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NEWS ABOUT: toxin

Condi: We Feared We Were Poisoned

But detected deadly White House toxin turned out to be false alarm

(Newser) - Condoleezza Rice recounted the day that she, President Bush, and Dick Cheney believed they had been exposed to a lethal toxin by terrorists. Cheney suddenly appeared on a secure video conference screen just weeks after 9/11 while Rice and Bush were traveling in China for the APEC summit. He warned... More »

Wal-Mart Yanks Toxin-Tainted Miley Cyrus Jewelry

AP investigation finds high levels of cadmium

(Newser) - Wal-Mart is yanking a line of Miley Cyrus bracelets and necklaces after an Associated Press investigation turned up dangerous levels of toxic cadmium in the jewelry. Long-term exposure to cadmium, a known carcinogen, can lead to bone softening and kidney failure, and hinder brain development in the young. It's only... More »

Tainted Chinese Milk Yanked From Shelves—Again

Company in last scandal linked to new contamination

(Newser) - In the latest consumer product scandal to hit China, authorities have ordered milk contaminated with toxic melamine yanked from market shelves. The recall occurs a year after hundreds of thousands of children were sickened by a similar contamination. Products in southern China from three companies were found to contain melamine.... More »

Harvard Probes Poisoning at Med School Lab

Office coffee caused fainting, dizziness, ringing in the ears

(Newser) - Harvard Medical School is investigating after six workers in the pathology department were poisoned by coffee prepared near their lab. The researchers and students were treated and released after suffering dizziness, low blood pressure, and other symptoms during the August incident. "As the investigation continues, we are being prudent... More »

FEMA Too Slow on Katrina Trailer Toxins: Federal Report

Agency didn't announce toxin find until 2 years after people moved in

(Newser) - FEMA was too slow to deal with reports of toxins in trailers used to house Hurricane Katrina victims, potentially posing a “significant health risk” to thousands along the Gulf Coast, a Homeland Security report says. Residents of the trailers had reported bloody noses, headaches, and worse as a result... More »

FDA Slaps Strictest Warning Label on Botox

(Newser) - Botox will now carry the Food and Drug Administration’s strictest warning for pharmaceuticals after the agency raised concerns over the risk of botulism last year, Bloomberg reports. The approval of a rival botulinum toxin for cosmetic purposes prompted the review. The toxin can cause muscle weakness and breathing difficulty,... More »

Calif. Pelicans Hit by Mystery Illness

Experts puzzled as dying birds turn up miles from coastal home

(Newser) - A mystery disease causing disoriented pelicans to crash to earth in unusual locations near the California coast has wildlife experts stumped, reports the Los Angeles Times. Bruised and fatigued birds are being found on highways and in backyards far from their usual seaside haunts. Some appear to be dying, but... More »

Gene Tweak Could Grow Crops in Toxic Soil

(Newser) - Scientists have made a breakthrough that could dramatically boost the world's food production by making more land farmable, Wired reports. A slight change to a single gene allows plants to thrive in earth made toxic by aluminum, which currently renders nearly half of the world's soil useless for growing crops.... More »

Recycled 'E-Waste' Can Be Toxic

Old TVs, PCs can pollute developing countries

(Newser) - Recycling old computers, cell phones, and TVs may sound like a good idea—but be sure you know the destination before you dump such material, USA Today advises. While such “e-waste” recycling programs are springing up everywhere these days, some pose a threat. Often, the materials end up in... More »

Fish Toxin Buyer Linked to Murder Plot

Man after puffer fish poison was seeking hit man

(Newser) - An Illinois man busted trying to buy enough puffer fish toxin to kill dozens of people had been seeking to hire a hit man on the internet to kill a mystery woman, reports the Chicago Tribune. The financial planner sent emails to people offering $8,000 for the murder, authorities... More »

Illinois Man Busted With Puffer Fish Toxin

Tried to buy troubling amount from lab

(Newser) - An Illinois man has been arrested for possession of a deadly neurotoxin found in puffer fish, reports CNN. Authorities were alerted after the man, claiming to be a doctor, attempted to purchase a significant amount of tetrodotoxin from a New Jersey lab. The poison—1,200 times more deadly than... More »

Botox May Move from Face to Brain

Anti-wrinkle toxin traveled to rats' central nervous system

(Newser) - Botox can spread from the face to the brain, scientists who injected rats with the anti-wrinkle treatment say. Traces of the toxin turned up in the rats' brain stems three days after it was injected into their whisker muscles, Bloomberg reports. A dermatologist says the findings call for further investigation,... More »

Man Says He Had Ricin for Self-Defense

He admits having it in hotel, says he did not plan to hurt anyone

(Newser) - The Las Vegas man hospitalized by exposure to ricin in his hotel room told his brother he  did not intend to hurt anyone with it, the AP reports. Roger Bergendoff, who regained consciousness last week after a month, admitted possessing the biological agent but said it was for self-defense. "... More »

Man in Ricin Case Wakes Up

FBI questioning 57-year-old about toxin found in Las Vegas hotel room

(Newser) - The man at the center of the Las Vegas ricin investigation regained consciousness today, although he remains hospitalized in critical condition, the Associated Press reports. Roger Bergendorff, 57, had been in a coma since Feb. 14; he has already been questioned by FBI agents about the toxin—considered a "... More »

Utah Home Searched in Ricin Case

Suburban neighbors evacuated

(Newser) - FBI agents yesterday searched the former Utah home of a man clinging to life after apparent ricin poisoning in his Las Vegas hotel room. Neighbors within a two-block area were evacuated but were later allowed to return to their homes.  Local residents described the man as a mild-mannered, down-on-his-luck... More »

Firearms, Anarchist Book Found With Ricin

Man in critical condition; others test negative for deadly poison

(Newser) - The authorities who discovered ricin in a Las Vegas hotel room also recovered firearms and an “anarchist-type textbook” with an earmarked entry about the lethal toxin, CNN reports. The 57-year-old man whose room contained the poison remains hospitalized in critical condition and unable to speak with investigators, but seven... More »

Man in Critical Condition After Stay in Ricin Room

No apparent terror motive in toxin mystery

(Newser) - A man who stayed in a Las Vegas hotel room where ricin was found yesterday has been hospitalized for 2 weeks after exposure to the toxin and is in critical condition, CNN reports. A friend retrieving his belongings discovered the ricin. "We don't know who it belongs to or... More »

'Terror Toxin' Found in Vegas

Police hunt source of container found in hotel room

(Newser) - Las Vegas police have discovered the deadly toxin ricin at a long-stay hotel, CNN reports. It's "100% ricin," said a police official. "We did have enough ricin to be concerned. At this point, it has been contained and is not a threat to anybody." Three policemen,... More »

'Toxic Sperm' Linked to Child Ills

Gene material in sperm may be hurt by heavy drinking, smoking: study

(Newser) - Men who smoke or drink heavily may transmit genetic abnormalities through their damaged sperm, leading to child health complications, miscarriages or stillbirth, researchers have found. The effects of environmental toxins on paternal health—long held to be far less important than that of mothers—may play a crucial role in... More »

Missing Link in Pneumonia Deaths Found

Antibiotics useless against toxin causing lung infection

(Newser) - Many pneumonia patients die despite receiving treatment, and a new study finds that an infectious toxin unaffected by antibiotics can cause the deaths. One of the researchers involved in the study, published in the journal Immunity, tells Reuters that scientists are working to find a treatment for sometimes-fatal bleeding in... More »

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