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WINDSOR’S COUNCIL VOTES TO END FLUORIDATION

WINDSOR’S COUNCIL VOTES TO END FLUORIDATION

Approximately 330,000 Canadians living in and around Windsor, Ontario will be drinking fluoride-free water in the near future. After more than a year of campaigning by local residents, and a 6-hour long hearing on Monday night, the Windsor Council voted 8-3 to end fluoridation. Mayor Eddie Francis also voted with the majority, saying: “A lot has changed in the last 60 years…fluoride is not the be-all and end-all to prevent tooth decay.” 

This decision will not only impact the city of Windsor, but will also remove the fluoride from the drinking water of neighboring communities LaSalle and Tecumseh. This past March, Tecumseh town councilors voted 3-1 to ask Windsor to stop adding fluoride to the water. Prior to Tecumseh’s vote both the Windsor Essex County Environment Committee and the Windsor Utilities Commission recommended that the city end their fluoridation program after citizens raised concerns about the additive.

This amazing victory was led by a number of well-organized citizens who established Fluoride Free Windsor (Facebook page), including Kimberley DeYong, Donna Mayne, and Ayesha Drouillard. Help was provided by Canadians Opposed to Fluoridation, Heather Gingerich, and many others. These campaigners are an inspiration, and great example of how a team can work together to end water fluoridation by educating the community and local decision-makers. 

Windsor, Tecumseh, and LaSalle will now join the growing number of Canadian communities that have recently ended fluoridation, including Waterloo, Calgary, Lakeshore, Kirkland Lake, Orillia, Moncton, Amherstburg, and many more. In fact, according to the Director of the Environmental Training Institute--which trains municipal waterworks operators—“there’s been a 26 per cent drop in Canadian municipalities using fluoridation since 2005.” 

Clearly we are moving in the right direction. Congratulations Windsor!

 

Sincerely,

 

Stuart Cooper

Campaign Manager

Fluoride Action Network

Trouble Reading This? - Read it on Dr Sircus' Website

Divine Cancer Mathematics We can plot out important things with cancer statistics. If science tells us that a substance, whether toxic or not, increases or decreases the chance of getting or recovering from cancer they are telling us something significant that we can make use of. “Divine Cancer Mathematics” is simple! Just add up enough substances that reduce your chances of getting cancer into a protocol that treats cancer and we arrive at a beautiful form of natural oncology that will change the world. One of the beauties of Divine Cancer Mathematics is that it works in both directions. If we add up all of the things that cause cancer and begin to eliminate them one by one we can reduce cancer rates by large amounts. Of course this is always easier said than done because in today’s world, contaminants are everywhere. Also people are unwilling to give up things that they enjoy or are addicted to, even knowing these things are harmful to their health. The President’s Cancer Panel issued a landmark report suggesting that public health officials have “grossly underestimated” the extent of environmentally-induced cancer among the 1.5 million Americans diagnosed with the disease annually. A significant number of annual cancer deaths in the U.S. are caused by environmental pollutants and occupational exposures; lower-income workers and communities are disproportionately affected by these exposures (American Cancer Society, Facts and Figures, 2006). Oncologists and medical officials tend to make light of the threat from environmental hazards as do all people who live in big cities that are heavily polluted. According to data published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2002, 4% of all breast cancers in the United Kingdom—about 44,000 cases a year—are due to alcohol consumption. While treating cancer this is a factor to be reckoned with. And surprisingly, marijuana actually helps prevent lung cancer—even smoking it. Yes, smoking marijuana damages lung cells, but these cells do not turn cancerous. The same cannot be said of smoking tobacco. Tobacco smokers who also smoke marijuana are at a slightly lower risk of getting lung cancer than tobacco-only smokers. Cannabinoids are extremely useful for treating cancer so in reality it turns out that smoking marijuana is much more life-serving and life-preserving then drinking. The evidence that the various common types of cancer are largely avoidable diseases is not hard to find. By far the largest reliably known percentage is the 30% of current U.S. cancer deaths that are due to tobacco. As far back as 1981, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute was indicating that some nutritional factor(s) may eventually be found to be of comparable importance.[1] Below we explore these nutritional factors. Selenium is Basic to Cancer Treatment Science knows that people who live in areas of selenium-rich or magnesium-rich soils are many times less likely to get cancer.[2] In China, where the selenium levels in the soils vary much more dramatically than in the United States and the population is less mobile, an ecological study in 1985 showed dramatic results in linking cancer with selenium deficiencies.[3] In the low-selenium classification, three times as many people died from cancer as in the high-selenium classification. Cancer deaths for those taking the selenium were cut almost in half, according to the study that was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on December 25, 1996. In addition, the people who had taken selenium had 63% fewer prostate cancers, 58% fewer colorectal cancers, 46% fewer lung cancers and overall 37% fewer cancers. Selenium was found to reduce the risk of lung cancer to a greater degree than stopping smoking. Magnesium is Basic to Cancer Treatment Several studies have shown an increased cancer rate in regions with low magnesium levels in soil and drinking water as well. In Egypt the cancer rate was only about 10% of that in Europe and America. In the rural fellah it was practically nonexistent. The main difference was an extremely high magnesium intake of 2.5-3 g in these cancer-free populations, ten times more than in most western countries.[4] An inverse relationship between cancer prevalence and the magnesium content of water and of soil was reported from early worldwide studies, starting more than 50 years ago. A Russian report showed that stomach cancer is four times more common in the Ukraine where the Mg content of soil and drinking water is low, than it is in Armenia where the Mg content is more than twice as high. A more recent morphologic and statistical analysis of neoplastic deaths in two Polish communities disclosed a nearly three-fold higher death rate in the community with Mg-poor soil than in the one with Mg-rich soil (10%). Flooding the body with magnesium increases your chance of surviving your cancer and living a longer life by at least 20%, conservatively speaking; the true figure is probably much higher. Vitamin D & the Sun An epidemiological study by Dr. Cedric Garland focused on the relationship between breast cancer and vitamin D levels as shown in the medical literature. Their conclusion: If women kept their vitamin D blood levels at approximately 52 ng/ml, they could expect a 50% reduction in the risk of breast cancer. Dr. Pamela Goodwin and colleagues retrospectively analyzed more than 500 women over a period of 11 years. Results: Women who had been deficient in vitamin D at the time of their breast cancer diagnosis were 73% more likely to die from breast cancer than those with sufficient vitamin D at the time of diagnosis, as well as being almost twice as likely to have recurrence over the 11-year period. Dr. Joan Lappe and her colleagues looked prospectively at more than 400 postmenopausal women over a four-year period of time. Women in the study group were given 1100 IU of vitamin D and 1000 mg of calcium daily. The control group did not receive this. Results: Women who took the vitamin D and calcium reduced their rate of cancer by 60%. The authors found that for every 10 ng/ml increase in a woman’s vitamin D blood level, the relative risk of cancer dropped by 35%. Another study by scientists from the International Agency for Research on Cancer in Lyon and the European Institute of Oncology in Milan reviewed 18 trials involving 57,000 people finding that those who took vitamin D supplements had a 7% lower risk of death overall during the six-year period of the study. Slow Breathing A clinical study in Russia conducted by Dr. Sergey Paschenko was published by the Ukrainian National Journal of Oncology.[5] The elimination of hyperventilation and hypocapnia in patients with breast cancer through slower breathing led to an increase in the three-year survival rate and a better quality of life of patients. In this study when a modified breathing retraining technique was applied, the three-year mortality rate for the breathing normalization group was 4.5% and for the control group 24.5%. Hence, breathing normalization decreased 3-year mortality by more than 5 times. All patients who normalized their breathing survived. Let’s add another 30% chance of beating one’s cancer just from spending an hour a day using a Russian breathing device designed for asthmatics. Bicarbonates & Super Nutrition Bringing your body’s pH up to normal with the use of sodium and potassium bicarbonate along with dietary changes and the use of superfoods will increase your chances of surviving your cancer by a large amount considering that the cause of cancer is very much tied to low oxygen and carbon dioxide concentrations, low cell voltage and low pH (meaning acidic) conditions. Dr. Robert J. Gillies and team from Wayne State University School of Medicine[6] shows that tumor invasion and peritumoral pH are, “In every case, the peritumoral pH was acidic and heterogeneous and the regions of highest tumor invasion corresponded to areas of lowest pH. In support of the functional importance of our findings, oral administration of sodium bicarbonate was sufficient to increase peritumoral pH and inhibit tumor growth and local invasion in a preclinical model, supporting the acid-mediated invasion hypothesis.” It’s difficult to put a number on the effect of a strong pH shift to the alkaline or what super nutrition will do for a cancer patient besides saving them from dying of starvation after being eaten out of house and home by cancer cells. If you look at this video about using toxic drugs to decrease the chance of contracting breast cancer by 50%, you will see that the methods described in Divine Cancer Mathematics are more rational by comparison. Using bicarbonates or drinking seawater itself (another great way to increase alkalinity) would probably decrease one's chances of getting cancer by 50% and superfoods used would add their own powerful benefits. Getting a moderate amount of plant substances called flavonoids through the diet is linked to a lower stomach cancer risk. Women with the highest intake of flavonoids were half as likely to develop cancer as were women who had the smallest intake.[7] The Rejuvenate superfoods that I recommend are full of a long list of nutritionals like flavonoids and many other cellular yummies that bring the cells back to harmony. One of the Rejuvenate products has spirulina and so many other nutritional yummies in a concentrated form that it’s impossible to count the positive effect. A study published in the journal Carcinogenesis shows that in both cell lines and mouse models, grape seed extract (GSE) kills head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cells, while leaving healthy cells unharmed. “It’s a rather dramatic effect,” says Rajesh Agarwal, PhD, investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center and professor at the Skaggs School of Pharmaceutical Sciences. This is just one example of a long line of food concentrates that cancers seem to hate. The study also shows that grape seed extract targets the cancer cells that become most resistant to chemotherapy.[8] Iodine & Full Hydration Adding iodine to the point of saturating the thyroid, breasts, ovaries and prostate glands will easily increase your chances of defeating cancer (especially in these organs) by an unknown percent but I would wager it as a similar anti-cancer profile similar to selenium and magnesium. Iodine, administered in the way doctors used to prescribe 100 years ago, is a potent chemotherapy agent without any of the side effects of the common kind. Let’s assign 30% here. Drinking enough pure, high-quality water would also make a large but incalculable difference. Imagine the difference between a person doing chemotherapy while fully hydrated and another who is suffering from severe dehydration. Doctors perhaps would scratch their heads on this one because they have no idea that the most basic medicine for cancer—or anything—is water. When treating cancer, only medicinal-quality water should be used, meaning no chlorine or fluoride. Let us assign a value of 20% difference at a minimum for the difference enough water makes in cancer treatment or prevention. In Search of 100% Cure & Remission Rates Who would not want a guarantee that they are going to survive their cancer? Most doctors and psychologists would probably agree that some people are beyond help and don’t even want to live (increasing numbers of people commit suicide) so no professional in his right mind would hope to attain a 100% cure rate. Doctors would be more than happy with an 80% cancer cure rate and at that point probably would declare the war on cancer won. When we calculate the above anti-cancer rates we have easily arrived at 200% reductions of cancer rates or reduction at least from dying from the disease. That’s quite an insurance policy! Of course on a practical level we know the numbers will never be that high except when you count with Divine Mathematics. But can you think of any better way to add things up when it comes to cancer? Medical Reality The overall contribution of curative and adjuvant cytotoxic chemotherapy to 5-year survival in adults was estimated to be 2.3% in Australia and 2.1% in the USA, according to a US government site.[9] As the 5-year relative survival rate for cancer in Australia is now over 60%, it is clear that cytotoxic chemotherapy only makes a minor contribution to cancer survival. Chemotherapy, the massive poisoning of the already immune-suppressed human body is barbaric—even criminal malpractice—and the only reason one can glean from its use is the enormous profits made. The cost of the average chemotherapy regimen: $300,000 to $1,000,000. The end result is that chemo kills more patients than it “cures”. Most of those deaths are the result of liver or heart failure. While chemo can shrink some tumors, the devastating cycotoxic nature of chemo “therapy” further destroys the patient’s already compromised and failing immune system causing an even quicker demise. Conclusion We have to add in glutathione and cannabinoid medicine into our calculations for these are substances that also bring about cancer healing. There are many success stories documenting the use of hemp oil alone for cancer and I am sure Rick Simpson would easily support the notion that this medicine alone would singlehandedly cure 50% of people who used a high enough dosage of it. But who wants to argue about numbers? If we add only another 20% for cannabinoids, which can be administered in many ways, and only 10% for glutathione, which can be administered intravenously, sublingually, nebulized and through enemas, we are increasing our sense of certainty that the war on cancer can be won. Above is a list of anti-cancer agents of the most powerful kind, but there are many other cancer solutions that can continue to increase cancer patients’ chances of survival. The idea is to maximize people’s chances of surviving their cancer or avoiding it altogether by using this type of cancer mathematics. Putting all the substances together creates a new form of oncology—a natural oncology—or what might be called natural chemotherapy. The only alternative is to turn to tests and treatments that increase one’s chances of getting cancer. Surgery, biopsies, CAT scans, X-rays, mammograms, chemotherapy and radiation all increase one’s chances of getting or dying from cancer.

Dr. Mark Sircus, Ac., OMD, DM (P) Director International Medical Veritas Association Doctor of Oriental and Pastoral Medicine http://drsircus.com/

Magnesium is a Powerful Natural Anti-Inflammatory Mineral

Comments (2)

by Elizabeth Renter
January 27th, 2013 | Updated 01/27/2013 at 3:05 pm

A study involving more than 3,700 postmenopausal women looked at the effects of dietary magnesium and found something quite promising: that the mineral can have a dramatic impact on inflammation throughout the body. As the trigger to many chronic diseases including cardiovascular disease, inflammation is often only directly combated when people feel it’s effects. But, with this new research, we learn that we can reduce inflammation throughout the body without drugs and without waiting for the effects to send us to a medical doctor.
The study found “inflammatory indicators in the body such as CRP (C-reactive protein), TNF (tumor necrosis factor alpha), and IL6 (interleukin 6) were all reduced when magnesium intake was increased.” Also, inflammation in the arterial walls was also reduced with magnesium intake.
Inflammation in the walls of the arteries can lead to cardiovascular disease. Inflammation throughout the body can lead to a host of additional diseases including the obvious inflammatory ones like arthritis, but could also be the cause of things like Alzheimer’s. Many natural health experts subscribe to the belief that inflammation is actually at the heart of all disease.
While the study provides good news in the fight against inflammation, we cannot reap the benefits of magnesium without consuming the mineral. And the modern diet is replete of it.

When you consume a steady diet of processed foods, you aren’t getting much of anything in the way of nutritional value; and this includes magnesium. But, rather than running out to get a magnesium supplement to take with your value meal tonight, try including some magnesium–rich foods in your diet. These foods include:

• Dried herbs including coriander, mint, dill, chives, sage, and basil
• Dark chocolate
• Pumpkin seeds
• Flax seeds
• Brazil nuts
• Sunflower seeds
• Almonds
• Cashews
• Molasses

These magnesium-rich foods would make a great homemade trail mix and can help you fight chronic disease while you nosh.
Additional Sources:
WellnessResources
WellnessLetter
HealthAliciousNess.com

Read more: http://naturalsociety.com/magnesium-is-a-powerful-natural-anti-inflammatory-mineral/#ixzz2JOEePmWb

Naturally Boost Thyroid Function – 7 Natural Treatments for Hypothyroidism

Naturally Boost Thyroid Function – 7 Natural Treatments for HypothyroidismNaturally Boost Thyroid Function – 7 Natural Treatments for Hypothyroidism

Comments (4)

by Mike Barrett
January 26th, 2013 | Updated 01/28/2013 at 2:26 am

There is nothing worse than not knowing why you suffer from various health issues. There are so many potential answers as to why you lack energy or can’t sleep, etc, but here is just one you must consider: you have thyroid problems. The good news is, you’ll soon learn how to boost thyroid function and should discover at least one hypothyroidism natural treatment that will work for you. Hypothyroidism is a condition where the thyroid gland lacks in producing the thyroid hormone. Don’t skip this, as it just could be the solution you’ve been searching for.
Your thyroid is a major part of your endocrine system. It and the hormones it produces are responsible for everything from a healthy weight to sexual function. When something is out of whack with your thyroid, you can experience a whole host of problems.
When the thyroid is in overdrive, functioning on high and producing too many of its crucial hormones, the result is hyperthyroidism. But when it’s not doing its job, and not producing enough thyroid hormones, you are said to have hypothyroidism. Fortunately, there are natural solutions for balancing your thyroid function.

Some Signs of Hypothyroidism

As with any other health problem, it’s possible that you show only a few signs of having thyroid issues and hypothyroidism. Further, the signs could be tied to another health ailment. Nevertheless, here are some signs of hypothyroidism.

• Weakness
• Sleeplessness, slow to rise
• Low sex drive
• Increased sensitivity to cold
• Low energy levels
• Inability to lose weight
• Aches and pains in your joints
• Poor hair and nail quality
• Premature graying or balding
• Constipation or hard stools
• Feelings of sadness
• Heart palpitations

Hypothyroidism Natural Treatment – 7 Natural Solutions

1. Adopt a Healthful Diet, Avoid Processed Wheat

As with the health of any body part, thyroid health is dependent on good overall health. So stick with whole, natural, and organic foods. Steer clear of processed foods, especially highly processed wheat (as in traditional breads and baked goods). This is because gluten can have undesirable effects on the thyroid, and this is especially true if you suffer from Hashimoto’s thyroiditis – a primary cause of hypothyroidism. About 30% of the people with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis have an unrecognized autoimmune reaction to gluten.
If you can’t go without bread, there are numerous good recipes out there that use things like rice and coconut flour instead of wheat.

2. Avoid Soy

Also, forgo soy. Soy products, particularly when eaten in large amounts, may have hormone disrupting effects. Soy is also high in isoflavones (or goitrogens), which can damage your thyroid gland. Because the thyroid is such a major part of hormonal balance and production, staying away from soy can help your thyroid production normalize.

3. Iodine

Iodine is a very popular hypothyroidism natural treatment, with many traditional and natural health experts alike recommending a good source of iodine. While nascent iodine is most often recommended, Lugol’s brand is a fine alternative. Dr. Group’s iodine supplement, Detoxadine, is also a viable option. Vitamins C and E, D3, selenium and zinc, and omega-3s should be supplemented with your choice of iodine as well.
Some food sources of iodine include:

• Seaweed and sea vegetables
• Some yogurts (organic yogurt, Greek)
• Cranberries
• Strawberries
• Dairy products

Note: Many hypothyroidism cases are actually caused by Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. It was found in some research that increasing iodine intake could actually cause your thyroid issues to worsen if you have Hashimoto’s. Instead, reducing iodine intake may be the solution.

4. Consume More Antioxidant-Rich Foods

Antioxidants are also important in keeping your thyroid healthy. But rather than getting them from traditional multivitamins, that simply exit the body just as easily as they entered, obtain them from natural food sources. Load up on vitamin C from dark green vegetables and citrus fruits, Omega 3 fats from walnuts and flax seeds, and zinc from pumpkin seeds.
Here are 5 antioxidant-rich foods to get you started.

5. Reduce Exposure to the Chemical PFOA (Found in Non-Stick Cookware)

Finally, reduce your exposure to PFOA, found in common household products including nonstick cookware and waterproof fabrics. Researchers have found that people with higher levels of PFOA (perfluorooctanoic acid) have a higher incidence of thyroid disease.

6. Natural Hormone Balancing

One approach to fixing thyroid issues and hypothyroidism is the use of hormone therapy. Most often, synthetic hormones like Synthroid, Levoxyl, or Levothroid are used, which contain only the T4 hormone and no T3 – two hormones produced by the thyroid gland. Instead of turning to these synthetic hormones, it is recommended to try a ‘natural’ hormone balancing treatment. Armour Thyroid is one treatment that some recommend if you’re going to go the hormone therapy route.
According to Dr. Mercola:

A 1999 study published in one of the most prestigious medical journals in the world, the New England Journal of Medicine, showed that the natural hormone product, such as Armour, was far better [than synthetic products] at controlling the brain problems commonly found in hypothyroidism. Nearly all natural medicine doctors tend to use Armour thyroid which is a mixture of mono and di-iodothryonine and T3 and T4, the entire range of thyroid hormones.

Be sure to read up on Armour, and do further research before making any decisions.

7. Coconut Oil

Coconut oil has been used as just one natural treatment for hypothyroidism passed on from person to person, and is one of the best foods you can eat for your thyroid. In addition to being made up of medium chain fatty acids known as medium chain triglicerides (MCTs), which help with metabolism and weight loss, coconut oil can also raid basal body temperatures – all good news for people suffering from low thyroid function.
Here is just one experience someone had on EarthClinic:

If you are feeling exhausted…. Coconut Oil & Iodine is AMAZING! I am 39 and mom of two. I have been feeling mildly flu-like for months not to mention beyond lethargic… I went to a naturalpath who did some kinseology tests and said it was my thyroid. He gave me some liquid iodine derived from dulse(seaweed). I then started taking coconut oil topically and internally. … In ONE WEEK, and I am not exagerating, I feel 85 to 90% better. My brain fog is gone. Even when i am not able to get a lot of sleep I don’t feel that heavy tired anymore!!!!

Thyroid conditions can be serious. You may need to see a doctor for some additional insight, but be very wary of the medications they suggest. Let them know you prefer natural solutions, or see a naturopath first whenever possible. Be sure to pass on which hypothyroidism natural treatment works for you.
Additional Sources:
NaturalNews.com/037147
Tyyroid.About.com
DavidGrotto.wordpress.com

About Mike Barrett: Google Plus Profile | Mike is the co-founder, editor, and primary researcher behind Natural Society. Studying the work of top natural health activists, and writing special reports for top 10 alternative health websites, Mike has written hundreds of articles and pages on how to obtain optimum wellness through natural health.

Read more: http://naturalsociety.com/7-hypothyroidism-natural-treatment-boost-thyroid-function/#ixzz2JOE5Kic6

Government to Dispose of Radioactive Waste by Putting in our Silverware

Government to Dispose of Radioactive Waste By Putting It In Our SILVERWARE

Posted on January 28, 2013 by WashingtonsBlog

Department of Energy Wants to Let Radioactive Scrap Metal Back into Consumer Products

The overwhelming scientific consensus is that any amount of radiation – no matter how small – can cause cancer and other serious health effects.
(Current safety standards are based on the ridiculous assumption that everyone exposed is a healthy man in his 20s – and that radioactive particles ingested into the body cause no more damage than radiation hitting the outside of the body. In the real world, however, even low doses of radiation can cause cancer. Moreover, small particles of radiation – called “internal emitters” – which get inside the body are much more dangerous than general exposures to radiation. See this and this. And radiation affects small children much more than full-grown adults.)
But the Department of Energy – the agency which is responsible for the design, testing and production of all U.S. nuclear weapons, promotes nuclear energy as one of its core functions, which has been covering up nuclear accidents for decades, and has used mutant lines of human cells to promote voodoo, anti-scientific arguments – proposes letting radiation into our silverware.
Counterpunch notes:

Even the deregulation-happy Wall St. Journal sounded shocked: “The Department of Energy is proposing to allow the sale of tons of scrap metal from government nuclear sites — an attempt to reduce waste that critics say could lead to radiation-tainted belt buckles, surgical implants and other consumer products.”
Having failed in the ‘80s and ‘90s to free the nuclear bomb factories and national laboratories of millions of tons of their radioactively contaminated scrap and nickel, the DOE is trying again. Its latest proposal is moving ahead without even an Environmental Impact Statement. Those messy EISs involve public hearings, so you can imagine the DOE’s reluctance to face the public over adding yet more radiation to the doses we’re already accumulating.

Congressman Markey writes:

A Department of Energy proposal to allow up to 14,000 metric tons of its radioactive scrap metal to be recycled into consumer products was called into question today by Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) due to concerns over public health. In a letter sent to DOE head Steven Chu, Rep. Markey expressed “grave concerns” over the potential of these metals becoming jewelry, cutlery, or other consumer products that could exceed healthy doses of radiation without any knowledge by the consumer. DOE made the proposal to rescind its earlier moratorium on radioactive scrap metal recycling in December, 2012.
The proposal follows an incident from 2012 involving Bed, Bath & Beyond stores in America recalling tissue holders made in India that were contaminated with the radio-isotope cobalt-60. Those products were shipped to 200 stores in 20 states. In response to that incident, a Nuclear Regulatory Commission spokesperson advised members of the public to return the products even though the amount of contamination was not considered to be a health risk.

This is not the first time this has happened.
As the Progressive reported in 1998, radioactive scrap metal was ending up in everything from silverware to frying pans and belt buckles:

The Department of Energy has a problem: what to do with millions of tons of radioactive material. So the DOE has come up with an ingenious plan to dispose of its troublesome tons of nickel, copper, steel and aluminum. It wants to let scrap companies collect the metal, try to take the radioactivity out, and sell the metal to foundries, which would in turn sell it to manufacturers who could use it for everyday household products: pots, pans, forks, spoons, even your eyeglasses.
You may not know this, but the government already permits some companies under special licenses, to buy, reprocess and sell radioactive metal: 7,500 tons in 1996, by one industry estimate. But the amount of this reprocessing could increase drastically if the DOE, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), and the burgeoning radioactive metal processing industry get their way.
They are pressing for a new, lax standard that would do away with special permits and allow companies to buy and resell millions of tons of low-level radioactive metal.
***
The standard the companies seek could cause nearly 100,000 cancer fatalities in the United States, by the NRC’s own estimate.

(A couple of years later, Congressman Markey successfully banned most radioactive scrap … but now DOE is trying to bring it back.)
Radioactive scrap is a global problem. As Bloomberg reported last year:

“The major risk we face in our industry is radiation,” said Paul de Bruin, radiation-safety chief for Jewometaal Stainless Processing, one of the world’s biggest stainless-steel scrap yards. “You can talk about security all you want, but I’ve found weapons-grade uranium in scrap. Where was the security?”
More than 120 shipments of contaminated goods, including cutlery, buckles and work tools such as hammers and screwdrivers, were denied U.S. entry between 2003 and 2008 after customs and the Department of Homeland Security boosted radiation monitoring at borders.
The department declined to provide updated figures or comment on how the metal tissue boxes at Bed, Bath & Beyond, tainted with cobalt-60 used in medical instruments to diagnose and treat cancer, evaded detection.
***
“The general public basically isn’t aware that they’re living in a radioactive world,” according to Ross Bartley, technical director for the recycling bureau, who said the contamination has led to lost sales. “Those tissue boxes are problematic because they’re radioactive and they had to be put in radioactive disposal.”
Abandoned medical scanners, food-processing devices and mining equipment containing radioactive metals such as cesium-137 and cobalt-60 are picked up by scrap collectors, sold to recyclers and melted down by foundries, the IAEA says.
Dangerous scrap comes from derelict hospitals and military bases, as well as defunct government agencies that have lost tools with radioactive elements.
Chronic exposure to low doses of radiation can lead to cataracts, cancer and birth defects, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. A 2005 study of more than 6,000 Taiwanese who lived in apartments built with radioactive reinforcing steel from 1983 to 2005 showed a statistically significant increase in leukemia and breast cancer.
***
India and China were the top sources of radioactive goods shipped to the U.S. through 2008, according to the Department of Homeland Security. Bartley, a metallurgist who has tracked radioactive contamination since the early 1990s, said there’s no evidence the situation has improved.
***
Two years after an Indian scrap-metal worker died from radiation exposure, the world’s second-most populous country hasn’t installed alarms, the Ministry of Shipping said in December.
***
“The same thing could easily happen again tomorrow,” said Deepak Jain, 65, who owns the yard where the worker died. “We have no protection. The government promised a lot, but has delivered absolutely nothing.”

Indeed, we are being bombarded with low-level radiation from all sides:

• Above-ground nuclear tests created “background” levels of radioactive cesium and iodine for the first time

• Countries dump everything from radiation from nuclear meltdowns to radioactive submarines in the ocean

• And the air

• In Japan, radioactive crops are being mixed into non-irradiated foods

• The U.S. apparently signed a pact with Japan agreeing that the U.S. will continue buying seafood from Japan, despite that food is not being tested for radioactive materials

• Much of our food is now intentionally irradiated

(The government has even treated some people as guinea pigs.)
What can we do? Counterpunch notes:

You can tell the DOE to continue to keep its radioactive metal out of the commercial metal supply, commerce, and our personal items. You can demand a full environmental impact statement. Comment deadline is Feb. 9, 2013. Email to: scrap_PEAcomments@hq.doe.gov (with an underscore after “scrap_”). Snail mail to: Jane Summerson / DOE NNSA / PO Box 5400, Bldg. 401K. AFB East / Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185

Can vitamin D halt growth of triple-negative breast cancer? Tuesday, January 29, 2013 by: David Gutierrez, staff writer

123 2 (NaturalNews) Vitamin D supplementation may be able to slow or even halt the progression of the most dangerous variety of breast cancer, according to a study conducted by researchers from Saint Louis University and IRBLleida, Spain, and published in The Journal of Cell Biology. In addition, the researchers isolated biomarkers that could help physicians identify women that could benefit from vitamin D treatment. The researchers came to this discovery by identifying, for the first time, one of the molecular pathways that leads to the variety of breast cancer known as triple-negative. This cancer is more likely to affect younger women, and is most resistant to treatment. Scientists have known for some time that a malfunction of a tumor-suppressing gene known as BRCA1 can lead to the development of breast cancer. This gene is part of the cellular defense system by which the body ensures that any damaged DNA is not passed on to new cells, using mechanisms such as screening DNA for errors and sending cells carrying damaged DNA into hibernation or even programmed cell death. This is an important cancer-preventive role, because an accumulation of DNA damage can lead a cell to the out-of-control replication associated with cancerous tumors. BRCA1 plays a role in screening DNA and repairing double-strand breaks, a particularly dangerous form of damage. It also plays a role in verifying that DNA has been replicated and transferred properly to new cells. When BRCA1 fails, it may lead to the development of breast cancer, and often the particular variety that is negative for receptors of two hormones and a protein: estrogen, progesterone and HER2. Because such tumors are not dependent on these external factors for growth, they are harder to "starve" and kill. The vitamin D link Yet not all BRCA1-mutated cells turn into breast tumors. In a recent study, researchers determined that in the presence of another DNA repair factor known as 53BP1, BRCA1-deficient cells can still survive and reproduce in health. As 53BP1 levels decrease, the development of triple-negative tumors becomes more likely. In the new study, the researchers found that the loss of BRCA1 begins a chain of events in which a protein-degrading chemical is produced that starts to break down 53BP1. "It's a new pathway that explains how breast cancer cells lose 53BP1," lead researcher Susana Gonzalo said. Significantly, prior research has shown that in the presence of vitamin D, this chemical is less effective at degrading 53BP1. In the new study, they found that when BRCA1-deficient tumor cells were exposed to vitamin D, 53BP1 levels rose and proliferation slowed. This is a particularly important discovery because triple-negative breast cancers tend to be resistant to many of the most advanced cancer drugs, while the therapy that they are more likely to respond to - chemotherapy - carries potentially severe side effects. The researchers now believe that even in people who have already developed a drug-resistant, triple-negative cancer, vitamin D supplementation may actually render the tumors sensitive to drugs. Sources: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/01/130122142911.htm http://phys.org

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