Reports coming out of Chernobyl 25 years after the nuclear disaster there attest to this fact. In the 1660-square-mile restricted area around the site of the meltdown -- an evacuated area covering parts of Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia -- lush, primeval forests now thrive. Herds of wild animals -- bears, wolves, deer, wild boar and so on -- now roam the area where civilization once held sway, grazing their way down former city streets now overgrown. In fact, over 100 species on the endangered list inhabit the area, including 40 species never seen there before the accident.

Since I first wrote about the nuclear disaster in Japan, many things have changed -- and yet little has changed. By that I mean there have been countless breaking news stories and changing events appearing hour by hour. Panic is spreading. But the bottom line is that little has changed since I first wrote about the situation. It is indeed a great tragedy for the Japanese people, but it is still primarily a local event for Japan, with only the smallest of chances that there will be any substantial health impact on the rest of the world. With that in mind let's quickly look at some of the events and rumors that are circulating and what the truth is behind them.

The President’s Cancer Panel recently issued a report claiming that environmental pollutants and toxins play a much larger role in causing cancer than previously thought. This health blog reviews how carcinogenic toxins, heavy metals and pollution bombard our health and how detoxing can help with cancer prevention.

When Michele Obama planted her organic garden, some considered it an act of subterfuge as unpatriotic as supporting Honda instead of Ford. In spite of the compost slinging, the First Lady ignored the naysayers and cultivated her garden so that it yielded more than 80 pounds of produce by the beginning of June. A true Victory Garden for the organic movement!

Toxic residues from cigarette smoke linger long after the cigarette burns out, creating "third-hand smoke" that can harm infants and children -- and adults, too.

A new study out of Johns Hopkins has found that, even at low levels, exposure to the heavy metal arsenic may lead to a fourfold increase in the risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Researchers found that for every 10-microgram increase in pollution above the 12-mcg level, your risk of toxicity and deep vein thrombosis goes up by 70 percent.

According to the results of an Argentinian study released just hours ago, "the levels of thimerosal - in childhood vaccinations - don't go very high and they go down right away.

A benchmark investigation of industrial chemicals, pollutants and pesticides in umbilical cord blood reveals that involuntary levels of hundreds of toxic chemicals are rising in newborns.