Testing It Up

CNN reported that a man from Ohio had been arrested for possession of a toxin called ricin, which can be used as a biological weapon.

Ricin, which is poison manufactured from castor beans, was removed from the home of 54-year old Jeffrey B. Levenderis in Coventry Township. Levenderis was arrested by the FBI after tests confirmed what the substance was.

Cleveland FBI Special Agent Scott Wilson shared that Levenderis’ residence was facing foreclosure, and a search conducted by federal and local authorities yielded ricin. This was confirmed through tests conducted by the National Bioforensic Analysis Center in Maryland.

Wilson shared: “Ricin is a very poisonous toxin that certainly can be fatal if it’s injected or you breathe it in or you eat it… They’re still doing a second search of the residence to make sure there aren’t any other hazardous materials in the house.”

Hormonal imbalance is becoming more and more common in younger women. Doctors are still unsure as to how to deal with it and misdiagnosis can lead to various problems with a woman’s overall health, such as heart ailments, infertility and cancer.

There are many possible causes of hormonal imbalance. One such cause is stress, where the body produces too much cortisol and other hormones are secreted to cancel it out. Another cause is an imbalanced diet. Improper exercise also leads to hormonal imbalance, as too much or too little can impede with the production of hormones. Taking hormonal supplements such as birth control pills also puts the body’s hormone balance out of whack.

Certain diseases like cancer and PCOS also create hormonal imbalance in a woman’s body. Some forms of cancer affecting females feed on the body’s hormones. PCOS causes the body to secrete too much androgen. Lastly, environmental toxins can also lead to hormonal imbalance.

For full version of this article, please visit “7 Most Common Causes of Hormonal Imbalance“.

New research has found at least 21 new carcinogens and toxins in smokeless tobacco. According to this research this means that a single pinch of the product equals just as much harmful exposure as five cigarettes, making the effects far worse for the snuff user. Smokeless tobacco use has been rising since the 80s, primarily from the common misperception that smokeless tobacco is less harmful than cigarettes because it is not inhaled. The reality is that there are at least twenty six cancer causing substances in smokeless tobacco and a very high risk of developing oral cancers as well.  One of the new toxins found in smokeless tobacco is PAH, an environmental contaminate that comes from the wood burned in the fire curing process that makes the tobacco into a snuff.  Smokeless tobacco use is rising again due to the production and advertising of products like Snuss which offer smokers an alternative to going outdoors or looking for a smoking area when they need nicotine.

Under the Toxic Substances Control Act, a law which has been in effect since the 70s, we’re supposed to be protected from toxic chemicals in the products we used every day.  But the truth is that it just isn’t being effective, many of these toxins are in food and toys our children use every day!

You’ve probably read about the Biphenol-A (BPA) that’s in soda bottles, baby bottles and more, or about the phthalates found in pacifiers and toys.  Did you know there might be formaldehyde in your baby shampoo? These chemicals and more are in foods, toys and products we use every day, toxins that have been shown to make us more vulnerable to diseases like cancer and Alzheimer’s and put our children at risk for brain damage and lowering levels of concentration. If you want to test if your child is exposed to any kinds of toxins, there are some home tests available, such as lead test.

But how do they get past the Toxic Substances Control Act and our government?Out of the 80,000 chemicals on the market since the Toxic Substances Act was approved only 200 are required to be tested by the EPA! In the 33 years since it was passed only 5 chemicals have been labeled restricted by the EPA, none of which were produced in the last 18 years! The only way these chemicals, these toxins can be effectively regulated is if changes are made to the way the EPA regulates chemicals, a trend that has not been changed since 1976! Some action is being taken by groups like momsrising.org but there needs to be more focus to make the change happen. Write your congressman today to ask for the Toxic Substances Act to be reevaluated!