#arsenic

#arsenic

If you haven't yet bought candy for Valentine's Day, you might want to hold off. The Florida Department of Health has announced that certain candies tested as part of the state's new Healthy Florida First initiative were determined to have elevated levels of heavy metals. Forty-six types of candies from 10 different well-known brands were determined to have higher-than-safe levels of mercury, arsenic, cadmium, or lead.

Millions of Americans are unknowingly being exposed to a cancer-linked toxin in their household water, but now, scientists have discovered that reducing contamination can halve the risk of disease - even after years of accumulated exposure. Arsenic has been found in drinking water systems across the country, with research estimating that between 100 million and 280 million Americans drink water, typically well water, laced with the heavy metal.

More than 200 million people are at risk of drinking tap water contaminated with chemicals that cause cancer, liver damage, birth defects and other reproductive harms, according to research released Wednesday that includes an interactive map of high-risk hot spots. The map, developed by the Environmental Working Group (EWG), focuses on arsenic, chromium-6 and nitrate - all scientifically known to cause cancer and other health problems.