Free Republic

Consumer Reports found dangerous heavy metals in chocolate from Hershey's, Theo, Trader Joe's, and other popular brands. Here are the ones that had the most, and some that are safer.... Consumer Reports scientists recently measured the amount of heavy metals in 28 dark chocolate bars. They detected cadmium and lead in all of them.... For 23 of the bars, eating just an ounce a day would put an adult over a level that public health authorities and CR’s experts say may be harmful for at least one of those heavy metals. Five of the bars were above those levels for...

Women with a history of endometriosis had higher concentrations of cadmium in their urine compared to those without that diagnosis, according to a study that suggests the toxic metal could be linked to the development of endometriosis. Affecting one in 10 reproductive-age women, endometriosis is a gynecologic condition in which tissue that looks like the lining of the uterus, or womb, appears outside the uterus. Those with endometriosis can experience chronic, painful and debilitating symptoms. Cadmium is a toxic metal and a "metalloestrogen," meaning it can act like the hormone estrogen. People are commonly exposed to cadmium by breathing in...

Dark chocolate has a reputation as a relatively healthy treat, but research showing some popular bars might have potentially unsafe levels of heavy metals has many questioning how safe these treats are. Consumer Reports tested 28 popular dark chocolate bars from Seattle’s own Theo Chocolate to Trader Joe’s, Hershey’s to Ghirardelli, and even smaller brands such as Alter Eco and Mast. The study found cadmium and lead in every single bar. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, Consumer Reports last month called on chocolate makers to commit by Feb. 14 to reducing levels of heavy metals in their bars. The...

FTC WARNED INVESTORS OFF HUGE DOLLAR GAINS/TAKE 3Jan 27, 2005 - FreeMarketNews.comby Chris MackWashington’s regulators are supposed to stand up for the little guy. Maybe they also help the little guy stay that way. In the last decade, under the pretense of protecting people from losing their shirts, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) released warnings about indium and other strategic metal investing “scams.” Some of these warnings haven’t been updated since - and in any event they are all over the ‘Net. Anyone with a computer and Google can type in “fraud” and “indium” and come up with the following:...

Solar panels create 300 times more toxic waste per unit of electricity generated than nuclear power plants, according to a Thursday report from the pro-nuclear group Environmental Progress (EP). The report found that solar panels use heavy metals, including lead, chromium and cadmium, which can harm the environment. The hazards of nuclear waste are well known and can be planned for, but very little has been done to mitigate solar waste issues.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – Anger was mounting Monday at the federal Environmental Protection Agency over the massive spill of millions of gallons of toxic sludge from a Colorado gold mine that has already fouled three major waterways and may be three times bigger than originally reported. An 80-mile length of mustard-colored water -- laden with arsenic, lead, copper, aluminum and cadmium -- is working its way south toward New Mexico and Utah, following Wednesday's accidental release from the Gold King Mine, near Durango, when an EPA cleanup crew destabilized a dam of loose rock lodged in the mine. The crew was...

A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld the Environmental Protection Agency's first emission standards for mercury and other hazardous air pollutants from coal- and oil-fired power plants. In its ruling, the court rejected state and industry challenges to rules designed to clean up chromium, arsenic, acid gases, nickel, cadmium as well as mercury and other dangerous toxins. The EPA’s determination in 2000 that regulating emission standards is appropriate and necessary, and the agency’s reaffirmation of that determination in 2012, “are amply supported by EPA’s findings regarding the health effects of mercury exposure,” said the court. Congress did not specify what...

Research reported recently by the Associated Press found that lead and cadmium were present in cartoon character drinking glasses. Now a new study has found that many other items available for purchase throughout the United States – such as toys, home décor items, salvage, kitchen utensils and jewelry – contain surface lead concentrations more than 700 times higher than the federal limit.

The decorative enamel on the superhero and Oz sets - made in China and purchased at a Warner Brothers Studios store in Burbank - contained between 16 percent and 30.2 percent lead. The federal limit on children's products is 0.03 percent. The same glasses also contained relatively high levels of the even-more-dangerous cadmium, though there are no federal limits on that toxic metal in design surfaces.

Cadmium. Sounds like a super cool name for a new car, doesn't it? Wow, here the voiceover on the commercial: "Be the first on your block to drive the new Cadmium." Actually, you likely would not want to because of what that name means. According to HealthLine.com, Cadmium can be very toxic, and is dangerous if it is swallowed or inhaled. It is used in a large number of industrial applications. In the United States, over 10 million pounds of cadmium are used industrially every year. While spontaneous recovery from mild cadmium exposure is common, doses as low as 10...

McDonald's Pulls Tainted 'Shrek' Glasses Collectors Glasses Painted With Toxic Cadmium Scott Olson/Getty Images Related Stories/Links CADMIUM JUSTIN PRITCHARD, Associated Press Writer Posted: 11:29 pm PDT June 3, 2010 Updated: 2:24 am PDT June 4, 2010 LOS ANGELES -- Cadmium has been discovered in the painted design on "Shrek"-themed drinking glasses being sold nationwide at McDonald's, forcing the burger giant to recall 12 million of the cheap U.S.-made collectibles while dramatically expanding contamination concerns about the toxic metal beyond imported children's jewelry. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which announced the voluntary recall early Friday, warned consumers to immediately stop

Collectors Glasses Painted With Toxic Cadmium LOS ANGELES -- Cadmium has been discovered in the painted design on "Shrek"-themed drinking glasses being sold nationwide at McDonald's, forcing the burger giant to recall 12 million of the cheap U.S.-made collectibles while dramatically expanding contamination concerns about the toxic metal beyond imported children's jewelry. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, which announced the voluntary recall early Friday, warned consumers to immediately stop using the glasses; McDonald's said it would post instructions on its website next week regarding refunds. The 16-ounce glasses, being sold for about $2 each as part of a promotional...

The glasses were manufactured by ARC International of Millville, N.J. The culprit at this time seems to be the paint and the paint contains excessive amounts of cadmium. While reports say that the paint is testing only a little over the recommended levels of cadmium, McDonald's is playing it safe and recalling all

AP IMPACT: Toxic metal in kids' jewelry from China By JUSTIN PRITCHARD, Associated Press Writer Sunday, January 10, 2010 at 11:22 a.m. LOS ANGELES — Barred from using lead in children's jewelry because of its toxicity, some Chinese manufacturers have been substituting the more dangerous heavy metal cadmium in sparkling charm bracelets and shiny pendants being sold throughout the United States, an Associated Press investigation shows. The most contaminated piece analyzed in lab testing performed for the AP contained a startling 91 percent cadmium by weight. The cadmium content of other contaminated trinkets, all purchased at national and regional chains...

SNIPPET: "After the 4 July DDoS attacks, wrongly attributed to North Korea, it’s wise to treat reports of DPRK security hacks with some caution. Nevertheless, The Korea Times reports the following: Classified Info on Dangerous Chemicals Hacked Hackers stole classified information on dangerous chemicals in their raid on the South Korean army computer network in what was believed to be an attack by North Korea, Yonhap News Agency reported Saturday, quoting government officials." SNIPPET: "The Sydney Morning Herald adds more information: A North Korea cyber warfare unit hacked into a South Korean military command earlier this year and stole some...

(Cape Town) - Jobs on pineapple farms and at two canning factories in the Eastern Cape are at risk after a consignment of 100 tons of canned pineapples was discovered to contain the heavy metal cadmium, found in a fertiliser from China. Allen Duncan, the chairman of the Pineapple Association in East London, which represents 40 farmers, said cadmium was not dangerous to humans in small quantities, but was toxic in larger doses. The cadmium levels found in the exported canned pineapples exceeded the maximum of 0.05 part per million (ppm) deemed permissible by the EU. The US, Australia and...

UW study finds higher risk University of Wisconsin researchers have linked high levels of cadmium in the body to a higher risk of breast cancer. The findings show that the toxic heavy metal may be a factor, but more study is necessary, said Jane McElroy, Ph.D., lead author of the study at the UW Comprehensive Cancer Center. The study did not prove that cadmium causes breast cancer, she said, but it did show that women with the top 25 percent of cadmium levels had twice the breast cancer risk of women in the lowest 25 percent of cadmium levels. The...

The southern Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou was ordered to prepare to start emergency plans to ensure safe drinking water supplies as a toxic cadmium slick approached the city of 10 million residents. The local Guangdong provincial government issued the order to Guangzhou and neighbouring Foshan city, the Xinhua news agency said. The incident follows a chemical spill in a river in northeast China last month that left millions without water for four days, highlighting the seriousness of water pollution in China and raising questions about Beijing's ability to handle its rapid pace of development. The latest toxic slick was caused...

Most companies are responding to the European directives to remove lead (and other toxic substances) from their products, while others still try to figure it out. For most of the industry, lead-free means home free. At least for a while. You have likely heard by now that the European Union (EU) adopted a new directive called Restrictions on Hazardous Substances (RoHS). It eliminates or significantly reduces the use of certain substances from electronic products beginning July 1, 2006.If you haven't already done so, now might be a good time to remove most of the lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), mercury (Hg),...

Filed at 7:27 p.m. ET LOS ANGELES (AP) -- An environmental group sued chocolate manufacturers Wednesday, contending chocolate contains potentially hazardous levels of lead and cadmium and should carry warning labels. The suit, by the nonprofit American Environmental Safety Institute, alleges chocolate products expose consumers -- especially children -- to potentially dangerous levels of the metals. A state investigation last year discounted the lawsuit's claims, and U.S. Food and Drug Administration researchers have found children younger than 6 who eat lots of chocolate take in 6 percent or less of the total daily amount of lead allowable by law. An...