Nobel Laureate in Chemistry Says Phthalates Do Not Pose a Risk to Health

Nobel laureate who laid foundation for green chemistry says politicians are ignoring science when they call for ban on phthalates in children’s toys.

Another Reason to Focus on the Risks of Cigarettes and Smoking

While activists, legislators and journalists spin themselves into a frenzy over unproven, unfounded, hypothetical, or, at worst, minor risks from chemicals in plastics and cosmetics, a new study reminds us that when it comes to infant health, exposure to the 4,000 chemicals in cigarette smoke should be a national priority. As Medical News Today reports, [...]

When the Media Stitches Up Scientists: PBS Pulls a Fast One on Phthalates

One of the most depressing things about writing for STATS was the discovery that many scientists are deeply reluctant to talk to journalists. Most cite the fear of being misquoted or having their positions misinterpreted to fit a black and white narrative that, in scientific terms, is marked by numerous shades of gray. Just as [...]

European Scientists Poo-Poo Baby Bottle Risk

Environmentalists are going bonkers over bisphenol-a (BPA) a chemical component of polycarbonate plastic bottles. A new report by a coalition of environmental groups, The Work Group for Safe Markets, calls for a moratorium on the use of the chemical.
STATS gets a lot of stick for challenging these kinds of reports, along the lines of [...]

MSNBC’s Offensively Stupid Headline (and story) on Car Safety

Trevor Butterworth

Ok. Think. How might cars be dangerous? For starters, you can crash them and kill or maim yourself and others through careless driving or being drunk at the wheel. In fact, let’s stop there, as automotive crashes have accounted for roughly 38,000 deaths each year for the past 10 years. And that’s just the [...]

Media Overstating Phthalate Risk Say Doctors

Trevor Butterworth
In the op-ed - “Stop Scaring Us” - for the Los Angeles Times, Henry I. Miller, a physician and molecular biologist, and fellow at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution, argues that extending California’s ban on phthalates in children’s toys across the nation is an act of folly:
“Now, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) is eager to expand [...]

Don’t Eat Your iPhone: Greenpeace’s Warning — Publicity Stunt or Genuine Risk?

Trevor Butterworth, Huffington Post
Don’t eat plastic - or electronic consumer items. That’s the real message behind Greenpeace’s latest study on the supposed safety of the iPhone if you look at the evidence logically… more
Originally published October 16, 2007

Mercury News Urges Crack Down on Rubber Ducks

Trevor Butterworth
But where’s the science in paper’s call on Governor Schwarzenegger to sign bill banning phthalates in children’s toys? … more
Originally published October 1, 2007

Memo to Time Magazine: Infants Don’t Produce Sperm

Trevor Butterworth
Report on air freshener health scare stinks… more
Originally published September 25, 2007

Bad Environmentalism Triumphs in California: Dems Gun for Rubber Ducks

Trevor Butterworth, Huffington Post
A bill to ban a threat that by any reasonable measure doesn’t exist… more
Originally published September 10, 2007