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Home --> Medical --> Toxin du jour

Toxin du jour

Scarcely a day goes by in which we don't receive a dire warning about the latest poison or toxin infiltrating our homes in the guise of a harmless household product. Some of these warnings are real, but too many of them are full of misinformation and amount to little more than hysteria masquerading as fact.


Ratings Key

        Green bullet = true
        Red bullet = false
        Multiple status bullet = multiple truth values
        Yellow bullet = undetermined
        White bullet = unclassifiable veracity

Select this link for an expanded
definition of our rating system.

Red bullet The artificial sweetener aspartame has been proved responsible for an epidemic of cancer, brain tumors, and multiple sclerosis.

Red bullet Reusing, freezing, or heating plastic water bottles will cause them to break down into carcinogenic compounds or release dioxins.

Yellow bullet Anti-perspirants have been identified as the leading cause of breast cancer.

Red bullet Ordinary use of Canola oil is dangerous to consumers.

Multi-status bullet An EPA study proposed paying families to allow their children to be exposed to pesticides.

Red bullet Disposable chopsticks are loaded with carcinogens.

Red bullet Harmful levels of asbestos have been found in several brands of children's crayons.

Green bullet Adolescents have died huffing from cans of Dust-Off brand compressed air.

Red bullet Dawn brand dishwashing liquid is significantly more caustic than other brands and erodes the corneas of children's eyes.

Red bullet A mixture of Enfalac baby formula and dog food caused a toddler's stomach to explode.

Red bullet Inhaling from the wrong end of a filtered cigarette will lead to genital disfunction.

Red bullet Several major brands of lipstick contain dangerous levels of lead.

Multi-status bullet Some children's vinyl lunch boxes contain unsafe levels of lead.

Red bullet Microwaving foods in plastic containers releases cancer-causing agents into the foods.

Multi-status bullet E-mailed accounts warn of death and disease caused by rat urine on soda cans.

Red bullet A 2-year-old boy died a horrible death after ingesting Resolve brand carpet cleaner.

Red bullet Drug traffickers are hiding small amounts of ricin in methamphetamine labs to kill law enforcement officers.

Red bullet Pot scrubbing sponges manufactured by Procter & Gamble contain a dangerous derivative of Agent Orange.

Red bullet Vitamin C users who eat shrimp risk death from arsenic poisoning.

Yellow bullet Soy food products are linked to thyroid cancer.

Red bullet Tampax Pearl brand tampons have been linked to an outbreak of toxic shock syndrome.

Red bullet Tampon manufacturers use asbestos in their products to promote bleeding.

Yellow bullet A single dose of Children's Motrin can cause ulcers and gastrointestinal bleeding in children.

Multi-colored bullet Old pancake and other baking mixes are dangerous.

Red bullet Mr. Clean Magic Eraser contains formaldehyde.

Green bullet Ingestion of hand sanitizer by children can result in alcohol poisoning.

Green bullet Sidewalk chalk has been known to contain lead.

Multi-status bullet When broken, energy-saving light bulbs (CFLs) loose dangerous amounts of mercury into a home.

Yellow bullet Use of a laptop computer can reduce a man's sperm count.

Yellow bullet The artificial butter flavoring used in microwave popcorn poses a danger of lung damage to ordinary consumers.

Green bullet Wal-Mart halted sales of Chinese-made flip-flops after some purchasers reported suffering skin rashes or chemical burns.

Multi-status bullet Candy canes contain titanium dioxide, a cancer-causing chemical.

Multi-status bullet A study found dangerous microbial growth on 70% of lemon slices served with beverages in restaurants.

Green bullet Some Chinese-made hair bands were fashioned from recycled condoms.

Green bullet Some granite countertops emit radon.

Multi-colored bullet Automobile dashboards emit cancer-causing benzene fumes.

Multi-colored bullet Patients should request the use of thyroid guards during x-ray procedures.

Multi-colored bullet Tide Free & Gentle brand detergent contains 1,4-dioxane, a known carcinogen.

Yellow bullet Soup cans are lined with dangerous levels of BPA.
 
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