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Toxins in household dust may be harmful to kids
Most of the dust that coats your furniture and floors comes from outdoors and can pose a health threat, a new study suggests.
BPA in canned foods could harm children, group says
Measurable levels of the chemical additive bisphenol A (BPA) were found in a variety of canned goods, including some that claimed to be BPA-free, according to an analysis released this week by the nonprofit advocacy group Consumers Union.
Toxic toys? Health group finds high lead levels
Children's toys carrying the Barbie and Disney logos have turned up with high levels of lead in them, according to a California-based advocacy group — a finding that may give consumers pause as they shop for the holiday season.
BPA from bottles shows up in urine, study says
BPA from bottles shows up in urine, study says
People who drink from plastic bottles that contain bisphenol A (BPA) have elevated levels of the chemical in their urine, says a Harvard School of Public Health study that confirms what health experts have long suspected, the Boston Globe reported. The chemical is used in hundreds of products, including baby bottles.

The Harvard team found a 69 percent increase in BPA levels in the urine of people who drank for one week from clear plastic polycarbonate bottles. The study, published online in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives, is the first to definitively show that BPA from plastic bottles leaches into people's bodies, according to the team.

"If you heat those bottles, as is the case with baby bottles, we would expect the levels to be considerably higher. This would be of concern since infants may be particularly susceptible to BPA's endocrine-disrupting potential," said senior author Karin B. Michels, an associate professor at the School of Public Health and Harvard Medical School, the Globe reported.

An American Chemical Council official said the Harvard study doesn't show that products with BPA pose a health risk.


-- HealthDay

What you can do:
  • Learn all about BPA and other controversial chemicals in plastics and how they may affect your child's health.