toxins

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UK Reveals What Killed Alexei Navalny

Toxin from poison dart frog was used to kill Russia opposition leader, officials say, blaming the Kremlin

(Newser) - British officials say a toxin derived from a poison dart frog was used to kill Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison, and they're now directly accusing the Kremlin. The UK's Foreign Office identified the substance as epibatidine, saying there's no innocent reason for the chemical's...

Warm Weather Gives Pack Rats a Leg Up on Rattlesnakes

Warm temps, diet seem to influence how protected desert wood rats are against snake toxins

(Newser) - The secret to surviving a rattlesnake bite may lie not just in genetics, but in the temperature outside: New research reveals that weather and diet can shape how well desert wood rats, a form of pack rat, resist deadly venom. In a new study published Wednesday in Biology Letters...

Neurotoxin Turns Sea Lions 'Almost Demonic'

Acid in California's algae blooms is causing aggressive behavior, risk of death

(Newser) - Longtime surfer Rj LaMendola was riding waves off Oxnard, California, on Friday when he was attacked by a "feral, almost demonic" sea lion. As LaMendola tells the Los Angeles Times , the animal bit him, pulled him off his surfboard, and continued stalking him even once he managed to get...

Lawsuit: Girl Scout Cookies Infused With Lead, Pesticide
Woman Sues Over 'Dangerous
Toxins' in Girl Scout Cookies
in case you missed it
Mar 16, 2025 11:00 AM CDT

Woman Sues Over 'Dangerous Toxins' in Girl Scout Cookies

Proposed class-action complaint says all cookies tested were positive for lead, glyphosate

(Newser) - Most people love a good Thin Mint, but a recent lawsuit against the Girl Scouts puts a damper on that affection for at least one New York woman, who claims the presence of heavy metals and pesticides in some of the organization's famous cookies, reports WJLA . The suit filed...

DOGE Cuts to 9/11 Program Aren't Going Over Very Well

New York, New Jersey Republicans express 'grave concerns' on WTC Health Program staff reductions

(Newser) - On Monday, New York's Democratic Sens. Chuck Schumer and Kirsten Gillibrand penned a letter insisting that cuts made by the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to the World Trade Center Health Program, which offers aid to first responders and others who suffer from 9/11-related health conditions, be rescinded and...

Black Plastic Utensil Study Had an Important Figure Wrong
Maybe It's Not Time to
Chuck Black Spatulas
in case you missed it
Dec 21, 2024 3:45 PM CST

Maybe It's Not Time to Chuck Black Spatulas

Study warning of toxin exposure included a mathematical error

(Newser) - A study that led to warnings about the dangers of black plastic utensils may have caused countless spatulas to be thrown away unnecessarily, according to Joe Schwarcz at McGill University . Schwarcz, director of the Canadian university's Office for Science and Society, says researchers at Toxic-Free Future made a mathematical...

Pricier Red Wines May Cause More Headaches
Red Wine Headache?
Blame the Sun
NEW STUDY
Nov 25, 2023 10:24 AM CST

Red Wine Headache? Blame the Sun

A study suggests antioxidants in reds make it harder for the body to process alcohol

(Newser) - Haunted by red wine headaches? Then this new study is for you. Researchers from the University of California say that headaches caused by even a small glass of red wine may be linked to a compound called quercetin that's found in red grape skins, the BBC reports. Quercetin is...

NPS' Latest Warning Is a 'Toad-Ally Terrifying' One

Agency issues directive to visitors to not lick toxic Sonoran desert toads in the parks

(Newser) - It's the warning from the National Park Service we didn't know we needed: Stop licking the toads. It's one type of toad in particular—the Sonoran desert toad (also known as the Colorado river toad), which NPR describes as a creature that's about 7 inches long...

Lawsuit: Skittles 'Unfit for Human Consumption'

Complaint cites use of chemical titanium dioxide to provide the candy's vibrant colors

(Newser) - Skittles famously wants fans to "taste the rainbow," but a new lawsuit says the chemical used to create that rainbow is a toxic health threat. The suit filed in Oakland last week calls Skittles "unfit for human consumption" because maker Mars Inc. continues to use titanium dioxide...

Tattoos May Leave Toxins in Lymph Nodes
Clean Needles Aren't the
Only Tattoo Concern
NEW STUDY
Sep 18, 2017 9:39 AM CDT

Clean Needles Aren't the Only Tattoo Concern

Ask about the chemicals in the ink—your lymph nodes could be tainted from them

(Newser) - Besides getting stuck with a Hello Kitty tattoo for life, there's another downside to getting skin ink: Microscopic particles can taint your lymph nodes. A new study found that after a person gets a tat, nano traces of the ink containing preservatives and contaminants work their way into the...

Weeks After Baby Rushed to ER, a Diagnosis: Botulism

Arizona's Cole Hansberger started showing symptoms the day before his first birthday

(Newser) - A 1-year-old in Arizona is critically ill after doctors say he tested positive for botulism, the Arizona Republic reports. On Aug. 5, the day before Cole Hansberger's first birthday, his mom, Jackie, noticed a few strange things: first, his drooping head while he was crawling around, then a complete...

'Guacamole-Thick' Algae Causes Florida Emergency

'The smell is so bad it will make you gag,' one local resident says

(Newser) - Beaches are closed in South Florida, where a massive algae bloom has caused water to turn bright green and Gov. Rick Scott to declare a state of emergency in four counties—Martin, St. Lucie, Lee, and Palm Beach—over Wednesday and Thursday, reports Weather.com . Health officials are telling people...

Purina Paying Hush Money to Peeved Pet Owners?

Amended suit alleges company paying customers for silence on Beneful

(Newser) - Frank Lucido is no longer the only plaintiff in a lawsuit alleging Beneful food kills dogs. An amended complaint filed in California last week against the Nestle Purina brand has added 26 more pet owners from across the country, as well as accusations that Beneful contains toxins and that Purina...

Inside Vultures' Guts: Poison

 Inside Vultures' 
 Guts: Poison 
study says
Nov 27, 2014 8:50 AM CST

Inside Vultures' Guts: Poison

Study: Birds developed immunity to dangerous but helpful toxins

(Newser) - Vultures eat all kinds of nasty stuff that humans can't (and wouldn't if we could). But how do they survive living off the rotting flesh of roadkill? Researchers set out to answer that query by examining the guts of 24 turkey vultures and 26 black vultures trapped and...

Dangerous Toxins Found in Toledo Water

City residents can't drink it for now, even if it's boiled

(Newser) - The greater Toledo area of Ohio is under some scary-sounding advisories today after toxins turned up in city water. For the time being, residents shouldn't drink tap water, even if it's boiled, and restaurants are being urged to close their doors unless they can guarantee no city water...

Chemical Banned 35 Years Ago Found in Yellow Clothes

PCB-11 present in 'worrisome' levels

(Newser) - A chemical banned in the US 35 years ago is present in almost all yellow paper products and items of clothing, researchers warn. Though the production of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which contaminate the environment and are believed to cause cancer, was outlawed, PCB-11 is allowed to remain in yellow pigment...

Brain Wipes Out Toxins While We Sleep

Functions 'like a dishwasher': researcher

(Newser) - Feeling a bit muddled after a sleepless night? It may be because your brain didn't get a chance to flush out built-up toxins, NPR reports. While we're asleep, the brain acts, in a researcher's words, "like a dishwasher"—at least in animals studied, including mice...

Rich and Poor Have Different Toxins in Bodies
 Rich and Poor 
 Have Different 
 Toxins in Bodies 
in case you missed it
Aug 10, 2013 7:00 PM CDT

Rich and Poor Have Different Toxins in Bodies

It's sushi and sunscreen vs. cigarettes

(Newser) - It might be the weirdest indicator of wealth, or lack thereof, yet: Generally speaking, rich people and poor people have different toxins in their bodies, according to a new study spotted by Quartz . For example, rich people tend to have greater levels of things such as mercury and arsenic, probably...

Florida Manatees Dying in Scary Numbers

Deaths near Cape Canaveral remain a mystery

(Newser) - Already an endangered species, manatees are dying by the dozen off both coasts of Florida, Wired reports. Biologists say a red tide—an algal bloom that can be fatal to manatees, fish, and people—has killed 200 manatees in the Gulf of Mexico this year. But manatee deaths on the...

Vietnam's Agent Orange Victims Get Scientology Detox

But doctors skeptical about detoxification program

(Newser) - In an attempt to detoxify people exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War, the Vietnamese government is relying on … L. Ron Hubbard. The Church of Scientology founder developed a detoxification method espoused by Tom Cruise and other bigwig Scientologists. The "Purification Rundown" or "Hubbard method" involves...

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