The Gaia Reports By Theodora Filis - Environmental Journalist

By Theodora Filis California introduced a bill requiring any AquaBounty's genetically engineered salmon sold in the state to be clearly labeled for the public, together with Alaska senators who reintroduced their bills, one to ban the GE animal from being cultivated in Alaskan waters and one to require that it be labeled. AquaAdvantage salmon developed by AquaBounty Technologies is an Atlantic salmon modified with genes from a Chinook salmon and an ocean pout, which makes for a faster-growing fish that requires 10 percent less feed. Regardless of a wary public, a protest letter by 11 Pacific Northwestern senators, and strong warnings by an overwhelming amount of government scientists and public interest groups, the FDA looks to be moving closer to approving the salmon. Just like any other GMO, this salmon is a patented product. Once fishermen own the product -- or their waters are unintentionally contaminated with the product -- they'll have to continue purchasing it to conti

By Theodora Filis "Industrial products developed with Teflon® fluoropolymer coatings, resins, additives, and films have exceptional resistance to high temperatures, chemical reaction, corrosion, and stress cracking. The properties of Teflon® make it the preferred solution for a host of industrial applications and different processing techniques.” DuPont Industries Before you buy that new Teflon-coated, non-stick pan, consider this: the EPA has taken action against DuPont (the maker of Teflon) for failing to warn the public of the associated health risks of Perfluorooctanoic Acid, or "PFOA," a synthetic chemical used in manufacturing fluoropolymers. Perfluorooctanoic Acid, used in some Teflon® products, isn't limited to just non-stick cookware. Products using Teflon range from water-resistant carpets to Gore-Tex jackets to lubricants and more. In fact, Teflon is so prevalent that PF0A has been found to contaminate 92% of US children tested to date, and most

By Theodora Filis An estimated 90% of American families have microwave ovens and use them daily for everything from heating their baby’s bottle to meal preparation. Marketed as a safe, efficient, and more convenient way of preparing food, compared to conventional ovens, daily millions use them. Indeed, most could not imagine life without one. Researchers though found harmful side effects of consuming microwaved food: o Toxic chemicals contained in the packaging of microwave dinners, pizzas, chips, and popcorn can leak into the food. o One of the worst contaminants – BPA (Bisphenol A) – can leak out of plastic products that are put in microwave ovens together with food. o Minerals in vegetables are changed into cancerous free radicals when exposed to microwaves. The process of microwave cooking was 1st patented in 1945. The first commercially available microwave oven (the Radarange) was produced in 1947, and the percentage of microwave ovens in households has increased eve