Posted June 24, 2020
The landmark federal trial pitting Fluoride Action Network (FAN) and others against the US EPA over water fluoridation came to a dramatic turning point Wednesday. FAN has argued that fluoride’s ability to impact the mental development of both the fetal and infant brain posed an unacceptable risk to millions of Americans (and others) drinking fluoridated public water supplies. The dramatic moment came when, after both sides had completed their summary statements, the federal judge surprised everyone by recognizing the key plank in the plaintiffs’ case and undermining the key argument in the EPA’s case. Read more.
Archives for June 2020
Are Public Health Decisions Based on Inaccurate COVID Tests?
Posted June 24, 2020
Multiple stories are being told of individuals who have received false positive or false negative tests. NBC News tells the story of Sarah Bowen, a 31-year-old therapy consultant from Portland, Oregon.5 She is employed at a doctor’s office and her trouble began with a sore throat. Read more.
What’s Happening to Michigan’s Insects? A Farmer’s Tale.
Posted June 24, 2020
As a young farmer, Bill Westrate would walk outside most nights with a white sheet and black light to lure swarms of insects to the side of his barn in Cass County. “It would scare most people,” he said. But he didn’t much mind the bugs that would land in his hair and crawl down his shirt. Read more.
Anti-Depressants in Short Supply During COVID-19 Lockdowns
Posted June 24, 2020
Drug shortages listed by the U.S Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are exposing some of the ramifications of responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, including state lockdowns and social distancing regulations.1 Zoloft (sertraline hydrochloride), an anti-depressant manufactured by Pfizer and its generic counterparts produced by other drug makers, have been added to the FDA’s list of drug shortages in the United States. Read more.
Let’s Fact-Check Reuters: They say DNA Vaccines Don’t Change Your Genetic Makeup — True or False?
Posted June 24, 2020
As my readers know, I’ve been reporting on new types of technology that could be used in a coming COVID-19 vaccine—and warning about the consequences. One such technology is: DNA vaccines. They would alter recipients’ genetic makeup permanently. Read more.
How We Can Fix this Pandemic in a Month
Posted June 24, 2020
If we act on the data showing that it is highly probable that vitamin D can save lives, we could fix this pandemic in a month, for perhaps $2 per person. There would be no significant adverse effects. If we wait for “evidence” that vitamin D mitigates the impact of COVID-19, thousands more will die. If we could arrange to give everyone vitamin D, and it failed to protect them, so what? The risk from not acting is much greater than the risk from acting. Dosage is important and generally misunderstood. Read more.
Big Agriculture Obtains a Permanent Injunction Preventing the State of California from Requiring a Cancer Warning Label on Glyphosate Products sold within the State
Posted June 24, 2020
In the case of National Association of Wheat Growers, et al. v. Zeise, et al., filed by several large agricultural associations in the United States District Court, Eastern District of California, to prevent the State of California from requiring under its Proposition 65 a cancer warning on all glyphosate herbicides and other glyphosate products. Read more.
‘We’ve Got it Everywhere’: Dicamba Damaging Trees Across Midwest and South
Posted June 24, 2020
In recent years, farmers have been spraying an increasing amount of volatile herbicides – namely dicamba and 2,4-D – that are causing widespread damage to trees, native plants and natural areas across the Midwest and South. Read more.
Scientists Edited Human Embryos in the Lab, and it was a Disaster
Posted June 24, 2020
“This is a restraining order for all genome editors to stay the living daylights away from embryo editing” – gene editing expert Scientists using the gene editing technique CRISPR to edit human embryos found that around half of the edited embryos contained major unintended edits in the form of deletions or additions of DNA directly adjacent to the edited gene. Read more.
Why is Good News on COVID-19 Bad?
Posted June 24, 2020
There seems to be a pattern emerging to push back on any new information that suggests COVID-19 may not be as severe as initially believed, even if that new information comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO). Read more.