Popular Radio Host Has Drug Company Ties

Doctors say getting a wad of cash for putting their official credentials behind promoting a company's drug, sometimes even going so far as parroting what the pharma co tells them to say isn't unethical! In other countries, these kinds of practices are illegal...probably because bribery is illegal, too. The US is also the only industrialized country that allows the kooky, makes-no-sense direct-to-consumer ads for prescription pharmaceuticals. From the NY Times:
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Published: November 21, 2008
by Gardiner Harris

An influential psychiatrist who served as the host of public radio’s popular “The Infinite Mind” program earned at least $1.3 million between 2000 and 2007 giving marketing lectures for drug makers, income not mentioned on the program.

The psychiatrist and radio host, Dr. Frederick K. Goodwin, is the latest in a series of doctors and researchers whose ties to drug makers have been uncovered by Senator Charles E. Grassley, a Republican from Iowa. Dr. Goodwin, a former director of the National Institute of Mental Health, is the first media figure investigated.

Dr. Goodwin’s radio programs have often touched on subjects important to the commercial interests of the companies for which he consults. In a program broadcast on Sept. 20, 2005, Dr. Goodwin warned that children with bipolar disorder who are left untreated could suffer brain damage, a controversial view. “But as we’ll be hearing today,” Dr. Goodwin reassured his audience, “modern treatments — mood stabilizers in particular — have been proven both safe and effective in bipolar children.”

That very day, GlaxoSmithKline paid Dr. Goodwin $2,500 to give a promotional lecture for its mood stabilizer drug, Lamictal, at the Ritz Carlton Golf Resort in Naples, Fla. Indeed, Glaxo paid Dr. Goodwin more than $329,000 that year for promoting Lamictal, records given Congressional investigators show.

read more:

The New York Times

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving one and all. Some words from MAN FERTILITY in the L.A. Times.

Which Thanksgiving?

Use of Antipsychotics in Children Is Criticized

Hello, peeps, the BLACK BOX warning is the warnigest of warnings, so what's the deal with showing kids with these BLACK BOX warning drugs that have PERMANENT side effects? Betas me. Around the autism community, everyone's on Risperdal, and I can tell when a new kid goes on it--he balloons to 200 pounds. There have been many, many suggestions that we need to get with the program and go for the drugs. I'm appalled.

We had some "problems" with our son at home, broken window (try explaining THAT to your friendly Pella repairman), but we prefer our son free range and raised without antibiotics or drugs. At least we know what he is and won't accidentally sentence him to a lifetime or Parkinsonian trembling just because we wanted to make life easier for US.

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From the New York Times:

By GARDINER HARRIS

Published: November 18, 2008

WASHINGTON — Powerful antipsychotic medicines are being used far too cavalierly in children, and federal drug regulators must do more to warn doctors of their substantial risks, a panel of federal drug experts said Tuesday.

More than 389,000 children and teenagers were treated last year with Risperdal, one of five popular medicines known as atypical antipsychotics. Of those patients, 240,000 were 12 or younger, according to data presented to the committee. In many cases, the drug was prescribed to treat attention deficit disorders.

But Risperdal is not approved for attention deficit problems, and its risks — which include substantial weight gain, metabolic disorders and muscular tics that can be permanent — are too profound to justify its use in treating such disorders, panel members said.

read more here.

Use our stuff:
USERNAME: Greenfertility
PASSWORD: Greenfertility

answer to secret question: soylent green

Breast Cancer Rates Soar after Mammograms and Some Cancers may Heal Naturally

Wow, this is interesting. As longtime readers probably know, I myself don't get mammograms because of statistics showing that death rates from breast cancer are about the same for people who do or DON'T get mammograms, so I decided to skip the pain and inconvenience. AND speculative data from European countries (are we even looking, here, in the US?) suggested that repeat mammography might be correlated with breast cancer--it IS radiation. Now, it seems, the date is more than speculative.

And again, I am not offering any health advice or recommendations, only telling what the news is and describing my own choices and experience.

From NaturalNews:
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NaturalNews) A report just published in the Journal of the American Medical Association's Archives of Internal Medicine (Arch Intern Med. 2008;168[21]:2302-2303) reaches a startling conclusion. Breast cancer rates increased significantly in four Norwegian counties after women there began getting mammograms every two years. In fact, according to background information in the study, the start of screening mammography programs throughout Europe has been associated with increased incidence of breast cancer.

This raises some obvious and worrisome questions: Did the x-rays and/or the sometimes torturous compression of breasts during mammography actually spur cancer to develop? Or does this just look like an increase in the disease rate because mammography is simply identifying more cases of breast cancer?

read more here.
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Old posts: Mammograms can have negative long-term results

Change in official guidelines on Mammography and Women aged 40-49

Exercise AND Sleep go together for cancer reduction

So don't think you can party all night and get up with Red Bull in the a.m....there is not such thing as a successful burning of both ends of the fertility/health candle...

From Newswise, the journalists'-only site:

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Newswise — Exercise is good for more than just your waistline. A recent study presented at the American Association for Cancer Research’s Seventh Annual International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research suggests that regular physical activity can lower a woman’s overall risk of cancer – but only if she gets a good night’s sleep. Otherwise, lack of sleep can undermine exercise’s cancer prevention benefits.

“Greater participation in physical activity has consistently been associated with reduced risk of cancer incidence at several sites, including breast and colon cancers,” said James McClain, Ph.D., cancer prevention fellow at the National Cancer Institute and lead author of the study. “Short duration sleep appears to have opposing effects of physical activity on several key hormonal and metabolic parameters, which is why we looked at how it affected the exercise/cancer risk relationship.”

Even though the exact mechanism of how exercise reduces cancer risk isn’t known, researchers believe that physical activity’s effects on factors including hormone levels, immune function, and body weight may play an important role. The study examined the link between exercise and cancer risk, paying special attention to whether or not getting adequate sleep further affected a women’s cancer risk.

Researchers assessed the association between physical activity energy expenditure (PAEE), sleep duration and incidence of overall, breast, and colon cancer in 5,968 women at least 18 years old with no previous cancer diagnoses. The women completed an initial survey in 1998 and were then tracked through the Washington County Cancer Registry and Maryland State Cancer Registry for nearly 10 years.

The results pointed to a sleep-exercise link. “Current findings suggest that sleep duration modifies the relationship between physical activity and all-site cancer risk among young and middle-aged women,” he said.

Our Domestic Melamine Problem

We're had several posts here about the melamine problem in China, and now from this editorial in the NYtimes about our domestic melamine problem, I can't imagine a BETTER argument for eating local and organic. I have been reading that melamine is a "byproduct" of fertilizer production, but I didn't realize it's IN fertilizer. And vegans take note of the bad news about wheat gluten, people trying to conceive look up old posts about why removing WHEAT and GLUTEN may help your fertility especially if you have thyroid problems.
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Chemical plants throughout the United States produce millions of pounds of melamine a year...

Given the pervasiveness of melamine, it’s always possible that trace elements will end up in food. The F.D.A. thus sets the legal limit for melamine in food at 2.5 parts per million. ...

But these figures obscure more than they reveal. First, while adults eat about one-fortieth of their weight every day, toddlers consume closer to one-tenth. Although scientists haven’t measured the differential impact of melamine on infants versus adults, it’s likely that this intensified ratio would at least double (if not quadruple) the impact of legal levels of melamine on toddlers.

This doubled exposure might not land a child in the hospital, but it could certainly contribute to the long-term kidney and liver problems that we know are caused by chronic exposure to melamine.

On a more concrete note, melamine not only has widespread industrial applications, but is also used to buttress the foundation of American agriculture.

Fertilizer companies commonly add melamine to their products because it helps control the rate at which nitrogen seeps into soil, thereby allowing the farmer to get more nutrient bang for the fertilizer buck. But the government doesn’t regulate how much melamine is applied to the soil. This melamine accumulates as salt crystals in the ground, tainting the soil through which American food sucks up American nutrients.

read more here. (Username/PW: GreenFertility)


Or just eat organic!

Get a leg up on your Holiday Shopping

We loves us some Eco-Me here at GreenFertility--DIY cleaning stuff with stuff you have at home, leave out the chemicals.

It's already an eco- econo-choice, but here you can get some more $ off and buy kits for friends and family.

Eco-Me.

Earthcalm EMF Protector/MRI

As you know, if you've been a steady reader for my blog, that I will review any product that seems interesting, un-harmful, etc., and I will report it as such even at the expense of my dignity. Thus, I reported how I surprisingly liked the EarthCalm EMF protector, even though it seemed a little tinfoil hat-ish, and in our house we practice EMF hygiene (more on that, later). But the earth does have a magnetic field (see previous post on sleep), and, as with global warming, we may be messing with it with all our powerful techno stuff. Keep in mind, too, that the earliest times in pregnancy is a very delicate process, and we should respect that process and keep as many weird things out of it so life can do its thing.

So anyway, I do get tons of mail on this subject, mostly questions on EMF, but here is one from a fellow EarthCalm fan, who graciously allowed me to reprint her email:

I am an earthcalm user and read your blog at Green Fertility. I just wanted you to know that I had an MRI several years ago, and it wiped me (and my immune system) out

for close to 6 months. So you are absolutely right about ‘cells being rearranged’ (or whatever it does). I didn’t have my earthcalm products when I had the MRI. I am also a Reiki channel, and do Chinese Energy work, so am sensitive to energy also. I will never have another MRI – it was awful.

I got the earthcalm products because I coughed for years, and no one could figure out why – none of the doctors, alternative people, etc. My friend brought over a Gauss

Meter and we discovered that the area where I live was extremely high in EMF, due to cell phone towers, high tension towers, etc. The day I got the earthcalm home protector, I plugged it in, and it was like someone had turned a faucet off – I stopped coughing immediately, and my lungs have been healing. So know that these products really make a difference. I don’t know where I would be now without them.

I wasn’t sure how to put a message on your blog, so I found your email and used that.

In Peace, Judith Weiss

Sleep positions affect REM sleep?

From Reuters:

This is kind of interesting, my Korean uncle, who's very much the empiricist, always insisted that we should live in houses that face north, for prosperity. And our bed is likewise on the north-south axis. MAN FERTILITY and I always complain when we have to travel that we never sleep well....hm, and then it's always lights-out the minute we get back into our own bed.

From Reuters:

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Grazing cattle and sleeping deer tend to align their bodies along the North-South axis of the Earth's magnetic field, European researchers said on Monday, giving new meaning to the phrase animal magnetism....

They found that whether grazing or resting, these animals face either magnetic North or South. And since the direction of the wind and sun varied widely where the images were taken, the researchers believe the Earth's magnetic field to be the polarizing factor...

Some studies suggest humans who sleep in an East-West position have far shorter rapid eye movement or REM sleep cycles, in which dreams occur, compared with North-South sleepers who got more REM sleep.

read more here.

Doie Designs Coupon!

Sara Kirsner, the designer/creator of the luscious bamboo designs at Doie Designs is offering GreenFertility readers a nifty coupon:

eco08 for 25% off of Fall '08 and everything else is already 60% off!!

Sustainable bamboo, fashion forward, and many of these designs would work great as early maternity wear. Check it out--this Larkspur silk/bamboo top would work great for work or play, and it's deeply discounted.

Winter Means Watch out for Carbon Monoxide

I am so paranoid about this sneaky gas that killed tennis star Vitas Gerulaitis that I brought a CO detector with me that year I lived in Korea. And of course when it went off, I had no idea how to explain what "carbon monoxide" was to my landlord. But I WAS able to get him to check the heating and slept with my windows open for a few nightt. Any kind of heating can produce this deadly gas.

p.s. symptoms are also similar to the flu. You may not need a flu shot, but a FLUE shot.

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Poison Control Centers Warn of Cold Weather Dangers

from Carbon Monoxide Poisoning

(Alexandria, VA): The onset of cold weather greatly increases the chances for exposure to poisonous carbon monoxide (CO) gas as consumers increase their use of appliances such as space heaters and portable generators, warns the American Association of Poison Control Centers (AAPCC). Every year, hundreds of deaths and many thousands of illnesses result from exposure to CO.

Among the numerous potential sources of CO are furnaces, water heaters, stoves, ovens, space heaters, wood and gas fireplaces, wood-burning stoves, portable generators and automobile engines.

“All fuel powered engines produce CO gas,” explains AAPCC Board Member Edward P. Krenzelok, PharmD, director of the Pittsburgh Poison Center. “Although such devices are safe if used correctly, a malfunction or improper ventilation can make these common household appliances deadly.”

Carbon monoxide gas is lethal, even though it is colorless, odorless, and tasteless. It may kill quickly or slowly, and the warning signs specific to carbon monoxide are also common to the flu and food poisoning. Even when it is not fatal, carbon monoxide can cause permanent damage to the brain and other parts of the nervous system. Symptoms include aches, dizziness, headache, confusion, and other symptoms also found with flu and typical cold-weather viruses.

AAPCC suggest taking some simple steps to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning:

· Have all of your combustion appliances and especially your furnace inspected and adjusted before every heating season.

· Have your chimney, fireplace, and wood stoves, and flues inspected before every heating season.

· Have chimneys and flues repaired as needed.

· Do not use your oven for heating your home.

· Do not leave your car’s engine running in an enclosed or attached garage, even if the door is open.

· Install a carbon monoxide alarm outside of every sleeping area in your home.

Poison control centers around the country are prepared to respond with information and treatment advice about CO poisoning. To reach a local poison center call 1-800-222-1222. More information about CO poisoning may be found on the AAPCC’s Website at http://www.aapcc.org.

Astragalus Root Can Prevent Telomere Shortening

One of the recommendations from yesterday's video is taking antioxidants, especially for older women, to help offset DNA damage from the aging process (GreenFertility likes whole foods-based Super Nutrition's Antioxidant Power).
So this story about astragalus root came off the wire yesterday, about how some chemical that they are feverishly trying to extract from this common Asian medicinal herb helps shorten telomeres. Telomeres basically are an indication of the age of a chromosome, they shorten as the chromosome ages. Interestingly, in a recent study they did on how STRESS ages us, they used parents of autistic children as their stress-bucket test subjects, which seemed to me to be pretty appropriate (and yes, we do have telemores that shorten at a faster rate).

I just think it's funny (sad?) that there's this sudden rush to extract, synthesize, and probably to genetically engineer this (and of course patent for $$$) when people in Asia have been taking this for thousands of years, and yes, my elders are always saying, "Eat this! You'll live longer!" I always feel using the unprocessed plant part is better And yes, it's good for fertility by virtue of it being an adaptogen, like ginseng.

Here's the post I did at my "old" blogging job at Adoption.com : http://blogs.fertilitycommunity.com/weblogs/astragalus-whang-ki-huang-qi

How to add some whang-ki to your life? Easy! Click for the FertilityBitch's chicken soup recipe.

A good source to buy some organic astralagus/whang-ki: Mountain Rose Herbs.

From Newswise, the journalists'-only site:

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Newswise — Like other kinds of cells, immune cells lose the ability to divide as they age because a part of their chromosomes known as a telomere becomes progressively shorter with cell division. As a result, the cell changes in many ways, and its disease fighting ability is compromised.

But a new UCLA AIDS Institute study has found that a chemical from the Astragalus root, frequently used in Chinese herbal therapy, can prevent or slow this progressive telomere shortening, which could make it a key weapon in the fight against HIV.

The study, to be published in the Nov. 15 print edition of the Journal of Immunology, is available online at www.jimmunol.org/cgi/content/full/181/10/7400.

A telomere is a region at the end of every cell chromosome that contains repeated DNA sequences but no genes; telomeres act to protect the ends of the chromosomes and prevent them from fusing together — rather like the plastic tips that keep shoelaces from unraveling. Each time a cell divides, the telomeres get shorter, eventually causing the cell to reach a stage called replicative senescence, when it can no longer divide. This seems to indicate that the cell has reached an end stage, but, in fact, the cell has changed into one with new genetic and functional characteristics.

Generally, the telomeres in cells are sufficiently long that they can divide many times without a problem. Moreover, when fighting infections, T-cells can turn on an enzyme called telomerase, which can prevent the telomeres from shortening....

Previous studies have shown that injecting the telomerase gene into T-cells can keep the telomeres from shortening, enabling them to maintain their HIV-fighting function for much longer. This gene-therapy approach, however, is not a practical way to treat the millions of people living with HIV.

For the present study, rather than utilizing gene therapy, the researchers used a chemical called TAT2, which was originally identified from plants used in traditional Chinese therapy and which enhances telomerase activity in other cell types...

"The ability to enhance telomerase activity and antiviral functions of CD8 T-lymphocytes suggests that this strategy could be useful in treating HIV disease, as well as immunodeficiency and increased susceptibility to other viral infections associated with chronic diseases or aging," the researchers write.

How to Get Pregnant over 40...50?

Hello,

Check this video out (most interesting after the 2nd half), with some inspirational stories of women getting pregnant in their late forties and FIFTIES (Dr. Christiane Northrup tells me this is not as uncommon as we think) and naturally (n.b. some of the women portrayed, like Elizabeth Edwards, turned to IVF). Most of the suggestions (actually all) have appeared on GreenFertility, but still, seeing the women with your own eyes is kind of inspiring. Keep yourself in good shape and your fertility will follow...nice combo.

http://naturalfertilityetc.com/get-pregnant-at-any-age/

In case You're thinking 2012

I think I said it was like the last days of the Marcos regime...John Stewart said it was like the Grifters. I think were were both right:

From Newsweek:

NEWSWEEK has also learned that Palin's shopping spree at high-end department stores was more extensive than previously reported. While publicly supporting Palin, McCain's top advisers privately fumed at what they regarded as her outrageous profligacy. One senior aide said that Nicolle Wallace had told Palin to buy three suits for the convention and hire a stylist. But instead, the vice presidential nominee began buying for herself and her family—clothes and accessories from top stores such as Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus. According to two knowledgeable sources, a vast majority of the clothes were bought by a wealthy donor, who was shocked when he got the bill. Palin also used low-level staffers to buy some of the clothes on their credit cards.

The McCain campaign found out last week when the aides sought reimbursement. One aide estimated that she spent "tens of thousands" more than the reported $150,000, and that $20,000 to $40,000 went to buy clothes for her husband. Some articles of clothing have apparently been lost. An angry aide characterized the shopping spree as "Wasilla hillbillies looting Neiman Marcus from coast to coast," and said the truth will eventually come out when the Republican Party audits its books.

read more here

Free Sticker of our Next President!

Hey,

Want a free Obama sticker to celebrate our victory? It's designed by Shepard Fairey, the artist who created the iconic HOPE poster. And MoveOn's giving them away totally free--even the shipping's free.

I just got mine. Click this link to get your free Obama sticker: http://pol.moveon.org/shepstickers/?id=-1271779-3BJcK2x&rc=

Prenatal Weight Gain Presages Heavy Babies, risk for later in life

Again, if you want to treat your kids right, treat yourself right, first.

From Newswise, the journalists' only site:

Newswise — A study by the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research of more than 40,000 women and their babies found that women who gained more than 40 pounds during their pregnancies were nearly twice as likely to have a heavy baby. Published in the November issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology, the study found that more than one in five women gains excessive weight during pregnancy, doubling her chances of having a baby that weighs 9 pounds or more.

“Too many women gain too much weight during pregnancy. This extra weight puts them at higher risk for having heavy babies, and these babies are programmed to become overweight or obese later in life,” said study lead author Teresa Hillier, MD, MS, an endocrinologist and senior investigator at the Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Oregon and Hawaii. “A big baby also poses serious risks for both mom and baby at birth--for mothers, vaginal tearing, bleeding, and often C-sections, and for the babies, stuck shoulders and broken collar bones. "

While researchers have known for some time about the link between diabetes during pregnancy and heavier birth weights, and recently have learned how maternal weight gain affects the birth weight, this is the first study to determine that women who gain excessive weight are even more likely to have heavy babies than women who are treated for gestational diabetes.

Canadian BAN on bisphenol A

Hello--VOTE VOTE VOTE

Still can't decide if those FDA studies are kind of shaky? Canada would like to err on the side of safety. We have a BAN here, people:

Health Canada makes it official: BPA is health hazard

Sarah Schmidt , Canwest News Service

Published: Thursday, October 16, 2008

OTTAWA - Canada on Saturday will become the first country to formally declare bisphenol A hazardous to human health and officially inform the baby-product industry it will no longer be able to use the chemical in baby bottles.

Canada's announcement comes six months after Health Minister Tony Clement surprised the chemical industry by announcing the government's plan to place bisphenol A on its list of toxic substances and ban its use in baby bottles.

In unveiling the "precautionary and prudent" move, Clement proposed a limited ban of the widely used chemical, also found in hard plastic sports bottles and the lining of food cans.

read more here.

VOTE! VOTE! VOTE!

***RI voters******, vote YES on 2:


Question 2 - the Open Space and Recreation Development Bond - will set
aside $2.5 million (over the next five years) to protect natural
spaces, farms, and state parks from developers. For every $1 set aside
by the state, RI will recieve $3-$4 in matching funds from the federal
gov't, foundations, and rich people. The bond will generate $10
million to preserve Rhode Island's environment. If you are a fan of
local agriculture, this bond is critical to its survival.

The bond must pass or these important preservation programs will end
in Rhode Island. OVER. NADA. NOTHING. DONE. At least for another few
years.

So, if the bond passes, the state only has to set aside $500,000 per
year to save farms, open space, watersheds, shorelines, state parks.
If the bond does not pass, no money will be set aside to protect RI
farmers or to preserve our state's natural resources, and we get NONE
of the matching funds from Washington.

----------------------------------------------
Election 2008 Voting Information

Today, November 4th, is Election Day! Remember to vote—not just for Barack Obama, but for Congressional, state, and local candidates as well.
Where and when do I vote?

Find your polling place, voting times, and other important information by checking out these sites and the hotline below. These resources are good, but not perfect. To be doubly sure, you can also contact your local elections office.

* Obama's VoteForChange site: voteforchange.com
* League of Women Voters' site: vote411.org/pollfinder.php
* Obama's voter hotline: 877-US4-OBAMA (877-874-6226)

What should I do before I go?

* After you've entered your address on either Vote For Change or Vote411, read the voting instructions and special rules for your state.
* Voting ID laws vary from state to state, but if you have ID, bring it.
* Check out all the voting myths and misinformation to look out for: http://truth.voteforchange.com/

What if something goes wrong?

* Not on the voter list? Make sure you're at the right polling place, then demand a provisional ballot.
* If you're voting on an electronic machine with a paper record, verify that the record is accurate.
* Need legal help? Call 1-866-OUR-VOTE.
* Try to get video of the problem and submit it to VideoTheVote.org

Want to do more?

* Text all of your friends: "Vote Obama today! Pass it on!"
* Make calls from home for Obama.

Now everybody go vote!!!

Hollow Assurances of Safety from FDA on Bisphenol-A

Yes, I'm no-fun-at-the-party person excoriating my greenie friends over CFLs (mercury!) and most recently, bisphenol-A, the stuff they put in hard plastics INCLUDING BABY BOTTLES.

My friends and family all thought they were being so green and clean and I kept telling them NOT to use Nalgene bottles. The FDA said the amoung of bisphenol-A (which causes cancer, infertility, diabetes, etc., in animal studies) isn't harmful, based on studies. Of course, whenever the FDA says ANYTHING is okay, I immediately assume the opposite. And whose studies? Plastic makers' studies! The government's own agency is disputing the FDA's findings as well. Stay away from hard plastics, including cans that are plastic lined.

p.s. Rock the Vote! Vote Democrat if you want to vote the party that favors more oversight into these kinds of things (Republicans will sneer and say Dems want are for "more regulation." Since when has this, and caring for the poor, been so laughable???)

From the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel:

Ignoring hundreds of government and academic studies showing a chemical commonly found in plastic can be harmful to lab animals at low doses, the Food and Drug Administration determined the chemical was safe based on just two industry-funded studies that didn't find harm.

read more here.

And from the NYtimes:

Panel Faults F.D.A. on Stance That Chemical in Plastic Is Safe

A scientific panel has issued a blistering report against the Food and Drug Administration, saying it ignored important evidence in reassuring consumers about the safety of the controversial chemical bisphenol-A.

read more here.

You can use our info

USERNAME: GreenFertility
PASSWORD: GreenFertility

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