Health standards

Salmonella contamination found at Texas peanut plant
Salmonella found in ground peanuts in a Plainview, Texas plant which received peanuts from the now-bankrupt Georgia peanut processing company; contaminated products from the Plainview company were found in Colorado
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NASA study predicted outbreak of deadly virus
Predictive tool is a blend of NASA and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration measurements of sea surface temperatures, precipitation, and vegetation cover to predict when and where an outbreak would occur
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Lax U.S. drug import regime may offer opening to al-Qaeda
Repeat incidents of contaminated foreign foods and medicines appear, so far, to reflect a drive to reduce production costs in poorly regulated nations; with the United States exercising but scant scrutiny of imported food and drugs, terrorist leaders could easily identify and exploit this key U.S. vulnerability
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Cloned meat, milk may have already entered U.S. food supply
The FDA admits that meat and milk from the offspring of cloned mammals such as cows, pigs, goats, and sheep could very well have already entered the food supply in the United States
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Mercury Found in High Fructose Corn Syrup
The ingestion of mercury can have serious health consequences; too bad the high concentrations of mercury were found in fructose corn syrup, the ingredient that has replaced sugar in many American staples
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Fake Internet drugs risk lives, fund terrorism
Study finds that 62 percent of the prescription-only medicines offered on the Internet are fakes; some of the fake-drug schemes are operated by terrorist organizations as a means of raising funds
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Honey laundering: Tainted, mislabeled honey makes it to store shelves
Two-thirds of the honey Americans consume is imported; almost half of that comes from China; Chinese honey often contains chloramphenicol or other antibiotics which are illegal in any food; Chinese producers, government mislabel honey jars to mislead consumers
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USDA's IG warns about flood of genetically modified crops
Experts expect the number of genetically modified crops and traits, and the number of countries producing them, to double by 2015, raising the risks of imports of GM crops unknown to the USDA; worry centers on countries such as China, India, and Brazil where health and safety standards are more lax
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The top 11 contaminants in U.S. drinking water
U.S. citizens may upset to learn — should be upset to learn — that their drinking water contain disturbing amounts of pharmaceuticals and hormonally active chemicals; the concentrations are small, for now, but individuals with some health conditions should consult their physicians
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Disease-carrying travelers still a threat
It is now eighteen months since the Andrew Speaker saga: Despite having drug-resistant tuberculosis, and although his name appeared on no-fly lists, Speaker managed to fly to Greece for his wedding, travel to Italy, and come back to the United States; GAO says some improvements have been made, but problems remain
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Detroit airport to offer germ-free security checkpoints
Worried about microbes, bacteria, and fungi released at airport security checkpoints as travelers take off their shoes and place their belongings in a tray? At Detroit Metro Airport’s new North Terminal you will not have to worry, with the application of new anti-microbial treatment
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California tells residents not to flush pharmaceuticals
In an effort to limit the contamination of drinking water with pharmaceuticals, California launches “No Drugs Down the Drain Week”
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EU bans baby food with Chinese milk
Twenty-two Chinese dairies used industrial additive melamine in their products; 54,000 Chinese babies were sickened, 4 died, and more than 10,000 are still hospitalized; 27-nation EU bans baby food with Chinese milk
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China milk poisoning cases rise
The number of Chinese children sickened by milk powder contaminated with the industrial chemical melamine reaches 53,000; 13,000 children remain hospitalized; 22 Chinese companies implicated
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Chinese dairies add organic base found in plastics and resins to products
Lab tests in Hong Kong find that Chinese company’s dairy offerings, including milk, ice cream, and yogurt, were contaminated with melamine — an organic base usually found in plastics and resins, and banned in food
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