H E A L T H in the News
epa rouTinely alloWs Companies To hide neW sCanner aids in non-pharmaCeuTiCal
dangerous informaTion approaChes To reduCe seizures
According to a news summary from Life Extension Foundation, Prescription medications that assist individuals in reducing and/
the Milwaukee Sentinel reported December 12, 2008, that over or stopping seizure activity have many side-effects that reduce
the past three years they have examined more than 2,000 filings the likelihood of the individual having an optimal quality of life.
in the Environmental Protection Agency’s registry of dangerous Sometimes they choose not to take the medication and take the
risk of having a seizure. However this choice places the individual
and the public at risk because if they are driving or operating
machinery accidents can happen. Magnetoencephalography
(MEG) is a new scanning technique that neurologists are using
to get a real-time view of brain activity. Sometimes even if an
individual takes their medications the seizures are not controlled.
Neurosurgeons can combine MEG and MRI information to make
very detailed maps of the brain, then destroy the seizure cells and
minimize damage to normal tissue. Researchers told the reporter
at Science Daily that the “MEG brain scanner may aid in the
diagnosis and study of other disorders like dementia, migraines,
Parkinson’s disease, depression and traumatic brain injuries.”
chemicals. In more than 1000 of those filings they agreed to keep
Science Daily. (2007). Pinpointing problems in the brain
the chemical name secret, and often the company was allowed
neurologists use new brain scanning device to better control
to keep their name and identifying information confidential.
seizures. Retrieved January 8, 2009 from www.sciencedaily.com/
videos/2007/0312-pinpointing_problems_in_the_brain.htm.
“Section 14 of the Toxic Substances Control Act, the foundation for
all the EPA’s toxic and chemical regulations, stipulates that chem-
ical producers may not be granted confidentiality when it comes
to health and safety data.” Life Extension Foundation reported
that one toxicologist who had worked at the EPA from 1998 to
2005 said that it had been “starved of resources and generally
abandoned.”
As the new administration becomes active we should encourage
Congress to empower the EPA to protect Americans perhaps
following the precautionary principles. To read more about the
precautionary principle go to: www.sehn.org/precaution.html.
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. (2008). EPA veils hazardous
substances. Life Extension Daily News. Retrieved December 23,
2008 from www.lef.org/news/LefDailyNews.htm?NewsID=
7717&Section=DISEASE.
26 ComPiLeD By margareT arTHur, m.D.
Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28