This piece first appeared on TCSDaily.com.
Activists and some politicians are exploiting parents' legitimate concerns for their children's health by trying to convince state governments to pass a ban on the safe and eminently useful chemical bisphenol-A (BPA).

The CDC recently rejected reports from Brazilian scientists who claimed to have discovered a novel strain of the H1N1 virus. ACSH staffers were skeptical of the report when it was released, and we are pleased to see such an issue addressed objectively without unnecessary media attention.

The Center for Science in the Public Interest (CPSI) is threatening to sue Bayer Healthcare if they continue to advertise a multivitamin as a method of prevention against prostate cancer based on the fact that it contains selenium, a supplement whose prevention abilities have been thoroughly refuted.
This is a rare instance of harmony between ACSH scientists and CSPI lawyers - but after three decades they were bound to be right on a health issue one time.

If you're the kind of person who likes a good conspiracy theory, the summer's latest box-office horror flick should suit you well. Food, Inc. is a documentary by Robert Kenner featuring a diverse cast of earnest, hardworking Americans who want to help you lose weight -- without the hassle of regular exercise or personal responsibility.
The antagonist? Faceless corporations, of course, and you'll be amazed by the drastic lengths they go to in order to ensure that Americans stay fat and sick.

In an exciting new scientific development, researchers at Newcastle University have cracked the code as to why carrots that are cooked whole are so much more scrumptious than those that are first cut and then cooked: Uncut carrots retain more sugar. As a special bonus for carrot fans, this culinary trick also locks in some nutrients. The cooking process releases some of the nutrients of carrots, explains ACSH s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan.
It s called bioavailability, says ACSH's Jeff Stier. The same is true for lycopene in tomatoes.

Under the tobacco regulation bill recently passed by Congress, flavoring in cigarettes will be banned to diminish the attraction of smoking to youth smokers, with the exception of menthol. Menthol-flavored cigarettes represent 27 percent of the market and are the product of choice for 75 percent of African-American smokers.

The bill granting the FDA expanded oversight of food industries won the approval of the House Energy and Commerce Committee yesterday. ACSH staffers are concerned about a number of provisions contained in the bill. Among them is the assignment of a research project to the FDA to further investigate possible health effects of bisphenol-A (BPA), a chemical used to harden plastics that has been repeatedly confirmed as safe in its current application.

Matrixx Initiatives is on the defensive since they were ordered to stop selling Zicam intranasal cold remedies after more than 130 reports of people who lost their sense of smell after using the zinc-based, homeopathic products. A public health advisory posted on the FDA website said the products have all been associated with long-lasting or permanent loss of smell and have not been shown to be effective in the reduction of the duration and severity of cold symptoms.

School children may be a priority for next flu season s vaccinations, according to Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. Young people are petri dishes for flu incubation, says Dr. Ross. Last year the CDC decided to focus on kids in order to prevent the spread of flu, and that may be their strategy again, especially if they decide to vaccinate against swine flu.

Brazilian scientists reported on Tuesday that they have identified a new strain of the H1N1 virus after examining samples from a patient in Sao Paulo. It is not yet determined if the mutated form is more virulent.