Pages

Saturday, December 31, 2011

MedicalConspiracies- Truth about Pet Food January 2012 Newsletter



Is there Chicken in Chicken Pet Foods? 
One of the newest trends of pet food marketing is a tag line something like 'Chicken is the first ingredient'.  Sounds good doesn't it?  Chicken, first or second on the ingredient list surely means this pet food contains lots of quality meat doesn't it?  No wonder this 'chicken' pet food is a little more expensive - it contains more meat.  Right?  Maybe not.
http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/is-there-chicken-in-chicken-pet-foods.html

Petsumer Report Review of the Month
December 2011 Petsumer Report reviews 9 dog foods, 1 dog treat from K9 Natural Pet Food. 
http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/petsumer-report-review-of-the-month-29.html

Pet Food Seminars
One of my many goals for Truth about Pet Food in 2012 is to provide pet food educational seminars across the country.  An opportunity for pet parents to learn about pet foods with a goal to benefit animal shelters and rescue groups.  I'm scheduling 2012 now; if your organization wants to host a pet food education event - with the proceeds to benefit an area shelter or rescue, contact me soon.  Here's how it will work...
http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/pet-food-seminars.html

Happy New Year and Thank You
I am very hopeful that 2012 will be a very good year for our efforts to improve the safety, quality and transparency of pet food.  But before we start a new year, I'd like to thank all of you for 2011.
http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/happy-new-year-and-thank-you.html

Will Anyone Speak with Me at the AAFCO Meeting?
It is not looking positive.  Thank heavens Dr. Jean Hofve (holistic veterinarian and pet food safety advocate) will be joining me at the AAFCO Meeting next month - without her, it might be no one even speaks to me at the meeting.  Incoming AAFCO President Robert Waltz has not agreed to an interview and FDA Official Dr. Dan McChesney has not responded to two requests for interview. 
http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/will-anyone-speak-with-me-at-the-aafco-meeting.html

Google Plus Hang Out with me at the AAFCO Meeting
I'm relatively new to Google Plus (Google's version of Facebook).  But I have learned of a nifty little tool that Google Plus provides that I plan to utilize in 2012 beginning at the AAFCO Meeting next month - and that is Hang Out.
http://www.truthaboutpetfood.com/articles/google-plus-hang-out-with-me-at-the-aafco-meeting.html



Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,

 

Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author, Buyer Beware
Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
TruthaboutPetFood.com
PetsumerReport.com

 

What's in Your Pet's Food?
Is your dog or cat eating risk ingredients?  Chinese imports?  Petsumer Report tells the 'rest of the story' on over 2500 cat foods, dog foods,  and pet treats.  30 Day Satisfaction Guarantee. www.PetsumerReport.com


MedicalConspiracies- Healthcare Workers Oppose The Flu Vaccination - Scientist Think Sick Seals May Be Radioactive



Personal Liberty Alerts: Live Free in an Unfree                 World
HomepageFree Ezine SignupSend To A FriendShop The Liberty Store

Freedom Watch

 Even Healthcare Workers Oppose The                                 Flu Vaccination Even Healthcare Workers Oppose The Flu Vaccination »
Annual flu vaccinations are big business for Big Pharma, doctors and others who get commissions on every vaccination they give. If this were not so, do you think big chain pharmacies would spend so much money and time promoting them? More »

Here's a Special Message From
Our Friends at The Healthy Back Institute

5 Most Dangerous                                                   Pain Killers
4 Foods That Melt                                                   Away Stomach Fat


 Eric Holder: Too Many Guns Have                                 Fallen Into Wrong Hands Eric Holder: Too Many Guns Have Fallen Into Wrong Hands »
Attorney General Eric Holder, whose Department of Justice orchestrated the Fast and Furious gunwalking scheme to supply Mexican drug cartels with illegal firearms, released a statement on Wednesday decrying the fact that too many people who are not legally permitted to own guns have access to them. More »

 White House Announces Weapons Sale                                 To Saudi Arabia White House Announces Weapons Sale To Saudi Arabia »
The White House has forged an agreement with Saudi Arabia to sell the kingdom $29.4 billion worth of equipment for the Royal Saudi Air Force. The agreement includes production of 84 new Boeing F-15SA aircraft and the modernization of 70 existing aircraft as well as munitions, spare parts, training, maintenance and logistics. More »

 Scientist Think Sick Seals May Be                                 Radioactive Scientist Think Sick Seals May Be Radioactive »
Scientists are investigating whether seals in Alaska that have recently fallen ill are being sickened by radiation from the destroyed Japanese Fukushima nuclear plant. Several seals have washed up on Alaska's Arctic coastline since July, suffering or killed by a mysterious disease. More »



Chip Shots

Hysterical Over Ron Paul

The frantic attacks on Ron Paul. The Iowa caucuses are just days away. And the thought that Representative Ron Paul might actually come in first has some people hysterical. Iowa governor Terry Branstad proclaimed that the results should be ignored if Paul finishes first. People need to look at "who comes in second and who comes in third" if that happens, he declared. Reaching even lower, Wall Street Journal editorial board member and columnist Dorothy Rabinowitz called Paul "the best-known of American propagandists for our enemies" in a lengthy op-ed smear. As I've said before, folks, next year will sure be interesting. More »


Would you like to send this email to a friend?

Send To A Friend




MedicalConspiracies- The Benefits of Hydrogen Peroxide and its Many Uses



The Benefits of Hydrogen Peroxide and its Many Uses
20 Comments Posted by docakilah on December 19, 2011

by Andrea Harper

Hydrogen peroxide is the only germicidal agent composed only of water and oxygen. Like ozone, it kills disease organisms by oxidation! Hydrogen peroxide is considered the world’s safest all natural effective sanitizer. It kills microorganisms by oxidizing them, which can be best described as a controlled burning process. When hydrogen peroxide reacts with organic material it breaks down into oxygen and water.

Whiten Clothes - An Alternative to Beach
Add a cup of Peroxide to white clothes in your laundry to whiten them. Peroxide is great to get rid of blood stains on clothes and carpets. If there is blood on clothing, just pour directly on the spot, let it sit for about a minute, then rub and rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary.

Health:
Your body makes hydrogen peroxide to fight infection which must be present for our immune system to function correctly. White blood cells are known as Leukocytes. A sub-class of Leukocytes called Neutrophils produce hydrogen peroxide as the first line of defense against toxins, parasites, bacteria, viruses and yeast.

Rejuvenating Detoxifying Bath:
Use about 2 quarts 3% hydrogen peroxide to a tub of warm water. Soak at least 1/2 hour, adding hot water as needed to maintain a comfortable water temperature.

Foot Fungus:
To cure a foot fungus, simply spray a 50/50 mixture of hydrogen peroxide and water on them (especially the toes) every night and let dry.

Douche:
Add 2 capfuls of 3% hydrogen peroxide in warm distilled water once to twice a week to remove even chronic yeast infections.

Colonic or Enema:
For a colonic, add 1 cup (8 ozs.) 3% H202 to 5 gallons warm water. (Do not exceed this amount) For an enema, add 1 tablespoon of 3% H202 to a quart of warm distilled water.

Infections:
Soak any infections or cuts in 3% for five to ten minutes several times a day. Even gangrene that would not heal with any medicine has been healed by soaking in hydrogen peroxide. Put half a bottle of hydrogen peroxide in your bath to help rid boils, fungus or other skin infections.

Bird Mites Infections:
Patients infected by tiny mites report that hydrogen peroxide effectively kills the mites on their skins. They spray it on their skin a couple of times (with a few minutes in between the applications) with amazing results.

Sinus Infections:
A tablespoon of 3% hydrogen peroxide added to 1 cup of non-chlorinated water can be used as a nasal spray. Depending on the degree of sinus involvement, one will have to adjust the amount of peroxide used.

Wound Care:
3% H2O2 is used medically for cleaning wounds, removing dead tissue, and as an oral debriding agent. Peroxide stops slow (small vessel) wound bleeding/oozing, as well.

Some sources recommend soaking infections or cuts for five to ten minutes several times a day. However, washing and rinsing action is sufficient. You shouldn't leave the solution on open tissue for extended periods of time as, like many oxidative antiseptics, hydrogen perioxide causes mild damage to tissue in open wounds. Therefore it is important to use with caution.

Personal Care:
Mouthwash / Tooth Care:
Healing Properties: Take one capful (the little white cap that comes with the bottle) and hold in your mouth for 10 minutes daily, then spit it out. You will not have canker sores and your teeth will be whiter. If you have a terrible toothache and cannot get to a dentist right away, put a capful of 3% hydrogen peroxide into your mouth and hold it for 10 minutes several times a day. The pain will lessen greatly.

Mouthwash: Many people don't realize that hydrogen peroxide makes a very effective and inexpensive mouthwash. Use 3% H202 - add a dash of liquid chlorophyll for flavoring if desired.

Toothpaste: Use baking soda and add enough 3% H202 to make a paste. Or, just dip your brush in 3% H202 and brush. Soak your toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide to keep them free of germs.

Toothbrush: Soaking your toothbrush in hydrogen peroxide will help keep them free of harmul germs.
Tooth Ache: Hydrogen peroxide is not a pain killer; however, as an anti-viral, antibacterial and anti-fungal agent, it is effective at treating the pathogen that is causing the infection. The following is from my own personal experience: My dentist wanted to give me a root canal some time ago as one tooth was inflamed and, in her opinion, would die. I felt some discomfort but told her that I would give it chance to heal. I rinsed with hydrogen peroxide (several times a day) as well ascoconut oil (once a day). The discomfort went away and I have had no further problems with the tooth.

Tooth Whitening: Having used 3% Hydrogen Peroxide as a mouth wash for sometime ago, I am thrilled to note that my teeth have been beautifully and effortlessly whitened. I used to pay so much for professional whitening, those silly strips and uncomfortable trays. Live and learn.

NOTE: Do not swallow any peroxide. When the peroxide rinse is done, be sure to rinse out your mouth with water.

Colonic or Enema:
For a colonic, add 1 cup (8 ozs.) 3% H202 to 5 gallons warm water. (Do not exceed this amount) For an enema, add 1 tablespoon of 3% H202 to a quart of warm distilled water.

Hair Lightening:
Peroxide is a bleaching agent and is used for lightened hair. Dilute 3% hydrogen peroxide with water (50 / 50) and spray the solution on your wet hair after a shower and comb it through. You will not have the peroxide burnt blonde hair like the hair dye packages, but more natural highlights if your hair is a light brown, faddish, or dirty blonde. It also lightens gradually so it's not a drastic change.

Contact Lenses:
Hydrogen peroxide is used as a disinfectant in CIBA Vision's Clear Care no rub contact lens cleaning solution, due to its ability to break down the proteins that build up on the lense from the eye's immune response, resulting in increased comfort for those with sensitive eyes.

Sanitizing / Disinfectant / Cleaning
Straight or Diluted Hydrogen Perioxide:
Clean your counters and table tops with hydrogen peroxide to kill germs and leave a fresh smell. Simply put a little on your dishrag when you wipe, or spray it on the counters. Use hydrogen peroxide to clean glass and mirrors with no smearing.

Keep a spray bottle of 3% (straight) to disinfect the interior of the refrigerator and kids' school lunch boxes.

In the Dishwasher: Add 2 oz. of 3% hydrogen peroxide to your regular washing formula.


Fill a spray bottle with a 50/50 mixture of 3% hydrogen peroxide and water and keep it in every bathroom to disinfect without harming your septic system like bleach or most other disinfectants will. After rinsing off your wooden cutting board, pour or spray hydrogen peroxide (and then vinegar) on it to kill salmonella and other bacteria.

I use peroxide to clean my mirrors with, there is no smearing.

Combination of vinegar and hydrogen peroxide make a cheap, effective and non-toxic disinfectant agent and is said to be more effective at killing pathogens than bleach. As it is non-toxic, you can use it to disinfect fruits and vegetables, as well as pet toys, equipment and cages. In tests run at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, pairing Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide mists, kills virtually all Salmonella, Shigella, or E. coli bacteria on heavily contaminated food and surfaces.
Directions:
You need TWO spray bottles. DO NOT MIX the solutions together. Put straight vinegar in one and straight hydrogen peroxide in the other spray bottle. NOTE: Light destroys peroxide rather quickly. It's best to leave it in its original bottle and screw in a spray head. DO NOT DILUTE THEM.

Remember for any sanitizer to work properly, the surface has to be clean before you use it.

When you want to sanitize a surface (vegetables, cutting board, counters, sink, cages, toys. toilets, floors, etc.), spray one (it doesn't matter which one you use first) on the surface, then you spray on the other. When they mix, for a brief time the chemical action of the two make a very powerful sanitizer. You can rinse off the surface afterwards, if you want, but the result is non-toxic.
Fortunately it is cheap. BTW, we use it in the bathroom to sanitize the counters, toilets, floors, etc.

Sanitizing Drinking Water
Mold:
Clean with hydrogen peroxide when your house becomes a biohazard after its invaded by toxic mold, such as those with water damage.

Humidifiers/Steamers:
Use 1 pint 3% hydrogen peroxide to 1 gallon of water.

Laundry / Stain Removing:
Stain Remover:
3% Hydrogen Peroxide is the best stain lifter if used fairly soon - although blood stains as old as 2 days have been successfully lifted with Hydrogen Peroxide. Although it will bleach or discolor many fabrics. If a little peroxide is poured onto the stain it will bubble up in the area of the blood, due to a reaction with catalase. After a few minutes the excess liquid can be wiped up with a cloth or paper towel and the stain will be gone.

3% H2O2 must be applied to clothing before blood stains can be accidentally "set" with heated water. Cold water and soap are then used to remove the peroxide treated blood.

Washing/Laundry:
You can also add a cup of hydrogen peroxide instead of bleach to a load of whites in your laundry to whiten them. If there is blood on clothing, pour directly on the soiled spot. Let it sit for a minute, then rub it and rinse with cold water. Repeat if necessary.

Peroxide is a perfect alternate solution to keep those clothes white. Also, when chlorinating clothes, they tend to wear out faster - peroxide won't do that.

Food Preparation:
Vegetable Soak:
Use as a vegetable wash or soak to kill bacteria and neutralize chemicals. Add 1/4 cup 3% H202 to a full sink of cold water. Soak light skinned (light lettuce) 20 minutes, thicker skinned (like cucumbers) 30 minutes. Drain, dry and refrigerate. Prolongs freshness.

If time is a problem, spray vegetables (and fruits) with a solution of 3%. Let stand for a few minutes, rinse and dry.

Meat Sanitizing:
You can also use it to rinse off your meat before cooking.

Leftover tossed salad:
Spray with a solution of 1/2 cup water and 1 Tbsp. 5%. Drain, cover and refrigerate.

Marinade:
Place meat, fish or poultry in a casserole (avoid using aluminium pans). Cover with a dilute solution of equal parts of water and 3% H202. Place loosely covered in refrigerator for 1/2 hour. Rinse and cook.

Sprouting Seeds:
Add 1 ounce 3% hydrogen peroxide to 1 pint of water and soak the seeds overnight. Add the same amount of hydrogen peroxide each time you rinse the seeds.

Grades of Hydrogen Peroxide
A) 3.5% Pharmaceutical Grade: This is the grade sold at your local drugstore or supermarket. This product is not recommended for internal use. It contains an assortment of stabilizers which shouldn't be ingested. Various stabilizers include: acetanilide, phenol, sodium stanate and tertrasodium phosphate.
B) 6% Beautician Grade: This is used in beauty shops to color hair and is not recommended for internal use.
C) 30% Reagent Grade: This is used for various scientific experimentation and also contains stabilizers. It is also not for internal use.
D) 30% to 32% Electronic Grade: This is used to clean electronic parts and not for internal use.
E) 35% Technical Grade: This is a more concentrated product than the Reagent Grade and differs slightly in that phosphorus is added to help neutralize any chlorine from the water used to dilute it.
F) 35% Food Grade: This is used in the production of foods like cheese, eggs, and whey-containing products. It is also sprayed on the foil lining of aseptic packages containing fruit juices and milk products. THIS IS THE ONLY GRADE RECOMMENDED FOR INTERNAL USE.
G) 90%: This is used as an oxygen source for rocket fuel.

Only 35% Food Grade hydrogen peroxide is recommended for internal use. At this concentration, however, hydrogen peroxide is a very strong oxidizer and if not diluted, it can be extremely dangerous or even fatal. Any concentrations over 10% can cause neurological reactions and damage to the upper gastrointestinal tract. There have been two known fatalities in children who ingested 27% and 40% concentrations of H202. Another reports tells of a 26 month old female who swallowed one mouthful of 35% H202. She immediately began vomiting, followed by fainting and respiratory arrest. Fortunately, she was under emergency room care and although she experienced erosion and bleeding of the stomach and esophagus, she survived the incident. When she was re-examined 12 days later, the areas involved had healed (J Toxicol Clin Toxicol 90;28(1):95-100).

Personal note: As with ANY food, drug, or supplement, using the product according to instructions is key to safety. If someone uses too much, then of course ramifications may be felt. We've NEVER heard of ANY harmful side effects from the correct usage of Food Grade hydrogen peroxide.  In dire cases of disease, intraveneous use may be recommended. If you would like to find a doctor in your area trained in the use of intravenous H202 infusion, contact the International Bio-Oxidative Medicine Foundation (IBOM), P.O. Box 13205, Oklahoma City, OK 73113 at (405) 478-4266. They can provide names and addresses of doctors using the procedure in your area.

35% Food Grade H202 must be..
1) handled carefully (direct contact will burn the skin- immediate flushing with water is recommended).
2) diluted properly before use.
3) stored safely and properly (after making a dilution the remainder should be stored tightly sealed in the freezer).

One of the most convenient methods of dispensing 35% H202 is from a small glass eye dropper bottle. These can be purchased at your local drugstore. Fill this with the 35% H202 and store the larger container in the freezer compartment of your refrigerator until more is needed. Store the eye dropper bottle in the refrigerator. The generally recommended dosage is outlined in the chart below.


The drops are mixed with either 6 to 8 ounces of distilled water, juice, aloe vera juice or gel.

(Don't use chlorinated tap water to dilute the peroxide!)

Food Consumption

http://www.fmcchemicals.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=wrWuOYm46uk%3d&tabid=1505&mid=2552

www.healingpowerhour.com

 

MedicalConspiracies- Hair Is An Extension Of The Nervous System

 

Hair Is An Extension Of  The Nervous System

Why Indians Keep Their Hair Long

By C. Young
12-9-11   http://www.rense.com/general95/hair.htm
 
This information about hair has been hidden from the public
since the Viet Nam War .

Our culture leads people to believe that hair style is
a matter of personal preference, that hair style is a matter of fashion
and/or convenience, and that how people wear their hair is simply a cosmetic
issue. Back in the Viet Nam war however, an entirely different picture
emerged, one that has been carefully covered up and hidden from public
view.

In the early nineties, Sally [name changed to protect
privacy] was married to a licensed psychologist who worked at a VA Medical
hospital. He worked with combat veterans with PTSD, post traumatic stress
disorder. Most of them had served in Viet Nam.

Sally said, "I remember clearly an evening when my
husband came back to our apartment on Doctor\'s Circle carrying a thick
official looking folder in his hands. Inside were hundreds of pages of
certain studies commissioned by the government. He was in shock from the
contents. What he read in those documents completely changed his life.
From that moment on my conservative middle of the road husband grew his
hair and beard and never cut them again. What is more, the VA Medical center
let him do it, and other very conservative men in the staff followed his
example. As I read the documents, I learned why.

It seems that during the Viet Nam War special forces in
the war department had sent undercover experts to comb American Indian
Reservations looking for talented scouts, for tough young men trained to
move stealthily through rough terrain. They were especially looking for
men with outstanding, almost supernatural, tracking abilities. Before being
approached, these carefully selected men were extensively documented as
experts in tracking and survival.

With the usual enticements, the well proven smooth phrases
used to enroll new recruits, some of these indian trackers were then enlisted.
Once enlisted, an amazing thing happened. Whatever talents and skills they
had possessed on the reservation seemed to mysteriously disappear, as recruit
after recruit failed to perform as expected in the field.

Serious casualities and failures of performance led the
government to contract expensive testing of these recruits, and this is
what was found.

When questioned about their failure to perform as expected,
the older recruits replied consistantly that when they received their required
military haircuts, they could no longer \'sense\' the enemy, they could
no longer access a \'sixth sense\' , their \'intuition\' no longer was
reliable, they couldn\'t \'read\' subtle signs as well or access subtle
extrasensory information.

So the testing institute recruited more indian trackers,
let them keep their long hair, and tested them in multiple areas. Then
they would pair two men together who had received the same scores on all
the tests. They would let one man in the pair keep his hair long, and
gave the other man a military haircut. Then the two men retook the tests.

Time after time the man with long hair kept making high
scores. Time after time, the man with the short hair failed the tests in
which he had previously scored high scores.

Here is a typical test:

The recruit is sleeping out in the woods. An armed \'enemy\'
approaches the sleeping man. The long haired man is awakened out of his
sleep by a strong sense of danger and gets away long before the enemy is
close, long before any sounds from the approaching enemy are audible.

In another version of this test the long haired man senses
an approach and somehow intuits that the enemy will perform a physical
attack. He follows his \'sixth sense\' and stays still, pretending to be
sleeping, but quickly grabs the attacker and \'kills\' him as the attacker
reaches down to strangle him.

This same man, after having passed these and other tests,
then received a military haircut and consistantly failed these tests, and
many other tests that he had previously passed.

So, the document recommended that all Indian trackers
be exempt from military haircuts. In fact, it required that trackers keep
their hair long."

Comment

The mammalian body has evolved over millions of years.
Survival skills of human and animal at times seem almost supernatural.
Science is constantly coming up with more discoveries about the amazing
abilities of man and animal to survive. Each part of the body has highly
sensitive work to perform for the survival and well being of the body as
a whole. The body has a reason for every part of itself.

Hair is an extension of the nervous system, it can be
correctly seen as exteriorized nerves, a type of highly-evolved 'feelers'
or 'antennae' that transmit vast amounts of important information to the
brainstem, the limbic system, and the neocortex.

Not only does hair in people, including facial hair in
men, provide an information highway reaching the brain, hair also emits
energy, the electromagnetic energy emitted by the brain into the outer
environment. This has been seen in Kirlian photography when a person is
photographed with long hair and then rephotographed after the hair is cut.

When hair is cut, receiving and sending transmissions
to and from the environment are greatly hampered. This results in 'numbing-out'.

Cutting of hair is a contributing factor to unawareness
of environmental distress in local ecosystems. It is also a contributing
factor to insensitivity in relationships of all kinds. It contributes to
sexual frustration.

Conclusion

In searching for solutions for the distress in our world,
it may be time for us to consider that many of our most basic assumptions
about reality are in error. It may be that a major part of the solution
is looking at us in the face each morning when we see ourselves in the
mirror.

The story of Sampson and Delilah in the Bible has a lot
of encoded truth to tell us. When Delilah cut Sampson\'s hair, the once
undefeatable Sampson was defeated.

 

This is about the results of the hair of ancient Egyptians. Some were red haired and white skinned.

http://www.egyptorigins.org/ginger.htm

 

Love and blessings, 

 

Jan Slama

Vibrant Energy

http://vibrantenergy.webs.com

Change your energy, change your life!

Your Source for MMS, Diatomaceous Earth and Lugol’s 5% Iodine.

 


Thursday, December 29, 2011

MedicalConspiracies- Disposable wipes have mold, staph, insects, etc



-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [Health_and_Healing] No Longer Safe to Wipe Your Ass
Date: Wed, 28 Dec 2011 10:44:09 -0800 (PST)
From: Tony De Angelis <tntstuart@yahoo.com>
Reply-To: Health_and_Healing@yahoogroups.com


----- Forwarded Message -----
From: Kathleen Butler
Hello â€"
 
For anyone who uses Baby Wipes or any sanitizing wipes, please read the following (long) article in the Milwaukee, WI newspaper.  At the bottom of the article is a list of all the recalled Baby Wipes.  This is the kind of thing that many of us never stop to think about…
 
The highlighted text is my doing….
 
Shattered Trust | A Milwaukee, WI Journal Sentinel Watchdog Report

FDA falls short on safety checks on disposable wipes makers

Springdale Morning News.

Little or no enforcement action taken against those with contamination issues

By John Diedrich and Rick Barrett of the Journal Sentinel
Dec. 27, 2011 |
Rockline Industries of Sheboygan has had repeated problems with sanitation and operations at its baby wipes plant in Springdale, Ark., yet the FDA has taken no enforcement action. The plant has had at least three recalls for bacterial contamination of baby wipes. Customers also have complained of finding a razor blade, dead bugs and other objects in Rockline baby wipes.

Shattered Trust

Five years ago, whistleblowers sent a letter to federal regulators warning that contaminated baby wipes were streaming out of an Arkansas factory - and the Wisconsin-based owner wasn't telling the government or the public.
The two employees wrote to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration that Sheboygan-based Rockline Industries knew of the contamination but continued to ship potentially dangerous wipes to "the hands and bodies of thousands of Americans."
They even warned that plant officials had a code phrase they would broadcast over the intercom - "Judy Life to the front desk" - in the event of a surprise inspection.
Two weeks later, on Nov. 7, 2006, an FDA investigator arrived unannounced and found problems including faulty product testing and poor sanitation. Company records show customers had been complaining about mold and foreign objects in the wipes, such as a dead cockroach and razor blade.
Rockline, which makes wipes for retailers under different brand names, announced a nationwide recall later that month of 20 brands of potentially contaminated baby wipes but said they posed little risk.
FDA test results soon came back, proving the suspect wipes were contaminated with Burkholderia cepacia, a bacterium that poses a health risk to anyone with a compromised immune system. The levels were thousands of times higher than FDA and industry guidelines, enough to sicken anyone, even those with healthy immune systems, experts told the Journal Sentinel.
"I wouldn't want to use a wipe with organisms at that level, especially on a baby," said Charles Gerba, a microbiology professor at the University of Arizona and a member of an FDA advisory board.
Industry experts contacted by the Journal Sentinel say the sky-high levels suggested poor manufacturing practices, filthy conditions or both.
The FDA took no enforcement action.
Internally, Rockline worked to find and punish the person top executives referred to as "the mole," doing handwriting analysis and considering DNA samples and fingerprints of workers, records filed in court show.
Now, the same plant is in the midst of recalling the same product, again because of contamination. The FDA has returned and found fresh problems, but once again hasn't taken any enforcement action.
And the public knows even less about this recall.
Rockline, one of the largest makers of baby wipes and coffee filters in North America, is the second Wisconsin company - and the third nationwide - to launch recalls of potentially contaminated wipes this year.
The Hartland-based Triad Group was raided by federal agents in April and recalled sterile alcohol wipes used in hospitals and other products. The FDA has received reports of 11 deaths and hundreds of illnesses possibly connected to the use of Triad wipes. New York-based Professional Disposables International is in the midst of its own recall of alcohol prep wipes because of bacterial contamination. A review of case files and an analysis of the FDA's inspection database by the Journal Sentinel shows lax manufacturing practices by the wipes manufacturers, shoddy oversight by the FDA and a failure by anyone to adequately notify the public of health risks.
While the disposable wipes industry has grown rapidly, churning out everyday products that millions use in hospitals and at home, the nation's public health watchdog has not kept up.
The Journal Sentinel found:
  • The FDA has not inspected several thousand drug and device makers in at least five years, and hundreds of plants have not seen an inspector in a decade. Despite the whistleblower's warning and serious problems found in the Arkansas plant, Rockline's flagship plant in Sheboygan was last inspected in 1992. FDA records show Rockline's plant in south China and products shipped from there have not been inspected. By law, both plants are supposed to be inspected every two years.
  • FDA inspectors found problems at Rockline's Arkansas plant in 2001, in 2006 and again in June - sometimes in the same areas - but the agency did not take enforcement action.
  • An FDA inspector overlooked key problems in the Arkansas plant in 2006. A bacterium that can cause toxic shock syndrome was listed in company lab results, but not noted in FDA reports. The inspector also failed to note customers had complained about foreign objects in the wipes.
No serious injuries or illness have been definitively linked to the contaminated wipes. However, the only public notice of the current recall has been an item buried deep in the FDA website. If people were sickened, they may not have known the cause.
Rockline officials said they put consumer safety first and denied they knowingly shipped contaminated products. They said as soon as they knew there was a problem they took action. If the problems were serious, they said, the FDA would have taken action.
Rockline president Randy Rudolph says the company has a strong track record for making safe products, and that the problems in Arkansas were an anomaly that led to improvements at all of its plants.
"We are all about doing the right thing, and it's the reason we are having success with our major customers," he said. "I am damn proud of what we do here."

Patchwork of rules

Disposable wipes are used for everything from combating infectious diseases to cleaning up household messes. Demand for wipes, both consumer and industrial, is forecast to top $2.3 billion in 2014, up from $1.4 billion in 2004.
But as their popularity has surged, the FDA is saddled with a patchwork of rules.
Wipes labeled as sterile are required to be free of bacteria and are classified as drugs, used to treat or prevent diseases. That's because they can come in direct contact with wounds, bloodstreams and spinal fluid. They are tested prior to going on the market, and production plants are supposed to be inspected by the FDA every two years. Wipes also can be considered devices if they are included in an injection kit, for instance.
Non-sterile wipes are not subject to clear bacteria limits but are regulated as a drug if they are anti-bacterial. They are typically used for tasks such as wiping down countertops and cleaning hands.
Other non-sterile products, such as baby wipes, are regulated as cosmetics and are subject to less oversight. When it comes to baby wipes, Congress has left the FDA largely toothless.
Federal law says a cosmetic must not be "adulterated" - meaning made in unsanitary conditions - or have high levels of organisms on it.
The agency can take legal action against a company in such cases. But the law does not spell out what conditions or organism levels are violations, leaving each company to set its own standards, microbiologists said.
"Wet wipes are not well-regulated, which has shown itself to be a problem as they are difficult to preserve as a product and difficult to manufacture in a sanitary manner," said Scott Sutton, a New York-based microbiologist who has worked as a consultant to cosmetic manufacturers for 25 years.
Baby wipes are made from non-woven paper material that is soaked in water, with a small amount of sanitizer and preservative. When packaged and sealed, it creates a ripe environment for bacteria growth once contaminated.
Companies are not required to report contamination but are encouraged to notify the FDA of a recall. The agency cannot order a recall of wipes - sterile or not.
Congress requires the FDA to inspect drug firms every two years, but the Journal Sentinel found that roughly 1,400 drug-making locations have not been inspected in five years or more. FDA officials, who did not dispute the findings, said they focus limited resources on plants that pose the most risk to the public.
As for cosmetic manufacturers, registration is voluntary, and the FDA has no mandate to track or inspect the plants.
FDA manuals suggest examining cosmetic firms that make "high-risk" products such as those used on infants, because they pose "the greatest potential health hazard if they become contaminated with bacteria."

Customer complaints

In 2001, an FDA investigator visited Rockline's Arkansas plant after learning the company was recalling baby wipes because of bacterial growth, agency records show. The company pledged to do a better job keeping the plant clean.
The FDA did not check that promise until 2006. It returned only after receiving the whistleblower letter.
The whistleblowers were ultimately fired. A subsequent lawsuit provided a rare view into the wipes maker's operations by making public a series of internal Rockline documents.
Those documents show Rockline was receiving a stream of customer complaints about mold in 2006.
"This is a very serious situation, and we need to respond immediately to insure (sic) the manufacturing of safe product until we can isolate the exact cause of the contamination," a company memo to the production team read.
Around that time, customers reported finding a razor blade, tape and dead bugs in the wipes. There also were reports of rashes and infections possibly due to the wipes.
Randy Rudolph, the company president, told the Journal Sentinel that mold and bacteria sometimes grow on wipes, if a worker touches the material with a bare hand, water drips from a roof leak or an insect flies through an open plant door.
"You just can't control everything unless maybe it's a sealed plant that is building microchips," he said.

Report of bacterium

In September 2006, Rockline received a report from its outside lab that there was Burkholderia cepacia on its wipes, according to the company records.
That bacterium threatens people with compromised immune systems, is antibiotic-resistant and can live even in alcohol solutions, according to Dave Warshauer, chief bacteriologist at the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene.
Potentially contaminated wipes were making it to market because the company routinely shipped them before the results of lab testing were available, according to FDA and company documents. Experts said it is very unusual to ship a product before receiving test results.
"I can't imagine releasing without testing," said Phil Geis, a microbiologist who retired after three decades with Procter and Gamble. "You would lose control."
The company received positive results of four different bacteria in September and October 2006, yet no recall was launched and no customers were notified, according to FDA reports and company documents.
Company records showed a more virulent bacterium, Staph aureus, was found on Rockline wipes twice in 2006. A form of Staph aureus was implicated in the toxic shock syndrome that sickened and killed women through contaminated tampons in the 1970s.
The FDA test of Rockline wipes revealed levels of a different bacterium, Burkholderia cepacia, that microbiologists interviewed by the Journal Sentinel called "gross contamination."
While federal law does not set a maximum, the FDA has said a cosmetic should not contain an excessive level of bacteria. It quotes industry guidance, which says baby products should not have more than 500 microorganisms per gram.
The Rockline baby wipe tested by FDA showed 97 million to 190 million parts per gram - thousands of times over that recommended level.
"That is profound," Geis said. "It is about as high as you can get."
Experts said such a high contamination level qualifies as "adulterated," a violation of the cosmetics law. And it could sicken a healthy person, not only someone with a compromised system.
"Whether 97,000 or 9.7 million, it is just not relevant," said David Steinberg, a microbiologist and industry consultant who works for Rockline . "It is contaminated. It is a cause for concern."

New recalls

In 2007, Rockline issued a new recall of wipes from the Arkansas plant, FDA documents show. No FDA inspector returned to the plant.
Rockline recalled wipes from its China plant in 2010 because they did not have enough preservative and listed no expiration date. FDA has the authority to inspect overseas operations if their product comes to the U.S., but no inspection has been performed, according to agency records.
In March 2011, the company again found bacterial contamination on wipes made at the Arkansas plant.
The company notified the agency it was recalling 18 brands of wipes, including Wal-Mart's Equate and Roundy's Baby Wipes, because of possible contamination with Enterobacter gergoviae, a bacterium experts said is associated with fecal matter.
In response to the recall, the FDA arrived at the Springdale plant last June, its first visit since 2006. The plant had added an in-house lab and treatment of its tap water.
An FDA report noted that company leaders thought sanitation problems were to blame for the current contamination. The inspector also found the plant was not investigating complaints and making basic errors in testing.
Rockline has not alerted the public about the latest recall. Rockline spokesman Evan Zeppos said the FDA told the company a news release was not necessary.
Kim McCarthy, a Kenosha County mother of a baby girl, unknowingly used two of the products on the current recall list. She said the recall should have been widely publicized.
"Contamination doesn't seem like something I should have to worry about, but obviously there is cause for concern," she said. "We give these companies our business, and we trust they are putting out a safe product."
Ben Poston of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
 
Recalled Baby Wipes:
 
Rockline Industries recalled the following wipes on April 12, 2011. People with these product wipes purchased earlier this year should return them to the store where they were purchased. The FDA posted the recall in June:
  • Kozykids ultra thick baby wipes;
  • Giant Cottontails baby wipes unscented and sensitive;
  • Stop & Shop Cottontails;
  • Lullabies All Purpose Wipes;
  • For Baby, America's Choice baby wipes;
  • Home 360 Baby, baby wipes, unscented;
  • HyVee Mother's Choice baby wipes and fresh scent and fragrance free;
  • Comforts For Baby, scented baby wipes, and fragrance free baby wipes;
  • Meijer Baby, softly scented, fragrance free, and shea butter wipes;
  • Roundys Baby Wipes, Hypoallergenic, Alcohol Free;
  • Compliments unscented baby wipes;
  • Stater Bros. since 1936, Baby Wipes unscented and Baby Wipes scented;
  • Baby Basics, fragrance free;
  • Top Care Baby,
  • Baby Soft Baby Wipes, fragrance free;
  • Best Choice Baby Wipes, unscented;
  • W Premium Thick Baby Wipes, Shea Butter with Aloe;
  • Moist Wipes packaged under the brand name Member's Mark;
  • Naturally Gentle Wipes packaged under the brand name Equate, fragrance free and shea butter;
  • and Kuddles, exclusively at Winn Dixie, Baby Wipes, fresh scent and fragrance free.
 
 
 
Kat Butler
Event & Marketing Coordinator
 
4155 Northlake Blvd.
Palm Beach Gardens, FL  33410
P: (561) 694-0644
F: (561) 694-6612