Ask About Guns!
Saturday, June 21, is the start of summer, a time when kids have more freedom to be out and about. It’s also ASK Day. Pax, a national nonprofit working to end gun violence, urges parents to ask a simple question about whether there are guns in the homes of friends they might be visiting (Pediatrics reports that 40% of homes with children also have a gun in them) to prevent needless tragedy. The Centers for Disease Control says eight kids are killed by guns every single day in the U.S. Some of them, Pax hopes, might be saved by a simple question. Learn more …
FDA Issues Caution About Silver Fillings
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) this month cautioned for the first time that the mercury contained in silver dental fillings could pose a safety concern for pregnant women and young children. According to the posting, mercury “may have neurotoxic effects on the nervous systems of developing children and fetuses.” A small amount of mercury vapor is released from the fillings, also called “dental amalgams,” through chewing and tooth brushing, and the agency is still studying the impact of this vapor. FDA at this point advises against removal of existing fillings, and says that they are safe for most people. Learn more …
FDA Says Plastic Bottles With Bisphenol A Are Safe
In an update on ongoing research, Norris Alderson, Ph.D., the FDA’s associate commissioner for science, said on June 11 that consumers don’t need to stop using plastic products – including water bottles and baby bottles – that contain the chemical bisphenol A. Research from the National Toxicology Program and the National Institutes of Health, based on animal studies, has led to concern that bisphenol A leaching into liquids in the bottles can cause changes in the brain and reduce survival and birthweight in fetuses. Canada plans to ban use of the chemical in baby bottles, and U.S. legislation has been introduced to ban it in children’s products. About 99 percent of human exposure comes through diet. Learn more …