angrytoxicologist | July 23, 2007The NYTimes reports today that the Charles River is clean enough to swim in. Well, sort of. Caveats:
No diving...lest that stir up the toxic sediment at the bottom of the river.
Do not expect to see the river bottom. The water is too murky.
Be prepared to encounter bits of flotsam and jetsam.
Toxic sediment? Doesn't sound so good to me. I'd like to know more about the toxic sediment and how this river has been cleaned up. You too? Well, you're out of luck because the rest of the article is largely devoid of any facts (other than the helpful fact that the river which once got a 'D' now gets a…
angrytoxicologist | July 20, 2007For the un-initiated, I believe Fridays are good for coffee (I only drink caffeine once a week), doughnuts, and random stuff, not science (does this get me kicked off Science Blogs?).
Meathead of the Week: Ken Ziman, partner at Simpson Thatcher. A piece in the NYTimes talks about how law firms are giving summer associates the 'chance' to have their summer lunch with a principle at a $15 or less place and the firm will give the rest of the food allowance ($45) to charity. The firms want to look socially responsible. First, this is just stupid, if they wanted to look responsible they would act…
angrytoxicologist | July 19, 2007A study this month ($) in Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety (just rolls off the tongue doesn't it?), looked at poison control data during 2001 for two herbal supplements: St. John's wort and Echinacea.
There were 356 contacts for SJW and 406 contacts for Echinacea. That's not what interests me; we know the compounds are bioactive and have toxicities associated with their use (See here for the adverse effects seen from these contacts). SJW is even implicated in suicidal and aggressive thoughts (Nanayakkara et al. 2004. Ned Tijdschr Geneeskd. 149; 1347-1349) and interferes with many…
angrytoxicologist | July 19, 2007The NYTimes reports that some genetic links to restless leg syndrome have been found and this might reduce the ridicule that the drugs that treat the condiditon are getting.
Not from this quarter, though. Almost all of our traits have a gentic link. That doesn't mean they need to be cured. I have a wandering eye; my spouse says I need to stop it but I keep saying, "It's genetic, I can't do anything about it without drugs"
This isn't to say that some people with restless leg syndrome don't suffer, and will benefit from treatment. But the fact that there is a huge marketing campaign for a '…
angrytoxicologist | July 18, 2007Gee, ya think?
At Al Gore's daughter's wedding he, gasp, ate some Chilean Sea Bass, which is endangered. A lot of people are getting in a huff about this.
Hmm...Possibly, possibly it could be because Mr Gore didn't look over, research, and approve every aspect of his daughter's wedding?
C'mon, just because the guy stands up for what he believes in doesn't mean that every little thing somehow connected to him has to do right by the entire ecosystem. Who among us can say they can control every bit of their lives to always do the right thing? I can't and I would guess that my life is much less…
angrytoxicologist | July 18, 2007I am a Ph.D. scientist in the public health sector with a good amount of toxicology and regulatory knowledge. I'm not going to be dishing about projects I am privy to, but I am much freer to make my opinions known anonymously, than I could do in a completely public forum.
Although other topics will probably be brought up from time to time (friday is no day for science), this blog will be focused on public health and the science behind it and will be written for the non-scientist without dumbing anything down.
I've added some of my previous posts onto this site for you to browse through. If…
angrytoxicologist | July 17, 2007Over at the Pump Handle, David Michaels has a post on how ineffectual the CPSC is. He makes the point that the CPSC is "toothless", wimpy and uses a NYTimes article that talks about the Magnetix case as an example of how the CPSC can't get the job done. Although David does acknowledge how much of the problem comes from the current administration (the last guy they tried to get to run it was the VP of a manufacturing lobbing group - the nomination was since withdrawn).
I generally agree with the post but I don't think that the CPSC is toothless. While they need much stronger regulatory tools…
angrytoxicologist | July 13, 2007Meathead of the Week: The Bush Adminstration Official who blocked the Surgeon General from going to the Special Olympics because it's supported by the Kennedys. "Why would you want to help those people?". New low for the Bush admin. What are they, 3rd graders? Forget that, even most third graders wouldn't use disabled people in a twisted vendetta.
I had a whole mess of things to talk about today but I'm so darn excited about this that everything else would just cheapen the post...
Do you feel it?It's the Chi machine! It's got 6, count 'em 6, major benefits! Let's start at the top...
1.…
angrytoxicologist | July 2, 2007The Washington Post reported yesterday on the vaccine court proceeding that starts today. Almost 5000 families will make the case that vaccines caused their children to develop autism. I don't think the families have a good case. To start off, the large majority of findings would suggest that there is not link. There are, however, some very good reasons why these studies could be wrong and that's what's keeping the theory alive. Let's look at a couple of arguments that people like to make and what I think about them.
Con - The IOM said that overall there was no link. While this is true,…
angrytoxicologist | June 4, 2007Do you ever get the feeling that we're not really living in the first world but in the third? I was thinking so when I read this LA Times article (excellent piece for its short size).
Illegal dumps are spread across the Torres Martinez reservation like ugly wounds, making it the most polluted tribal land in California, Nevada and Arizona. Vast swaths of desert have been transformed into toxic trash heaps threatening the tribe and nearby communities. There are at least 26 illegal dumps here, including the largest one in the state. Federal officials struggle to shut them down, but new ones…
angrytoxicologist | May 10, 2007Poison ivy, nightshade, cobras, green tea.
Uh, green tea?
Yeah, you heard me right. Don't put down your cup of tea just yet, but if you're near a GNC please run, don't walk, the other way (good advice anytime).
A review ($) came out in one of my two favorite journals, Chemical Research in Toxicology (the other being VQRÂ - you've got to keep your nerd in check), on the chemicals found in green tea that are supposed to so healthy, polyphenols. A bit of background first. The major polyphenols found in green tea called catechins have shown some anti-cancer activity in vivo (in a living thing). A…
angrytoxicologist | May 2, 2007It's been too long a wait for someone to do a study like this. In the wake of the large study that found that vitamin supplements are not helpful and some may be harmful, we have a simple study that should have been done long ago to determine if it's the fruit and veggies or the anti-oxidants that are beneficial.
Let's back up here. Vitamin supplements haven't really been shown to effect actual health outcomes in large studies. Vitamin C has the best evidence going for it, but even that's shaky. We just took the supplements (me included) because, logically, they should work to reduce…
angrytoxicologist | May 1, 2007Why, yes it is, and that's why I've got a stupid product for you not to buy (not that my above-average-intelligence audience would anyway ;)Â ).
The POD, or Personal Oxygen Device, by GO2, is simply that: portable oxygen for you to "energize" and "refresh, restore, renew your mind and body on the cellular level with oxygen". Ooooo...cellular. Sounds scientificy, let's get it!
First I have to note that if your body is short on oxygen, you'll simply breathe harder.
Now, why is the product harmful?
Oxygen is reactive, our bodies exploit this aspect by having O2 accept the energy that we use…
angrytoxicologist | April 27, 2007The WaPo reports today that Assemblywoman Sally Lieber (D) has introduced a bill to ban diacetyl use by 2010. The chemical is an artificial butter flavoring most commonly used in microwave popcorn. Numerous studies have found links between the chemical used by flavor workers and a rare disease called bronchiolitis obliterans. For those of you who aren't 2000 yr old Romans, that means that the bronchioles and some of the smaller bronchi are obliterated by masses made up of fiberous tissue. It's like sticking marbles into the networks of tubes in your lung that connect fresh air to the alveoli…
angrytoxicologist | April 24, 2007 Possibly this should be the 'absolute failure of logic' edition. In the WaPo today (page A07), you'll find a story about how the FDA is going to be testing food additives from China for melamine. It's all fine and boring except for two crucial facts. Let's do the grading:
Melamine, a nitrogen-based compound used in products such as countertops, glues and fertilizers, was identified this month as the cause of fatal kidney failure in an unknown number of dogs and cats, leading to the recall of more than 100 brands of pet food.
Wow. Melamine's the cause? Looks like the press is getting carried…