In The News

Tainted Chinese Drywall Contaminating U.S. Homes

Charlotte Cuthbertson April 20, 2009
If the US housing market doesn’t have enough problems already, it now has an additional one from thousands of miles away. Drywall imported from China has been found to contain contaminants that can form corrosive sulfuric acid, creating a new worry for home-owners. Affected houses often smell like rotten eggs and home dwellers suffer a slew of health problems – from relatively benign runny noses...

Zimbabwe's Cholera Victims Find Salvation in South Africa

Basildon Peta December 9, 2008
Cholera is typically transmitted through water or food contaminated by fecal matter, reports the World Health Organization. A corrupt government in Zimbabwe has made sanitation a low priority, and perhaps the biggest tragedy for its people is that a disease so easily treatable goes neglected. Treatment includes simple rehydration or hydration salts, reports WHO, but Zimbabwe health workers lack...

Chinese Media Say Tainted Animal Feed Widespread

The Associated Press October 31, 2008
The state media in China admits that melamine, which mimics protein in tests, was packaged as “protein powder and commonly added to animal feed, reports the Associated Press in an article for the International Herald Tribune. “Four brands of Chinese eggs have been found tainted with melamine in a week, and agriculture officials speculated the source was adulterated feed given to hens,” reports...

Do You Really Want This Job?

David Dapice October 24, 2008
An era of the US living beyond its means has come to an abrupt end, with a flailing stock market and credit freeze, mounting job losses, wages that do not keep pace with climbing housing prices, and the world’s costliest health care system that fails to cover all citizens. The next US president, to be decided in the November 4 election, will inherit a battered economy that restrains any US role...

A Lesson in the “Link”

Nayan Chanda October 16, 2008
Just as one foul ingredient can spoil a recipe, so can one sloppy procedure ruin reputations for any firm and its country. The most recent case: Chinese dairies trying to boost profits with melamine-tainted milk that went into all kinds of products, causing health problems for more than 50,000 children. It’s good business practice for companies to monitor their supply chains, down to the smallest...

Thirsty Giant

Somini Sengupta October 7, 2008
In India's capital city, explains journalist Somini Sengupta, increasing demand and weak public water and sanitation systems have left even middle-class people "foraging" daily for water, testifying to "the government's astonishing inability to deliver the most basic services to its citizens at a time when India asserts itself as a global power." When water rushes...

China’s Image Sullied by Tainted Milk

Mary Kay Magistad October 1, 2008
The latest scandal involving tainted milk adds to the perception that the label “Made in China” covers layers of warnings: a potentially resentful work force, suffering low pay and abuse; managers who place profits over safety, striving for quantity over quality in production; minimal quality-inspection procedures and enforcement; and government authorities conditioned to hide rather than expose...