Bryan Christy

This is one of my fav reptile news stories in a long time…  Who knew you should wash your hands after handling dead rats? 

Reptile Food May Have Sickened People in 17 States, Mary Clare Jalonick, AP

WASHINGTON — Reptile owners who have been feeding rats, mice and chicks to their pets may be at risk for salmonella poisoning.

The company that sells the reptile food, Mice Direct, announced a recall of the frozen rats, mice and chicks Tuesday, saying that 30 human illnesses possibly related to the frozen reptile feed have been reported in 17 states.

The company says the recall is based on Food and Drug Administration sampling of the frozen mice. The products were shipped to all states except Hawaii, and the feed was available for purchase through pet stores, mail order and direct delivery.

A spokeswoman for the Centers for Disease Control said the agency is investigating the illnesses, which began in January.  The most common symptoms of salmonella are diarrhea, abdominal cramps and fever. It can be life-threatening, especially to those with weakened immune systems. 

 Here is a story linking the US Fish and Wildlife Service with the Gulf disaster.  Imagine if MMS had been able to make its own environmental impact decisions, much as proposed not long ago by the Bush Administration (filed in my Bullshit folder)…

From the NY Times:  The federal agency charged with protecting endangered species like the brown pelican and the Kemp’s ridley sea turtle signed off on the Minerals Management Service’s conclusion that deepwater drilling for oil in the Gulf of Mexico posed no significant risk to wildlife, despite evidence that a spill of even moderate size could be disastrous, according to federal documents.more…

PS.  What about HEAVY METALS damage to wildlife resulting from this spill?

Your weedkiller may be targetting more than your crabgrass. This study indicates the weedkiller Atrazine feminizes, demasculinates, chemically castrates, and sexually reverses male frogs, a sentinel group for anticipating harms to higher animals.

Is this your brand?   With names for its weedkiller such as Brawl, Bicep II Magnum, Bullet, Brozine, Marksman, Propel, Rifle Plus, Shotgun, Stalwart, Steadfast…Syngenta certainly seems to have a few masculinity issues…