Holy Bleepin’ Bleep! Do Phthalates Rob Men of Penis Size?

Treehugger asks if kids exposed to Phthalates, a chemical used to make plastics soft, grow up to have small penises. How do you get people to care about keeping Phthalates out of the environment? Take away their girth (and beer).

Treehugger has it:

Phthalates, the plasticizer used to make vinyl soft, have been known to be a gender-bender that has been shown to affect the masculinity of rats. Even the Bush Administration, not renowned for its defence of the public against the chemical companies, has banned it from childrens’ toys.

Now new research has found new evidence of “phthalate syndrome”- smaller penises, and undescended or incompletely descended testicles- in humans. Shanna Swan, director of the Center for Reproductive Epidemiology at the University of Rochester’s school of medicine, who led the research, says phthalates are “”probably reproductive toxins and should be eliminated from products gradually because we don’t need them.”

What do you think the American Chemical Council’s reaction was?

A- OMG!!! Small dicks are no joke, let’s figure this out.
or
B- Stop complaining you small packaged whiners. There’s nothing to worry about.

If you picked A, you’re either very very naive or a member of the American Chemical Council. They’re stock answer was to “cautioned against over-interpreting any individual study.”

I’m sorry, but a whole generation of mini-endowed dudes will have a major bone to pick with that position someday (bad pun intended).

It’s just another way we’re killing ourselves. Stories like this make me sad (and glad Phthalates weren’t around when I was a baby).

Head over to Treehugger for some tips on avoiding Phthalates.

Link [Treehugger]

Surfing May Help Cystic Fibrosis Sufferers

Talk about a natural remedy: researchers have found that cystic fibrosis sufferers who surf tend to have healthier lungs than their non-surfing counterparts. It might just be the key to prolonging the lives of those with cystic fibrosis, who used to die as children years ago but as of now can expect to live into their 30’s and beyond. Cystic Fibrosis is an inherited disease that affects the sweat and mucus glands, leading to lung and pancreas problems.

From Inventor Spot:

A few years ago, Australian doctors discovered that young surfers with cystic fibrosis had noticeably healthier lungs. The doctors determined that inhaling saltwater mist had a powerful effect on rehydrating the lining of the lungs and allowing cystic fibrosis patients to more easily eliminate bacteria-contaminated mucus. Knowing this, researchers then developed a hypertonic saline solution, which is now used daily by people with cystic fibrosis.

Called the “saltwater” breakthrough treatment, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation would like to raise more awareness and be able to continue research into a possible cure for this disease. A chapter of the foundation formed a “PIPELINE TO A CURE” campaign to raise funds and to bring about global awareness of the unique bond between the sport of surfing and those with cystic fibrosis.

Sweet, brah. Now you have a good excuse to move to Hawaii.

Get more info at Pipeline to a Cure.

Link [Inventor Spot] + [Pipeline to a Cure]

Photo credit: Flickr user afu007

Taking a Second Job Going #2: Indian Villagers Getting Paid to Not Crap in Local River

Talk about a cush job- the residents of Musiri, India are being paid not to crap in the local river. If they use one of the special designated areas (also know as toilets), they can make up $.14 a month!

That might not sound like a lot, but in Musiri broadband internet only costs a penny a month and a cup of coffee at the local Starbucks goes for ten for a penny.

CNN has it:

The government-backed program serves two purposes: It encourages people to discard age-old practices of urinating and defecating in the open, leading to diseases. And the waste products go into research to test their effectiveness as fertilizers.

“We’re motivating people to know the value of their urine,” said Marathi Subburaman, who came up with the novel idea. “The urine that is collected goes into fields for paddy crops, and of course the feces becomes good compost in a matter of months.”

Aid groups estimate that more than 330 million people in India do not have access to proper sanitation facilities. And in the case of Musiri, many residents relieve themselves on river banks, leading to infectious diseases such as diarrhea.

And while both governmental and non-governmental agencies have taken on projects to build toilets in rural areas, they also have had to undertake campaigns to encourage people to use them.

On top of the extra cash, villagers get a bit of a free health check- if they visit the WC more than three or four times a day they are told to go visit the doctor.

Check out the photo, that toilet empties directly into the water below. It gives a whole new meaning to the phrase “dropping the kids off at the pool”.

Eww….

Link [CNN] via [Adventures in Capitalism]

Hospitals Are Saving Millions and Reducing Their Landfill Load By Reusing Single Use Medical Devices

It’s great to hear that Hospitals are getting into the act on greening up the world. They’re starting to reuse items labeled for single use over and over again- things like scissors, scrubs, and bone cutting blades. This practice is legal as long as the hospital follows certain FDA guidelines, mostly by sending the items out to specialized companies who clean and sterilized them.

Medical device makers are, understandably, upset. They’re forecasting reduced demand for re-ordering of these ‘one use’ items and throwing out the spin that it’s dangerous to do anything but trash them and order a new one.

Unfortunately for them, and fortunately for the environment, the hospitals have shrinking budgets on their side. When there is an easy way for them to trim 40-60% off the cost of a line item they are going to pounce all over it.

The Wall Street Journal has it:

About $31.5 billion of single-use medical devices are sold annually in U.S. hospitals and surgery centers, of which around $150 million are recycled, according to Ascent Healthcare Solutions, a leading reprocessing company. John Grotting, Ascent’s chief executive, estimates that about $3.6 billion of single-use devices are safe for reprocessing, which could save the health-care industry about $1.8 billion a year. Ascent hospital customers eliminated about 1,684 tons of waste from their local landfills last year, a 31% increase over 2006, by using reprocessed devices, Ascent says.

Some people in the medical field think that some single use labeling is just a way for device manufacturers to pad their bottom line.

But hospital administrators and other experts say many products such as saw blades that were historically designated as reusable now carry single-use labels, with no obvious difference in the product.

“Single-use labeling is a real scam for a lot of devices, and by not using reprocessed devices where possible it is wasteful and not environmentally responsive, since these items have to be disposed of as biomedical waste,” says Kenneth Kizer, a consultant and former undersecretary for health at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. “The reuse of medical devices that are labeled for single-use only is a well-established and safe practice regulated by the FDA and utilized by most of the top-ranked hospitals in the country.”

Link [Wall Street Journal]

The Hippies Were Right! Not Washing Your Hair is the New Hotness

The hippies have been proven correct about a lot of things- protecting the environment, saying no to stupid pointless wars, and the benefits of eating unprocessed organic food. But who would have thought they were right about not washing your hair? Going without shampoo is cool again.

The New York Times had a piece last week about a growing trend in not washing your hair. It’s not just neo-hippy college kids and jam band refugees skipping out on lathering up on a regular basis- unwashed hair is the latest thing among hipster moms and other upwardly mobile women.

They are discovering that unwashed hair often feels and looks healthier and is easier to manage and some are skipping out on shampoo entirely. I had no idea.

The NYT has it:

“There’s this whole new breed of young fashionable girls who are getting that once-a-week shampoo and blow dry and just milking it,” said Johnny Lavoy, the owner of Moda-Rey Salon and Spa in West Hartford, Conn. They grew up, he said, “thinking you have to wash your hair every time you shower, but they’re realizing that natural oils are good for the hair.”

It’s hard to imagine that shampoo will ever be obsolete, but some bottles are likely lasting longer these days.

Abby Fazio, the owner of New London Pharmacy in Manhattan, washes her hair only every seven days. The rest of the time, she uses one of her store’s five spray-on “hair powder” cleansers, like Batiste Dry Shampoo and René Furterer Naturia, to sop up excess oil. She sprays the powder on her roots, lets it sit for a few minutes, then blots it off with cheesecloth and brushes out the rest. “I can get ready in 30 minutes,” said Ms. Fazio, 48, compared with two hours to shampoo, dry and style.

Cool Hunting has a link to Lulu Organics Hair Powder, which can be used to soak up excess hair oil. It’s green- made of white clay, baking Soda, organic corn starch and horsetail powder, and essential oils. It’s a bit steep at $40 for a 4.5 oz. bottle, but that might last 10 times as long as a typical shampoo bottle, so I can’t say for sure. I’ll do some follow up.

Link [New York Times]

Greenify Your Sexy Time Toy Collection by Getting Off Chemicals

Victoria E has a good post up highlighting the dangers of cheap plastic sex toys. For the love of the Flying Spaghetti Monster people, spend some money on nice eco-friendly vibrators and whatnots. Good Vibrations, Babeland, and Good Clean Love are excellent places to start.

Here’s a snip, head over and read Victoria’s whole post.

Whether adventurous or mildly amorous, millions of couples use “novelty” items (a.k.a. sex toys). Often purchased on a whim, these bedside buddies can exponentially enhance your sensual encounters but they may also bring their own fair share of damage.

Soft and dangerous
If any of your toys are made from what looks to be a jelly-like substance or have the same smell as your newly purchased shower curtain, there is a very high possibility that they have been made with phthalates. These chemical compounds are used to soften the plastic, making it more flexible, which would seem to be perfect for such an intimate item.

Banned in Europe
Used since the 1920s in not only sex toys, but also perfumes, pesticides, rain coats, hair spray and medical instruments, phthalates have been linked to liver and kidney damage, genital abnormalities, hormone disruption and cancer. In 2005, the European Union banned six types of phthalates in children’s toys due to their dangers.

Link [Victoria E]

Mmmmm…. Kraft Anti-Intestinal Worm Mac & Cheese

There’s nothing like a little Anti-Intestinal Worm Mac & Cheese for lunch.

Environmental Graffiti has a story about a partnership between Kraft Food and pesticide maker TyraTech to produce a food that will kill intestinal worms.

Kraft has not said what type of food is being created, but that it will aim to sell the food in rural areas of Asia, Africa, and South America. All of these locations have significant problems with intestinal worms, particularly in children. Worms can seriously affect the health of children, making them lethargic and anemic.

The food, whatever it may be, will contain deworming chemicals from TyraTech, who currently make safe pesticides from plant oils. Dr. R. Douglas Armstrong, CEO of TyraTech, said the anti-worming oils work by attaching to olfactory and nervous system receptors found only in invertebrates. This overstimulates the receptors, which produce a wave of impulses in the nervous system that repels or kills the worms. He likened it to ringing a doorbell so often it causes a heart attack out of annoyance.

Humans, and other vertebrates, do not have the receptors, so the oil does no harm to them. The oil has already been shown to work in mice. Several mice were infected with dwarf tapeworms, but after less than a week of treatment the worms were gone. No tests have yet been performed on humans.

Head over and read the whole story. It’s stomach churningly good.

Link [Environmental Graffiti] & [New York Times]