Report: Most Americans still live in unclean air
By SUE MANNING
Associated Press Writer
Wed Apr 28, 2010
LOS ANGELES – Six in 10 Americans — about 175 million people — are living in places where air pollution often reaches dangerous levels, despite progress in reducing particle pollution, the American Lung Association said in a report released Wednesday.
The Los Angeles area had the nation's worst ozone pollution.
The report examined fine particulate matter over 24-hour periods and as a year-round average. Bakersfield, Calif., had the worst short-term particle pollution, and the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale area of Arizona had the worst year-round particle pollution.
The U.S. cities with the cleanest air were Fargo, N.D., Wahpeton, N.D., and Lincoln, Neb.
The report is accurate but doesn't show how far California has come, said Dimitri Stanich, a spokesman for the California Air Resources Board.
"More than 45 percent of the days in the 1990 ozone season were considered very unhealthy (in the South Coast area). Today, 45 percent of the days are clean, more than double the number of clean days during 1990."
Continue reading: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100428/ap_on_sc/us_polluted_cities - - -
American Lung Association's report:
http://www.stateoftheair.orgShare this on Facebook:
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Presidential panel says: choose organics!
by Marion Nestle
May 7, 2010
http://www.foodpolitics.com/2010/05/presidential-panel-says-choose-organics/
Thanks to Nicholas Kristof of the New York Times (“New alarm bells about chemicals and cancer“) for telling readers about a report on chemicals and cancer just released by the President’s Cancer Panel.
I had never heard of this panel – appointed during the Bush Administration, no less – and went right to its 2008-2009 annual report.
The Panel says that the “risk of environmentally induced cancer has been grossly underestimated,” that “nearly 80,000 chemicals [are] on the market in the United States, many of which are…un- or understudied and largely unregulated,” and that “the public remains unaware…that children are far more vulnerable to environmental toxins and radiation than adults.”
evidence suggests that some environmental agents may initiate or promote cancer by disrupting normal immune and endocrine system functions. The burgeoning number and complexity of known or suspected environmental carcinogens compel us to act to protect public health, even though we may lack irrefutable proof of harm.
I’m guessing this report will cause a furor. Why? “Lack irrefutable proof” means that the science isn’t there. In this situation, the Panel advises precaution. Check out these examples selected from the recommendations:
•Parents and child care providers should choose foods, house and garden products, play spaces, toys, medicines, and medical tests that will minimize children’s exposure to toxics. Ideally, both mothers and fathers should avoid exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
•It is preferable to use filtered tap water instead of commercially bottled water.
•Exposure to pesticides can be decreased by choosing…food grown without pesticides or chemical fertilizers [translation: organics] and washing conventionally grown produce to remove residues.
•Exposure to antibiotics, growth hormones, and toxic run-off from livestock feed lots can be minimized by eating free-range meat [translation: don't eat feedlot meat].
Expect to hear an uproar from the industries that might be affected by this report. The American Cancer Society (ACS) doesn’t like it either, since the report implies that the ACS hasn’t been doing enough to educate the public about this issue. The ACS said:
Elements of this report are entirely consistent with the recently published “American Cancer Society Perspective on Environmental Factors and Cancer”…Unfortunately, the perspective of the report is unbalanced by its implication that pollution is the major cause of cancer, and by its dismissal of cancer prevention efforts aimed at the major known causes of cancer (tobacco, obesity, alcohol, infections, hormones, sunlight) as “focussed narrowly”…it would be unfortunate if the effect of this report were to trivialize the importance of other modifiable risk factors that, at present, offer the greatest opportunity in preventing cancer.
ACS says the Panel does not back up its recommendations with enough research. Maybe, but why isn’t ACS pushing for more and better research on these chemicals? However small the risks – and we hardly know anything about them – these chemicals are unlikely to be good for human health. Doesn’t precaution make sense? I think so.Share this on Facebook:
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How to Start a Vegetable Garden from Seed in Your Home
by Jennie Lyon
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
http://blog.cascadianfarm.com/category/living/veggies-101-how-to-start-a-vegetable-garden-from-seed-in-your-home.aspx?WT.mc_id=CF_Email_May10_Recipe
Did you know that you can start your own vegetable garden from seeds in your home? Not only is it true, but it is super budget friendly, green and fun for the entire family. When choosing the vegetables that you want to grow, remember that plants such as tomatoes, beans, cucumbers and peppers need a longer period of time to grow. Starting them from seeds in your home is a great way to grow plants that will produce a full harvest throughout the season.
What you will need to start growing at home:
* Assorted Organic Seeds.
* Reusable Plastic Greenhouses, Trays, Flats or Pots.
* Expandable Peat Pellets or Soil.
How to get started:
1. Place a pre-soaked peat pellet or moistened soil inside each container. Make a small hole in the center of the peat pellet or soil and sprinkle seeds into the holes. To determine the planting depth, consult the seed packet.
2. Cover the seeds with the recommended amount of moistened soil. Cover the seeds and place them in a sunny south facing windowsill. Label the containers with the name of each plant and the date that the seeds were planted.
3. In 7-10 days the seeds will sprout, at this time thin them until just one plant is remaining. Using a pair of tweezers will give you expert precision when thinning the seedlings.
How to transplant:
1. When the seedlings develop their adult leaves (usually within 4-8 weeks), it is time to transplant them into larger pots.
2. My family uses 4" reusable pots that are filled with potting soil that has been moistened. Choose a warm and sunny spot in your home for the plants to continue to grow. If you do not have somewhere for the larger potted plants to grow, you may want to consider growing them under fluorescent lights. My family has started our garden in our basement for many years using this method.
3. Once the plants are large enough to be moved outside, you will need to harden them off. Hardening them off means that you are getting the seedlings ready to be planted outside. In Springtime, to harden the seedlings off, you will need to sit them outside in a shady spot during the day and them bring them back into the warmth of your home at night. Gradually, move the seedlings to a sunny spot in your yard during the day. After 7-10 days of hardening, your seedlings will be ready for planting in your garden.
Keeping your veggies happy in the garden:
Once your vegetables are planted in your garden, you will want to provide them with a regular supply of water, keeping the soil moist, at least until the seedlings put down their roots. Using mulch in your garden is an excellent way to keep the soil moist. Remember to weed your garden on a regular basis and to use natural pest control remedies to keep the creepy critters at bay.Share this on Facebook:
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Exercise can forestall osteoporosis
04/29/10
The stage for osteoporosis is set well before menopause--but exercise can help rewrite the script, according to Medical College of Georgia researchers.
Declining estrogen levels have long been associated with osteoporosis, but bone density starts to decline years before these levels drop, according to Dr. Joseph Cannon, Kellet Chair in Allied Health Sciences and principal investigator of the National Institute of Aging-funded study. It's during that time that levels of follicle-stimulating hormone, released by the pituitary gland to help regulate ovarian function, actually increase.
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Additionally, they found that study participants who exercised more than 180 minutes a week retained greater bone density.Continue Reading:
http://www.vegsource.com/news/2010/04/exercise-can-forestall-osteoporosis.htmlShare this on Facebook:
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Bisphenol A exposure could affect male hormone levels - study
By Rory Harrington
06-May-2010
New research has suggested that bisphenol A (BPA) could be responsible for altered hormone levels in men.
The US study by John D Meeker et al measured urinary concentrations of BPA and compared them to levels of serum thyroid and reproductive hormone levels in 167 men from an infertility clinic.
Continue reading:
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Science-Nutrition/Bisphenol-A-exposure-could-affect-male-hormone-levels-study/?c=NAUpDVS3q2ph0wG9DDAQ0w%3D%3D&utm_source=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BWeeklyShare this on Facebook:
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Review backs flaxseed lignans' cancer fighting potential
03-May-2010
Flaxseed lignans might offer protection against breast, prostate, colon, and skin cancers while the soluble fibre they contain could help maintain steady blood sugar levels, found a review of research into the seed.
An article, published in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, evaluated current research on flaxseed and any potential benefits it may have against diabetes and certain cancers.
Flaxseed has been the focus of increased interest in the field of diet and disease research due to the potential health benefits associated with some of its biologically active components: oil containing approximately 59 per cent a-linolenic acid (ALA) and the presence of plant lignan secoisolariciresinol diglycoside (SDG). Continue reading:
http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/Science-Nutrition/Review-backs-flaxseed-lignans-cancer-fighting-potential/?c=NAUpDVS3q2qbs5isA4Hq3g%3D%3D&utm_source=newsletter_weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsletter%2BWeeklyShare this on Facebook:
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