Year: 2011

The Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) is disturbed to note the number of abuse cases involving children reported of late. Toddlers being sexually abused, a stepchild apparently beaten to death, young girls raped the list goes on. Alarmingly, parents or caregivers are the perpetrators in many cases of child abuse. These are the very people that society expects to protect the child. It has been...

The humble bicycle could be a key to our long-term survival — in terms of health, environment and economics. CAP’s research shows that reviving bicycle use here would benefit both the nation and the people. Here’s the evidence for health. A recent Malaysian Shape of the Nation survey showed that Malaysia has the most number of fat people in the Asean region. In fact, the number of fat...

Cycling is good for health. For one, it reduces death risks. In Denmark, a 15-year study associates cycling with a 40% reduction in mortality for both sexes over all ages (Archives of Internal Medicine, 2000). Basically, a person who cycles as a commuter consistently can expect, according to a report released in a 1986 issue of the American Journal of Public Health, to live longer than those who...

Scientific studies implicate some of the chemicals detected in cord blood tests with serious, ongoing human health problems. DIOXIN Exposures during fetal development have been implicated in endocrine related cancers in women (breast and uterine, for example) by altering hormone levels, increasing the sensitivity of children and adolescents to other carcinogens (Birnbaum and Fenton 2003). In men,...

Millions of Malaysians today could unknowingly be having a silent condition that increases the chances of getting diabetes, heart disease, stroke, kidney problems, and even cancer, later. It’s a condition you cannot be sure about unless your doctor tells you. But your doctor may not even warn you about it, simply because he or she may think it’s not important — or worse, does not know how...