Bhopal is a metaphor for disaster, industrial and human. It has been the object of much speculation and typically endless litigation. A case study in regulatory law, it could serve as wonderful proof in an argument to uphold the precautionary principle. R

gm on the platter: The US government has recently issued a notice to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign for failing to comply with safety laws when it allowed offsprings of animals used

Baby bottles are often made of polycarbonate plastic. Impurities remaining in the bottle from the monomer bisphenol A can migrate from the plastic bottles into baby food, thereby causing a health concern. Previous migration testing of new baby bottles showed only trace migration levels of the substance. In the present work, polycarbonate baby bottles were subjected to simulated use by dishwashing, boiling and brushing. Migration testing performed with both new and used bottles revealed a significant increase in migration of bisphenol A due to use.

toddlers in trouble: A research institute has found high levels of mercury in 60 per cent of newborns at hospitals in Itaituba city, in the Brazilian Amazon. Out of the 1,666 babies born during 2002