Risky Food--Leafy Greens and Tuna?
(AP)
Just as all of us in Chicago were beginning to recover from the city’s rejection by the International Olympic Committee comes news that is even harder to swallow:
All Blog Posts from Couric & Co.
Read all 'safety' posts in Couric & Co.
October 6, 2009 2:30 PM Dean Reynolds is a CBS News Correspondent based in Chicago.
Just as all of us in Chicago were beginning to recover from the city’s rejection by the International Olympic Committee comes news that is even harder to swallow:
Just as all of us in Chicago were beginning to recover from the city’s rejection by the International Olympic Committee comes news that is even harder to swallow:
August 6, 2009 5:02 PM
Katie Couric's Notebook: Text 911
It's not exactly Silicon Valley, but Waterloo, Iowa, is a technology trailblazer - 911 operators there are the first in the nation able to receive and respond to emergency text messages.
Now, those of us less proficient might cringe at having to text quickly during an emergency.
It may seem as strange as some of those abbreviations our teenagers use but it is the preferred means of communication for anyone born after 1980 and could be a life saver for someone who is deaf or unable to talk following an accident.
There have already been cases of kidnap victims across the country who quietly texted friends for help, having them call the police.
Texting 911 could save time and maybe lives.
Cities nationwide are watching Waterloo closely.
Eventually, 911 systems might be able to receive photos and videos from cell phones, so first responders are better prepared to answer that SOS ASAP.
That's a page from my notebook.
Now, those of us less proficient might cringe at having to text quickly during an emergency.
It may seem as strange as some of those abbreviations our teenagers use but it is the preferred means of communication for anyone born after 1980 and could be a life saver for someone who is deaf or unable to talk following an accident.
There have already been cases of kidnap victims across the country who quietly texted friends for help, having them call the police.
Texting 911 could save time and maybe lives.
Cities nationwide are watching Waterloo closely.
Eventually, 911 systems might be able to receive photos and videos from cell phones, so first responders are better prepared to answer that SOS ASAP.
That's a page from my notebook.
June 3, 2008 6:01 PM 
Nancy Cordes is the transportation and consumer safety correspondent for CBS News.
One of the most common ingredients in the food we eat isn't even a food. It's food dye.
Food dyes are synthetic chemicals and you've seen them on many an ingredient list. They've got names like "Red 40" and "Blue 2." Without them, your cheesy macaroni might not be yellow and your fruit punch might not be red. Thousands of grocery store items contain artificial food dyes. We even spotted a package of "100% Real" potato au gratin today that gets its golden hue from 100 percent real "Yellow 5 Lake" and "Yellow 6 Lake."
There have been a lot of studies on the effects of artificial food dyes on children, dating back to the 1970s. Some showed that food dyes could cause behavioral problems in children, and others didn't. But a few years ago, an analysis of 21 of the most conclusive studies found compelling evidence that, indeed, artificial dyes could contribute to hyperactivity, restlessness, and attention problems in some children – particularly those with ADHD. What's more, the studies suggested that removing dyes from those children's diet was a quarter to half as effective in reducing those symptoms as giving the kids Ritalin or other stimulants. In other words, certain kids with ADHD might not need drugs if the artificial dyes were removed from their diets.
The Truth About Food (Dyes)
(CBS/John Filo)
One of the most common ingredients in the food we eat isn't even a food. It's food dye.
Food dyes are synthetic chemicals and you've seen them on many an ingredient list. They've got names like "Red 40" and "Blue 2." Without them, your cheesy macaroni might not be yellow and your fruit punch might not be red. Thousands of grocery store items contain artificial food dyes. We even spotted a package of "100% Real" potato au gratin today that gets its golden hue from 100 percent real "Yellow 5 Lake" and "Yellow 6 Lake."
There have been a lot of studies on the effects of artificial food dyes on children, dating back to the 1970s. Some showed that food dyes could cause behavioral problems in children, and others didn't. But a few years ago, an analysis of 21 of the most conclusive studies found compelling evidence that, indeed, artificial dyes could contribute to hyperactivity, restlessness, and attention problems in some children – particularly those with ADHD. What's more, the studies suggested that removing dyes from those children's diet was a quarter to half as effective in reducing those symptoms as giving the kids Ritalin or other stimulants. In other words, certain kids with ADHD might not need drugs if the artificial dyes were removed from their diets.
October 2, 2007 3:11 PM
Bad Mojo In The Air
Ward Sloane is a CBS News producer based in Washington.
The CBS Evening News reported a fact that is well-known among airplane crash reporters and investigators. There hasn’t been a big commercial jetliner crash in the United State since November 2001. Smaller jets have crashed – and these are just as devastating, but it’s the big jets that scare most of us. A big commercial jet crash sends shivers through the collective soul of the country.
That’s because nearly two million Americans get on 28,000 flights everyday. When the flying day reaches it peak, there can be 5,000 airplanes in the air at the same time. It is a lot of people on a lot of planes everyday.
Any reporter who has covered a commercial plane crash never looks at a plane in the sky quite the same way. Every time a plane takes off or lands, the thought, “hope it lands safely,” is more than likely to creep into the back of their minds.
I suspect it’s the same for a crash investigator.
That’s because aviation reporters and investigators know that there is no standard cause for a plane crash. It’s not always mechanical, electronic or human. It can be one or two or any combination of these factors. And all it takes is one tiny little oversight to trip off a series of events that result in a catastrophic failure and the loss of hundreds of lives.
No one wants to mess with that chain of events...
The CBS Evening News reported a fact that is well-known among airplane crash reporters and investigators. There hasn’t been a big commercial jetliner crash in the United State since November 2001. Smaller jets have crashed – and these are just as devastating, but it’s the big jets that scare most of us. A big commercial jet crash sends shivers through the collective soul of the country.
That’s because nearly two million Americans get on 28,000 flights everyday. When the flying day reaches it peak, there can be 5,000 airplanes in the air at the same time. It is a lot of people on a lot of planes everyday.
Any reporter who has covered a commercial plane crash never looks at a plane in the sky quite the same way. Every time a plane takes off or lands, the thought, “hope it lands safely,” is more than likely to creep into the back of their minds.
I suspect it’s the same for a crash investigator.
That’s because aviation reporters and investigators know that there is no standard cause for a plane crash. It’s not always mechanical, electronic or human. It can be one or two or any combination of these factors. And all it takes is one tiny little oversight to trip off a series of events that result in a catastrophic failure and the loss of hundreds of lives.
No one wants to mess with that chain of events...
July 18, 2007 5:16 PM Nancy Cordes is the Transportation and Consumer Safety Correspondent for CBS News.
Walking through the supermarket shouldn't have to feel like a game of Clue. But that's just the way a lot of shoppers feel these days in the wake of some food scares from China. They'd like to know more about where that plum or strawberry or slab of beef comes from, but there's no way to tell.
Seafood is the only food product currently required by law to display a label declaring its country of origin. Sometimes states and countries that are proud of their produce will place stickers on fruits and vegetables -- "Grown in Washington," "Product of Chile" -- but they don't have to. So even shoppers with great intentions can get stumped.
Here are some tips from the Center for Food Safety, the USDA and Wegmans grocery stores on how to discern where the food in the produce aisle is from.
-- If it's winter, those berries are probably NOT grown in the US. They were grown south of the Equator, most likely in Chile.
-- Almost all greens not locally grown are from California. Few come from overseas.
-- Bananas are grown in Central or South America -- mostly Costa Rica and Ecuador.
-- Only 4 percent of all imported fruit comes from China and less tha 2.5% of imported vegetables. Nearly two thirds of our imported vegetables come from Mexico.
-- Pennsylvania is the state of the mushroom.
-- Produce that has been washed, chopped and bagged or packaged isn't necessarily safer. It's gone through an extra processing stage, which mean one additional step where it could have been exposed to contamination.
-- Apples not grown in the US are most likely grown in Chile or New Zealand.
-- If your orange does not have a sticker, it could be from Florida, it could be from South Africa or it might be from Brazil.
Still have questions about a particular produce item? Ask to see the store's produce manager. He or she should know where each type of fruit or vegetable was shipped in from -- because even if there's no label, the origin was probably stamped on the boxes. Happy shopping!
Where Does Your Food Come From?
(CBS/John Filo)
Walking through the supermarket shouldn't have to feel like a game of Clue. But that's just the way a lot of shoppers feel these days in the wake of some food scares from China. They'd like to know more about where that plum or strawberry or slab of beef comes from, but there's no way to tell.
Seafood is the only food product currently required by law to display a label declaring its country of origin. Sometimes states and countries that are proud of their produce will place stickers on fruits and vegetables -- "Grown in Washington," "Product of Chile" -- but they don't have to. So even shoppers with great intentions can get stumped.
Here are some tips from the Center for Food Safety, the USDA and Wegmans grocery stores on how to discern where the food in the produce aisle is from.
-- If it's winter, those berries are probably NOT grown in the US. They were grown south of the Equator, most likely in Chile.
-- Almost all greens not locally grown are from California. Few come from overseas.
-- Bananas are grown in Central or South America -- mostly Costa Rica and Ecuador.
-- Only 4 percent of all imported fruit comes from China and less tha 2.5% of imported vegetables. Nearly two thirds of our imported vegetables come from Mexico.
-- Pennsylvania is the state of the mushroom.
-- Produce that has been washed, chopped and bagged or packaged isn't necessarily safer. It's gone through an extra processing stage, which mean one additional step where it could have been exposed to contamination.
-- Apples not grown in the US are most likely grown in Chile or New Zealand.
-- If your orange does not have a sticker, it could be from Florida, it could be from South Africa or it might be from Brazil.
Still have questions about a particular produce item? Ask to see the store's produce manager. He or she should know where each type of fruit or vegetable was shipped in from -- because even if there's no label, the origin was probably stamped on the boxes. Happy shopping!
July 11, 2007 3:03 PM
Just click the monitor for more.
First Look: Highway Safety
Katie has a preview of tonight's Evening News, with a First Look at some of the stories we're covering, including the latest news on highway safety.
Video: Just click the monitor for more.
May 23, 2007 10:54 AM 
In the latest entry to his PC Answer column, CBSNews.com's Larry Magid says that having the kids home for the Summer is a mixed blessing. He warns that instead of spending the warm Summer months outsides, kids are tempted to spend much of their newfound free time surfing the Internet.
So what's a parent to do? Larry has a few suggestions:
Are Your Kids Spending Too Much Time Online?
(Getty Images/Justin Sullivan)
So what's a parent to do? Larry has a few suggestions:
The vast majority of U.S. homes with children now have a broadband connection, which means it's easy for kids to go online to check and update their profiles on MySpace, Facebook and other social networks or to surf the web and exchange instant messages with friends. There is nothing wrong with any of these activities as long as they're done in moderation and with reasonable safety guidelines. To that end, kids should be reminded to:Be careful what they post: Avoid posting provocative or sexually suggestive photos, avoid personal information that could allow a stranger to contact them, as well as anything that could prove embarrassing now or in the future.
February 13, 2007 10:57 AM 
We begin our Evening News series on food safety tonight with a look at just how broken the food safety system is in America.
I have never seen official Washington so unanimous. Everybody knows the system doesn't work. Everybody, including the key members of Congress, knows that the fault lies with Congress. Everybody wants Congress to strengthen the system. How to do this exactly, what what agency, with which new regulations and with what funding are open questions. Needing to act is not an open question.
The problem is simple to define. Taxpayers spend most of their food safety dollars on the USDA, which has the primary job of inspecting animal carcasses inside slaughterhouses. Fine. Except that most Americans are getting sick today from e coli on produce; spinach and lettuce. And produce is regulated by -- the FDA. When the FDA tried to trace the source of the huge e. coli outbreak in spinach last September, it took weeks to find the farm, and the source was never precisely defined. The e. coli came from manure, either from cows or pigs, but they don't know how. Irrigation water? Soil? Splashing from rain?
It's tempting to blame the FDA, but given the agency's meager resources, it's lack of research dollars and the fact it does not have the legal right to proactively inspect farms, you can see why the problem is legislative.
Not to be graphic about this, but in the spinach outbreak four people died and almost 200 got sick because we are allowing animal poop to get on salad greens. Dozens of the people who got sick were very sick. They were on dialysis because of kidney failure, or plasma pherisis because of toxic blood.
You will hear a proposal in our story from Senator Dick Durbin to upgrade the Federal food effort by making one single food agency. I'm not sure this is realistic, and honestly, neither is Durbin. But Congress at a minimum does need to update the system, and put a much higher priority on research to make farm produce safe. Public confidence in fresh vegetables is on the line.
Safe Enough To Eat?
(CBS/iStockphoto)
I have never seen official Washington so unanimous. Everybody knows the system doesn't work. Everybody, including the key members of Congress, knows that the fault lies with Congress. Everybody wants Congress to strengthen the system. How to do this exactly, what what agency, with which new regulations and with what funding are open questions. Needing to act is not an open question.
The problem is simple to define. Taxpayers spend most of their food safety dollars on the USDA, which has the primary job of inspecting animal carcasses inside slaughterhouses. Fine. Except that most Americans are getting sick today from e coli on produce; spinach and lettuce. And produce is regulated by -- the FDA. When the FDA tried to trace the source of the huge e. coli outbreak in spinach last September, it took weeks to find the farm, and the source was never precisely defined. The e. coli came from manure, either from cows or pigs, but they don't know how. Irrigation water? Soil? Splashing from rain?
It's tempting to blame the FDA, but given the agency's meager resources, it's lack of research dollars and the fact it does not have the legal right to proactively inspect farms, you can see why the problem is legislative.
Not to be graphic about this, but in the spinach outbreak four people died and almost 200 got sick because we are allowing animal poop to get on salad greens. Dozens of the people who got sick were very sick. They were on dialysis because of kidney failure, or plasma pherisis because of toxic blood.
You will hear a proposal in our story from Senator Dick Durbin to upgrade the Federal food effort by making one single food agency. I'm not sure this is realistic, and honestly, neither is Durbin. But Congress at a minimum does need to update the system, and put a much higher priority on research to make farm produce safe. Public confidence in fresh vegetables is on the line.
December 7, 2006 10:17 AM
From The E-Mailbag: Seat Belts On Buses
This e-mail arrived today from the National Association for Pupil Transportation, taking issue with a recent Notebook on seat belts in school buses. -- Ed.
Dear Ms. Couric:
The emotions involved in a discussion of seat belts in school buses often set off a needlessly contentious debate that forestalls intelligent discussion about how the safety of children riding in school buses could be improved even more.
Unfortunately, your recent “Katie Couric’s Notebook” segment about school bus safety did just that.
I therefore encourage you to step back from the emotion of this issue and consider why an industry that is predicated on and devoted to making sure that all children – including their own children, step-children and grandchildren - get to and from school safely would be opposed to the popular – some would say logical – thinking that kids in school buses would be safer if they were wearing seat belts?
The answer is not because it would cost too much. It’s because there is no clear and convincing evidence that everyone would be safer wearing a safety belt while riding a school bus. In fact, there is significant evidence - not from the industry but from the leading national transportation safety experts - that while some kids might be safer wearing seat belts in a school bus, some kids might be in greater danger...
(AP (file))
The emotions involved in a discussion of seat belts in school buses often set off a needlessly contentious debate that forestalls intelligent discussion about how the safety of children riding in school buses could be improved even more.
Unfortunately, your recent “Katie Couric’s Notebook” segment about school bus safety did just that.
I therefore encourage you to step back from the emotion of this issue and consider why an industry that is predicated on and devoted to making sure that all children – including their own children, step-children and grandchildren - get to and from school safely would be opposed to the popular – some would say logical – thinking that kids in school buses would be safer if they were wearing seat belts?
The answer is not because it would cost too much. It’s because there is no clear and convincing evidence that everyone would be safer wearing a safety belt while riding a school bus. In fact, there is significant evidence - not from the industry but from the leading national transportation safety experts - that while some kids might be safer wearing seat belts in a school bus, some kids might be in greater danger...
December 4, 2006 3:42 PM
Most of us don't worry about our kids when they're on a school bus.
But after the recent tragedy in Alabama, in which four teenagers died, maybe we should.
Some 17-thousand kids end up in the emergency room every year because of school bus accidents -- most from getting on or off the bus.
But a lot of SERIOUS injuries could be prevented by something that's standard in every American car -- seat belts. Buses, in most states, aren't required to have them.
A group of students at the University of Massachusetts, motivated by the death of a student in a school bus accident, decided to do something to make buses safer. As a class project, they created a portable safety belt -- one any kid can carry and strap onto any seat.
It works so well, the students are now applying for a patent.
Necessity is the mother of invention. And this could soon be one invention every mother can be grateful for.
That's a page from my notebook.
Katie Couric's Notebook: School Bus Safety
Hi, everyone.
Most of us don't worry about our kids when they're on a school bus.
But after the recent tragedy in Alabama, in which four teenagers died, maybe we should.
Some 17-thousand kids end up in the emergency room every year because of school bus accidents -- most from getting on or off the bus.
But a lot of SERIOUS injuries could be prevented by something that's standard in every American car -- seat belts. Buses, in most states, aren't required to have them.
A group of students at the University of Massachusetts, motivated by the death of a student in a school bus accident, decided to do something to make buses safer. As a class project, they created a portable safety belt -- one any kid can carry and strap onto any seat.
It works so well, the students are now applying for a patent.
Necessity is the mother of invention. And this could soon be one invention every mother can be grateful for.
That's a page from my notebook.
Author Thomas Friedman on Obama's Afghanistan plan and the war on terror.
