Wednesday December 01, 2004 | Colm Smyth's Weblog Gestalt Blogology |
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Rocket fuel contaminant in US lettuce
A survey of milk and lettuce in 15 US states found perchlorate (a toxic chemical used in rocket fuel) at unsafe levels. The FDA are not making any recommendations yet, but studies found an average concentration of 10.95 parts per billion while the recommended limit is 6 parts. High concentrations of perchlorate can disrupt the thyroid gland, which regulates metabolism and is linked to the development of motor skills in children. It's not clear from the Wired article Rocket Fuel in Milk, Lettuce if lettuce specifically accumulates the toxin (as compared with other green vegetables), but I would certainly suggest that anyone who is pregnant or with very young children should look into this some more. (2004-12-01 11:15:24.0) Permalink
Year of the Blog
According to Merriam-Webster, 2004 was the year of the blog as "blog" was the most-searched-for word in their online dictionary, topping words from people clearly trying to understand what the US presidential election was about, like "incumbent" and even "electoral" and perhaps "insurgent". Equally interestingly, the 10th most popular word was "defenestration". Windows being removed? (2004-12-01 10:57:28.0) Permalink |
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