Could there really be too much of a good thing when it comes to fortifying foods with nutrients? The non-profit Environmental Working Group thinks so, especially when it comes to vitamin A, niacin and zinc — all of which are added to a variety of breakfast cereals and snack bars marketed to kids but with nutritional servings for adults. The group would like to see nutrition labels updated to reflect higher risks for kids, pregnant women and others.
Dear EarthTalk: What is the environmental impact of those “K-Cups” everyone seems to be using nowadays to make coffee at both home and office?
While the tests 23andMe and other companies like them offer an overall snapshot of your future disease risk, much of what those screenings look for in the genetic code is not well known yet. The 23andMe test looks at only small segments of the DNA, called SNPs, and the test is limited to looking at less than a million SNPs (whereas the human genome has around 10 billion SNPs identified so far). To have your entire genome decoded would cost around $3,000 with current technology. The 23andMe test is different from looking at a specific gene, like BRCA1 or the gene that causes HD. It is important to know the differences between various types of genetic screenings, and understand the implications of the results.
Dear EarthTalk: What are “dirty fuels” and why are they so called?
Reusing greywater—that is, the waste water from sinks, showers, tubs and washing machines—for landscape irrigation may be the next frontier in the greening of the American home, especially if you live in an arid region where water use is restricted. In fact, reusing your graywater may be the only way to keep your lawn and garden healthy without taking more than your fair share of the community’s precious freshwater reserves.
On Sunday, September 21, 400,000 environmentalists took to the streets of NYC to rally world leaders meeting at the United Nations later this week to agree on significant cuts to greenhouse gas emissions.
New research finds that NYC kids exposed in the womb to moderate levels of phthalates had a 72-78 percent higher chance of developing asthma than those with limited to no exposure. What’s a consumer to do about avoiding this potentially dangerous chemical?
The FDA in encouraging food producers, restaurants and fast food chain to move away from heart-unhealthy trans fats, but the most common alternative, palm oil, isn’t much better for us while also wreaking havoc on tropical rainforests across Malaysia and Indonesia and adding to our climate woes.
Global warming and decades of mismanagement means that wildfires are on the increase across the American West and other fire-prone areas. We can all do our part by learning how to be “fire-safe” as well as by reducing our carbon footprints.
Dear EarthTalk: A recent study showed that Bisphenol A (BPA) was hardly the human health risk researchers once believed it to be. Should I still try to avoid products that may contain it?
