JANUARY 2016 TIP TALKS NEWSLETTER

                        IN THIS ISSUE

**LIB TALKS:  Banning Neonicotinoids – Join us? 

“Tru-Green” or “Truly Sick”?  What to Think re: Campbell

Labeling Move? Thoughts About Medical Matters & “Science”

**GOOD NEWS:  Campbell Labels Will Disclose GMOs

**OTHER NEWS:  BPA Replacements Aren’t Benign

**ACTIONS:  It's Time For Strong Antibiotics Rules From the FDA,

Tell USDA to Listen to Scientists, Not Suppress Research 

Tell WebMD CEO to Stop Promoting Monsanto.

** RESOURCES:  EWG Dietary Guidelines, 

CHEJ Resources in Spanish  (NOTE:  Also see TIP's own

materials in Spanish at:  http://toxicsinfo.org/espanol.htm

      ****************************************************************

                                            LIB TALKS

            *****************************************************

**BANNING NEONICOTINOIDS:  Draft legislation has been generated

for introduction here in Rhode Island this session for banning or

otherwise regulating the use of neonicotinoid-based pesticides in

our state.  Perhaps some of you might find a legislator in your neck of

the woods to do likewise?  Contact me if interested in further info

about the bill.  (Note:  The Audubon Society & Environment Council

here have made this a priority – perhaps such support is available

where you live.)

 

** “TRU-GREEN” OR “TRULY SICK”?  Another sad tale came our way

recently about Chem-Lawn (an accurate brand name).  Naming itself “

Tru-Green” hasn’t changed the facts – it makes both animals and people

sick.  A man in Wisconsin who worked for these chemical-pushers for

many years is now battling cancer at the age of 43, per a concerned

relative.  Anyone who might know of sources to help him in this

situation – doctors, lawyers, info-providers – please get in touch. 

                (I came up with a few and passed them along). 

 

**WHAT TO THINK RE: CAMPBELL LABELING MOVE?

I am cautiously pleased at Campbell’s action, though I don’t fully trust

them on their actual means of carrying out the promise. What will be

the standards, how enforced, etc.  Also, the elephant in the room is

the BPA/BPS concern – toxic can liners remain a Campbell problem. 

(Note item below)  However, even a small step forward as a recognition

of consumer demand is to be welcomed.

 

**THOUGHTS ABOUT “SCIENCE” & MEDICAL MATTERS 

Today’s TIP TALKS includes some prime examples of the confusion

& misinformation generated by corporate control of both private and

governmental research and pronouncements on health-related matters. 

We see weakness in federal  agencies (infested by many corporate

honchos with significant say-so), and a profusion of “science”

contaminated by corporate money & interests.  The fox is all too often

guarding the henhouse in today’s world.  And, clear “safe” or “not safe”

determinations are very challenging anyway.  There are no “magic

bullets”,  and no one person or source has all the answers. We all

react to various substances in differing ways. Also, we are exposed to

many, many toxins over many years.  This is why companies like

Monsanto can get away with claiming their products are “safe” –

not everyone reacts visibly or quickly, and it is hard to point to only

one product as the “cause” of illness. 

 

This is also true with the American health care system – as suggested

by the WebMD/Monsanto connection.  (Note the dire warnings  about

“side effects” that accompany the drug ads on TV!  I do not give

medical advice, but I do feel moved to give this suggestion to those

struggling to figure out how to be healthy:  Consider the source

& seek at least to balance your health info by including independent

research in your decision-making.  Be aware of your own body and

what affects it.  And, “common” sense & logic can  also serve you well!

 

Blessings, Liberty G

                    ***********************************************

                                      GOOD NEWS

*        **************************************************************

CAMPBELL LABELS WILL DISCLOSE G.M.O. INGREDIENTS

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/08/business/campbell-labels-will-disclose-gmo-ingredients.html?_r=0

New York Times January 8, 2016-  Breaking from its industry rivals,

Campbell Soup will become the first major food company to begin

disclosing the presence of genetically engineered ingredients like corn,

soy and sugar beets in its products.  The company, the maker of brands

like Pepperidge Farm, Prego, Plum Organics and V8 in addition to its

namesake soups, is taking the unusual step -and possibly risking sales

by alienating consumers averse to genetically modified organisms -

as big food corporations face increasing pressure to be more open

about their use of such ingredients.  Food companies have begun

printing labels to comply with a new labeling law in Vermont, which

has become a battleground over labeling  that other states have been

watching closely.  Beginning in July, Vermont will require disclosure

of genetically engineered ingredients, a measure opposed by

most major food companies, which are seeking to supersede any

state's legislation with a  voluntary federal solution. Campbell is

also breaking with its peers by calling for federal action to make

mandatory a uniform labeling system of foods that contain such

ingredients, commonly known as G.M.O. labeling.

                                      ****************************************

                                                      OTHER NEWS       

                                            *************************************

                          BPA ALTERNATIVES AREN'T BENIGN

        REPLACEMENTS CAUSE PROBLEMS IN LAB ANIMALS

      Magazine issue: Vol. 188, No. 13, December 26, 2015, p. 30

www.sciencenews.org/article/year-review-bpa-alternatives-arent-benign

A popular alternative to bisphenol A isn't as benign as people had

thought, at least not in lab animals.  After a growing body of research

identified hormone-mimicking effects from BPA - a compound found in

some plastics, dental sealants and cash register receipts - consumers

began reaching for BPA-free products. But there is now evidence that

at least one of the chemical substitutes, bisphenol S, can enter the

body and trigger developmental and physiological changes.  A study

published this year found that BPS can boost heart rates and lead

to heart-rate variability in rats. Another reported altered brain

development and behavior in fish (SN:4/4/15, p. 10).

                                    *********************************

                                                      ACTIONS

                              *****************************************

IT'S TIME FOR STRONG ANTIBIOTICS RULES FROM THE FDA

https://uspirg.webaction.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=14020&utm_source=Salsa&utm_medium=Email&utm_campaign=USP4-FPUB:ANTI&utm_content=IO:OVERUSE-1215&uid=1125802

Antibiotic resistance is on the rise and, according to the FDA's

annual report, so is  antibiotics use on livestock and poultry.  This is

unacceptable.  We know that the overuse of antibiotics causes

antibiotic resistance. Yet, even under FDA guidelines, factory farms

are still allowed to routinely  administer antibiotics to animals that

aren'tsick.  Factory farms have become hotbeds of resistance, and

it's time for the FDA to take serious action. Experts worldwide warn

that the longer we wait to reign in antibiotics misuse, the more quickly

we approach the post-antibiotic era, in which our life-saving medicines

no longer work.



The FDA tried to right this wrong with its Guidance for Industry #213

in 2013. Two years later, these voluntary actions don't seem to be

working but are making it clear that as long as producers are permitted

to use antibiotics for disease prevention in animals that are not sick,

antibiotics misuse on farms will continue. We need more substantial

action in order to save antibiotics.  Tell the FDA: it's time to ban the

overuse of antibiotics  on factory farms.

 

                              *****************************************

                            TELL USDA TO LISTEN TO SCIENTISTS,

                                NOT SUPPRESS THEIR RESEARCH

Earlier this year, one of the top entomologists at the U.S. Department

of Agriculture (USDA), Jonathan Lundgren filed a whistleblower complaint

against the federal agency, citing unprofessional retaliation following

the publication of a study linking neonicotinoid insecticides to the

decline of monarch butterflies. Until recently, Dr. Lundgren worked for

USDA for eleven years with great success, and his cutting edge

research has drawn national attention and international recognition.

In April of this year, Dr. Lundgren published a study in The Science of

Nature that shows that clothianidin, a neonicotinoid seed treatment,

kills monarch butterfly larvae in the laboratory. On August 3, 2015,

USDA imposed a 14-day suspension against Dr. Lundgren for

submitting the study & for a paperwork error in his travel authorization

for his invited presentation about his research to a panel of the

National Academy of Sciences.  The suspension was cut to

14 days from 30 after Dr. Lundgren  filed an appeal.

 

With independent science both in and outside of the U.S. pointing to

a growing list of impacts from pesticides & genetically engineered

crops, ranging from the decline of bees to the carcinogenicity of the

widely used herbicide glyphosate, it is critical that federal scientific

agencies tasked with protecting human and environmental health be

able to inform the public without repercussions from an industry whose

only interest is in protecting profits.  Help stop the suppression of

science within USDA! Sign your support for reforms now!

http://action.beyondpesticides.org/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=21956

                        ********************************************************

                          TELL WEBMD CEO DAVID SCHLANGER

                                TO STOP PROMOTING MONSANTO! -

If you’re one of the nearly 12 million people who visit WebMD.com

every month, you’re getting a healthy dose of Monsanto propaganda

along with your “health research.”  Monsanto is one of the many

corporate “sponsors” of WebMD. That means Monsanto pays WebMD

in order to pepper WebMD’s website with advertisements and

          advertorials (ads disguised  as legitimate journalism). 

          TAKE ACTION: Tell WebMD CEO Schlanger to stop promoting

            Monsanto, the world’s largest poison pusher! – Go to:

http://salsa3.salsalabs.com/o/50865/p/dia/action3/common/public/?action_KEY=18133#sthash.z3AhKy4S.dpuf

                                    ********************************

                                                RESOURCES

                                **************************************

      RESOURCES IN SPANISH FROM CHEJ PUBLICATIONS)

CHEJ is proud to expand its repertoire of scientific and organizing

publications with the addition of new resources in Spanish from

Women’s  Voices for the Earth, a non-profit organization that

amplifies women’s voices to eliminate the toxic chemicals that

harm our health and communities. These Spanish-language

resources focus on issues such as such as chemicals in

feminine care and in  household cleaning products. They apply

scientific equipment and testing methods to shed some light into

the myriad of potentially harmful cleaning and personal care products

in the market, and offer suggestions for healthier alternatives.

          You can access these new resources for free at: 

  CATEGORY:  RESOURCES FOR SPANISH SPEAKERS

                  Peligros en el Hogar (Household Hazards)»

        http://chej.org/assistance/publications/140-peligros-en-el-hogar/

                        El Uso Exagerado de los Desinfectantes

                        (The Exaggerated Use of Disinfectants)»

http://chej.org/assistance/publications/141-el-uso-exagerado-de-los-desinfectantes/

                      Chem Fatale (Toxic Feminine Care Products)»

              http://chej.org/assistance/publications/142-chem-fatale/

                ************************************************************

                ENVIRONMENTAL WORKING GROUP (EWG)

                                          DIETARY GUIDELINES

A few weeks ago, the federal government released its Dietary

Guidelines  for Americans.  Its recommendations for “healthful

eating” fall seriously short: they fail to steer Americans toward a

healthier diet that’s also better for the environment. What’s more,

the 2016 edition of the guidelines, like those before it, has Big Food’s

fingerprints all over it.  EWG believes that Americansneed clear,

unambiguous nutritional guidelines, not a document that tip-toes

around the hard truth.  That’s why they just released EWG’s first-ever

Dietary Guidelines, drawn from EWG research & databases on meat,

pesticides in produce, seafood, food additives & trans-fats – to give

YOU solid nutritional guidance that looks out for your health, the

health of your family and the planet.  Click here to check them out:

              www.ewg.org/research/ewgs-dietary-guidelines?inlist=Y 

              ****************************************************************

                      CONTACT US WITH YOUR THOUGHTS,

                              COMMENTS, QUESTIONS!

AND BY THE WAY – WE’RE SMALL, WE’RE ACTIVE, WE

DON’T  BOTHER YOU WITH LOTS OF PITCHES FOR MOOLA –

          BUT WE REALLY DO NEED SOME HELP!

        *************************************************************

              EASY WAYS TO SUPPORT OUR WORK:

BENEFIT TIP WHILE SURFING OR SHOPPING THE WEB

at:  www.goodsearch.com/?charityid=818190

BENEFIT TIP WHILE SHOPPING ON THE WEB AT:

www.igive.com/welcome/warmwelcome.cfm?c=38382&m=0

        OR MOST OF ALL, MAKE A DONATION:

        Mail a check to TIP at the address above.

          (We are a tax deductible organization)

************************************************************

Liberty Goodwin, Director, Toxics Information Project (TIP)

P.O. Box 40572, Providence, RI 02940

Tel. 401-351-9193, E-Mail:  liberty@toxicsinfo.org

Website: www.toxicsinfo.org

************************************************************