The CDC recently admitted to combining coronavirus test results with coronavirus antibody results, in their tally for COVID-19 testing. A positive coronavirus antibody test means that someone has built up antibodies due to previously coming into contact with the virus. A positive coronavirus test means that someone is currently infected with the virus. The CDC has been combining negative antibody test results with negative viral tests. Doing this can both lower the accurate percentage of currently infected people and overlook the fact that many more people have already had the virus.

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Image: Shutterstock: An epidemiologist runs PCR tests to detect specific genetic regions of SARS-nCoV-2 virus.

Even if traces of COVID-19 are found in an antibody test, those results are not logged by states or by the CDC as “positive” results for an acute infection. Grouping the two together could make it seem that a smaller percentage of people who have received tests are positive with COVID-19, since antibody tests do not measure acute infections at all.

CDC’s National Dashboard Includes COVID-19 Data That Expert Says Mixes ‘Apples To Oranges’

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A CDC employee speaking on the condition of anonymity said that [combining test results] “would make it difficult to assess the actual number of infections at a given point in time.” Additionally, they pointed out that CDC infection rate website does state that some states may combine testing results. This information, however, is not entirely accurate. As recently as May 18th, the CDC tracker website claimed that the testing data reported was data from viral testing only.

Statistics have come out that show antibody numbers are radically higher than originally thought, meaning many people have already had the virus (with or without symptoms), making the death rate much lower than currently reported.

Sources:

• ‘How Could the CDC Make That Mistake?’ -The Atlantic
• CDC’s National Dashboard Includes COVID-19 Data That Expert Says Mixes ‘Apples To Oranges’-WLRN
• Scientists Warn CDC Testing Data Could Create Misleading Picture Of Pandemic -NPR
• CDC acknowledges mixing up coronavirus testing data -The Hill

Bayer AG has reached verbal agreements with 50,000 to 85,000 plaintiffs in Roundup cancer lawsuits in the United States. The agreements have not yet been signed, and some of them will need the approval of California Judge Vince Chhabria, the judge responsible for reducing an $80 million award to $25 million. Chhabria suspended a trial scheduled for March 23rd without setting a new date, and brought in settlement negotiator Kenneth Feinberg.

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There are talks with various lawyers around the nation who have significant inventories of Roundup cases. I’m optimistic we can reach a comprehensive settlement of this litigation.”

Kenneth Feinberg, mediator

These negotiations represent a significant chunk of the 125,000 of the Roundup lawsuits in California and Missouri (where Monsanto headquarters were located), though Bayer has only acknowledged about half of those. Settlements are preferable to high-exposure jury trials, like the three California cases last year that resulted in significant awards against the pharmaceutical and life sciences company. Roundup litigation has plagued the German company since it purchased Monsanto in 2018.

Bayer has said official settlements will likely be announced in June.

Related: Foods Most Likely to Contain Glyphosate

Sources:

The Organic Consumers Association and the Clean Label project recently tested 28 top-selling collagen supplement brands sold through Amazon. The results from testing show that 64% of supplements tested positive for measurable levels of arsenic, 37% tested positive for measurable levels of lead, 34% tested positive for trace levels of mercury, and 17% tested positive for measurable levels of cadmium.

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Consumers should be concerned if they are regularly taking collagen supplements, as heavy metals even in low levels can cause organ damage, and some heavy metals are known carcinogens.

Despite labeling claims such as “Pure,” “All-Natural” and “Cleanest Nutrition Possible,” and deceiving images of grazing cows, open pastures and cage-free chickens on packaging and websites, most collagen peptide supplements are derived from industrial factory farms—and many collagen products contain heavy metals.

Consumer Beware: These Popular Collagen Supplements Contain Heavy Metals

Many people begin taking collagen supplements as they get older because lower collagen levels can cause wrinkles stiff joints and other health problems associated with old age. Collagen is made ground up animal byproduct that is turned into gelatin and then broken down into smaller peptides to be more easily absorbed by the body. Animals raised on industrial factory farms frequently come into contact with heavy metals, oftentimes through their food and drinking water.

In the original article published by Organic Consumers, you can read a full list of products tested.

Related: How to Detoxify from Vaccinations & Heavy Metals

In news that should surprise no one, the Trump Administration’s decision to walk back the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) enforcement of environmental regulations has resulted in a significant increase in Great Lakes pollution from corporations. The Environmental Law and Policy Center (ELPC) recently released a report that examined clean water regulation enforcement and found that there was a decrease in compliance cases initiated, civil penalties for violations, and the staff needed to properly protect the Great Lakes. The EPA has also been subject to significant yearly budget cuts, though the agency isn’t even spending all the money congress has given it for enforcement.

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As enforcement has trended downward, compliance has worsened. In 2019, there were 62% more facilities in significant noncompliance with the Clean Water Act, when compared to the average number of facilities in significant noncompliance between FY (fiscal year) 2012 to FY 2017.

Environmental Law and Policy Center

The numbers from FY 2012 to FY 2019 are incredibly upsetting. The number of major facilities in serious non-compliance with environmental regulations has risen from 122 to 211. That increase is the direct inverse of compliance enforcement. As non-compliance has risen, compliance enforcement has floundered.

• The number of compliance cases opened has gone from 340 to 208, while case closures have gone from 351 to 205.
• The amount of penalties assessed has gone from a high of $1.4 million (2013) to a low of $303,000 (2018).
• The compliance enforcement budget has shrunk from $257,000 to $240,000.
• The staff assigned to the Great Lakes region has declined from 1,249 employees to 940.

Government officials continually claim companies will follow the environmental regulations on their own, but the numbers are clear. Corporations aren’t following the rules, and they have no incentive to do so as long as it’s cheaper to pay someone to look the other way than it is to do clean up after themselves.

Sources:

• Report: As EPA pulls back under Trump, serious pollution rises on Great Lakes – Detroit Free Press
• Under Trump, the EPA has cut back on enforcement of clean water laws in the Great Lakes Region – Chicago Tribune

A new study from the Plymouth Marine Institute in the U.K. has found that the amount of microplastics in our oceans is much higher than previously thought. Scientists trawled off the coast of Maine in the U.S. and the coast of Plymouth in the U.K. and used mesh nets in sizes of 100 microns (0.1mm), 333 microns and 500 microns. Scientists found 2.5 times more particles in the smallest 100-micron net than in the 333-micron nets usually used in microplastic studies. Both U.S. and U.K. coasts had similar results, which suggests that other, populated coasts would have similar results.

The estimate of marine microplastic concentration could currently be vastly underestimated…Using an extrapolation, we suggest microplastic concentrations could exceed 3,700 particles per cubic meter – that’s far more than the number of zooplankton you would find…”

Professor Pennie Lindeque, Plymouth Marine Institute

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The majority of microplastics found in this study were textiles fibers from ropes, nets, synthetic clothing, and other plastic laden fibers. It’s unclear how many microplastics are in the ocean (scientists estimated there were from 15 and 51 trillion individual pieces in the oceans in 2014), but it’s clear that we haven’t even begun to truly measure those numbers.

The FDA halted coronavirus testing started by Bill Gates and Seattle health officials pending further review. Gates’ program was sending testing kits to people’s homes in an attempt to achieve the level of testing the government says is necessary to safely begin reopening the country. Seattle health officials say the FDA asked them to halt testing to receive additional authorizations, but Seattle health officials say their testing procedures are safe.

Image: Bill Gates during a panel session at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Photographer: Jason Alden/Bloomberg

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The FDA has said they are concerned about the accuracy of at-home tests, whereas Bill Gates has said at-home testing “could help improve the understanding of the outbreak.” The Hill reported on this saying:

The pause is emblematic of the fractured national response to the coronavirus, with federal officials proposing guidelines but leaving much of the implementation and administration of tests to states and localities.

FDA halts Bill Gates coronavirus testing program -The Hill

Italian scientists studying the Mediterranean diet have found evidence that the quality of your food matters when it comes to health benefits. Researchers from Mediterranean Neurological Institute (I.R.C.C.S. Neuromed) released their findings in 2017 after studying more than 18,000 men and women since 2005. The Molisani study saw that wealthier participants experienced a greater reduction of cardiovascular risks.

Given a comparable adherence to the Mediterranean diet, the most advantaged groups were more likely to report a larger number of indices of high quality diet as opposed to people with low socioeconomic status…For example, within those reporting an optimal adherence to the Mediterranean diet (as measured by a score comprising fruits and nuts, vegetables, legumes, cereals, fish, fats, meat, dairy products and alcohol intake) people with high income or higher educational level consumed products richer in antioxidants and polyphenols, and had a greater diversity in fruit and vegetables choice. We have also found a socioeconomic gradient in the consumption of whole-grain products and in the preferred cooking methods. These substantial differences in consuming products belonging to Mediterranean diet lead us to think that quality of foods may be as important for health as quantity and frequency of intake”

Licia Iacoviello, head of the Laboratory of Nutritional and Molecular Epidemiology at I.R.C.C.S. Neuromed

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Here is yet another insidious way lower-income people are disadvantaged.

The Mediterranean diet is characterized by a large quantity of olive oil, unrefined grains, legumes, and diverse fruits and vegetables. It includes moderate amounts of fish, dairy, and wine. In addition, not all items are created equal – cheaper versions of things (like canned vegetables as opposed to fresh) do not contain the same nutritional makeup as fresher, more expensive options. Lower-income people are less likely to be able to afford the quality and diversity of products needed to reap the benefits of the Mediterranean diet.