WASHINGTON - A mixture of six bacteria-killing viruses can be safely sprayed on meat and poultry to combat common microbes that kill hundreds of people a year, federal health officials said Friday.
The mixture of special viruses, called bacteriophages, would target strains of Listeria monocytogenes, the Food and Drug Administration said in declaring it is safe to use. The viruses are designed to be sprayed on ready-to-eat meat and poultry products just before they are packaged.
The bacterium they target can cause a serious infection called listeriosis, primarily in pregnant women, newborns and adults with weakened immune systems. In the United States, an estimated 2,500 persons become seriously ill with listeriosis each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those, 500 die.
Full Story:
July 16, 2009
July 14, 2009
Fluoridated Water is Unsafe
Decades of research have been conducted on the dangers of fluoride to human health. The ingredient in toothpaste is pharmaceutical grade sodium fluoride. Even toothpaste tube labels have a warning to call the Poison Control Center if ingested. Fluoride is the poison.Hydrofluorosilicic acid is what is added to drinking water. It is untreated toxic waste from the phosphate fertilizer industry added to city tap water, and has trace amounts of other toxins in the waste including arsenic and heavy metals. Fluoride is classified as a neurotoxin, just as harmful as lead and aluminum to the human developing brain.
But wait, isn't fluoride good for our teeth?
Tooth health has improved worldwide, proving that the relationship between fluoride and dental caries is spurious at best. Tooth health is dependent on three factors:
1. good genetics
2. good diet
3. good brushing habits (does not matter if the toothpaste is fluoridated or unfluoridated)
Should Fluoride be Ingested or Used Topically?
“If you want to prevent sunburn, you don’t drink suntan lotion,” explains Dr. William Hirzy, Vice President of the EPA Union in a brilliant and thorough 28-minute video, Professional Perspectives on Water Fluoridation.
According to an extensive report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), “…the main benefits of fluoride for dental health are derived from surface application on the teeth, not from ingestion (Aoba 2002; Featherstone 2000; Weyant 2004). Fluoride works primarily via three topical mechanisms … All of these mechanisms are post-eruptive, which means that they operate in the oral cavity after the permanent tooth emerges from the gum (Aoba 2002; Hellwig 2004).” Fluoride and Dental Health
Dangers and Health Hazards of Fluoride to Human Health
Here are some of the findings from literally decades of research on health risks associated with ingesting fluoride.
* 30% of American children have fluorosis (too much fluoride). Those brown spots on the teeth, mottled, pitted and weakened teeth are often caused by excess fluoride.
* Over exposure to fluoride can cause osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer in children. A recent report shows high levels of fluoride in dog food with bone meal fillers is linked to osteosarcoma in dogs, as well.
* Fluoride contributes to increased susceptibility to bone fractures, arthritis and skeletal fluorosis. The Journal of American Medical Association has published peer reviewed studies showing fluoride can increase risk of bone fractures.
* Fluoride has been found to lower IQ in children (according to 23 published studies on fluoride and intelligence in children); cause brain damage, and contribute to ADD (when linked with lead).
* Arthritis symptoms can be caused or aggravated by fluoride.
* Fluoride suppresses the thyroid functions, contributing to depression, and hypothyroidism.
Read Full Article:
www.examiner.com
But wait, isn't fluoride good for our teeth?
Tooth health has improved worldwide, proving that the relationship between fluoride and dental caries is spurious at best. Tooth health is dependent on three factors:
1. good genetics
2. good diet
3. good brushing habits (does not matter if the toothpaste is fluoridated or unfluoridated)
Should Fluoride be Ingested or Used Topically?
“If you want to prevent sunburn, you don’t drink suntan lotion,” explains Dr. William Hirzy, Vice President of the EPA Union in a brilliant and thorough 28-minute video, Professional Perspectives on Water Fluoridation.
According to an extensive report by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), “…the main benefits of fluoride for dental health are derived from surface application on the teeth, not from ingestion (Aoba 2002; Featherstone 2000; Weyant 2004). Fluoride works primarily via three topical mechanisms … All of these mechanisms are post-eruptive, which means that they operate in the oral cavity after the permanent tooth emerges from the gum (Aoba 2002; Hellwig 2004).” Fluoride and Dental Health
Dangers and Health Hazards of Fluoride to Human Health
Here are some of the findings from literally decades of research on health risks associated with ingesting fluoride.
* 30% of American children have fluorosis (too much fluoride). Those brown spots on the teeth, mottled, pitted and weakened teeth are often caused by excess fluoride.
* Over exposure to fluoride can cause osteosarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer in children. A recent report shows high levels of fluoride in dog food with bone meal fillers is linked to osteosarcoma in dogs, as well.
* Fluoride contributes to increased susceptibility to bone fractures, arthritis and skeletal fluorosis. The Journal of American Medical Association has published peer reviewed studies showing fluoride can increase risk of bone fractures.
* Fluoride has been found to lower IQ in children (according to 23 published studies on fluoride and intelligence in children); cause brain damage, and contribute to ADD (when linked with lead).
* Arthritis symptoms can be caused or aggravated by fluoride.
* Fluoride suppresses the thyroid functions, contributing to depression, and hypothyroidism.
Read Full Article:
www.examiner.com
June 10, 2009
The Italian Job at the Canadian Mint?
Mounties to probe Canada's missing gold
OTTAWA (AFP) — The Canadian government is investigating the disappearance of an amount of gold and precious metals from the Royal Canadian Mint and has asked the federal police to probe a possible heist.
Minister of State for Transport Rob Merrifield said Tuesday he called in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to conduct a "full investigation."
External auditors had been ordered to investigate a discrepancy between the mint's 2008 financial accounting of its precious metal holdings and its actual stockpile. Many had expected the audit would point to sloppy bookkeeping.
The investigation was ordered after mint officials said the audit would not be able to reconcile the discrepancy.
"As soon as they instructed me this morning that it looked like the audit wasn't going to tell us everything we need to know and be able to rectify the numbers, I thought it was important to bring the RCMP in," Merrifield said.
But he declined to say how much gold, silver or other precious metals were unaccounted for.
Opposition parties, however, criticized the government for the mint's possible loss of tens of millions of dollars worth of gold.
"How is it conceivable that we can lose tens of millions of dollars in gold from the Royal Canadian Mint, and nobody notices until they finally start calling the accountants," said opposition New Democrat MP Thomas Mulcair.
"If they can't even hold onto the gold in the Mint, what are they capable of doing?" he said, adding: "It now appears that it's gone beyond bad accounting."
May 31, 2009
Homeland Security to scan fingerprints of travellers exiting the US
The US Department of Homeland Security is set to kick-start a controversial new pilot to scan the fingerprints of travelers departing the United States.
From June, US Customs and Border Patrol will take a fingerprint scan of international travelers exiting the United States from Detroit, while the US Transport Security Administration will take fingerprint scans of international travelers exiting the United States from Atlanta.
Biometric technology such as fingerprint scans has been used by US Customs and Border Patrol for several years to gain a biometric record of non-US citizens entering the United States.
But under the Bush Administration, a plan was formulated to also scan outgoing passengers.
Michael Hardin, a senior policy analyst with the US-Visit Program at the United States Department of Homeland Security told a Biometrics Institute conference today that the DHS will use the data from the trial to "inform us as to where to take [exit screening] next."
"We are trying to ensure we know more about who came and who left," he said. "We have a large population of illegal immigrants in the United States - we want to make sure the person getting on the plane really is the person the records show to be leaving."
Read Article
From June, US Customs and Border Patrol will take a fingerprint scan of international travelers exiting the United States from Detroit, while the US Transport Security Administration will take fingerprint scans of international travelers exiting the United States from Atlanta.
Biometric technology such as fingerprint scans has been used by US Customs and Border Patrol for several years to gain a biometric record of non-US citizens entering the United States.
But under the Bush Administration, a plan was formulated to also scan outgoing passengers.
Michael Hardin, a senior policy analyst with the US-Visit Program at the United States Department of Homeland Security told a Biometrics Institute conference today that the DHS will use the data from the trial to "inform us as to where to take [exit screening] next."
"We are trying to ensure we know more about who came and who left," he said. "We have a large population of illegal immigrants in the United States - we want to make sure the person getting on the plane really is the person the records show to be leaving."
Read Article
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