A type of pressure-treated wood used to build some playgrounds, decks and picnic tables has been found to leak arsenic at levels higher than are generally considered safe.  Although sale of the arsenic-treated wood is banned in Switzerland, Vietnam and Indonesia, and a number of other countries, including Japan, Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Australia and New Zealand, have implemented or proposed restrictions on such wood, similar efforts in the United States have been rebuffed by the wood-manufacturing industry.

The arsenic comes from chromated copper arsenate (CCA), a powerful pesticide injected into the wood that can leak into soil around it.  Small doses of arsenic can be fatal, and long-term exposures can cause cancer. Most home-supply stores sell picnic tables permeated with this material, even though wood-treatment companies say it should never be used for cutting or preparing food. Health officials in Connecticut have issued a warning that children who play in CCA-treated playgrounds are coming into contact with a major source of arsenic.  A laboratory conducted soil tests near the sunken posts of five wooden playgrounds, and every one detected levels of arsenic above those the state considers safe. 

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency banned most arsenic-containing pesticides years ago but made an exception for pressure-treated wood, and the lumber industry still insists CCA-treated wood is "perfectly safe."  We don’t agree, and would recommend avoiding products made from it. 

Canadian researchers have discovered a similarity between two devastating diseases that appear dissimilar, juvenile diabetes and multiple sclerosis. Dr. Michael Dosch and his colleagues at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto suspect that infants who have a cow's milk allergy may have an abnormal immune response, causing the body to attack itself and contributing to either disease.  "We were shocked to find that in a test tube, you could barely tell the two diseases apart," Dr. Dosch noted.

Multiple sclerosis is a disease of the brain and spinal cord that can leave patients confined to a wheelchair. Juvenile diabetes, which affects the pancreas, prevents afflicted children from making insulin and being able to regulate blood-sugar levels without medication. 

At the Magaziner Center, we have found that many auto-immune diseases are linked to food allergies. Common allergens include wheat, corn, eggs and dairy, soy, sugar, and preservatives.  Avoidance of food allergies, we believe, is paramount in treatment of many chronic diseases. 

Last month we told you about the dangers of mercury in many species of fish. Now, let’s talk about the benefits.  Fish rich in Omega-3 fatty acids decrease stroke risk in women.  In studies of almost 80,000 women, those who ate fish one or more times per month had a reduced risk of stroke compared to those who ate fish less than monthly.  However, women who ate fish twice per week had the lowest incidence of stroke.  Omega-3 fatty acids are highly concentrated in salmon, sardines, cod, halibut, mackerel, and tuna.  (But remember: women who are pregnant and people with mercury toxicity should limit their consumption of mackerel and tuna.)