At SXSW, a documentary traces the arc of plastics in our lives, and highlights evolving research of the potential harm of its presence in our bodies.
Category: Hazardous and Toxic Substances
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Frank Popoff, Who Sought to Lead a Friendlier Dow Chemical, Dies at 88
As chief executive, he pushed a company known for Agent Orange, napalm and chlorine to undo its confrontational reputation and promote environmental sustainability.
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Philips Suspends Sales of CPAP and Other Breathing Devices After Recall
Under a settlement with regulators, the company must revamp some operations before resuming sales of its CPAP and ventilator devices in the United States.
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Since the East Palestine, Ohio, Train Derailment, Accidents Have Risen
The total number of accidents for the top five freight railroads increased, and Congress still hasn’t passed legislation to prevent similar disasters.
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Monsanto Should Pay $857 Million in PCB Case, Jury Finds
Students and parent volunteers from a school in Washington State said in a lawsuit that they had become sick after being exposed to chemicals known as PCBs that had dripped from light fixtures.
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Lead Levels in Children’s Applesauce May Be Traced to Cinnamon Additive
The F.D.A. is investigating the sources of cinnamon and other ingredients produced outside the U.S. as the possible cause of lead poisoning in dozens of children. Advocates are urging mandatory testing of lead in food.
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Years After Monsanto Deal, Bayer’s Roundup Bills Keep Piling Up
Juries recently awarded plaintiffs more than $2 billion in damages tied to Roundup, the weedkiller that has been linked to cancer. Bayer is fighting back.
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Fruit Purée Pouches May Contain Lead, F.D.A. Warns Parents
Children who have had WanaBana apple cinnamon fruit purée pouches should get a blood test, federal officials said. An investigation found that the purée had “extremely high concentrations of lead.”
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California’s Ban on Red Food Dye Puts FDA on the Spot
The dye was banned in cosmetics after a study suggested it might be a carcinogen. Yet federal regulations still permit its use in foods, stoking concerns that helped build support for the new state law.
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CPAP Maker Agrees to $479 Million Settlement Over Defects
The manufacturer, Philips Respironics, said it would compensate users of CPAP machines and other flawed devices that were recalled after they blew bits of foam into consumers’ mouths and lungs.
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Paul Brodeur, Reporter Who Exposed the Hazards of Asbestos, Dies at 92
In his long career at The New Yorker, he specialized in writing about this and other threats to people’s health, including chlorofluorocarbons.
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Judge Rejects Johnson & Johnson’s Effort to Limit Talc-Related Liabilities
A bankruptcy court’s ruling was the second time the company was rebuffed in its attempt to settle thousands of lawsuits that claim its products caused cancer.