WASHINGTON - October 23 - The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported today that internal documents from the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) show that an agency task force assessment of the toxic plastics chemical bisphenol-A (BPA) "was written largely by the plastics industry and others with a financial stake in the controversial chemical."

WASHINGTON - October 23 - Violent deaths among blacks in the nation's capital have become a public health epidemic, with murder ranking as the leading cause of years of potential life lost for black men in Washington, D.C., according to a study released today by Public Citizen.

WASHINGTON - October 22 - British consumers enjoy products made by General Mills, Kellogg, Kraft and McDonald's that are free of synthetic food dyes, but American customers lack such royal treatment, according to the October issue of Nutrition Action Healthletter. Despite evidence linking food dyes to hyperactivity and other behavior problems in children, companies continue to use the controversial dyes in American product lines while substi

WASHINGTON - October 22 - Citizens in communities affected by cancer-causing air pollution from vinyl manufacturers went to court today to ask the federal government to regulate the host of toxins released from these plants.

The nonprofit public interest law firm Earthjustice filed the lawsuit today in federal district court in Washington, DC, on behalf of the Sierra Club and two community groups in Louisiana -- Mossville Environmental Action Now (MEAN) and Louisiana Environmental Action Network (LEAN).

WASHINGTON - October 16 - Just two weeks after the Food and Drug Administration set "acceptable" levels for melamine in food instead of issuing a complete ban on Chinese milk-containing products, the Alabama Department of Agriculture announced that Koala's March brand cookies have tested positive for melamine with levels that exceed FDA's safe levels of exposure. FDA has not issued a recall for the product, and despite assurances from the agency that the parent company, Lotte USA, was removing the product from the marketplace, Koala's March cookies are still present on U.S. shelves.

WASHINGTON - October 16 - The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has taken a significant step to protect the health of children by strengthening the nation's air quality standard for lead today, according to Environmental Defense Fund.