Polyethylene shopping bags are a big convenience but they also present a big problem. While they can be recycled, many just get carelessly discarded and end up in the environment not only as an...
Schizophrenia is a devastating disease. Characterized by hallucinations, delusions and disorganized thought, it destroys lives. While the condition can be controlled with appropriate medication, a...
In 1993, a young Navajo woman arrived at an emergency room in New Mexico suffering from flu-like symptoms and shortness of breath. Despite such “minor” symptoms, she soon passed away. Ironically,...
Health Canada is set to ban topical mosquito repellants that contain oil of citronella. The oil contains methyleugenol, a compound that has caused liver tumours in rats fed in large doses, but this...
Not if you look at the numbers. Many cosmetics now advertise "no parabens," as they cater to chemical paranoia. Parabens are very effective preservatives and prevent bacterial growth in creams and...
Asparagus is a wonderful vegetable. Both in taste and in its chemistry. One aspect of its chemistry has been apparent for a long time. A French book on food published in 1702 noted that asparagus...
There is a lot of buzz around a set of scientific papers that calls into question the effectiveness of multivitamin supplements. Let me add a few notes to the buzz as the vitamin supplement...
Beverage producers are removing “brominated vegetable oil” from their product. I have no problem with that, it has no nutritional value. But it is interesting to see how this came about. Basically...
It is a cheap, safe, readily available mild acid. It is ideal for the generation of carbon dioxide from baking soda. In fact, one version of baking powder is a mixture of sodium bicarbonate and...