Toothpaste Alert: Homeland Security Warns Of Explosive Threat Ahead Of Sochi Olympics

[Sally]

Now people planning to go to the Olympics have to worry about their plane being blown apart. I would imagine that many people from all countries who intend to attend the Olympics are worried about terrorist action, not only on the planes taking them to Russia but also at the Olympics.

Toothpaste Alert: Homeland Security Warns Of Explosive Threat Ahead Of Sochi Olympics

| by ALICIA A. CALDWELL and JOAN LOWY
Posted: 02/05/2014 9:07 pm EST Updated: 02/05/2014 9:59 pm EST

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Homeland Security Department is warning airlines flying to Russia that terrorists may try to smuggle explosives on board hidden in toothpaste tubes.

The threat is to airlines that have direct flights to Russia, including some that originate in the United States, says a law enforcement official speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not

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Toothpaste Alert: Homeland Security Warns Of Explosive Threat Ahead Of Sochi Olympics

 

[waltky]

Russia not forthcoming over Olympic threats...

Russia withholds information on Olympic threats, US lawmakers say
February 9, 2014 WASHINGTON — U.S. intelligence officials are frustrated that the Russian government is withholding information about threats to Olympic venues coming from inside Russia, several lawmakers said on talk shows Sunday.

“We aren’t getting the kind of cooperation that we’d like from the Russians in terms of their internal threats,” Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., a member of the House Intelligence Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday.” “It means that we’re less effective in protecting our people, and that’s a frustration,” Schiff said. More than 70,000 Russian security officers have been deployed to protect the Olympic venues in Sochi. Russian President Vladimir Putin describes the layers of security around Sochi as the “ring of steel.” The United States has set up a command center in Sochi with about 150 security personnel from the FBI, the State Department and the Department of Homeland Security.

The American ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, said the U.S. is “quite satisfied” with the cooperation coming from Russian security officials. “We always want to know more and if you work in the intelligence business you always want more information from any interlocutor, from any partner country,” McFaul said. “That said, we do not have an interest in embarrassing the Russians. We have exactly the same interests with them when it comes to the security of everyone here in Sochi,” he said, speaking on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Last week, the U.S. Transportation Security Administration banned passengers flying from the U.S. to Russia from bringing liquids in their carry-on baggage. The alert was based on intelligence that terrorists might try to smuggle explosives onto airplanes inside toothpaste tubes. Some of that information came from Russian officials, Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said Sunday on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

But King, who sits on both the House Intelligence and Homeland Security committees, said the Russians aren’t cooperating to the same extent as the Chinese, British and Greeks did during previous Olympic games. “They are still reluctant to give intelligence that they feel would allow us to determine their sources and methods, and also there’s still a certain amount of pride, I believe, that they feel they can handle a lot of this on their own,” King said. Rep. Michael McCaul, R-Texas, chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, said on “Fox News Sunday” that the Russians, so far, have been cooperative when it comes to sharing information about potential terrorist operations planned outside of Russia. “When it comes to internal operations, I think less so. That’s where we’d like to work more closely with them,” McCaul said.

Along with the possibility of bombs being planted on aircraft flying into Sochi International Airport, another major threat comes from suicide bombers at train and bus terminals around the region, McCaul said. McCaul toured the security installations in Sochi last month and said the Olympic Village in Sochi appeared to be well fortified. But McCaul said he thinks there is a “high degree of probability” that a bomb will detonate in the surrounding region, where Russia has been fighting an Islamist separatist movement in Chechnya, Dagestan and elsewhere. “I hope I’m wrong in this assessment, but you’re talking about an area of the world where suicide bombers go off all the time,” McCaul said.

Russia withholds information on Olympic threats, US lawmakers say - Europe - Stripes

 

[waltky]

possum thought dem lil' speckles was to make ya feel happy...

Crest agrees to stop putting plastic microbeads in your toothpaste
Sept. 17, 2014 | "For a long time I've noticed the little tiny speckles and I thought it was just some type of coloration they put in there," said Dr. Loyd Dowd.

Toothpaste is supposed to help clean your teeth and get rid of leftover food. But for some Crest toothpaste users, that leftover food is just being replaced with tiny microbeads -- making smiles look spotty and gums speckled, not sparkling white and debris-free. Crest says that won't be the case for long, however, as the maker of Crest toothpastes, Procter & Gamble, announced today that it will cease including the microbeads in their products and that all toothpastes containing the tiny polyethylene plastic balls will be off the shelves within six months. "We currently have products without microbeads for those who would prefer them," the company wrote in an email to Phoenix news station ABC15.

The company began receiving flak for their toothpastes' ingredients after a story about the concerns of a Texas dental hygienist, Trish Walraven, grabbed the attention of online readers and got picked up by a range of local news sites. Walraven complained that she was continually finding the microbeads trapped under her patients' gums. "Polyethylene plastic is in your toothpaste for decorative purposes only," Walraven wrote on her personal blog. "This is unacceptable not only to me, but to many, many hygienists nationwide. We are informing our patients." "For a long time I've noticed the little tiny speckles and I thought it was just some type of coloration they put in there," Dr. Loyd Dowd, with Tyler Dental Care, told local Texas news station KLTV. "Our dental hygienist says that she takes them out from around people's teeth all the time."

The silvery flecks seen in Crest MultiCare Whitening toothpaste are actually plastic microbeads.

Some other smaller brands employ the same types of beads, but Crest toothpastes are the most prominent to use the plastic specks. The beads are approved for use in foods and healthcare products (like toothpaste and face scrubs) by the FDA. But that doesn't mean they're necessarily a good idea. "If it was left in there [in the gums], it could potentially cause some gingival irritation," Dr. Brian Moore, a dentist in Kentucky, told Tulsa news station KJRH. "Any time you have any foreign body in the pocket around the tooth, it's a breeding ground for bacteria."

The American Dental Association (ADA) says they're not planning on rescinding their seal of approval from Crest products that contain microbeads. "The Council will continue to monitor and evaluate new scientific information on this issue as it becomes available," the ADA said in a statement. "In the meantime, the ADA recommends that individuals continue to follow the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) recommendations on the use of dental health care products."

Crest toothpaste will no longer feature plastic microbeads - UPI.com