Lead, which has been known to turn up in paint and metal products, has now been found in spices, writes WebMD, citing researchers at the Children’s General Hospital in Boston.

The team associated four pediatric lead poisoning cases to Indian spices or ceremonial powers, with one-quarter testing with “detectable lead levels” and over half containing lead, said WebMD. More Spices May be Source of Lead Poisoning

A federal judge overseeing World Trade Center emergency worker lawsuits in New York City said last week that he wants to hear from injured and sickened workers before a $657 million proposed settlement is put to a vote. On Friday, Judge Alvin Hellerstein invited 11,000 rescue and recovery workers involved in the litigation to testify at a public hearing to be scheduled sometime in the next week to determine if the deal is “fair, appropriate and just to all affected.”

Since 2003, thousands of firefighters, police officers, construction workers and emergency responders have filed lawsuits against 90 defendants over illnesses they say were caused by exposure to toxic dust at Ground Zero. They alleged the defendants, including New York City, the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, and construction companies, failed to adequately supervise and protect them with safety equipment. Bellwether, or test trials, were supposed to start in those lawsuits in May, but they will be postponed or canceled in light of the newly-announced settlement agreement. More World Trade Center Workers Must Be Heard Before Settlement Vote, Judge Says

A new study has found that police officers who worked at Ground Zero after the 9/11 terrorist attacks are more likely to suffer from certain types of heart problems. The study, which started in January 2008 and ended last June, was funded by the Fraternal Order of Police of New York State.

According to the study, police officers who worked at the World Trade Center site in the aftermath of the attacks had unusually high occurrences of abnormal left and right ventricular functioning. Such abnormal functioning hinders blood flow and can lead to heart disease later in life. Of 1,200 police officers tested, 53 percent had abnormal left ventricular functioning and 59 percent had problems with their right ventricle. More Heart Problems Seen in Ground Zero Responders

A chemical that is being added to furniture shipments coming into the United States from China is likely the cause of a red rash people have been experiencing on the back of their legs, said WebMD Health News. The chemical is used to prevent mold growth.

According to physicians, the chemical is being linked to what WebMD described as severe rashes. Dimethylfumate (DMF) can make its way in the fabric of furniture and can also penetrate clothes when someone sits on the furniture, according to Joseph F. Fowler Jr., MD, clinical professor of dermatology at the University of Louisville, Kentucky, said WebMD. Fowler also explained that DMF is also used when clothing and shoes are shipped, a problem given that some people are extremely allergic to the chemical that Dr. Fowler said is a preservative, wrote Web MD. More Furniture Chemical Linked to Skin Rashes

States; counties; and other entities, including some manufacturers, such as baby bottle makers; Canada; and the European Union, have taken matters into their own hands regarding the controversial chemical, bisphenol A—BPA—by banning the estrogenic chemical in a variety of uses and for certain demographics. Now, reports the Associated Press (AP), Wisconsin is banning BPA in some children’s items sold in that state. Governor Jim Doyle signed the bill into law this week, said the AP.

The Wisconsin, Minnesota, and Chicago bans apply to bottles and sippy cups for children aged three and younger; the Connecticut law does not have an age limit, said the AP. More Wisconsin Law Limits BPA

About 1,200 Children’s Bangles imported from India by Chandigarh Fashion Inc., of Flushing, New York have been recalled, the U.S Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) just announced.

The recall was initiated because the surface coating on the bracelets contains high levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard. Although no incidents or injuries have been reported, to date, it is important to understand that the effects of lead exposure and lead poisoning are not always immediately observable.
More Children’s Bangle Bracelets Recalled for Lead Paint Violation

United States Senator, Charles E. Schumer (Democrat-New York) just announced that he is urging the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to reconsider its decision to delay regulatory action on bisphenol A—BPA—the ubiquitous, estrogenic mimicking chemical. BPA, an endocrine disrupter, is in a class of both natural and man-made chemicals that can interfere or mimic those human hormones that regulate development and growth. BPA was developed in the 1930s as an estrogenic mimicker and is used in the industrial manufacture of plastics.

Recently, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) reversed its position that BPA was safe for all saying it has “some concern” about BPA’s effects on the brain; behavior; and prostates of fetuses, infants, and young children, said the Journal Sentinel. But, on the heels of a meeting between chemical industry lobbyists and Obama administration officials, federal regulators at the EPA are doing what seems to be a bit of a back track regarding the inclusion of BPA in its regulation of dangerous chemicals. More Senator Schumer Pushes EPA to Restrict BPA

We have been following news reports regarding the herbicide. Atrazine for some time. Now, the San Francisco Gate (SFGate) is reporting that Atrazine has been linked to sex changes in many male frogs—from male to female—and the “emasculation” of three-quarters of the other frogs. The SFGate cited research just reported by Tyrone Hayes, a UC Berkeley professor and molecular toxicologist, said the SFGate.

Not unexpectedly, scientists with the Syngenta, Atrazine’s largest producer, found the findings to be “fundamentally flawed,” said the SFGate. Meanwhile, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) approved the pesticide under the Bush administration after it rejected earlier findings, said SFGate. Scientists at the EPA who are part of the Obama administration are currently reviewing the earlier EPA rule, said the SFGate, which added that the European Union (EU) banned Atrazine after it found very small levels in lakes and streams “severely damaged” amphibians in those bodies of water. More Atrazine Changes Sex of Frogs

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) just initiated 11 new animal studies into the possible effects from exposure to the industrial chemical bisphenol A—BPA—NIEHS director Linda Birnbaum told Congress, reported Reuters.

“There are concerns about multiple possible health effects of BPA exposure,” Birnbaum told Congress at a House Energy and Commerce Energy and Environment Subcommittee hearing, quoted Reuters. “While much of the exposure to BPA in humans occurs through the diet, other sources of exposure include air, dust and, water,” she added. The hearing was convened to look at endocrine disruptors in drinking water. More Federal Agency Launches New BPA Studies

About 580 BigBox Hockey Sets, which were imported by Sportime of Norcross, Georgia, have been recalled, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) just announced.

The surface coating on the boards, which are assembled together to form the floor hockey playing field, contain excessive levels of lead, violating the federal lead paint standard. To date, no incidents or injuries have been reported; however, the effects of lead exposure and lead poisoning are not always immediately apparent. More Lead Paint Hazard Prompts Recall of Children’s Floor Hockey Sets