive abnormalities and a heightened risk of breast and prostate cancers, diabetes, and heart disease. Now Consumer Reports' latest tests of canned foods, including soups, juice, tuna, and green beans, have found that almost all of the 19 name-brand foods we...

AP Science Writer Male factory workers in China who got very high doses of a chemical that's been widely used in hard plastic bottles had high rates of sexual problems, researchers reported Wednesday. Heavy exposure to BPA, or bisphenol A, on the job was linked to impotence and lower sexual desire and satisfaction, according to the study, which adds to concerns about BPA's effects on most consumers. The men in the study experienced BPA levels about 50 times higher than those faced by typical American men, said researcher Dr. De-Kun Li. "We don't know" whether more typical doses have similar...

Are chemicals in our environment masculinizing girls and feminizing boys? A growing body of scientific evidence suggests that this is the case, and one of the latest studies has linked exposure to a substance known as bisphenol A, or BPA, with aggressive behavior in girls. Liz Szabo reports on the research in USA Today, writing, “In the study of 249 pregnant women, the first to examine the effects of BPA on children's behavior, researchers found that girls ... were more likely to be aggressive if their mothers had high levels of BPA — an estrogen-like chemical used in many consumer...

Last month, the Statistical Assessment Service (STATS), a nonprofit, nonpartisan research organization affiliated with George Mason University, released "Science Suppressed: How America became obsessed with BPA," a report which accuses the media "of ignoring the extensive research of respected scientists and major health agencies in the United States and around the world, which found BPA was not only safe but played an important role in ensuring food safety."   It also confirms what countless previous studies have said; BPA is safe. If you're unfamiliar with Bisphenol A (BPA), it is a chemical used to make lightweight, versatile, durable, high-performance plastics.  It's...

Liberals have created a powerhouse propaganda machine that helped Moveon.org smear a four-star general, promotes endless environmental scares and brags it can place its left wing themes in the nation's leading newspapers. Fenton Communications pitches for trial lawyers, collectively the largest contributors to the Democrat Party, as well as for the hard line environmental group Greenpeace; Venezuela's socialist leader Hugo Chavez; anti-war demonstrator Cindy Sheehan; and gay and abortion advocates. Its account executives arrive from such left wing outposts as the office of ultra liberal Rep. Dennis Kucinich, abortion provider Planned Parenthood, the anti-Bush ACLU, Greenpeace and the news media....

Cumulative effects of phthalates and related compounds will be larger than effects measured one chemical at a time, reports a National Research Council panel On December 18, a National Research Council panel told the Environmental Protection Agency that sufficient data exist to begin assessing the potential health risks posed by phthalates, among the most ubiquitous pollutants on the planet. At the same time, the NRC panel strongly recommended that the agency adopt a “paradigm shift” in the way it assesses the chemicals’ toxicity to humans. Instead of evaluating each phthalate compound individually, EPA should begin assessing risks from likely combos...

A01 Despite more than 100 published studies by government scientists and university laboratories that have raised health concerns about a chemical compound that is central to the multibillion-dollar plastics industry, the Food and Drug Administration has deemed it safe largely because of two studies, both funded by an industry trade group. The agency says it has relied on research backed by the American Plastics Council because it had input on its design, monitored its progress and reviewed the raw data. The compound, bisphenol A (BPA), has been linked to breast and prostate cancer, behavioral disorders and reproductive health problems in...

Associated Press Substance found in everyday items linked to changes in rats’ behavior, brains and precancerous tendencies TORONTO — A ubiquitous chemical found in hard plastic water bottles, DVDs, CDs and hundreds of other common items came under increased pressure Friday when Canada labeled it dangerous and said it might ban its use in baby bottles. Health Canada made the announcement shortly after a U.S. company said it would stop selling hard-plastic Nalgene water bottles made with bisphenol A because of growing consumer concern over whether the chemical poses a health risk. Health Canada is the first regulatory body in...

In the 1967 film classic The Graduate, a businessman corners Benjamin Braddock at a cocktail party and gives him a bit of career advice. "Just one word…plastics." Although Benjamin didn't heed that recommendation, plenty of other young graduates did. Today, the planet is awash in products spawned by the plastics industry. Residues of plastics have become ubiquitous in the environment—and in our bodies. A federal government study now reports that bisphenol A (BPA)—the building block of one of the most widely used plastics—laces the bodies of the vast majority of U.S. residents young and old. Manufacturers link BPA molecules into...

Associated Press Health Concerns Resurface Over Chemical Used in Hard-Plastic Polycarbonate Water Bottles ROCHESTER, N.Y., Catching his breath at a fitness club, Matt McHugh took a gulp of water from his trusty, hard-plastic Nalgene bottle and pondered the idea of switching to an alternative made of glass, stainless steel or another kind of plastic. Worries about a hormone-mimicking chemical used in the trendy sports accessory led a major Canadian retailer to remove Nalgene and other polycarbonate plastic containers from store shelves in early December. "It's definitely a concern but I'd like to learn more before I make any decisions about...

An FBI sweep launched in Puerto Rico to prevent a "domestic terrorist attack" is eliciting widespread outrage on the island - and as far away as New York City - with critics accusing the agency of trying to use terrorism as a guise to turn public opinion against Puerto Rico's independence movement. The Friday morning raid on the U.S. commonwealth, which targeted five private homes and one business, was launched to prevent attacks from the Boricua Popular Army, the FBI said. The special agent in charge of the San Juan Division of the FBI, Luis Fraticelli, said the searches were...

First paragraph at end..... While the market hub known as Mid-C or Mid-Columbia is only seconds away from Southern California on the DC Intertie, Platt's reports that traders require a 31% risk margin for transactions in California's administered markets versus transactions in the Pacific Northwest's open markets. The language in the Office of Management and Budget proposal is not clear whether the intention is to raise BPA's wholesale rates to market rates on the West Coast or to bring rates to national levels. The proposal to bring rates to national levels would make little sense as a market solution, because...

<p>BEND, Ore. - Wholesale power rates may be higher this fall thanks to Oregon's fast-evaporating snowpack and low river levels.</p> <p>Those conditions could leave hydroelectric plants unable to produce much power, according to a spokesman from the Bonneville Power Administration, which operates 31 dams in the Pacific Northwest and sells electricity to utility companies.</p>

In October, we first told you about the noisy power lines that left residents from Monroe to Woodinville feeling as if they're living inside an electronic beehive. The buzzing started after the Bonneville Power Administration doubled the voltage on a 13-mile stretch of transmission line to handle future growth in Seattle and its suburbs. Last month, BPA workers in dangling handcarts used steel brushes and moss-killing agents to scrub away gunk and debris that had built up on a small test section of line. Initial readings showed the cleaning dampened the noise by roughly 15 percent. Cattle rancher Les Gilbert,...

News from the Front #74:   Halloween Special:  General Ripper Takes Over Seattle and BPA "I can no longer sit back and allow communist infiltration, communist indoctrination, communist perversion and the international communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious bodily fluids." General Jack Ripper, in Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)  What a difference a few decades make.  Forty years ago, it was the far Right that worried about contamination of our "precious bodily fluids" in ways easy to lampoon.  Now it is the far Left.  The only problem is...

PORTLAND - A federal appeals court on Tuesday rejected a lawsuit by Indian tribes and environmentalists who said the Bonneville Power Administration mismanaged fish and wildlife conservation programs by favoring energy development in the Northwest. The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Bonneville had followed proper procedure for drafting and managing conservation programs to balance energy needs with efforts to protect and restore salmon runs in the Columbia River Basin. A three-judge panel in San Francisco also said the Northwest Power Act ``does not require every BPA decision to treat fish and wildlife equitably'' as long as the federal...

All the armies of Europe, Asia, and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth in their military chests; with a Buonaparte for a commander, could not by force take a drink from the Ohio, or make a track on the Blue Ridge, in the trial of a thousand years. At what point then is the approach of danger to be expected? I answer, if it ever reach us, it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot, we ourselves must be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we...

<p>Electricity rates are likely to go up this fall, thanks to meager snowpacks in the Cascades and throughout the Columbia River basin.</p> <p>The lack of snow translates into low stream flows for power-generating dams.</p> <p>"The longer this dry winter continues, the prospects are very high that we will request a process to put a rate increase into effect," Bonneville Power Administration spokesman Bill Murlin said Wednesday. "That's not to say we will do it; it just says the chances are pretty good."</p>