Cell phones used to be luxuries, like 8-track car stereos.  Now they’re everyday essentials, like toothbrushes. Especially for kids. An estimated 71 percent of American tweens and teens own cell phones, and more than half use the device daily, according to the Pew Internet and American Life Project. Is...

Unsettling reports of “intersex” fish surface periodically in newspapers and scientific journals in scattered locations throughout the U.S.  These freakish fish are typically males with immature egg cells in their testes.  Occasionally they are female fish that display male characteristics. Intersex...

Last week I realized (again) how hard it is for citizens to protect their children when corporate interests are at stake.  It’s a maddeningly familiar equation: Threat to children  + Overwhelming constituent support + Solid science + Well-financed industry opposition with fear tactics = =...

My reason for choosing food packaged sustainably has always been driven by concern for the environment, with recycling and less damaging manufacturing practices at the forefront of my mind. Until last week, when it became a health issue, too. The cover story in the August 31 edition of Chemical and...

Patagonia is PO’d, and in corporate America there’s no worse brand to get dissed by if you’re trying to sell in the green space. Patagonia is the gold standard for environmentally responsible business. And at the company’s insistence, it’s recycled gold. The Ventura, CA...

SIGG Switzerland AG’s roster of stars who tote and tout its aluminum-and-synthetic water bottles reads like a A-list party at Cannes. Cameron Diaz, Scarlett Johansson, Zac Effron , Lucy Liu, Tobey Maguire, Cindy Crawford, Heidi Klum, Jessica Alba – and more. How long will the company hang...

SIGG CEO Steve Wasik called earlier today to discuss EWG’s response to his recent announcement that SIGG water bottles did in fact contain the toxic chemical bisphenol A (BPA) in their liners until August 2008. Wasik’s announcement has caused an uproar because the company led consumers and...

Yes, there are BPA-free baby bottles.  No, they’re not cheap or available in every neighborhood.  And you’re right, your ‘to-do’ list should not include getting a degree in toxicology, deciphering cryptic labels, or spending hours (that you likely don’t have) researching...

You may have missed the Federal Food and Drug Administration’s latest study on lead in lipstick. After all, how many women peruse the latest ($35) issue of the Journal of Cosmetic Science while touching up for their next appointment? You’d hope you wouldn’t need to scour the scientific...