Astonishing 5 minute piece on levels of global growth (or ungrowth) over the past 200 years, relating historical health to historical wealth. Beautiful information design and delivery from Hans Rosling and the BBC.

Nanoparticles – Manufacturers not federally regulated to state they they use them on their ingredient lists. (The European Parliament and the U.K. require mandatory labeling of nanoparticles and ban them in certain sunscreens.)

GMO (Genetically Modified Organism) – We don’t know the effects on our health and there is no label requirement. Soy products are predominantly GMO’s.

Phthalates – the softeners in plastics such as soft toys, IV tubing, baby bottle nipples, gel caps on vitamins and supplements. These are considered endocrine system disruptors.

Cosmic Rays – Really, any form of radiation such as x-rays, catscans, imaging, security at airports or air travel, when you are not as protected by the earth’s atmosphere. Flying from NY-LA is equivalent to getting a chest x-ray!

Rocket Fuel (Perchlorate) – common water contaminant in the US, also in fireworks and explosives. It disrupts the thyroid.

POS’s (Persistent Organic Pollutants) – Once POP’s get into the environment, there is no way to get rid of them, they have a very long lifespan.

Heavy Metals – Mercury, lead etc – Once they get into your system, they are there forever. They accumulate in the body, sequester and get in the bones. This is especially a problem with women and menopause. With naturally occurring bone-loss, the heavy metals are released and blood pressure tends to rise.

BPA – Bisphenol A – Very widespread chemical and an endocrine disruptor. BPA’s are found in CD’s, DVD’s, the heat printed receipts you get at the pump/the ATM and in metal cans to prevent food from touching the metal.

Second Hand Smoke – Lung Cancer is the 3rd leading cause of lung cancer and 3000 cases of lung cancer a year are attributed to second hand smoke.

Radon – It is in the earth’s crust and gets trapped in buildings, especially in new homes. The EPA will send you a test for an accurate reading. Oh, and also check your water while you’re at it.

Design: Lead Pencil Studio
Source: Fast Company

[via AmnesiaBlog]

Dream catching continues to seep into culture with the upcoming release of Inception this weekend.

Basically, Kindle readers have the power to highlight passages in books that they deem important, cool or just interesting. The result is that these passages will be highlighted for other Kindle users – unless they choose to disable this new feature called ‘popular highlights’ – as well as featured on Amazon.com.

Depending upon how you look at this, this can be a positive or negative. While it gets you to the heart of what America is reading, it can also be seen as another way that we are weakening our brain matter. Akin to multitasking, relying on this type of technology can result in further lack of concentration. What is better? Being more connected or less focused? Hummm…

In any event, a concise and interesting piece of information design, courtesy of Information is Beautiful.

In Pursuit of Silence: Listening for Meaning in a World of Noise by George Prochnik

Zero Decibels: The Quest for Absolute Silence by George M Foy

Listening Below the Noise: The Transformative Power of Silence by Anne D. Leclaire

The Unwanted Sound of Everything We Want: A Book About Noise by Garret Keizer

It doesn’t take much volume to hear a yearning for simplicity, a way to cut through the clutter, and at the very least improve the signal to noise ratio in our lives.

via flavorwire