House and Senate leaders introduced legislation yesterday that would establish a federal ban on bisphenol A (or BPA, a toxic chemical linked to heart disease and diabetes) in all food and beverage containers.

Click to view a NOVA audio slide show I conducted with BPA expert Dana Dolinoy

This move came just one day after Sunoco, a gas and chemical company, announced that it is now refusing to sell BPA-containing containers meant to store food and liquids for children younger than 3. The company told investors that it cannot be certain of the chemical compound’s safety. Playtex, Gerber and four other baby-bottle manufacturers have also announced that they will stop using BPA in bottles.

The quest to ban BPA is nothing new. San Francisco lawmakers proposed barring the product in children’s producs in 2006, and while they eventually backed down, their efforts have inspired similar proposals in California, Hawaii, Washington and Oregon. Canada banned BPA nationwide in October.

But we hear mixed messages about dangerous chemicals all the time. Sometimes, one group of scientists will tell us that something we’ve been eating/drinking/standing near will kill us, while another group encourages further exposure! Remember all of the drama surrounding the cholesterol in our eggs? And don’t even get me started on this pro-corn-syrup campaign. Suffice it to say, I think it’s misleading.

So what is it about BPA that we know makes it so harmful? Last year, I interviewed Duke University scientist Dana Dolinoy about her research on the chemical and its effects. Click the image above (or here) to watch an audio slide show I created showing what her team has found so far.

The National Weather Service (NWS) reports that “arctic blasts” will hit Boston this weekend. Is it just me, or is meteorological terminology super scary this winter? “Arctic blast” sounds more like a video game villain’s special power than it does a weather condition.

They might as well say something like: “This weekend, you should look out for periods of white death falling from the sky, followed by murder pellets. If you’re walking or driving, be careful–the sidewalks and pavement are covered in slippery demise.”

Since I had the great pleasure of walking all over the city today, I thought it might be interesting see how temperatures are fairing so far. It isn’t particularly pretty:

This map lists the apparent temperatures (or how cold it felt) at 10 a.m. today. In cold weather, apparent temperatures are derived from a combination of actual degrees Fahrenheit and wind chill. Click to enlarge.

If you’re hanging around New England this weekend and plan to be outdoors, be sure to bundle up and grab your copy of the Health and Safety Program Manual from McMurdo Station, Antarctica. (The manual should help keep you out of harm’s way–it’s required reading for all visitors to McMurdo who intend to venture out into the snowy wilderness.)