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Investor’s Business Daily’s Investors.com features an article by Professor Jaap Hanekamp of Utrecht University's Roosevelt Academy in the Netherlands warning that the European Union’s restrictive policy for chemicals sets a dangerous example for the rest of the world:

The nonsensical pursuit of zero risk cripples innovation and economic growth. … The EU likes to see itself as a world leader in growth and innovation. But the precautionary principle in its laws thwarts any such potential. Precaution trivializes scientific knowledge and opens the way for the politics of fear and protectionism.

“This is a...

Several species of weeds have developed resistance to the herbicide glyphosate (a.k.a. Roundup), threatening crop yields in sections of farmland across the country. According to the New York Times, “The National Research Council [NRC], which advises the federal government on scientific matters, sounded its own warning last month, saying that the emergence of resistant weeds jeopardized the substantial benefits that genetically engineered crops were providing to farmers and the environment.”

“Herbicide resistance is not a new problem, but it has become a very real problem with specific weeds in certain specific areas,” says Dr. Ross. “This issue will...

A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology sought to determine if the risk of breast cancer is elevated for night-shift workers. Reuters reports, [Wong-Ho Chow, a researcher with the National Cancer Institute] followed more than 70,000 women in Shanghai, inquiring about their work and cancer status. Earlier research in animals had suggested that disturbances in the light-dark cycle could knock certain chemicals in the body -- for instance, melatonin and estrogen -- off balance, and as a result increase cancer risk. ¦ But the risk didn't increase for women who worked nights, regardless of how long they had...

A New York Times health blog celebrates the advent of larger warning signs on smokeless tobacco products like snus, which were dictated by the 2009 FDA tobacco law: “Research has also shown that larger warning statements discourage users. … The new law requires a rotating set of larger warnings, including, ‘Warning: This product is not a safe alternative to cigarettes,’ ‘Warning: This product can cause mouth cancer,’ and ‘Warning: This product can cause gum disease and tooth loss.’”

“While these warnings are technically true, they are still overstating these dangers,” says Dr. Ross. “There is a risk of oral diseases as a...

An editorial in today s Wall Street Journal notes, With the headlines full of oil spills and immigration, the Obama Administration's regulatory agenda is getting little attention. That's a mistake. Consider the Environmental Protection Agency's effort to revive an assault on atrazine, one of the oldest, most well-established agricultural chemicals on the market. Just this past week, the EPA held its third re-evaluation hearing on atrazine.

This editorial is right on target, says Dr. Ross. It basically points out that the plaintiffs bar and anti-chemical, anti-business activists are working hand in hand yet again...

The New York Times chronicles the development of widespread and baseless distrust of high-fructose corn syrup: “What started as a narrow movement by proponents of natural and organic foods has morphed into a swell of mainstream opposition, thanks in large part to tools of modern activism like Facebook, YouTube and Twitter … This is happening even though many scientists say that high-fructose corn syrup is no worse for people than sugar, which costs some 40 percent more.”

“The bottom line in this debate is that science no longer matters,” says Stier. “It’s all about public perception.”

Dr. Ross agrees, noting, “All of the scientists quoted in this...

According to the Wall Street Journal, “The U.S. Food and Drug Administration rejected a request by cigarette giant Philip Morris USA to remove four members of a key tobacco-products advisory panel that the company said had extensive conflicts of interest.” The panel is intended to assess the role of smokeless tobacco products as a means of harm reduction for addicted smokers.

“In this case, I have to agree with Philip Morris, i.e. Altria,” says ACSH’s Dr. Elizabeth Whelan. “These panelists are biased. In these days of full disclosure and removing people from panels for financial conflicts, it appears that now the FDA is...

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) has come out with an updated list of the dirty dozen crops that contain the highest levels of pesticides. The top five are celery, peaches, strawberries, apples, and making its terrifying EWG produce-list debut blueberries.

It s an absolute tragedy that this group is trying to scare people away from eating fruits and vegetables, says Dr. Whelan. It s irresponsible and unacceptable.

These high levels of pesticides are based on EWG s unique method of measuring such tiny pesticide residues, notes Dr. Ross. Of course, they advise not to buy these items, or if you do, to buy only...

Liz Szabo of USA Today reports, The Food and Drug Administration on Thursday approved the first vaccine to treat prostate cancer or any cancer the culmination of decades of research into harnessing the immune system to fight tumors.

I wouldn t necessarily call this a vaccine, says Dr. Ross. Instead of injecting the patient with a foreign substance to induce an immune response, they treat the patient s own immune cells with an antigen from the patient s prostate cancer and then inject them back in to generate an immune response. In other words, it s like a controlled autoimmune disease being used to target cancer cells an immunotherapy treatment...

Research presented at experimental biology conference this week in Anaheim, Calif., showed that people who ate cookies labeled as organic believed that their snack contained 40% fewer calories than the same cookies that had no label.

The study s coauthor, Cornell professor Brian Wansink, explains, An organic label gives a food a health halo. It's the same basic reason people tend to overeat any snack food that's labeled as healthy or low fat. They underestimate the calories and over-reward themselves by eating more.

Dr. Whelan recognizes this phenomenon: People think of organic food as being just generally healthier, so they eat more of it. The trans-fat ban was a similar boon to the food...