In a unanimous 21-to-0 vote, an FDA advisory panel recommended that the FDA require labels for acetaminophen-containing pain relievers to include weight-based infant dosage instructions to help prevent overdoses. Focusing exclusively on over-the-counter medications whose only active ingredient is acetaminophen, such as Children’s Tylenol and Novartis’ Triaminic, the panel also suggested that dosing instructions for all children should emphasize that weight (as opposed to age) is the best way to determine dose.

Last night, ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ross and Lana Spivak attended the American Cancer Society s one-year anniversary celebration of Choose You, co-hosted by executive producer and Academy Award-winning actress Hilary Swank (photo below). Dr. Ross and Ms. Spivak caught a preview of Swank s documentary, Choose You, a film that captures the stories of women empowered to choose a healthy lifestyle that includes diet and exercise to help prevent cancer, particularly breast cancer.

Listen to ACSH's Dr. Gilbert Ross talk chemophobia, radiation scares, and the promotion of sound science with beloved chemistry professor and radio show host Dr. Joe Schwarcz on The Dr. Joe Show.

ACSH would like to tip its hat to Trevor Butterworth for his insightful op-ed, “Fear In A Can,” in The Daily. Unlike most media outlets who report on the dangers of bisphenol A (BPA), citing insignificant so-called studies, Butterworth actually examines the science behind the chemical. And what did he find?

Ob-gyn doctors in South Florida are engaging in some ethically questionable defensive medicine practices by refusing to see pregnant women who are obese. In a poll by South Florida’s Sun Sentinel, 15 out of 105 obstetrics-gynecology practices admitted to setting weight cut-offs for new pregnant patients, beginning at 200 pounds or based on their body mass index (BMI).

The number of urban and suburban emergency room shut-downs has increased by 27 percent between 1990 and 2009, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. And even though you think you may be safe because the ER nearest you is still operating, think again: Closures of nearby ERs will undoubtedly affect your own quality of health care.

African farmers face great hardship as they must choose between protecting their agrarian livelihood or protecting themselves and their children against malaria, according to an article in yesterday's The New York Times.

Two new recent stories are, according to ACSH s Dr. Gilbert Ross, both eligible to receive honorary status in the false claims department for their misrepresentation of facts and science. The first is discussed in an article published in The New York Times. Andrew Pollack investigates the recent surge in sales of telomere testing kits that claim to offer clues to people s longevity and biological age.

The most recent trend in sleep aids comes not in capsule form but in the crumbs of a baked good. Melatonin, a hormone secreted by the pineal gland near the brain, is involved in regulating the sleep-wake cycle. It is now being folded into batches of pre-packaged brownies and cookies marketed as Lazy Cakes and Lulla Pies in a variety of convenience stores and online.

Another misguided but bombastic effort ostensibly about the fight against childhood obesity comes in the form of a letter to McDonald’s Corp that asks the franchise to stop marketing “junk food” to kids, and, specifically, to retire Ronald McDonald. The letter, signed by “more than 550 health professionals and organizations,” is being run as a full-page ad in six metropolitan newspapers in the U.S.