Agency considers launching new study on health effects of living near nuclear plants. The examination by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission is being considered following recent European studies that found children living near some nuclear reactors were twice as likely to develop leukemia. The NRC for years has relied on a 1990 National Cancer Institute study that concluded that radiation releases were insignificant and health risks, if any, were too small to measure. Today’s analytical tools, however, could do a better job of determining cancer risks, said the chairman of a team of experts who developed a proposal for a new NRC study. More than 45 million Americans live within 30 miles of a nuclear plant. Los Angeles Times
Report backs Obama administration plan to reduce miners’ exposure to the dust that causes black lung. The Government Accountability Office review was demanded by House Republicans before the proposed coal mine dust rule could be implemented. Its findings provide support for plans envisioned by the federal Mine Safety and Health Administrations to address a resurgence of black lung, particularly in parts of Appalachia. The industry group the National Mining Association, however, continued to question the need for the new safety rule. “The data do not seem to indicate that you’re going to get the kind of results you’d hope for with this approach,” a spokeswoman said. The Center for Public Integrity
Farm experts, food safety advocates fault shoddy practices for recurring cantaloupe problems. The concerns were raised following the disclosure by authorities that a recent cantaloupe-related outbreak of salmonella infections across 20 states has resulted in two deaths, both in Kentucky, and sickened 141 people. Authorities are linking the contamination to a farm in southwestern Indiana. Last year an outbreak of listeriosis that killed 29 people was linked to cantaloupes from a farm in Colorado. One expert said a cantaloupe’s rough, porous skin is an easy target for bacteria, and that melons growing on the ground can pick up dirt and germs from manure that runs off from livestock fields. USA Today, The New York Times
Agribusiness giants pour millions into fighting California food labeling initiative. Companies such as Monsanto, Dupont and Cargill have contributed nearly $25 million to defeat Proposition 37, which would be the nation’s first-ever measure to require special labels on foods made with genetically modified organisms, or GMOs. Such GMO crops as corn, soybeans and canola have been staple ingredients for years in packaged foods, from soup and tofu to breakfast cereals and chips. The sum raised by food interests is nearly 10 times the amount raised by backers of the November ballot measure, who say California’s health-conscious shoppers want more information about the food they eat. The Associated Press, Reuters
Plaintiffs lawyers take aim at food manufacturers. More than a dozen lawyers who won giant settlements from Big Tobacco over a decade ago have in the last four months filed 25 cases against such companies as ConAgra Foods, PepsiCo, Heinz and General Mills. The suits assert that food makers are misleading consumers and violating federal regulations with faulty product labeling. For example, a plaintiff in a case seeking to halt sales of ConAgra’s Pam cooking spray expressed horror at learning that the “propellant” mentioned on the label turned out to include petroleum gas, propane and butane. Food companies say the recent suits lack merit and are driven largely by the lawyers’ financial motivations. The New York Times
Recalls: 2006-2007 GM and Isuzu SUVs, Meijer mushroom grilling trays, 7th Heaven Gourmet spreads, Tanimura & Antle romaine lettuce
Compiled by Stuart Silverstein and Bridget Huber
