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As days go by, food in Japan doesn't look very appetizing, to say the least. 1. Radioactive mandarin orange from Kanagawa Prefecture Radioactive cesium was found from the edible part of mandarin oranges (which in the US are called "satsuma" for some reason) and the skin. Security Tokyo is a private testing laboratory that uses the high-precision germanium semiconductor detector, not one of those fly-by-night testing "laboratories" cropping up in Japan (like the one who claimed to have "measured" high radioactive "iodine" in the snow in Hachioji. Totally false. Did I write about it? I don't remember...) But here's the...

FRIDAY, Oct. 14 (HealthDay News) -- One in six cellphones in Britain may be contaminated with fecal matter that can spread E. coli, likely because so many people don't wash their hands properly after using the toilet, a new study contends. The findings also suggest that many people lie about their hygiene habits, according to the researchers at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Queen Mary, University of London. The study authors went to 12 cities and collected 390 samples from the cellphones and hands of volunteers, who were also asked about their hand-washing habits. Ninety-five percent...

Fukushima residents dump radiated soil in absence of plan Tue Jul 5, 2011 1:33am GMT By Antoni Slodkowski FUKUSHIMA, Japan (Reuters) - They scoop up soil from their gardens and dump it in holes dug out in parks and nearby forests, scrub their roofs with soap and refuse to let their children play outside. More than three months after a massive earthquake and tsunami triggered a nuclear meltdown at a nearby power plant, Fukushima residents are scrambling to cope with contamination on their own in the absence of a long-term plan from the government. "Everything and everyone here is paralysed...

Campaigners in Japan are asking people to grow sunflowers, said to help decontaminate radioactive soil, in response to the Fukushima nuclear disaster that followed March's massive quake and tsunami. Volunteers are being asked to grow sunflowers this year, then send the seeds to the stricken area where they will be planted next year to help get rid of radioactive contaminants in the plant's fallout zone. The campaign, launched by young entrepreneurs and civil servants in Fukushima prefecture last month, aims to cover large areas in yellow blossoms as a symbol of hope and reconstruction and to lure back tourists. "We...

Residents' urine now radioactive Fukushima Kyodo More than 3 millisieverts of radiation has been measured in the urine of 15 Fukushima residents of the village of Iitate and the town of Kawamata, confirming internal radiation exposure, it was learned Sunday. Both are about 30 to 40 km from the Fukushima No. 1 power plant, which has been releasing radioactive material into the environment since the week of March 11, when the quake and tsunami caused core meltdowns. "This won't be a problem if they don't eat vegetables or other products that are contaminated," said Nanao Kamada, professor emeritus of radiation...

High radiation found on seabed in 300-km stretch off Fukushima Saturday 28th May, 05:07 AM JST TOKYO — Radiation levels up to several hundred times normal have been detected on the Pacific seabed in a 300-kilometer-long area off the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant, the science ministry said Friday. The ministry said high-level radioactive materials were detected on the seabed in a north-south stretch ranging from Kesennuma, Miyagi Prefecture, to Choshi, Chiba Prefecture, and warned the contamination could affect the safety of seafood.

The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine is replacing its new high-tech, electric-eye faucets with the old-fashioned kind after discovering that the new hands-free designs actually allowed more contamination from Legionella and other bacteria than the old style. Although the high-tech faucets cut daily water consumption by well over half, Johns Hopkins researchers identified Legionella growing in 50 percent of cultured water samples from 20 electronic-eye faucets in or near patient rooms on three different inpatient units, but in only 15 percent of water cultures from. . . . ."

Gundersen describes the Fukushima plant as stable, but precarious. In this update, he discusses the high levels of radiation (2 Million disintegrations/second being found on the ground as far as 25 miles from the plant site.) He also addresses a New York Times report of hundreds of tons of water being put into the reactors each day. Gundersen points out that all of the water going in to the reactors is being irradiated, leaking out, and polluting the Ocean. He concludes by discussing the differences between the accident scenarios that the nuclear industry previously planned for and what has actually...

Byproducts of ethanol production are fed to animals and ultimate pose a health risk to people. The government ignores it. Producing and burning Ethanol releases A LOT of carbon dioxide. The government ignores it. Cattle Fed Byproducts Of Ethanol Production Harbor Dangerous E. Coli Bacteria http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071204091851.htm“But recent research at Kansas State University has found that cattle fed distiller's grain have an increased prevalence of E. coli 0157 in their hindgut. This particular type of E. coli is present in healthy cattle but poses a health risk to humans, who can acquire it through undercooked meat, raw dairy products and produce...

Regardless how you feel about the potential repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," an open and honest debate on the matter is essential, considering the possible effects on our military members' ability to perform their duty. As the Commandant of the Marine Corps has been outspoken in his opposition to the law's repeal, efforts are underway to call for Gen. James Amos to resign, simply for conveying the concerns of his Marines (2 out of 3 combat arms Marines felt the repeal would have a negative effect).Gen. Amos is a 38-year veteran who has served with honor, and his dedication...

Today we learn that upon Obama's arrival in Martha's Vineyard, the waters are discovered contaminated with fecal bacteria. There's Obama's problem in a nutshell: Everything he touches turns to fecal bacteria. Here's America's problem: Obama touches everything.

A report released Thursday noted high levels of cadmium, aluminum, chromium, lead, silver, mercury and titanium in tissue samples taken by dart gun from nearly 1,000 whales over five years. From polar areas to equatorial waters, the whales ingested pollutants that may have been produced by humans thousands of miles away, the researchers said.

Contaminated needles and scalpels, bloodied bandages, body parts, unused prescription drugs, soiled hospital garments, radioactive waste and refuse tainted with infectious disease: These are only a few items that may be discarded on a curbside, abandoned in a nearby lake or piled in a dumpster headed for the local landfill. Some say Americans are simply oblivious to the imminent risk of major hazards and contagions spreading throughout their communities at any given time. Former Rep. Richard Pombo, R-Calif., grew concerned about medical waste hauling after Sept. 11. He told WND that 15 years ago, the nation's hospitals incinerated much of...

Some of your favorite foods may be fakes. Foods masquerading as something else — a more nutritious something else — have been big news in the past two years. Chinese food companies in particular have been blamed for making deadly alterations to dairy, baby and pet foods by adding melamine. The chemical makes it appear that the food or beverage has the required level of protein. But what about food producers in this country? What fraudulent foods do U.S. consumers have to fear from American companies?

First the tainted milk, now toxic chairs? Recliners made by the Dongguan-based company Linkwise are causing cases of eczema, stinging allergic rashes and infections among French customers who bought them. The problems were traced to the use of the chemical, dimethyl fumarate, which is used to prevent mould and fungus on the chairs. The French distributor Conforama has since severed its business ties with Linkwise and told its suppliers to stop all use of the chemical. Out of the 38,000 Linkwise chairs it sold, it says customers have returned about 800 so far. A rash of cases has also cropped...

Probe finds 20 pct of China milk companies in scandal 16 Sep 2008 14:32:23 GMT Source: Reuters (Recasts with results of state investigation) By Ben Blanchard SHIJIAZHUANG, China, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Twenty percent of Chinese dairy firms probed in the wake of a baby milk health scare have been found to have produced melamine-tainted formula, state media reported on Tuesday. Chinese quality officials last week ordered a nationwide probe into all baby milk powders after it was reported that dozens of children had developed kidney stones after drinking tainted formula produced by the Sanlu Group. Two infants have since...

More than 1,200 infants sick in China tainted milk scandal BEIJING, Sept. 15 KYODO More than 1,200 infants are now known to have been made sick after they were fed milk powder at the center of a food contamination scandal in China, the government said Monday. Some 1,253 infants have developed kidney stones after drinking milk formula sold by the dairy firm Sanlu, which contained the chemical melamine, the Health Ministry said in a statement. Two of the infants from the northern province of Gansu have died. The Health Ministry said 340 children are in hospital and 53 of the...

Food Cited In Illnesses That Hit Track Team By GINA KOLATA and JASON STALLMAN BEIJING — Several members of the United States track team became ill at the team’s pre-Olympic training center in Dalian, about 300 miles east of Beijing, and food poisoning was the likely cause, according to a coach for three Olympians. “When we were in Dalian, a lot of guys got sick — five or six every day,” said John Cook, who coaches the runners Shalane Flanagan, Shannon Rowbury and Erin Donohue. United States Olympic officials, who had acknowledged concerns about food issues in China leading up...

Thursday, June 12, 2008 China keeps secret the quake damage to radioactive facilities China is keeping a tight lid on the extent of damage caused by the recent earthquake to military radioactive sources. The Hong Kong-based Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy reported May 30 that Chinese authorities only announced some damage to sources of nuclear radiation, including small facilities like cement plants. “Because Sichuan is the most important area for China's military nuclear industries and nuclear research, if those sources of radioactivity were to be damaged, they could cause further harm hundreds of thousands of times greater than...

Several Texas Tech researchers and graduate students will leave for Ukraine on Sunday to begin their collaboration and training programs with the Iraqi government. Earlier this year, scientists at the Center of Environmental Radiation Studies received $948,000 in grants from the U.S. Department of State and $363,500 from the United Kingdom to train Iraqis on how to dismantle nuclear facilities in a manner consistent with international standards. Ron Chesser, director for the Center of Environmental Radiation Studies, said the goal of this program is to assist the Iraqi government in several different ways. "They want to get back into international...

NEW YORK - At least two major oil companies said late Wednesday they have agreed to settle lawsuits over the use of the gasoline additive MTBE, a potential carcinogen that has been found in drinking water. Representatives of Valero Energy Corp. and Chevron Corp. said they had joined the settlement, although a number of other oil companies are also named in a memo supporting the deal that was obtained by The Associated Press. The companies confirmed their involvement after The Wall Street Journal reported on its Web site that several oil companies agreed to pay $423 million plus cleanup costs...

An estimated 1.5 billion gallons of water is straining on blockage in the Leadville Mine Drainage Tunnel, leading Lake County Commissioners to declare a state of emergency Wednesday. Commissioners issued the declaration because of lack of response to historic water levels accumulated in the mine pool east of Leadville. And, with a 168 percent of average snowpack, officials fear spring runoff could increase water level and pressure in the blocked drainage tunnel, leading to a catastrophic blowout. "At this blockage, there is a head of water almost 200 feet high pressing against a possible rock and rubble 'dam.' No engineers...

West Palm Beach water system cleansing underway, but boil water order continues WEST PALM BEACH - Chlorine began flowing this morning to cleanse West Palm Beach's contaminated water supply, and authorities are still searching for the source of the contamination that prompted a boil water order likely to last through Wednesday. Affected water customers can help too: At 8 p.m. tonight, people should use plenty of water on long showers, car washes, and clothes washing. "To flush the system in your house, basically," said West Palm Beach spokesman Chase Scott. The boil water alert Friday was for its 125,000 utilities...

China said it had discovered many safety problems with products imported from the United States. "Inspection and quarantine units in various areas have discovered a large number of quality and safety problems with imports from the U.S.," said Chu En Lai, Quality Administrator of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine Administration. "We have reported this to the U.S. side and demanded that it look into the causes and adopt effective measures to ensure that a situation like this does not repeat itself." Chu explained that products from the U.S. lacked what he called “precautionary additives.” “For example, American products typically do...

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is investigating a Texas laboratory's finding of acetaminophen in dog and cat food, an agency spokesman said Monday. "We're very interested in being able to test these samples ourselves to determine the levels of those contaminants," said FDA spokesman Doug Arbesfeld. "What's significant is these things are there. They don't belong there." ...The contaminants were found in foods that are not among the more than 150 brands recalled since March 16

THOUSANDS OF pet deaths from spiked wheat gluten, raising fears that humans could be next. Millions of shipments of imported foods from China, Vietnam, and other developing countries flooding into the country each year with no inspection by US authorities. Repeated foodborne outbreaks often resulting in deaths and severe illnesses -- from US-produced spinach, sprouts, peanut butter, and other common foods. A plummeting drop in public confidence in the government's ability to protect our food supply. The bad news about our food seems to keep on coming, and it all points to the inevitable conclusion that the Food and Drug...

So I was miffed today when I received an email back from a Whole Foods media relations person in response to my request for information on how the chain was dealing with the unfolding melamine contamination scandal—whether it has concerns that the stuff may have gotten into its meat or protein powders and whether it’s doing any investigation...

"... China's animal-feed production industry, which has little to no regulation."

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2007 – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have learned that byproducts from pet food manufactured with contaminated wheat gluten imported from China have been used in chicken feed on some farms in the state of Indiana. This information came to light as part of the continuing investigation into imported rice protein concentrate and wheat gluten that have been found to contain melamine and melamine-related compounds.

PROBLEM: Poisonous or Deleterious Substance Unfit For Food Unsafe Food Additive COUNTRY: China (CN) REASON FOR ALERT: In recent weeks, there has been an outbreak of cat and dog deaths and illness associated with pet food manufactured with vegetable proteins contaminated with melamine and melamine related compounds. In response to this outbreak, FDA has been conducting an aggressive and intensive investigation. Pet food manufacturers and others have recalled dog and cat food and other suspect products and ingredients. This has been one of the largest pet food recalls in history, a recall that continues to expand. Thus far, 18 firms...

SOMETHING was wrong with the babies. The villagers noticed their heads were growing abnormally large while the rest of their bodies were skin and bones. By the time Chinese authorities discovered the culprit — severe malnutrition from fake milk powder — 13 had died. The scandal, which unfolded three years ago after hundreds of babies fell ill in an eastern Chinese province, became the defining symbol of a broad problem in China's economy. Quality control and product-safety regulation are so poor that people cannot trust the goods on sale. Until now, the problem has not received much attention outside China...

Hogs that ate tainted pet food to be destroyed By Mary Ann Fergus Tribune staff reporter Published April 26, 2007, 8:38 PM CDT Federal officials alerted authorities in seven states Thursday that swine fed tainted pet food will not be approved to enter the human food supply. Officials at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration expect that approximately 6,000 hogs, now under quarantine, will be euthanized even as they announced that the likelihood of illness after eating pork from the animals is very low. The affected hogs are in California, North Carolina, South Carolina, New...

WASHINGTON, April 26: U.S. officials Thursday announced that swine fed adulterated products will not be permitted to enter the food supply. Capt. David Elder of the Food and Drug Administration told reporters in Washington the FDA and the U.S. Department of Agriculture had notified states such swine would not be approved to enter the food supply. "Based on information currently available, FDA and USDA believe the likelihood of illness after eating such pork is extremely low," Elder said. "However, the agencies also believe it's prudent to take this measure." Officials have determined that a shipment of rice protein from China...

BEIJING: President Hu Jintao of China on Wednesday urged farms to improve food safety and develop the organic sector, a day after the U.S. food safety authorities said that thousands of hogs had eaten salvaged pet food from China that had contained the industrial chemical melamine. Smithfield Foods, the biggest U.S. hog producer, said Wednesday it was unlikely that it had fed contaminated feed to its hogs but that it was checking all of its feed suppliers. Urine from hogs in California, North Carolina and South Carolina tested positive for melamine, a chemical contained in rice-protein concentrate imported from China,...

The same food safety net that could not catch poisoned pet food ingredients from China has a much bigger hole. Billions of dollars worth of foreign ingredients that Americans eat in everything from salad dressing to ice cream get a pass from overwhelmed inspectors, despite a rising tide of imports from countries with spotty records, according to an Associated Press analysis of federal trade and food data. -snip- Over the past five years, the AP found, U.S. food makers prospecting for bargains more than doubled their business with low-cost countries such as Mexico, China and India. Those nations also have...

The Food and Drug Administration has known for years about contamination problems at a Georgia peanut-butter plant and on California spinach farms that led to disease outbreaks that killed three people, sickened hundreds and forced one of the biggest product recalls in U.S. history, documents and interviews show. Overwhelmed by huge growth in the number of food processors and imports, however, the agency took only limited steps to address the problems and relied on producers to police themselves, according to agency documents. Congressional critics and consumer advocates said both episodes show that the agency is incapable of adequately protecting the...

Lost amid the anxiety surrounding the tainted U.S. pet food supply is this sobering reality: It's not just pet owners who should be worried. The uncontrolled distribution of low-quality imported food ingredients, mainly from China, poses a grave threat to public health worldwide.Essential ingredients, such as vitamins used in many packaged foods, arrive at U.S. ports from China and, as recent news reports have underscored, are shipped without inspection to food and beverage distributors and manufacturers. Although they are used in relatively small quantities, these ingredients carry enormous risks for American consumers. One pound of tainted wheat gluten could, if...

"...sources tell CBS News that the FDA had tracked at least one suspect batch of wheat gluten into the human food supply, quietly quarantined some products and notified the Centers For Disease Control and Prevention to watch for new patients admitted to hospitals with renal or kidney failure."

CBS 5 - San Francisco Bay Area's source for news, weather, traffic and sports: 2 Bags Of Tainted Spinach Traced To Calif. PlantSearch Sep 25, 2006 8:47 pm US/Pacific 2 Bags Of Tainted Spinach Traced To Calif. Plant (AP) SAN JUAN BAUTISTA Two bags of Dole baby spinach that tested positive for the E. coli strain that's sickened 175 people nationwide were packaged at the same plant on the same day, California health officials said Monday. That information has helped investigators tracing the source of the tainted greens narrow their search at nine farms in three California counties, said Dr....

See for example this thread first. At the ca-fe-ter-i-a There's panic, hysteria "I'm dead at the finish 'cause I ate the spinach!" E. Coli bacteria! "The recalled brands are: Bellissima, Cheney Brothers, Coastline, Compliments, Cross Valley, D'Arrigo Brothers, Dole, Earthbound Farm, Emeril, Fresh Point, Green Harvest, Jansal Valley, Mann, Mills Family Farm, Natural Selection Foods, Nature's Basket, O Organic, Premium Fresh, President's Choice, Pride of San Juan, Pro*Act, Pro-Mark, Rave Spinach, Ready Pac, River Ranch, Riverside Farms, Snoboy, Superior, Sysco, Tanimura & Antle, The Farmer's Market and Trader Joe's."

(KUTV) SALT LAKE CITY Its' something just about every woman carries with them. While we may know what's inside our purses, do you have any idea what's on the outside? Shauna Lake put purses to the test – for bacteria – with surprising results. You may think twice about where you put your purse. Women carry purses everywhere from the office to public restrooms to the floor of the car. Most women won't be caught without their purses, but did you ever stop to think about where your purse goes during the day? “I drive a school bus, so my...

Spooked by Bird Flu, Egyptians Hoard Water Residents of Cairo Fear Chickens Dumped in the Nile Could Infect Their Drinking Supply By Daniel Williams Washington Post Foreign Service Sunday, February 26, 2006; A12 CAIRO, Feb. 25 -- Of all the panicky ways that people worldwide have sought protection from bird flu, perhaps the most striking took root among Egyptians last week. Via e-mail and through advice dispensed on crowded city streets, word went out: Don't drink the water. Farmers, including the rooftop poultry breeders that are a Cairo fixture, had begun to dump stricken, dead chickens into the Nile River,...

Seventh-Grader's Science Project Turns Up Some Disturbing Results NEW YORK - Jasmine Roberts never expected her award-winning middle school science project to get so much attention. But the project produced some disturbing results: 70 percent of the time, ice from fast food restaurants was dirtier than toilet water. The 12-year-old collected ice samples from five restaurants in South Florida -- from both self-serve machines inside the restaurant and from drive-thru windows. She then collected toilet water samples from the same restaurants and tested all of them for bacteria at the University of South Florida. In several cases, the ice tested...

China Gears Up to Avenge Korean Food Safety Warnings After revelations that freshwater fish imported from China was tainted with the carcinogenic dye malachite green and Chinese-produced kimchi contained parasites and unusually high levels of lead, Beijing appears to be getting ready to avenge its tainted honor. "Inspections have shown that Korean products contain malachite green as well, but the Korean government without notifying the Chinese government, and without a seeking consensus on the issue, simply made an announcement in the press as if Chinese products were the only products with such problems," a Chinese government official said. "If there...

Researchers at The University of Manchester funded by the Fungal Research Trust have discovered millions of fungal spores right under our noses - in our pillows. Aspergillus fumigatus, the species most commonly found in the pillows, is most likely to cause disease; and the resulting condition Aspergillosis has become the leading infectious cause of death in leukaemia and bone marrow transplant patients. Fungi also exacerbate asthma in adults. The researchers dissected both feather and synthetic samples and identified several thousand spores of fungus per gram of used pillow - more than a million spores per pillow. Fungal contamination of bedding...

EL DORADO HILLS, Calif. (AP) - A huge cloud of construction dust blowing across the field where his son played Little League signaled to Lance McMahan it was time to get out of this fast-growing suburb above Sacramento. Watching from a lawn chair as bulldozers reshaped a nearby hillside into another setting for high-priced homes, McMahan knew that the ground getting torn up and carried by the wind over the baseball diamond contained natural veins of asbestos. "That was like the last straw." said McMahan, recalling the day six years ago when he decided his family's health was more important...

Study Suggests Perchlorate Made by Lightning! May Explain Why It's Found in Drinking Water Also Generated in Elevated Water Storage Tanks from Static Electricity "The lightning there is peculiar; it is so convincing, that when it strikes a thing it doesn't leave enough of that thing behind for you to tell whether--Well, you'd think it was something valuable, and a Congressman had been there. - "The Weather," Mark Twain's Speeches A new study by the same academic researcher who reported finding perchlorate in human milk now suggests that perchlorate may be created by lightning. This would explain why perchlorate has...

Calling the Shots The realities of the Anthrax Vaccination Immunization Program By Kathryn Goodson 03/25/05 “Before I go into detail about my adverse reactions to the Anthrax vaccination, I’d like to point out that when I was vaccinated, I was not informed of any potential adverse side effects or of the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS). There were no hand outs, product inserts, literature, or health questionnaires to read or fill out. I just had to report to immunization, turn in my shot records, and receive the shot. When I voiced my concerns about receiving this vaccine, I was...

A Glimpse Ahead Timothy Snodgrass The Impossible Will Come Alive In 2005 01/28/05 In January of 2004, as we began to intercede for the New Year the Holy Spirit gave us the prophetic slogan, "The Seas will Roar in 2004". This year we were given a new slogan, "The Impossible will come Alive in 2005". As the veil of darkness begins to come down over nations and regions, along with great shakings will come great breakthroughs; signs, wonders, healings and a spectacular release of miracles in impossible circumstances. This year, although we are ultimately poised to gain much ground, there...

PERCHLORATE PARANOIA PERCOLATING IN PASADENA: Misperceiving "Malign Intent" in New Water Quality Guidelines By Wayne Lusvardi Newspaper columns in Southern California newspapers are bubbling with a new paranoia from those on the left side of the political spectrum about the recently released new safety guidelines for perchlorate in drinking water recommended by the National Academy of Sciences. The suspicion is that the Bush administration has somehow put its thumb on the prestigious National Academy, and like allegedly rigged elections and deceitful wars, is jeopardizing children's health by loosening the former EPA standard of 1 part per billion to 20 parts...