Cancer Prevention

Plant healthy, nontoxic gardening practices in your yard and keep family & pets safe

Spring is here (at least, according to the calendar) and many pet lovers welcome the time they spend tending their garden.

But your yard can cultivate a whole host of potential pet poisons and dangers, from the pesticides and tools you use to the plants you grow.

"Having a non-toxic lawn is crucial for dogs in particular," says Carl Grimm, natural gardening and toxics reduction planner for Metro. "Since they're more likely to chew or lick soil or plants in the garden, it makes them more vulnerable to pesticides."

Firefighters Sound Alarm On Toxic Chemicals

More than 200 empty pairs of firefighter boots lined the steps of the Rotunda in San Francisco's City Hall on Wednesday.

Each pair represented a local firefighter who lost his or her life "with their boots off" due to cancer in the last 14 years, said Tony Stefani, president of the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation.

"In just the last three months, we've had two active and four retired firefighters die of cancer," said Stefani, a retired San Francisco Fire Dept. captain and cancer survivor, in a interview before the event.

The Toxins That Threaten Our Brains

Leading scientists recently identified a dozen chemicals as being responsible for widespread behavioral and cognitive problems. But the scope of the chemical dangers in our environment is likely even greater. Why children and the poor are most susceptible to neurotoxic exposure that may be costing the U.S. billions of dollars and immeasurable peace of mind.

Cancer-Proof Your Body

Recent research reveals 8 stealth strategies to keep the killer at bay. It's time to raise your carcinogen shields—and your overall health—using these smart anti-C moves

10 Ways for Men to Prevent Cancer Today

Sweat Daily

In a University of Vermont study, the fittest men were 68 percent less likely to develop lung cancer and 38 percent less likely to develop colorectal cancers than the least active men—and those who developed cancer had better outcomes if they exercised regularly. Cardio and resistance training help control inflammation and hormone levels—and they keep your immune system strong to fend off wayward cells. (Turn up your muscle gains outside the gym. These 18 Ways to Build Muscle All Day will help you shed fat, sculpt muscle, and accelerate recovery.)

The Chemicals That Stick Around in the Body

How the U.S. tracks the potentially harmful substances that build up in humans

Most Americans do carry traces of dozens—possibly hundreds—of potentially toxic chemicals in their bodies, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which tests blood and urine samples in thousands of citizens as part of its continuing public-health surveys.

The Scary New Evidence on BPA-Free Plastics

Update (3/3/14): After this story went to press, the US Food and Drug Administration published a paper finding that BPA was safe in low doses. However, the underlying testing was done on a strain of lab rat known as the Charles River Sprague Dawley, which doesn't readily respond to synthetic estrogens, such as BPA.

BPA Absorbed From Cash Register Receipts, Study Finds

People who handled receipts coated with the controversial chemical BPA had the compound in their urine just a few hours afterwards, showing the compound soaks into the body through the hands, researchers reported Tuesday.

It’s not clear what that might mean for people’s health, however. The small study — just 24 people — showed 83 percent had the chemical in their bodies to start with. After handling the receipts bare-handed, all the volunteers did.

Cancer survivors warn teens of dangers of tanning, sun exposure

When prom season and graduation hover closer, many high school students urge one another to sign pledges to stay sober and act responsibly.

But some are making a different sort of promise — to steer clear of tanning salons — after hearing stories from young women dealing with devastating skin cancer.

Fluoride and Other Chemical Risks

New research finds exposure to fluoride in drinking water and several other common chemicals in early life diminishes brain function in children. Study lead author, Philippe Grandjean, tells host Steve Curwood fluoride, flame retardants, pesticides and and fuel additives may be affecting children's intelligence.

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