news/notes 2009.03.21

[Born This Day] from [Britannica]
Hans Hofmann
German painter Hans Hofmann, born this day in 1880, was an influential art teacher and a pioneer in the use of improvisatory techniques whose work paved the way for American painters to develop Abstract Expressionism.

[On This Day] from [Britannica]
1963: Closing of Alcatraz prison
The U.S. federal prison on San Francisco Bay's Alcatraz Island, which had held some of the most dangerous civilian prisoners—including Al Capone and Robert Stroud, the “Birdman of Alcatraz”—was closed this day in 1963.



[Health] from [Reuters]
China clears Johnson & Johnson baby products after probe
Sat Mar 21, 2009 1:57am EDT

BEIJING, March 21 (Reuters) - Chinese health authorities said on Saturday that they had found no evidence of cancer-causing chemicals in baby products made by U.S. company Johnson & Johnson (JNJ.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz).

The State Food and Drug Administration had investigated 33 products, including baby shampoo, made by Johnson & Johnson after a U.S. consumer group charged that they contained carcinogens.

The SFDA, in a statement on its website, said it would continue to monitor the situation and carry out timely tests.

Johnson & Johnson has disputed the allegations by the U.S.-based Campaign for Safe Cosmetics, saying that trace levels of the compounds in question result from processes that make the products gentle for babies and safe from bacteria growth.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other government agencies consider these trace level safe, the company said in a statement this week.

According to media reports, a Shanghai-based regional supermarket chain, Nonggongshang Supermarket Group, ordered its 3,500 outlets to remove baby bath products made by Johnson & Johnson from their shelves.

Other big outlets in China, including the U.S. supermarket Wal-Mart Stores (WMT.N: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz) and its French rival Carrefour (CARR.PA: Quote, Profile, Research, Stock Buzz), still carry the products. (Reporting by Simon Rabinovitch; Editing by Jan Dahinten)

[Words] from [英辞郎]
carcinogen
a substance that can cause cancer
【名】発癌（性）物質
・The number of known carcinogens is constantly on the rise.
発癌性物質の発見数は、常に増加している。
【変化】《複》carcinogens、【分節】car・cin・o・gen