The amount of benzene found in soft drinks has become a growing issue during 2006. Now, Publix Super Markets is about to become well acquainted with the concerns after a Florida woman filed a class-action suit against the company. According to the suit, independent tests have confirmed unsafe levels of benzene in two store-brand sodas, Publix Diet Lemon-Lime and Publix Grape. Heavy exposure to benzene is known to cause cancer.

The benzene problem seems to stem from the combination of benzoate preservatives and citric or ascorbic acid (vitamin C) that is found in many popular carbonated drinks. This combo, aided perhaps by the introduction of light or heat, is subject to a chemical reaction that causes benzene levels to increase. Three large manufacturers–In Zone Brands (maker of Bellywashers), TalkingRain, and Meridian Beverage Company–have already reached settlements over the issue and other manufacturers, including Coca-Cola, Cadbury Schweppes, and PepsiCo, the three largest producers, still face court action related to the benzene problem.
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In a surprising and controversial move, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has decided to remove the ban on silicone breast implants, meaning that one of the most notorious and divisive medical procedures of the past 20 years is poised to regain its old popularity.

“After rigorous scientific review, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) [on Friday] approved the marketing of silicone gel-filled breast implants made by two companies for breast reconstruction in women of all ages and breast augmentation in women ages 22 and older,” the agency announced. “The products are manufactured by Allergan Corp. (formerly Inamed Corp.), Irvine, Calif., and Mentor Corp., Santa Barbara, Calif.”
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An October 13 incident on a Delta Airlines flight has sparked a growing controversy over the appropriateness of breast-feeding on commercial flights. Twenty-seven-year-old New Mexico resident Emily Gillette has filed a complaint with the Vermont Human Rights Commission against Delta and against Freedom Airlines, who operated the Delta flight from Burlington, Vt., to New York City.

In what may prove to be a widespread show of support, nursing mothers and other advocates of public breast-feeding are planning a series of “nurse-ins” to take place tomorrow in roughly a dozen domestic airports. Similar protests have already taken place at Burlington International Airport in defense of Gillette and of nursing mothers in general. Not only is breast-feeding natural and healthy for babies, say advocates, it’s also an effective way to keep a child’s noise level down during the flight experience.
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A new study using an “experimental mice model” has linked the use of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) to liver damage in patients with a certain genetic deficiency. A team of researchers at Washington University in St. Louis published their findings in the October issue of Hepatology.

In the study, researchers administered the NSAID indomethacin (Indocin) in nontoxic doses to mice that carried a mutated form of a human gene associated with alpha-1-AT deficiency. They found that the NSAID “significantly increased liver damage” in the mice.
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Researchers at Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic believe they have isolated a root cause of carpal tunnel syndrome, the painful, debilitating wrist and hand injury. In a report published in the November issue of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, the research team, led by Dr. Peter Amadio, explains that a “shearing injury” in the tissue that lines the tendons in the carpal tunnel may be responsible for the condition. The findings may lead to earlier diagnoses and more effective treatment.

In patients suffering from carpal tunnel syndrome, a buildup of pressure in the carpal tunnel negatively affects circulation in the hand and wrist, which leads to numbness, pain, and tingling. The new study, which was funded in part by the National Institutes of Health, was established in order to ascertain what may cause the pressure buildup in the first place.
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Wal-Mart, the world’s largest retailer, has extended its $4 generic-drug promotion to include 11 more states, bringing the total coverage of the program to more than 3,000 stores in 38 states. The company hopes to include all 50 states by early next year.

“We’ve received an amazing amount of positive feedback from the millions of seniors, working families, and uninsured who are already taking advantage of this program,” said Wal-Mart President and CEO Lee Scott.
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If you’ve used your credit card overseas at any time during the past eight years, you may have been hit with what credit card companies like to call “foreign-currency fees,” which can amount to 3 percent or more of the transaction total. However, thanks to a class-action lawsuit challenging that practice, some of that money may find its way back to you.

Judge William Pauley of the U.S. District Court in Manhattan offered preliminary approval of a $336 million settlement against defendants including Visa, MasterCard, Bank of America, Citigroup, HSBC, JPMorgan Chase, and Washington Mutual. Anyone who may have used a credit or debit card internationally dating back to February 1, 1999, may be eligible to share in the award settlement.
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Minneapolis-based retailer Target is voluntarily recalling nearly 200,000 toy products due to safety concerns. About 190,000 Kool Toyz products and 7,000 Play Wonder puzzle tables will be removed from the shelves, according to a recall announcement posted by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC).

The CPSC notes that several Kool Toyz products, which Target imports from Hong Kong, “contain lead paint, which is toxic if ingested by young children and can cause adverse health effects. Also, some of the toys have sharp points, posing laceration or puncture wound hazards.” Some of the toys, including a tiny playground set, a dream house play set, and a truck carrying case, pose both hazards. Other affected products include remote control trucks and various action figure sets.
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Researchers at Johns Hopkins have found that eating even small quantities of high-quality dark chocolate every day can greatly lower your risk of stroke and heart attack. According to the report, the chemicals in dark chocolate help to reduce the speed of blood clotting by limiting the clumping of blood platelets. Dr. Diane Becker reported the findings this week in Chicago at the annual American Heart Association meeting.

The study was initially designed to test the effects of aspirin on blood clotting, but too many of Becker’s subjects had “cheated” on their strictly controlled diets–which were supposed to eliminate the consumption of chocolate. Instead, Becker and team decided to test the platelets of the naughty chocolate eaters in order to determine the effects of chocolate on blood-clotting time. By increasing the amount of time it takes for clots to form in blood vessels, dark chocolate can cut a consumer’s risk of heart attack, stroke, or cardiac death nearly in half. In effect, dark chocolate’s clot-prevention benefits are similar to (but not as significant as) those of aspirin.
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Because the flu is responsible for 36,000 deaths and 200,000 hospitalizations annually, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) strongly recommends vaccination for a large segment of the population. However, a new Canadian study has given potential flu-shot recipients something else to think about before they decide to get vaccinated. Researchers found that flu vaccines significantly increase the risk of a rare neurological condition known as Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS), although the overall risk remains quite low. The study was included in the November 13 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine.

Lead researcher David N. Juurlink, of Toronto’s Institute of Clinical Evaluative Sciences, stressed the importance and benefits of flu vaccines and said that the risks associated with GBS were not high enough to warrant a change in policy. He urged the public to continue receiving flu shots, which he believes are responsible for saving thousands of lives. Still, the findings were significant enough–and the syndrome is dangerous enough–to warn patients of the risks involved.
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