Plastic, one of the most preferred materials in today's industrial world is posing serious threat to environment and consumer's health in many direct and indirect ways. Exposure to harmful chemicals during manufacturing, leaching in the stored food items while using plastic packages or chewing of plastic teethers and toys by children are linked with severe adverse health outcomes such as cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, endocrine disruption, developmental and reproductive effects etc. Promotion of plastics substitutes and safe disposal of plastic waste requires urgent and definitive action to take care of this potential health hazard in future. The advent of fuel based plastics has revolutionized the industrial world and there is no area of manufacturing which is untouched by plastics. Convenience and cost factors have pitch forked plastics as the most preferred material of choice till recently, a rethinking about its impact on environment and sustainability is slowly putting a brake on its continued use. While cheap petroleum fuels from which most plastics are derived was once justified to introduce them in place of traditional materials like glass and metals, this plea cannot hold any more since the cost of non-renewable fossil fuels increased several fold during the last 3 decades. Research based on plastics proves their injurious nature towards human health in many direct or indirect ways. Phthalates or phthalate esters are esters of phthalic acid mainly used as plasticizers (substances added to plastics to increase their flexibility) in Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC). PVC is a widely used material, including extensive use in toys and other children's products such as chewy teethers, soft figures and inflatable toys. Di (2-ethylhexyl phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), di-isononylphthalate (DINP), di-isodecyl phthalate (DIDP), benzyl - butyl - phthalate (BBP) and di-n- octyl- phthalate (DNOP) are phthalates mainly used in converting polyvinyl chloride (PVC) from a hard plastic to a flexible plastic. Phthalates migrate into the air, into food and into people including babies in their mother's wombs. Phthalates can be released from soft PVC by surface contact, especially where mechanical pressure is applied e.g. during chewing of a PVC teether). Release of phthalates during manufacture, use and disposal of PVC products, in addition to their use as additives in ink, perfumes etc. has lead to their ubiquitous distribution and abundance in the global environment.

The family of Dalian Atkinson, who died after police repeatedly Tasered him, have told of their “agony and frustration” at still not knowing why officers used force against him.

Atkinson, a former Premier League football star, died aged 48 in August after a clash with police during which he was shot with a Taser three times outside his father’s home in Telford, Shropshire.

His funeral is on Saturday and his family told of their pain as they waited for the results of inquiries into his death.  His sister Elaine said: “We want to celebrate Dalian’s life but the way that he died while he was so vulnerable casts such a dark shadow over everything. Every day is filled with agony and frustration because we still do not know what happened nor understand why such force was used on him.”

The IPCC inquiry is expected to last until late spring or the summer of 2017.

Shortly before his death, Atkinson had been diagnosed a with serious illness affecting his kidneys and his blood pressure, and then with pneumonia.

Elaine Atkinson said: “We all did our best as a family supporting Dalian and being there for him. One comfort we have is that he knew that he was loved and he told us this. Dalian was supposed to have been admitted to hospital for treatment on the day he died.”

Hours before his death, Atkinson, a former player for Aston villa and Real Sociedad, spoke to another of his sisters, Otis, about “his worries and fears about his deteriorating health”. He told her: “All I ever wanted was to make people happy. I played football the way that I did because I wanted to entertain. I wanted everyone to go home with smiles on their faces.”

West Mercia police said the incident that led to his death came when officers were called at 1.39am to reports of concerns for a person’s safety. Atkinson is believed to have argued with and assaulted his father when he went to his home. 

After police arrived, there was a clash with officers. Atkinson collapsed and medical staff tried to revive him for 35 minutes, but he failed to respond and was pronounced dead 90 minutes after police arrived.

The key issues in the criminal investigation will be whether the decision to use force was justified and, if so, whether the level of force was proportionate to Atkinson’s behaviour.  The two officers have been issued with gross misconduct notices and interviewed under criminal caution. The IPCC has stressed its decision to launch a criminal investigation did not mean the officers did anything wrong.

In their statement, Atkinson’s family said he realised his dream to be a top-flight footballer and was a “kind, caring and protective brother, with a lively personality; he was funny and cheeky”.

They said his ill health had affected him badly: “He understandably struggled to come to terms with the sudden diagnosis of serious illness affecting his kidneys and his blood pressure during the last six months of his life. 

“He tried to stay positive, but it was heartbreaking for us to see a further deterioration in his health with pneumonia, leaving his light and energy significantly reduced.”

Shortly after Atkinson’s death, his brother, Kenroy, 53, said the ex-footballer was “in a manic state and depressed” at the time of the incident and had attacked their 85-year-old father, Ernest, at his home before police were called.

Five Bedfordshire Police officers could face criminal charges over the death of a man in custody, the police watchdog has said.

Leon Briggs, 39, died in hospital on 4 November 2013 after being detained at Luton police station.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has now referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service.

It said there was "an indication" that five officers and a member of staff "may have committed crimes".

Bedfordshire Police has not made comment.

Updates on this story and more from Beds, Herts and Bucks

Mr Briggs was being held under section 136 of the Mental Health Act following concerns about his behaviour in Marsh Road in the town.

While at the station Mr Briggs was placed in a cell and restrained. He later became ill and was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Lengthy investigation

In a lengthy probe, the IPCC has investigated a police detention officer and five police officers - two police constables and three sergeants - for their involvement in the restraint of Mr Briggs, all of whom were suspended. 

Five Bedfordshire Police officers could face criminal charges over the death of a man in custody, the police watchdog has said.

Leon Briggs, 39, died in hospital on 4 November 2013 after being detained at Luton police station.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has now referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service.

It said there was "an indication" that five officers and a member of staff "may have committed crimes".

Bedfordshire Police has not made comment.

Updates on this story and more from Beds, Herts and Bucks

Mr Briggs was being held under section 136 of the Mental Health Act following concerns about his behaviour in Marsh Road in the town.

While at the station Mr Briggs was placed in a cell and restrained. He later became ill and was taken to hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Lengthy investigation

In a lengthy probe, the IPCC has investigated a police detention officer and five police officers - two police constables and three sergeants - for their involvement in the restraint of Mr Briggs, all of whom were suspended.

The Crown Prosecution Service will now decide whether any charges will follow.

IPCC Commissioner Mary Cuneen said: "I have decided that there is an indication five officers and a member of staff may have committed criminal offences. 

"I have therefore referred the case to the Crown Prosecution Service to consider whether there is sufficient evidence and if it would be in the public interest for any offences of unlawful act manslaughter, gross negligence manslaughter, misconduct in public office, and health and safety offences to be charged."

Mr Briggs' family has been updated and the officers and staff member concerned have been provided with a summary of the IPCC's conclusions.

The law of attraction (LOA) is the belief that the universe creates and provides for you that which your thoughts are focused on. It is believed by many to be a universal law by which “Like Always Attracts like.” The results of positive thoughts are always positive consequences. The same holds true for negative thoughts always leading to bad outcomes. But the LOA is much more than generalizations; thinking about red Lamborghinis will bring you red Lamborghinis – always. To the believers, questioning the validity of the LOA is akin to heresy and blasphemy; it creates religious fervor. To the uninitiated, it may seem silly to discuss even the possibility that such a law could exist.  As I am starting to receive many emails regarding this article, realize that I may not be able to answer all of the comments. In addition, if you are close-minded and believe that the LOA exists irrespective of data or information to the contrary, then this article is not for you. Thanks for visiting - now you can go back to your LOA abundance. This article is intended for those who are new to the LOA, those who don't know about it, and those who have not succeeded in using it and are open-minded and looking for answers. No Purpose: Material abundance and wealth are the most important manifestations to attract. The Universe sets your life purpose. You pick the specific goal based on wants; not values. This is one reason there is less passion driving goal completion because these are not deep-seated principled goals. No Action: The only way to manifest your thoughts into things is to believe and live as if you’ve already accomplished your goal. LOA guru Esther Hicks said, “You did not come into this environment to create through action.” Action shows the Universe that you know you don’t have it and that you doubt its ability to manifest it for you. While it is obvious to most that action is a necessary component of goal achievement, it is completely inconsistent with a belief in a LOA. No Date: When you live as if you have already accomplished your goals, there is no reason to establish deadlines or timelines. As Secret author Rhonda Byrne stated, “It takes no time for the Universe to manifest what you want.” While goal setting research supports the importance of establishing timelines to achieve success, LOA experts assert that it would be inappropriate to set a deadline for the universe to achieve your goal. 6) No Challenges: Challenges are considered negative thoughts and are to be avoided. Besides, if you’ve theoretically already achieved your goal, there could not be any challenges. As Esther Hicks, has stated, “Once you have recognized that thinking of what you do not want only attracts more of what you do not want into your experience, controlling your thoughts will not be a difficult thing…” There are many goal-achieving benefits to acknowledging and planning for challenges that may arise. Unfortunately, a belief in a law of attraction does not allow for you to accomplish this. 8) No Support: Since you will always attract what you think about, you need to avoid any type of support groups for people with mental or physical illnesses or for people with similar experiences. Research shows that support groups such as alcoholics anonymous, weight watchers, or breast cancer support are beneficial. The LOA incorrectly predicts that you will make your problems worse.

Since electronic cigarettes deliver nicotine in the form of water vapor rather than burning tobacco, it’s easy for most people to imagine that vaping is more healthy than smoking. But is that necessarily true?

Vaping is still pretty new to the market, only having been around for about a decade or so. Since it hasn’t been part of the public as much as cigarette smoking, there’s a lot that people don’t know about it. Here, several aspects regarding the two habits smoking vs. vaping will be discussed to help you understand how they are similar or different.

This is one of the biggest questions throughout the vaping and smoking community. Previously, left un-answered due to the lack of research and statistics on the topic. Much has changed in the recent years, with many well-known researchers releasing papers on the subject to shed some light on the theories of others.

There are many aspects to be taken into consideration when making the comparison between vaping and smoking.  

The Chemicals

Whether you’re taking combusted smoke into your lungs or vapor, there are going to be some quite serious health implications that come along with it. The health implications of smoking are a lot more defined and outlined, with vaping being a little more mysterious in the long term. Here’s a summary of the most common health implications found by researchers for both smoking and vaping.                    

The process of smoking includes the combustion of tobacco; created out of thousands of chemicals including at least 70 that have a strong connection to cancer, referred to as “carcinogens”. Some of the most well-known chemicals include:

• Nicotine – The addictive chemical, gives the user the desire to want more. When people say they’re addicted to smoking, they’re addicted to nicotine.
• Hydrogen Cyanide
• Formaldehyde
• Lead
• Arsenic
• Ammonia
• Benzene
• Carbon Monoxide
• Nitrosamines
• Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons

As mentioned above, many of the chemicals listed above have a strong connection to some leading health conditions, including; cancer, heart disease and lung disease. These chemical elements are not found during the process of creating a cigarette, the chemicals start to occur when the tobacco leaf is combusted, producing the “smoke” in smoking (Cancer.org, 2017). 

There's nothing wrong with wanting to look attractive.  It's just part of being human.  We want to look pretty so that people will want to mate with us so that we can reproduce so that the world can stay rich and full with plenty of humans.  But honestly, some of the things that celebrities do to "perfect" their beauty is kind of a joke.  Keep reading to see the celebrities who destroyed their faces pursuing perfection. 

We've seen a rise in the number of people traveling abroad to have plastic surgery. The cheaper costs may be tempting, but consider the risks. this is on the dangers of medical tourism and get the facts from a trusted source. Plastic surgery is best performed by a qualified board-certified plastic surgeon. Use our free Find a Surgeon tool to find an ASPS Member Surgeon near you.

5 Things You Should Know About Plastic Surgery Tourism

1. Cosmetic surgery is real surgery and has some risks

Every surgery, including cosmetic surgery, has some risks involved. These risks may increase during vacation-related plastic surgery.

2. Vacation-related activities may compromise your health after having a procedure

Cosmetic surgery trips are marketed as vacations, but vacation activities should be avoided after surgery in order to ensure proper healing and reduce the risk of complications.

3. Travel + surgery significantly increases risk of complications

Did you know that long flights or surgery can increase the potential risk of developing pulmonary embolism and blood clots?

4. You may not be legally protected in the U.S.

There are no U.S. laws that protect patients or mandate the training and qualifications of physicians who perform plastic surgery outside the United States. There may be no legal recourse if surgical negligence occurs.

5. Bargain surgery may not be a bargain

Patients can incur additional costs for revision surgeries and complications that may total more than the cost of the initial operation if originally performed in the U.S.

Any woman with a dirty mind is cursed with constant thoughts of sex. It doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing, because the naughtiest, nastiest things will creep into your mind at unfortunate times. While your man might be happy about your kinky side, the rest of the world won’t be all that impressed. YOU LAUGH AT INAPPROPRIATE TIMES.
It doesn’t matter if you’re in the middle of an important meeting or at a funeral, because if someone accidentally says something suggestive, you won’t be able to hold back your laughter. Most of the people around you won’t have a clue why you’re laughing, and the people that figure it out will just roll their eyes and call you immature. SEX IS ALWAYS ON YOUR MIND.

Pretty much any conversation will make you think of sex. It doesn’t matter if you’re talking about peanut butter and jelly, because there’s a dirty joke in their somewhere. Even if there isn’t, you’ll create one.

YOU RISK GETTING KINK-SHAMED.When you sleep with someone, you’ll pray that they’re as kinky as you, because you’re going to mention handcuffs to them at some point. If they get frightened by you just joking around about sex toys, imagine how scared they’ll be when you actually suggest using them.

YOU’RE TOLD TO KEEP YOUR VOICE DOWN.Even if you’re in a room full of frisky college students, your friends will tell you to keep your voice down when you start talking about sex. For some reason, people consider it a taboo subject, which you find ridiculous. If everyone around you has had sex before, why can’t you talk about it at a normal volume?

YOU SURPRISE MEN WITH YOUR DIRTY TALK. Men love to talk dirty in the bedroom, but some of them don’t have a clue what they’re doing. Once they hear what you have to say, they’ll be taken aback, because they never knew how naughty someone could really be. YOU ASK INVASIVE QUESTIONS.

When your sister talks about her new boyfriend, your parents will ask her about his age and hobbies. Meanwhile, you’ll ask her about his favorite positions and sex toys. Everyone else will find your questions inappropriate, but you don’t see anything wrong with them.

YOU HAVE UNWANTED FANTASIES.You don’t want to fantasize about the random coworker standing in front of you, but sex is always on your mind, which is why you can’t stop yourself from picturing him naked. You do it to everyone, so it’s not like he’s special.

YOU HATE SPENDING TIME WITH CHILDREN. When your friend’s daughter decides to watch TV with the two of you, you always end up getting in trouble. No matter how hard you try to act appropriately, something dirty will always slip out of your mouth. Then the kid will either giggle or be scarred for life.

YOU HATE SPENDING TIME WITH PARENTS.Children aren’t the only ones you have to be careful around. Even though your parents are used to your sexual jokes, your friends’ parents would be appalled by them. That’s why you have to tone it down whenever you visit their houses. Otherwise, they’ll consider you a bad influence.

YOU STRUGGLE TO FILTER YOURSELF.Some people say whatever’s on their mind. While you’d love to be one of those people, you know that you’d get tossed in jail if you verbalized all of your thoughts. That’s why you try to filter yourself, even though it doesn’t always work out.