skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Shoppers Offered “Safe Plastic Tips”

play audio
Play

Friday, September 26, 2008   

Minneapolis, MN - Plastics and children's toys could be hazardous to your health. That warning comes from a statewide consumer group that promotes safe products. Healthy Legacy says new science on the chemical BPA links high concentrations to increased risk of heart complications, diabetes and liver damage. Spokeswoman Lindsay Dahl says BPA is used as a "building block" to harden surfaces.

"Bisphenol A is a synthetic estrogen used in plastic to make it strong and resilient. But unfortunately, chemicals like it leach out of the plastic and into our foods and liquids."

Healthy Legacy is offering shoppers consumer guides to safe plastics, including children's products. Those guides are available online at www.healthylegacy.org.

Because children are highly vulnerable because of their small body size, the consumer guides include safety tips for parents. The key is to check out the plastic in a product, she says.

"A good piece of advice is to be careful of what kinds of plastic are used. The general rule of thumb is to avoid a polycarbonate plastic, which is sometimes indicated as a 'PC' or a number seven on the bottom."

She says plastics have lots of problems: They're made from petroleum, a non-renewable resource; they create a lot of waste and pollution; and manufacturing plastics exposes workers to toxins.

Dahl says it's telling that shoppers need to worry about product safety.

"Consumers are just eagerly awaiting for the government to take action on phasing out these toxic chemicals. Ultimately, we're hoping that these consumer guides will become obsolete, and that the products will be safe and tested long before they hit the shelves."

The consumer booklets, "The Smart Plastics Guide" and "A Guide to Safe Children's Products," were published with help from the Minnesota Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy. They are available at www.healthobservatory.org.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
The U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments this week about the popular abortion pill Mifepristone and will weigh in on whether the U.S. Food and Drug Administration was correct in how it can be dosed and prescribed. (Ascannio/Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Missouri residents are worried about future access to birth control. The latest survey from The Right Time, an initiative based in Missouri…


Social Issues

play sound

Wisconsin children from low-income families are now on track to get nutritious foods over the summer. Federal officials have approved the Badger …

Social Issues

play sound

Almost 2,900 people are unsheltered on any given night in the Beehive State. Gov. Spencer Cox is celebrating signing nine bills he says are geared …


The U.S. teaching workforce remains primarily white while the percentage of Black teachers has declined. However, the percentage of Asian and Latinx teachers is rising.(WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobestock)

Social Issues

play sound

Education advocates are calling on lawmakers to increase funding for programs to combat the teacher shortage. Around 37% of schools nationwide …

Environment

play sound

New York's Legislature is considering a bill to get clean-energy projects connected to the grid faster. It's called the RAPID Act, for "Renewable …

Many factors affect a customer's bill amount, including energy usage, weather, and the number of days in a billing period, according to Arizona Public Service. (Jason Yoder/Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021