Kroger Co. plans to eliminate plastic shopping bags from its supermarkets, the latest retailer to address customer backlash against disposable packaging and utensils.
Search Results for: plastic
Plastics industry has FDA in their pocket
That assessment is expected to be released any day and will be presented Oct. 31 in Washington The Journal Sentinel reported earlier this month that subcommittee chairman Martin Philbert is founder and co-director of an institute that received $5 million from a retired medical supply manufacturer who said he considered bisphenol A “perfectly safe.”
…Another government-funded study, which also looked at the effects of the chemical on the prostate, again was considered of “high utility” by the NTP for its evaluation, and it was deemed “very limited” by the FDA.
Plastic linked to smaller penises
Exposure of expectant mothers to phthalates, a common ingredient in many plastics, has been linked to smaller penis size and incomplete descent of testicles in their baby boys, according to a new research paper that found the chemical also appears to make the overall genital tracts of boys slightly more feminine. … Phthalates are “probably reproductive toxins and should be eliminated from products gradually because we don’t need them,” said Shanna Swan, director of the Center for Reproductive Epidemiology at the University of Rochester’s school of medicine, who led the team of scientists who examined the boys.
BPA in plastics linked to diabetes, heart disease
The report to be published in the September 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that adults with the highest concentrations of BPA in their urine had nearly triple the odds of cardiovascular disease, compared with subjects found to have the least amounts of the compound in their systems.
… Plastic, it’s what’s for breakfast ((and lunch, and dinner)) NPR ran a story on the same topic, and concluded: At this time, the FDA finds the current level of exposure to BPA through food containers safe.
Plastic Fantastic
Each ingredient is a part of hundreds of household items; BPA is in everything from baby bottles to can linings (to protect against E. coli and botulism), while phthalates are found in children’s toys as well as vinyl shower curtains.
… Don’t forget that the oil barons who run our country don’t really want to change anything that might interfere with profits, so don’t expect any FDA or EPA studies concerning the interaction with humans and plastics anytime before the Rapture.
Clash on Safety of BPA in Plastic Items
Government experts and lawmakers clashed at a hearing Tuesday over the safety of a chemical used in plastic baby bottles, as the science indicating health risks seemed not conclusive enough to meet the burden of proof required for a U.S. ban. … The latest concern about BPA emerged in April when the Department of Health and Human Services’ National Toxicology Program released a draft report concluding that small amounts of the chemical could be linked to health and developmental problems.
Junk journey highlights plastic soup of Pacific
To that end, they have built a motor-less craft from 15,000 recycled beverage bottles, fishing nets, and the cockpit of a Cessna, and are sailing it more than 2,000 miles from southern California to Hawaii. … On the last Pacific voyage that ended in February, Eriksen and Paschal helped marine researcher Charles Moore assess the extent of pollution in the waters leading up to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a swirling mass of plastic debris some estimate to be as large as the United States.
More Plastic Water Bottle Blues
Alina Tugend writes: The type of plastic bottle that typically holds water, soda and juice is made from polyethylene terephthalate, a petroleum-based material also known as PET that is labeled No.
…If you do use these hard No. 7 plastic bottles, the Green Guide, published by the National Geographic Society, advises you to avoid washing them in a dishwasher or with harsh detergent to limit wear and tear.
My photo “Don’t Know How Much Longer I Can Wait” was added to Flickr Explore
I believe for the first time since Flickr parent SmugMug tweaked the algorithm, a photo of mine made it into Explore
Upgrading Mac Pro 2010 With New Graphic Card and SSD Drives
My beloved desktop Mac – a Mac Pro 5,1 – started exhibiting signs of an impending graphic card failure
Vinyl LP Catalog Project Update -The Analog Universe Has Its Own Rules
By now, my routine is fairly well polished, and occurs in roughly this order. The analog universe has its own rules.
Strange Spells Chanted Silently
Lake Street in the rain
Nestlé pays $200 a year to bottle water from Michigan
Access to clean water should be a human right, all over the world, including in Michigan
Michigan OKs Nestlé Water Extraction, Despite 80K+ Public Comments Against It
in Mecosta County, Nestlé is not required to pay anything to extract the water, besides a small permitting fee to the state and the cost of leases to a private landowner. In fact, the company received $13 million in tax breaks from the state to locate the plant in Michigan.
Photography As Art
I reject that photography has to be journalistic. Speaking for myself, of course, I’m more interested in artistic expression, using the language of film, and the language of poetry to capture the myriad facets of the world around me, in all its ragged, incomplete glory.