The U.S. Congress agreed on Monday to a ban on a family of toxins found in children's products after research showed that the chemicals act as hormones and cause reproductive problems, especially in boys.

The partial ban on plastic-softening chemicals called phthalates is seen as a major victory to parents and health experts who have been urging the government to remove harmful chemicals from toys. Children ingest the toxins by acts as simple as chewing on tethers or other plastic toys

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency said Thursday it will ban the pesticide carbofuran on domestic or imported food, in effect prohibiting the chemical in the U.S.

The agency imposed the ban because its chemical residue has unacceptable safety risk to young children. Up to a million pounds of carbofuran are used on U.S. farms annually, but it affects less than 1 percent of the nation's farm lands. However, it is used extensively in developing nations on basic food crops such as rice, bananas, coffee and sugar cane

France will test the groundwater on all of its nuclear facilities. The French government agreed to examine the safety after previous tests indicated a uranium leak at the Tricastin nuclear plant in southwestern France.

The source of the leak of non-enriched uranium was an overflow from a tank being cleaned on July 7. The reservoir collected the overflow, of which 7,925 gallons (30,000 liters) seeped into two nearby rivers and the ground

Massachusetts' new booster seat law to keep kids safe went into effect Thursday. The law requires children under the age of eight and under 57 inches tall to ride in either car seats or booster seats.

The old law required children under 5 and weighing 40 pounds or less to be in a car seat or booster seat that positions the safety belt across the child's waist and shoulder, rather than halfway up the midsection or neck

To prevent more Americans from acquiring adult heart problems, the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends more cholesterol screening for young people and earlier use of cholesterol-lowering medication.

The recommendation, issued by the academy on Monday, is expected to generate controversy since there is a question on the safety of prescribing cholesterol-lowering drugs for children and on what are the best approaches to prevent heart diseases upon reaching adulthood