The water bottle brand Starkey, produced by Whole Foods, has tested positive for high levels of arsenic according to tests from Consumer Reports. Starkey water is sold by Whole Foods and is also available at Amazon.

Consumer Reports tested dozens of water bottle brands and found that Starkey water contained high levels of arsenic, ranging from 9.45 to 10.1 ppb (parts per billion). These numbers are nearly 3 times higher than any other water bottle brand tested and is very close to the federal regulations limit of 10 ppb. Data was collected from 4 samples of water, and only one sample tested above federal regulations.

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Arsenic is a dangerous heavy metal that has been linked to health problems such as a higher risk of cardio vascular disease, cancers, and lower IQ scores in children. Experts do not believe that the federal regulations for arsenic protect the health of the public.

A 2014 study in the journal Environmental Health found that an arsenic level of 5 ppb or greater in a child’s household water supply was associated with a 5- to 6-point reduction in IQ, compared with those who lived in homes that had arsenic levels below 5 ppb.

Bottled Water Made by Whole Foods and Sold on Amazon Contains High Levels of Arsenic

Many consumers are paying more for bottled water under the impression that it is safer. New Jersey and New Hampshire have both lowered the level of acceptable arsenic in water to 5 ppb. Many consumers would probably be surprised to know that there are stricter regulations for arsenic in tap water than bottled water. California requires distributors to disclose if their water has arsenic levels higher than 5 ppb.

To know what’s in your water you can look at the companies water quality tests reports. Consumer reports has compiled a list of more than 120 water bottle brands.

The Karipuna people in the Brazilian Amazon are in isolation due to COVID-19, but the presence of loggers close to their villages is compromising their efforts to stay safe. The Karipuna Indigenous People’s Association (Apoika), Indigenous Missionary Council (Cimi), and Greenpeace Brasil have filed a joint complaint with the local federal prosecutor’s office. Multiple complaints by both Brazil and international agencies have been submitted in regards to relentless logging and land invasion in the Rondônia state where the Karipunia live. The current pandemic means the invasion of indigenous land is especially dangerous for the occupants of the land.

We are scared that one of these invaders will bring the virus inside our territory…Bolsonaro has told these people that it’s just a little flu and that they can go back to work.”

Adriano Karipuna, one of the group’s leaders – Mongabay

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The Yanomami people in the Roraima state are experiencing the same threats. Illegal mining activity in the region has not ceased during the pandemic, and a 15-year-old Yanomami boy has died from the coronavirus.

Both the Amazon and the indigenous peoples who live there are vulnerable right now. Many native customs facilitate the spread of respiratory diseases. Other factors like poor sanitation, immune systems that are not used to contact with many modern diseases, and a lack of healthcare facilities will exacerbate the risk. Meanwhile, deforestation attempts have not slowed. Clearance rates are 10% higher this year than they were for the same period last year. In addition, deforestation figures for August 2019 to the end of March 2020 are twice the rate they were for August 2018 to the end of March 2019.

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Sources:

• Amazon indigenous put at risk by Brazil’s feeble Covid-19 response: Critics – Mongabay
• In the midst of the pandemic, squatters and invaders approach Karipuna village – CIMI.org
• Amid covid-19, gold digging advances and approaches isolated Indians in Roraima – BBC Brasil
• Boy from isolated Amazon tribe dies of COVID-19, raising fears of devastating outbreak – Japan Times

Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have long touted the need to reduce the use of fossil fuels. These tech companies, along with their bought-and-paid-for neo-liberal politicians, led many of us to believe that big tech’s AI is the hero we need to save us from climate disaster.

Times have changed. Shareholders want more. The Wall Street Journal and Gizmodo have reported that these three companies are deeply invested with the fossil fuel industry, attempting “to help them squeeze as much oil and gas out of the ground as possible,” and they’re using artificial intelligence to do that.

Remember when Google got too big and too pragmatic for that silly “Don’t be evil” phrase for their code of conduct?

In 2018, the oil and gas industries spent an estimated $1.75 billion on AI — a sum that is projected to balloon to $4 billion by 2025. To get their piece of that pie, big tech companies are developing AI for oil companies, even as they publicly celebrate their sustainable initiatives.

Adam Cole, Vox

Vox asks you to join the Open Sourced Reporting Network to help us report on the real consequences of data, privacy, algorithms, and AI.

Last weekBuzzfeed News reports that Amazon “appears to have removed” anti-vaccination documentaries like Vaxxed from Amazon Prime.

On the first of this month, California Rep. Adam Schiff published an open letter to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos asking that Amazon remove anti-vax content to from its website.

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As the largest online marketplace in the world, Amazon is in a unique position to shape consumption. The algorithms which power social media platforms and Amazon’s recommendations are not designed to distinguish quality information from misinformation or misleading information and, as a result, harmful anti-vaccine messages have been able to thrive and spread. The consequences are particularly troubling for public health issues.”

Schiff Sends Letter to Amazon CEO Regarding Anti-Vaccine Misinformation

Schiff also wrote letters to Google and Facebook. Soon after YouTube banned advertising on some of the anti-vax videos and added additional pro-vaccine information. Google also said in a blog post that it will down-rank conspiracy theory videos.

Facebook says it’s “currently working on additional changes.”

Related: Facebook Planning To Censor Anti-Vaccination Posts

We have paid more than $4.03 billion dollars for vaccine damage lawsuits with our tax dollars.

Whole Foods workers are trying to unionize. Previous attempts at unionization have been made by workers at the grocery chain, but these efforts were made before Amazon acquired the company earlier in 2018. The email introducing the unionizing efforts at the store came from a group of workers backed by the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union (RWDSU), a New York-based division of the United Food and Commercial Workers union that also represents workers at other grocery store chains.

The sale of Whole Food Market (WFM) to Amazon also came with a promise from the e-commerce giant to trim labor costs, placing an unknown number of jobs at stake. Workers at WFM see a union as their best option to protect their positions and negotiate for worker benefits.

Many in leadership are well aware of the fact that when John Mackey sold WFM to Jeff Bezos last year, that deal came with an agreement to trim hundreds of millions of dollars of labor from our stores. There will continue to be layoffs in 2019 and beyond as Amazon aims to aggressively trim our labor force before it expands with new technology and labor models…”

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What Do They Want

The demands outlined in the email to Whole Foods employees sound an awful lot like the platform of a progressive politician. These items include a $15 minimum wage, 401k matching, paid maternity leave, and lower health insurance deductibles. The email also mentions a previously available profit-sharing program for all employees, full or part-time, that reach 6,000 hours. Under Amazon leadership, that program is no longer available for all, and this unionizing effort is calling for its reinstatement.

Amazon and Workers

Amazon is not an unknown quantity. The tech company is notorious for their treatment of fulfillment center workers, with horror stories revolving around timed or non-existent bathroom breaks, unrealistic target numbers, and constant surveillance popping up on the internet regularly. Conditions are obviously different at Amazon headquarters and similar locations, but it’s likely that Amazon considers those who work at Whole Foods closer to a fulfillment center employee.

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The company is also pushing for automation in its fulfillment centers and warehouses. Look no further than the Amazon Go store, a cashier-less grocery store that automatically bills your Amazon account for your purchases. Launched in January 2018, the concept allows the Seattle-based retail giant to drastically reduce the number of staff (and therefore costs) involved in running a physical store. There are a total of four stores open in the U.S. (three in Seattle and one in Chicago). Amazon is considering expanding that concept rapidly, with 50 more shops planned for other major metropolitan areas by 2019.

Automation

Amazon currently has over 100,000 robot “employees.” The company has not hidden their devotion to efficiency, and automation has made many aspects of the business smoother and more profitable, like ordering inventory and checking out customers.

That will likely make unionization attempts more difficult for Whole Foods. Amazon is in the process of eliminating traditional grocery store jobs. Where is the bargaining chip for employees of the grocery chain? Then again, they’re asking for a sustainable standard of living from their employer. If one of the world’s largest companies is unable to provide that for their employees, what hope do the rest of us have?

Sources:

• Whole Foods workers are moving to unionize. Read the letter sent to employees nationwide – New Food Economy
• Peeing in trash cans, constant surveillance, and asthma attacks on the job: Amazon workers tell us their warehouse horror stories – Business Insider
• Amazon’s First Cashierless Store Looks an Awful Lot Like Whole Foods Without Employees – Grub Street
• Amazon is considering opening as many as 3,000 cashierless stores by 2021, report says – CNBC