Featured Article English – Page 3 – Consumers Association Penang

UN Expert Committee Recommends Adoption of Global Transparency Rules on Trade of Key Lead Paint Ingredient

Lai Cheng September 18, 2026 0 Comments

Chemical Review Committee recommends listing toxic lead chromate pigments under the Rotterdam Convention Toxic lead chromate pigments are still produced, sold and shipped around the world for use in paint, despite this being a significant source of childhood and occupational lead exposures. Currently, the trade of lead chromates is very hard to track and even countries that have banned lead paint...

Amanah Betrayed: Why the Tabung Haji Scandal is the Real Test of Merdeka

Lai Cheng September 18, 2026 0 Comments

by Azam Aris For two consecutive weeks, during Friday prayers, on Aug 28 and Sept 4, the imam at the Putra Heights mosque – echoing sermons delivered at other mosques across Selangor – spoke forcefully about the need for Muslims to free themselves from greed and to place the highest importance on preserving amanah, or trust. As the nation commemorated Merdeka on August 31 and Hari Malaysia...

Europe Makes It Illegal to Destroy Unsold Clothes

Lai Cheng September 15, 2026 0 Comments

Europe is tightening restrictions on one of fashion's most controversial practices: destroying unsold clothing and footwear. The European Union (EU) has banned the destruction of unsold clothing and footwear under its new Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation. The law, which targets the long-standing practice of brands burning or shredding excess inventory to manage overproduction, will...

“Not Enoughness” Culture Erodes Well-Being

Lai Cheng September 14, 2026 0 Comments

Modern society is facing an unprecedented mental health crisis, but the root cause may lie far deeper than individual biochemistry. Modern culture constantly encourages us to earn more, buy more, achieve more, and compare ourselves with others. Yet the things that most strongly support human well-being — community, purpose, rest, belonging, and meaningful relationships — are often treated as...

HOW TO BOOST BROCCOLI’S HEALTH BENEFITS

Lai Cheng September 11, 2026 0 Comments

Broccoli is often hailed as a cancer-fighting food. What gives broccoli its cancer-fighting power is sulforaphane, a naturally occurring plant compound with a whole host of benefits (antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer properties, to name a few). This phytochemical has been shown in studies to support detoxification, reduce inflammation, and protect cells from DNA damage – all...

“GAMBLING WITH OUR LIVES”

Lai Cheng September 11, 2026 0 Comments

Anthropic Researcher Resigns, Warning that AI Race to Superintelligence Could Endanger Humanity A researcher with the artificial intelligence research company Anthropic is quitting the AI industry entirely, citing fears that leading labs are racing to build systems they cannot control. Leading AI labs are racing toward superintelligence which could outpace AI safety, and they are gambling with...

MACC Should Act on the Illegal Dumping of Construction Waste in Pontian

Lai Cheng September 10, 2026 0 Comments

The Consumers’ Association of Penang (CAP) calls on the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to take action against those responsible for dumping construction debris in Pontian, Johor, which is allegedly from Singapore. According to media reports some residents of villages in Pontian have been finding it hard to get a good night’s rest as convoys of trucks would rumble through narrow...

Three Scientists Beat Johnson & Johnson’s Defamation Suit Over Talc Research

Lai Cheng September 10, 2026 0 Comments

A US judge in Virginia has ruled that 3 researchers did not defame Johnson & Johnson by publishing research linking cosmetic talcum powder products to mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. J&J sued Theresa Emory, John Maddox and Richard Kradin, alleging that they defamed the company in a 2020 scientific article. The article said it reviewed 75 patients who had mesothelioma and had no link...

Earth Set to Overshoot Critical Global Warming Threshold, UN Warns

Lai Cheng September 9, 2026 0 Comments

The world is now expected to cross the 1.5°C global warming threshold – and getting temperatures back down could become one of humanity’s biggest challenges yet. A new United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report says exceeding 1.5°C above pre-industrial temperatures is now widely considered unavoidable, likely within the next few years. For the first time, the focus is shifting from...

TRANSBOUNDARY HAZE IS AN ECOLOGICAL CRISIS: Coalition Urges Transnational Corporate Responsibility and Recognition of Ecocide