Sasha Chavkin Profile picture
Nov 13, 2019 12 tweets 7 min read Read on X
Covering today’s FDA hearing on immune responses to metal-containing devices for ⁦@ICIJorg⁩. The hearing will address Essure, metal hips, dental implants & more, but will focus on larger question of risks from metals that can cause immunological reactions Image
@ICIJorg Risk of corrosion in metal devices is tested in labs (in vitro) and commonly used metals like titanium and cobalt do well, says Dr. David Saylor of the FDA. But in vitro tests don't capture mechanical stress or inflammatory responses, and far less data on corrosion in the body
@ICIJorg There is a major gender disparity in reactions to metals with women suffering more serious effects, says the FDA's Dr. Steven Weber. One study found 97% of those w adverse responses were women. Women also more likely to suffer arthritis & other rheumatic responses.
@ICIJorg Hearing turns to risks of mercury used in dental amalgams. FDA has found insufficient evidence of association to act on patient harm from mercury amalgams. I spoke to a dentist this morning who is here to demand stronger regulation - because dentists are getting mercury poisoned!
@ICIJorg "This is a real thing" - Dr Karin Pacheco of University of Colorado School of Medicine presents study on metal reactions in joint replacements, finds that patients w adverse responses who get metal implants replaced have significant improvements
@ICIJorg “This is not just a metal-on-metal problem," says Dr Stephen Tower, orthopedic surgeon who suffered severe cobalt poisoning from his own hip implant. “We are seeing this with many popular hip designs that are still commonly implanted.” Read his story here
nytimes.com/2018/01/13/opi…
@ICIJorg Dr. Tower offers scathing indictment of FDA's handling of metal hip poisoning issue, saying it showed greater concern for health of industry than of patients. "I am tired of being the guy who has to look under the rock to find this,” he said. "You guys are asleep at the switch”
@ICIJorg Adverse events data expert @DeviceEvents analyzed the devices most commonly cited in reports of autoimmune, allergic & toxicity symptoms - and found metal-on-metal hips #1, followed by metal and polymer hips, Essure, and metal, ceramic and polymer hips
@ICIJorg @DeviceEvents “I'm in a great deal of pain, so please bear with me,” said metal hip patient Sue Francis. “In order to protect patients, we need to recognize that these metals from day one are interacting with our bodies.” Image
@ICIJorg @DeviceEvents “Reactions such as sensitivity and allergic reaction to the materials that we use, that we’ve chosen, are important to us,” said Dr. Susan Alpert of industry group @AdvaMedUpdate. She emphasizes the millions of patients who benefit from metal implants
Today’s second most historic federal hearing comes to a close for the night. Stay tuned to this space for @ICIJorg’s story on the hearing. #ImplantFiles
@ICIJorg And here's our story!
icij.org/investigations…
Thoughts are welcome and let me know if there are any other issues we should be covering #ImplantFiles

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More from @sashachavkin

Apr 3
NEW: The food industry is capitalizing on the anti-diet movement, a social media juggernaut that often disputes the health risks linked to obesity

Our @examinationnews investigation in partnership with @washingtonpost
theexamination.org/articles/as-ob…
Cereal giant General Mills is leading the way.

The company is funding research on “food shaming,” using anti-diet arguments to fight federal regulation, and showering giveaways on influencers who tout its cereals with the slogan #DerailtheShame
washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/…
The anti-diet movement began as an effort to combat weight bias and disordered eating.

But now, most dietitian influencers who use anti-diet language on social media are also paid to promote products by the food industry, our analysis found
Read 4 tweets
Sep 13, 2023
NEW: The multi-billion dollar food industry is shaping the eating habits of a new generation by paying dietitians to push products and messages on social media.

Our investigation for the launch of @examinationnews, in partnership with @washingtonpost
theexamination.org/articles/the-f…
Dietitians are trusted health professionals.

But industry has paid dietitian influencers for posts encouraging viewers to eat more sugar & candy, or use unproven supplements - messages that run counter to decades of scientific evidence
washingtonpost.com/wellness/2023/…
Other sponsored posts dismissed warnings from health authorities like the WHO.

In a campaign by a soda industry trade group, dietitians said WHO findings on aspartame - including that it is “possibly carcinogenic” - were “fear mongering” and “clickbait”
Read 7 tweets
Nov 2, 2021
More than 100 world leaders are pledging at #COP26 to end deforestation by 2030.

It’s a bold promise, but one that so far doesn’t address a crucial element of the threat to forests exposed in our @OCCRP investigation yesterday: state corruption (thread)
occrp.org/en/investigati…
First, the good news: leaders of countries representing 85% of forests are promising action, backed by more than $19 billion in funding

That includes Brazil, Indonesia and the DRC, which are home to most of the world’s rainforests
bbc.com/news/science-e…
The bad news is that we’ve seen this movie before – and a similar agreement in 2014 turned out to be nothing but hot air.

That’s why @Greenpeace is slamming the deal as a “green light for another decade of forest destruction”
greenpeace.org/international/…
Read 9 tweets
Nov 1, 2021
NEW: Nicaragua is losing its forests faster than any other country in the world – an ecological disaster fueled by corruption in its forestry agency & enabled by the ruling Ortega family

A thread on our @OCCRP investigation w @MiamiHerald @mongabay & more
occrp.org/en/investigati…
First, some background:

If you've read about Nicaragua this year, it's probably about how dictator Daniel Ortega is violently crushing opposition ahead of this week's election.

@60Minutes gave an overview last night:
cbsnews.com/news/nicaragua…
We found that the Ortega regime is also enabling an ecological crisis with far-reaching implications for the global climate.

Our interactive offers a guide to how Nicaragua is destroying its forests at the world's fastest rate
occrp.org/en/investigati…
Read 9 tweets
Dec 14, 2020
More fallout from #ParadisePapers: a 150+ page report from the Commerce Dept inspector general reveals it investigated Wilbur Ross for years after the project's revelations in Nov 2017.

It found that he breached federal ethics rules in several ways...

oig.doc.gov/OIGPublication…
The findings include glaring omissions in his financial disclosures.

Our story below for @ICIJorg found that Ross retained a stake in Navigator Holdings, a shipping company that did business w Putin cronies, through a chain of offshore entities.

icij.org/investigations…
The inspector general found that Ross also held more than 16,000 direct shares in Navigator that he completely omitted from his financial disclosures when he took office. Image
Read 7 tweets
Sep 23, 2020
The new @ICIJorg investigation - #FinCENFiles - is making waves across Latinamerica.

From Mexico to Argentina, our partners have revealed the shady payments that flowed through banks in the region.

Here is a thread of #FinCENFiles stories in Latinamerica.
In Colombia, iconic artist Fernando Botero received $500k from a shell company linked to Odebrecht and its bribery division.

Botero isn't under suspicion... but what did Odebrecht want with his art?

@ConnectasOrg has the story:

connectas.org/arte-sin-rastr…
In Peru, the US gold dealer Kaloti Metals & Logistics bought tons of gold from Peruvian companies investigated for money laundering & illegal mining, setting off alarms in 3 big banks

@M_GutierrezR @ConvocaPe has the report:

convoca.pe/investigacion/…
Read 14 tweets

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