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Health problems associated with mineral oil contamination

From a quantitative standpoint, mineral oil is probably the largest contaminant of our body. That this contaminant can be tolerated without health concerns in humans has not been proven convincingly.

24 Nov 2008

Pollution comes home and gets personal: Women's experience of household chemical exposure

Although Americans are becoming increasingly aware of toxic chemical exposure from everyday household products like bisphenol A in some baby bottles and lead in some toys, women do not readily connect typical household products with personal chemical exposure and related adverse health effects, according to research from the December issue of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

21 Nov 2008

If avian flu hits poultry consumption could decline

If a case of avian flu is discovered in a U.S. poultry flock, it's likely that poultry consumption would decline.

20 Nov 2008

FDA strengthens safety of Sucraid (sacrosidase) oral solution

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today issued an expedited approval of a supplemental application that allows for changes in the manufacturing of Sucraid (sacrosidase) Oral Solution.

20 Nov 2008

Microbial population of raw milk found to be more complex than previously thought

Raw milk is illegal in many countries as it can be contaminated with potentially harmful microbes.

16 Nov 2008

New report shows high Clostridium difficile infection rates in U.S. hospitals

Consumers Union called on hospitals today to take more aggressive steps to protect patients from Clostridium difficile (C.-diff.) infections in light of a new report showing that they are much more common than previous estimates had indicated. As the rate of hospital acquired C.-diff. infections has jumped in recent years, an increasing number of patients have developed antibiotic-resistant strains of the infection that are more difficult to treat and more deadly.

11 Nov 2008

Surface analysis exposes counterfeit medicines

CERAM Surface and Materials Analysis has published a white paper highlighting how surface analysis can expose counterfeit medicines. It describes how technologies such as X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) and Time-of-Flight Secondary Ion Mass Spectroscopy (ToFSIMS) are being used in novel ways to not only analyse the composition of various pharmaceuticals, but also to determine differences in the manufacturing processes involved.

15 Oct 2008

Study reveals too many people have faecal bacteria on their hands

According to a preliminary study conducted by the research team, the further north you go in Britain, the more likely you are to have faecal bacteria on your hands, and men were the worse offenders.

14 Oct 2008

Improper cooking linked to 32 cases of Salmonella in the U.S.

Following another outbreak in the United States of salmonella, Americans have been warned to follow the cooking instruction on the labels of some prepared chicken products.

6 Oct 2008

FDA issues interim safety and risk assessment of Melamine and Melamine-related compounds in food

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has issued the results of its interim safety and risk assessment of melamine and melamine-related compounds in food, including infant formula.

5 Oct 2008

Obsessive compulsive disorder evident as early as age four

Researchers in the U.S. say children as young as four can develop full-blown obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD).

1 Oct 2008

Chocolate giant Cadbury latest victim in Chinese poisoned milk scandal

The British chocolate giant Cadbury has become the latest victim in China's poisoned milk scandal - the company has reported finding melamine in its Chinese-made chocolates.

30 Sep 2008

WHO updates on Guinea Bissau cholera outbreak

Since the beginning of May 2008, Guinea-Bissau has been facing a large cholera outbreak. As of 21 September, 7 166 cases had been reported throughout the country, among whom 133 people had died. The overall case-fatality rate stands at 1.9%, and decreases below 1% for hospitalized cases.

24 Sep 2008

Chinese baby milk scandal spreads to countries across Asia

The latest victim of the Chinese baby milk scandal appears to be the head of the country's quality watchdog, who has resigned.

23 Sep 2008

Coles contaminated chicken recalled in four states

The discovery that packs of pre-sliced chicken sold by the supermarket chain Coles were contaminated with listeria, has prompted a recall of the product from stores in New South Wales, South Australia, Victoria and Queensland and Coles Online.

23 Sep 2008

House members send letter to Condoleezza Rice requesting information on antiretrovirals supplied to PEPFAR by Ranbaxy

Rep. John Dingell (D-Mich.) and members of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce on Friday sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice requesting information about alleged safety problems with antiretrovirals manufactured by the Indian generic pharmaceutical company Ranbaxy and distributed through the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the AP/International Herald Tribune reports (AP/International Herald Tribune, 9/19).

22 Sep 2008