Tag Archives: environment & health

Bisphenol A: A health risk for Canadians?

The adverse effects of this chemical are in the news again, causing many people to wonder if it shouldn’t be banned outright.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical commonly used to line food and beverage containers and to harden plastics. It is the chemical Health Canada cited when recommending that we stop using certain hard-plastic water bottles and baby bottles this past spring.

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The Slow Food movement

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The Slow Food movement is part of the global Slow Revolution, a philosophy of life lived at not-breakneck speed, searching for a way to re-incorporate relationships and quality back into our hectic modern world. Its main tenet is to do everything at the right speed.

We need a Slow Movement now more than ever. Our fast-forward culture has turned every moment into a race against the clock and the constant rush is taking a toll on everything from our diet, health and work to our relationships, communities and the environment. (source)

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Cell phones pose health risks: Toronto Public Health

Toronto Public Health recently issued a factsheet recommending that teens and young children limit their cell phone usage. (CBC news article)

The reason for the advisory is the growing evidence linking the radio frequency (RF) energy emitted by the devices to the development of brain tumours with prolonged exposure. WiFi antennas and devices raise similar concerns. To date, this is the only specific Canadian recommendation with regard to cell phone use by children.

This is a very controversial health topic, with Health Canada and the World Health Organization both weighing in on the “not all that harmful” side of the equation, neither recommending any specific precautions or exposure limits.

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