Articles

When Tyrone B Hayes, an expert in amphibian biology and a popular professor at the University of California at Berkley, was asked by Syngenta to look into one of the world’s most commonly used herbicide, Atrazine, he was excited. Until he discovered what it was doing to his beloved frogs and us. Pat Thomas meets […]

Thinking of brightening up your house for spring? Think again, there’s a lot more to paint than meets the eye. Pat Thomas reports A fresh coat of paint is a quick, cost-effective way to give even the scruffiest space a new lease on life. Yet we seldom stop to consider the ingredients that make up […]

The good, bad, and ugly sides of chocolate addiction. Eat a bar of chocolate and chances are you will soon be awash with some kind of guilt. If you are health conscious you will be fretting about calories, fat, pimples and pesticides. If you are socially and ecologically aware there will be the added concern […]

Bird flu has been raging through Asia for more than a decade. But it is only recently that most of us have started to pay attention to the story. Pat Thomas separates fact from fiction and asks whether this is a random act of nature or yet another man-made disaster. The words ‘bird flu’ strike […]

Do you like to freshen up your house with a good squirt of air freshener or get your elbow behind some spray polish? Beware, that waft of scent can mask a multitude of harmful ingredients. Not all labels are easy to look behind. Household products such as cleaners, polishes and air fresheners are not obliged […]

Warning! Kissable lips may endanger your health. By Pat Thomas. Lip balm is a year-round product. For every season there is a reason – winter cold, autumn dryness, spring and summer sun – to smear it on several times a day. Chances are you know someone with a lip balm habit. In fact, more than half […]

Be warned: your daily beauty regime could be taking years off your life. Pat Thomas reports on the chemical timebomb in your cosmetics cabinet Earlier this year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did something amazing. It issued an unprecedented warning to the cosmetics industry that it was time to inform consumers that most […]

If we truly knew about flu, and the lack of effectiveness of the vaccine being offered as protection, would we really be so obedient about getting the jab? It’s flu season again. The posters are up in the clinics, your GP has a stack of NHS information leaflets and advertisements and articles are appearing in […]

A little mouthwash to make your tongue and gums feel fresh and clean? Beware, you may be swilling a mouthful of chemicals that will give you more to worry about than bad breath. Pat Thomas reports. We all know that brushing and flossing keep teeth and gums healthy. Nevertheless, in the pursuit of the perfect […]

Britons spend millions on dubious acne treatments every year. By Pat Thomas. The social stigma attached to pimples has meant that for years manufacturers have had a ready-made market of anxious and not very savvy young consumers willing to shell out vast sums of cash on products that promise to get rid of them. In […]