Free Republic

Norfolk Southern Railroad and the Environmental Protection Agency released a list of chemicals and hazardous materials on Sunday carried by a train that derailed in East Palestine, Ohio. The derailment, which occurred on February 3, caused a fire that lasted several days. Officials decided to initiate a controlled release of the chemicals to mitigate the risk of an explosion; all residents within one mile of the crash site were told to evacuate, although they were permitted to return to their homes on February 8. Norfolk Southern provided the EPA with a list of cars affected by the crash and the...

Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer is recalling 12 lots of its popular anti-smoking drug Chantix after the company discovered the products contain high levels of a chemical that may cause cancer.The voluntary move expands on a recall that covered nine lots of Chantix, which goes by the generic name varenicline, and was issued to warehouses earlier this month.Pfizer said it found N-nitroso-varenicline, which is a type of organic compound called a nitrosamine, in the product at levels higher than the company’s so-called acceptable intake limit.Nitrosamines can develop naturally in a broad range of items, including meats, cheeses and cosmetics. The FDA has...

WASHINGTON - Cancer-causing benzene has been found in soft drinks at levels above the limit considered safe for drinking water, the Food and Drug Administration acknowledged Wednesday. Even so, the FDA still believes there are no safety concerns about benzene in soft drinks, or sodas, said Laura Tarantino, the agency's director of food additive safety. "We haven't changed our view that right now, there is not a safety concern, not a public health concern," she said. "But what we need to do is understand how benzene forms and to ensure the industry is doing everything to avoid those circumstances." The...