Do you know this man?

He calls himself "The Problem Eliminator," goes by the alias of "JG," and says he is based in Arizona.

He describes himself as "professional," "very expensive," "very discreet," and says that problems you have "will be eliminated."

He refused to speak to Dateline.

If you recognize him, please contact us using the link below.

New details and interviews surrounding one of the most-followed murder trials in years. An in-depth look into the Jodi Arias case, her murder conviction, and why so many became obsessed with the salacious relationship that ended in murder. Josh Mankiewicz reports Obsession: The Jodi Arias Story on Friday, May 10th, at 9pm/8c.

She's "attempted to manipulate you.”

That’s what the prosecutor told the jury Thursday, as closing arguments began in the most watched murder trial of the year: the Jodi Arias case.  It’s been going on for 17 weeks, with a made-for-TV mix of kinky sex, horrifying violence, and, at the center of it all, a slight, soft-spoken defendant who admits she killed her ex-boyfriend, Travis Alexander.

The question for jurors is: Why?

Rob Schumacher / Pool via The Arizona Republic and AP

Defendant Jodi Arias listens to prosecutor Juan Martinez make his closing arguments during her trial at Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix on Thursday, May 2. Arias is charged with first-degree murder in the stabbing and shooting death of Travis Alexander.

The prosecution, led by Juan Martinez, tells it this way:  On June 4, 2008, Jodi Arias drove a thousand miles from Yreka, Calif., to Mesa, Ariz., where she showed up at Travis’ home.  She’d rented a car, dyed her hair, turned off her cell phone—apparently to make her harder to identify, her movements harder to track. Her mission, prosecutors say: murder.

Arias and Alexander had broken up after a hot but secretive affair.  Alexander, according to friends, was a successful salesman who liked the ladies.  He was also a member of the Church of Latter Day Saints whose Mormon religion disapproves of premarital sex.

Travis’ friend Aaron Dewey, who knew them both well, told Dateline’s Josh Mankiewicz:  “Jodi became Travis’ drug.  He was able to get something from her that he couldn’t get anywhere else with the good Mormon girls that he typically dated.”  Soon, Arias said on the stand, she was acting out Alexander’s every pornographic fantasy.

But while Arias may have been a hot girlfriend, she was not, apparently, Travis’ idea of a good Mormon wife.  Friends said that even though she converted to his faith, he broke up with her and began dating—chastely, he told her—other women.

According to Alexander’s friends, who testified in the trial for the prosecution, Arias apparently didn’t take it well.   Alexander’s friends say she stalked him and slashed his tires.  The prosecutor argued that she eventually killed him.

The killing was shocking in its violence.  After a day of sex, Arias admitted, she shot Travis in the face, stabbed him more than 20 times, and slit his throat from ear to ear.

At trial, Arias testified she killed Travis in self-defense.  In her opening statement defense lawyer Jennifer Willmott told the jury,  “Jodi had to make a choice. She would either live or she would die.” 

Arias testified in her own defense—a marathon 18 days on the witness stand.  She told the jury that Alexander demeaned and sometimes abused her throughout their relationship.  She testified that the day she killed him started off with sex play—each photographed the other—but ended in violence when she dropped his camera—and, she claimed, he attacked her.

Her testimony: “He lunged at me and we fell…. And I got up and he's just screaming angry and after I broke away from him he said [I’ll] ‘f------ kill you, bitch.’”

She tearfully testified that she had no memory of stabbing Travis. 

Arias’s sensational testimony made this case a TV and Internet event.  A Twitter handle in her name, @JodiAnnArias, run by a friend had more than 35,000 followers at last count.

But only 12 people ultimately matter… The jurors who will decide her fate.  Today, in closing arguments, prosecutor Juan Martinez told them: “This individual, the defendant, Jodi Ann Arias, killed Travis Alexander.... . Even after slashing his throat from ear-to-ear, none of you will convict her. Taking a gun, shooting him in the face. Absolutely none of it was her fault. It`s Travis Alexander`s misfortune. Everybody else is wrong."

“She scammed him. Are you going to allow her to scam you?.”

The defense is expected to present closing arguments on Friday. The jury will consider a wide range of possible verdicts, including first-degree murder, second-degree murder, manslaughter, and not guilty.  If Arias is convicted of first-degree murder, the jury will also have to decide whether she deserves the death penalty.

Dateline has been covering the Jodi Arias trial from the start.  After the verdict, watch for an hour-long report on the case, with new interviews and new information you won’t see anywhere else.

Related content:

• Jodi Arias' 18 days on witness stand could save her life: experts

   

To learn more about how you can help victims of the Boston Marathon bombing as featured in the Dateline report The Hunt for Answers from Wednesday, April 24th, please visit the following websites:

The One Fund

The Jacqui, Paul, and JP Recovery Fund

Let’s say you’re asked to write a recipe for the most sensational murder trial of the year. It might go something like this:

One charismatic victim.

One smart, sexy defendant.

A dash of religion. A large dollop of sex. Dozens of graphic photos. An unspeakable act of violence.

Stir the ingredients well with a hyper-aggressive prosecutor, and spread all over cable TV and the World Wide Web.

That’s the Jodi Arias trial. It started in January and has been grabbing eyeballs by the millions ever since. In case yours haven’t been among them, here are the basics.

In 2008, a handsome young man named Travis Alexander was found dead in his Mesa, Arizona, home. Not just dead — brutalized. Travis had been shot in the face and stabbed more than 20 times. His throat had been cut. Whoever killed him had dragged his body into a shower stall, ditched the weapons and fled.

Travis was by all accounts a great guy. He’d had a tough childhood. His parents were drug addicts. Sometimes there was no electricity, no food to eat. Travis might have been headed for trouble, but as a teenager he found the Church of Latter Day Saints — the Mormons. He came to see his life’s obstacles as steppingstones to success. He became a top insurance salesman, using his own hard-luck story to woo clients. He earned good money and liked a good time. He also liked women, and dated quite a few, according to his friends. But the LDS church prohibits premarital sex, and Travis had vowed to stay celibate until he found the right woman and settled down.

As it turned out, Travis’s vow of celibacy was no match for Jodi Arias.

A picture of their relationship emerges from court documents, trial testimony and interviews with friends.

Jodi grew up in small towns in California – the kind that aren’t so quaint. Last on the list Yreka, where she worked in her parents’ diner. Jodi dreamed of bigger things and, with her brains, looks and charm, had the tools to get what she wanted.

Tom Tingle / Pool via AP

Jodi Arias answers written questions from the jury on March 7 during her murder trial in Maricopa County Superior Court in Phoenix.

Jodi became Travis’ secret lover.

Outwardly, they were dating, but chaste. Jodi even converted to Mormonism. But in private, Jodi and Travis acted out kinky sex fantasies. Their double lives took a toll. They broke up, got back together, broke up again. Travis told friends Jodi was stalking him. Yet he still slept with her too — and also paid her to clean his house.

When Travis was killed, Jodi quickly became the prime suspect. At first she told police she was nowhere near Travis’s home at the time. Then police found a camera loaded with snapshots. The pictures proved Jodi and Travis had sex the day he died. And one photo — taken apparently by accident — seemed to show Jodi’s pant leg, along with Travis bleeding on the floor.

Jodi suddenly changed her story, telling police that home invaders killed Travis, but for some reason spared her. She stuck to that story until her trial, when suddenly she changed it again. Her latest version: Travis was abusive, and she killed him in self-defense.

In a marathon 19 days on the witness stand, Jodi seemed to remember every demeaning sex act she said Travis made her perform — but tearfully claimed not to remember killing him.

Prosecutor Juan Martinez’s withering cross-examination made him an instant Internet superstar.

"Ma'am, were you crying when you were shooting him?"

"I don't remember.”

"Were you crying when you were stabbing him?"

"I don't remember."

"How about when you cut his throat, were you crying then?"

But at times, Arias gave as good as she got.

“You seem to be having problems with your memory …. What factors influence your having a memory problem?"

"Usually when men like you are screaming at me or grilling me, or someone like Travis is doing the same.”

The defense rested last week, and prosecutor Martinez began calling rebuttal witnesses to try to undermine Arias’ claims of abuse. The jury could get the case later this month. Dateline has been covering the case from the beginning, and we’re working on a special, hour-long report, complete with new interviews, new information, and a behind the scenes look at a trial unlike anything you’ve seen before.

New details surrounding the Boston Marathon bombings. The inside story of the manhunt, capture and investigation told by those who lived it. Plus, who exactly were the alleged bombers and what was their motivation? Lester Holt reports a special Dateline report on Wednesday, April 24th, at 8pm/7c.

Last May, we brought you a story – "Secrets in the Suburbs" – that began with a wife and mother of two found strangled to death in her Mercedes SUV in a seedy Detroit alley. Her husband, an immediate person of interest, turned out to be much more than the Rotarian and dutiful man of the house he portrayed himself to be.

Bob Bashara, from the affluent Detroit suburb of Grosse Pointe Park, was also known, at least in the S&M community, as Master Bob, who reportedly had his own sex dungeon and sex slaves. But, in the last interview he's done, Bashara denied to Dateline's Dennis Murphy that he ever harmed his wife, though he admitted he’d been unfaithful.

But here's another twist: In our story, Bashara's handyman, admitted to police that he killed Jane Bashara but he did it under orders from Bashara, Master Bob. The handyman, Joe Gentz, was arrested and charged with murder and conspiracy, meaning police believed someone else was involved.

And since our story aired, the case has only gotten stranger:

• Last June, Bashara was arrested and charged with solicitation to commit murder. He tried to put a hit on the handyman in prison.
• In October, Bashara pleaded guilty to the solicitation charge and was sentenced to 80 months to 20 years in prison.
• February, 2013: Gentz the handyman pleaded guilty to second-degree murder, telling the court that Bashara offered him money to kill his wife. Gentz was sentenced to 17 to 28 years for Jane Bashara's homicide.

Then, just this week, Bob Bashara was charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife. He is expected to stand trial for murder and five other charges, including conspiracy, witness intimidation and obstruction of justice. His attorney, Mark Kriger, said: “It’s been my practice, and it continues to be my practice, not to comment on pending cases. But Bob Bashara has steadfastly maintained, and continues to maintain, he had nothing to do with the death of his wife.”  

... Stay tuned.

NBC's 'Green is Universal' initiative is focused on bringing an environmental perspective to everything we do, informing and entertaining our audiences while driving more sustainable practices into our own operations.

This year, we're kicking off our “Share and Tell” Earth Week campaign.  We’ve partnered with yerdle, a new online platform that helps you share stuff with your friends.  Find out more about how you can enter to win cool items that our shows and stars are sharing with you here.

Or get involved in the various ways below!

• Text 'GREEN' to 46833 for green tips during Earth Week
• Download the free 'One Small Act' app to track small changes that help our environment 
• Join the 'Green is Universal' Facebook page 
• Follow 'Green is Universal' on Twitter
  
• Visit the 'Green is Universal' website

Linda Sohus disappeared in 1985 and was never heard from again except for these postcards that friends and family received months later.   Some friends thought they were suspicious because they said so little.

Dateline NBC

Jon-Adrian "J.J." Velazquez, in his cell at New York's Sing-Sing prison in 2011.

The Manhattan district attorney will not reverse the conviction of a New York City man found guilty of killing a retired police officer during a botched 1998 robbery in Harlem, saying its re-investigation of the high-profile case found no evidence to warrant tossing the verdict. Defense attorneys called the decision “unjust” and a “tragedy” and vowed to continue their fight to free the man.

Jon-Adrian “J.J.” Velazquez was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 25 years to life for the shooting death of Albert Ward at the illegal numbers parlor the former NYPD officer operated.

Velazquez, who said he was at home speaking on the phone with his mother at the time of the robbery, has always maintained his innocence. His case and new information suggesting he may have been wrongfully convicted were the focus of a “Dateline NBC” investigation last year and his innocence has been championed by actor Martin Sheen.

The decision comes after an 18-month re-investigation, and is the highest-profile case yet handled by the Manhattan DA’s conviction integrity unit, which was created in 2010.

Robert Gottlieb, one of Velazquez’s lawyers, called the decision misguided and said there was never an “honest investigation.”

“We are outraged and furious by the claim of the district attorney that there was a reinvestigation,” he said. “The truth is the so-called reinvestigation was a joke and a farce.”  Gottlieb, a member of Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance’s transition team in 2010, added, “The conviction integrity unit is nothing more than a conviction protection racket.”

Erin Duggan, chief spokeswoman for the DA, defended the review.

The DA’s Conviction Integrity Program “voluntarily undertook an extensive reinvestigation of the Velazquez case that included interviewing many witnesses and conducting an in-depth review of documentary and physical evidence from a range of sources,” she said in a statement.

The crime at the center of the case occurred on Jan. 27, 1998. About half a dozen people, nearly all drug users or dealers, according to trial testimony, were inside the gambling parlor when two men came in and announced a robbery.  Witnesses told police that one of the men had a gun; the other started binding people with duct tape.  A struggle ensued and Ward, the former cop, was shot once in the head.  

The Manhattan DA’s office has been looking into the case since October 2011 at the request of Velazquez’s attorneys, who this week received a 16-page letter from the DA informing them of its conclusion. The letter was reviewed by NBC News.

“After this lengthy reinvestigation, we have not found evidence sufficient to demonstrate that Mr. Velazquez is innocent, as he claims, of the crimes for which he was tried and convicted,” said Duggan, the DA’s spokeswoman. “The reinvestigation also did not uncover any constitutional infirmity in the pretrial proceedings or the trial itself. Having considered the totality of the evidence from the trial and proffered by Mr. Velazquez’s counsel, and the finding of guilt by a jury that had a full opportunity to weigh the testimony of all of the witnesses, the office cannot consent to vacate the defendant’s conviction.”

Velazquez’s defense team initially provided conviction integrity investigators with accounts from two witnesses who they say recanted their identification of Velazquez as the gunman. They later also told them about two witnesses who came forward in 2012 with information about a man named “Mustafa,” who had allegedly confessed to the crime, according to Gottlieb

But Gottlieb, who was present during the questioning of the witness, said the DA’s investigators aggressively interrogated the witnesses and ultimately discounted their accounts.

 “Our witnesses who had the courage to come forward were treated like criminals when they agreed and did speak to the district attorney,” Gottlieb said.

Gottlieb also says investigators did not re-interview Velzaquez’s mother, Maria, or Vanessa Cepero, his then-girlfriend, both of whom swore under oath that Velazquez was at home on the phone at the time of the robbery.

Unanswered questions
According to Gottlieb, other important questions surrounding the case have been left unanswered by the DA’s investigation, including: 

• Why initial descriptions of the gunman bear no resemblance to Velazquez?
• What, if any, relationship exists between Velazquez and Derry Daniels, a career criminal who pleaded guilty to acting as Velazquez’s accomplice in the attempted robbery? Velazquez told NBC News he has never known or met Daniels, and the DA’s letter acknowledges there is no evidence linking the men. Daniels, who spent 10 years in prison and is now free, did not cooperate with either DA or defense investigators.
• Why don’t investigators believe the key witness, Augustus Brown, who was the first to identify Velazquez as the gunman but later recanted? Brown now says he picked Velazquez’s photo  randomly from the hundreds of photos police showed him.
• What evidence exists to rule out other possible suspects identified by defense attorneys? The DA said in its letter that it investigated the leads about “Mustafa,” but did not detail what led to the conclusion they were not valid.

Gottlieb said his office will now file a court motion to vacate Velazquez’s conviction, meaning a judge will ultimately make the final decision whether or not the conviction would stand.

Questions about Velazquez’s involvement in the shooting arose even before his conviction.

Courtesy of Maria Velazquez

Jon-Adrian Velazquez with Vanessa Cepero, his then-girlfriend, and two sons shortly before he was arrested in 1998.

According to police records, within hours of the murder, all witnesses gave police similar descriptions of the gunman as “a light-skinned black male,” with “dreadlocks” or “cornrows.” The shooter’s accomplice was described in police reports as a “dark-skinned black male.” At the precinct, witnesses were shown books with hundreds of mug shots.  Records show that none recognized the gunman, but one identified Daniels as the accomplice. Daniels was arrested and eventually pleaded guilty to first degree robbery.

A sketch of the gunman was plastered all over Harlem. Police files show tips came in, and one name kept popping up:  “Mustafa,” who several tipsters said was a drug dealer with dreadlocks who fit description of the shooter.  According to NYPD reports, “Mustafa” was the “prime suspect.”

Dateline NBC

The "wanted" poster distributed by police immediate after the Jan. 27, 1998, slaying of former NYPD Officer Albert Ward.

While carrying out a city-wide search for “Mustafa,” police also sought two witnesses who fled the scene:  Augustus Brown, the heroin dealer, and a heroin addict named Lorenzo Woodford, according to the reports.  They found Woodford first, who also described the shooter as a “black male” with “cornrows.”  Then, Woodford told the cops where they could find his drug dealer, Brown.  

Detectives picked up Brown, who told them the shooter was “a light-skinned black male” with “jet black curly hair.”  Then, police reports show, that Brown looked at more than 1,800 photographs over nearly eight hours before saying, “That’s the guy, but his eyes look different in the picture.”

Police immediately began searching for the man whose photo was picked out by Brown: then-22-year-old Jon-Adrian Velazquez, a Hispanic man who had never wore his hair in dreadlocks, records show. And the active search for the previous suspect, “Mustafa,” ended.

Months earlier, Velazquez had been arrested for drug possession, according to police records – and while he was never convicted of that or any other crime, police had his mug shot in their files.

When Velazquez heard police were looking for him, he turned himself in, saying he had no knowledge of the crime, and volunteered to appear in a line-up, the records show. There was no physical or forensic evidence linking Velazquez to the crime."

In addition to Brown, two other witnesses – brothers with criminal and drug histories -- picked Velazquez out, and he was arrested for murder.  At his trial, Velazquez, his mother and then-girlfriend all testified he was at home in the Bronx, on the phone with his mother during the robbery, and produced phone records in an attempt to prove it. But the jury, which didn't hear about "Mustafa,"  didn’t buy it, and Velazquez was sent away for 25 years to life.

Last year, NBC’s “Dateline” reported that at least two of the witnesses who identified Velazquez had recanted.

Related stories:

Witness error: How mind tricks can put the innocent behind bars

Conviction: A reporter's 10-year quest for answers in little-known murder case

Brown, the witness who first identified Velazquez, told NBC News that when he was brought in by police to look at photos, he had 10 bags of heroin in his possession. He also said that police pressured him to make an identification. Only after he picked someone at random – who turned out to be Velazquez -- was he allowed to leave the precinct station, he said, adding that he was allowed to take the drugs with him.

A second witness, who had identified Velazquez in court, also recanted last year, telling NBC News, “I told police that this was the guy and I was sure, but this was not the truth.”  The witness, who was facing a drug charge of his own at the time, said, “I felt pressured because the police were threatening to arrest me.”

In its letter to Velazquez’s lawyers, the DA’s office said it had re-interviewed Brown, who “unequivocally” stood by his recantation. But that alone was insufficient to reverse Velazquez’s conviction.

The second witness, however, "has withdrawn his recantation, and we will likely never fully understand the reasons for his varied statements,” the letter said. 

Gottlieb, the attorney for Velazquez, said his client was “’sorely disappointed’, but understood, as we did, where this was going for the past many months. He still believes the truth will set him free.”

Dan Slepian is an investigative producer with "Dateline." Click here to send him an email; Miranda Leitsinger, an NBC News staff writer, contributed to this report.

More from Open Channel:

• How US oil, gas boom could shake up the global order
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Follow Open Channel from NBCNews.com on Twitter and Facebook 

Read the revealing love story and crime plot through these intimate text messages shared between Morgan Mengel and Stephen Shappell.  This web extra is part of the Dateline report Behind Closed Doors from Wednesday, April 3rd.

To learn more about Kevin Mengel Jr., you can visit his memorial page on Facebook.

After a young husband and father of three disappears, social media and text messages help detectives expose a love triangle and a twisted plot. Hoda Kotb reports Dateline: Behind Closed Doors on Wednesday, April 3rd, at 8pm/7c.

By Robert Dean
Producer, Dateline NBC 

We first interviewed Lydia Tillman in May 2012 and even then she had made a remarkable recovery from her horrific injuries. Now less than a year later, Lydia continues to make astonishing strides. She is now working part time, taking yoga classes, driving, traveling and living independently.  She told us that “it’s good to be working again, but at times it’s exhausting and frustrating to be juggling brain injuries and work.”

Lydia continues to undergo speech therapy and her ability to speak fluently with an expanded vocabulary continues to improve at a rate no one ever expected.  She also recently worked with the Arvada, Colorado Police Department and helped them with teaching self-defense classes for women. Lydia says she talked to them about “staying calm in the face of danger and having no fear.”

In May of this year Lydia will undergo major surgery on her jaw that will allow her chew better and eat crunchy foods.   Up to now she has only been able to eat softer foods.

Perhaps most importantly Lydia's indomitable spirit and zest for life endures. Her road to recovery continues to amaze everyone, except of course Lydia who always expected to resume her full and active lifestyle.

For more information on Lydia, you can visit her Facebook page 'Friends of Lydia'.

...

Watch Lydia's full story from the original Dateline report 'Deadly Connection' below:

Think you've seen Jason Derek Brown, as featured in the Dateline NBC report on the FBI's 'Most Wanted' from Sunday, March 24th?

Please visit the FBI website to submit any tips or dial  1-800-CALL FBI  (1-800-225-5324)

Read the abstract below from a 2012 of the effects of BPA on mice by Emilie Rissman and others:

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a plasticizer and an endocrine-disrupting chemical. It is present in a variety of products used daily including food containers, paper, and dental sealants and is now widely detected in human urine and blood. Exposure to BPA during development may affect brain organization and behavior, perhaps as a consequence of its actions as a steroid hormone agonist/antagonist and/or an epigenetic modifier. Here we show that BPA produces transgenerational alterations in genes and behavior. Female mice received phytoestrogen-free chow with or without BPA before mating and throughout gestation. Plasma levels of BPA in supplemented dams were in a range similar to those measured in humans. Juveniles in the first generation exposed to BPA in utero displayed fewer social interactions as compared with control mice, whereas in later generations (F₂ and F₄), the effect of BPA was to increase these social interactions. Brains from embryos (embryonic d 18.5) exposed to BPA had lower gene transcript levels for several estrogen receptors, oxytocin, and vasopressin as compared with controls; decreased vasopressin mRNA persisted into the F₄ generation, at which time oxytocin was also reduced but only in males. Thus, exposure to a low dose of BPA, only during gestation, has immediate and long-lasting, transgenerational effects on mRNA in brain and social behaviors. Heritable effects of an endocrine-disrupting chemical have implications for complex neurological diseases and highlight the importance of considering gene-environment interactions in the etiology of complex disease.

For the full study, please visit Endocrinology (from the Endocrine Society) 

Check out these three key tips for protecting your identity and accounts online.  

1)  Security Questions

The answers to your security questions may be easily found online.  Mat Honan explains why and offers some steps you can take to make them more secure. 

2)  'Two Factor Authentication'

One of the best ways to protect yourself and your data is to use two factor authentication whenever a site offers it.  Mat Honan explains how it works.

3) Too Common Passwords         

Be sure none of your passwords makes this list of the most common passwords for 2012.  Having such easy and guessable passwords leaves you vulnerable to a hack.

Read the following industry responses to Dateline NBC:

General Mills:

General Mills is actively pursuing alternatives that do not incorporate BPA - and may have been the first major company to transition to a non-BPA alternative across an entire national line of business (Muir Glen tomatoes).

That said, there is no food safety issue - and food safety agencies around the world continue to support the safety of BPA.  The U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the European Food Safety Authority have consistently affirmed that BPA is safe.  Health Canada addressed this question again recently, saying:  "Based on the overall weight of the evidence, the findings of the previous assessment remain unchanged and Health Canada's Food Directorate continues to conclude that current dietary exposure to BPA through food packaging uses is not expected to pose a health risk to the general population, including newborns and young children."

A 2011 study (see below) funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency with support from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, shows that within 24 hours nearly 100 percent of ingested BPA is excreted by the body through urine.  If measured, the same would undoubtedly be true of the very low levels noted in the NBC report.

Still, we know that some consumers may prefer such alternatives, and General Mills has said that it would expect the entire industry to transition to alternatives that do not incorporate BPA as soon as viable alternatives are identified.

Dr. John M. Rost, Chairman, North American Metal Packaging Alliance

The North American Metal Packaging Alliance, Inc. (NAMPA) was founded in 1993 as The Inter-Industry Group for Light Metal Packaging. Its membership represents the food and beverage packaging industry.

Based on my personal experience as someone who has worked in the can manufacturing industry for 16 years, I know that epoxy resin coatings provide the best performance in protecting the food products. As a scientist, I am confident in the evaluations by FDA and food safety agencies worldwide that have confirmed BPA is safe to use in food packaging, and as a father of five, I am proud to include canned foods and beverages as part of the healthy and delicious meals served to my family every day.

NAMPA members welcome the findings from Dateline NBC’s recent experiment that once again demonstrate people’s exposure to BPA from canned foods and beverages is extremely small. The data from this limited Dateline NBC study confirm the observed pattern seen in other studies, including a recent research program that looked at urine as well as blood levels of more than 25,000 people in 19 countries, where the BPA levels observed were too low to affect the human body. The results of these studies provide further reassurance to consumers about how effective the human body is at quickly and efficiently processing and eliminating BPA from the body through urine.

The safety of metal packaged foods is of paramount importance to the canned food industry.The current best technology to protect that food utilizes BPA-based coatings to line the inside of the metal packaging. This technology allows for high temperature heat sterilization that ensures that the food is safe for consumers. In fact, according to FDA’s own records, there has not been a food-borne illness case from the failure of metal packaging in more than 37 years, which translates into trillions of cans.

BPA’s use in food packaging has been evaluated by numerous expert regulatory bodies around the world. As recently as January 30, 2013, FDA reiterated its position stating that ‘…the weight of the current research and evidence support the safety of BPA for use in food containers or packaging.’ This opinion, as well as those of Health Canada, the European Food Safety Authority, and food regulatory agencies in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand, should give consumers confidence in the safety of canned foods and beverages.

The can manufacturing industry has used BPA-epoxy resins safely for 60 years and history has shown that these coatings provide the best performance in protecting the food products for consumers. We are confident in the evaluations by FDA and food safety agencies worldwide that have confirmed BPA is safe to use in food packaging and take pride in making canned foods a central part of feeding our own families nutritious, economical, and above all, safe, meals. 

ConAgra

Given we were not involved in this test, we’re not in a position to comment on any specific findings you shared.  That very low levels of BPA found in the urine of people can be influenced by diet is not new information – there have been a number of reports to that effect published in scientific and lay literature. Regulatory agencies are aware of this information and, based upon the available scientific information, have concluded that BPA is safe for use in food packaging. In particular, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the European Food Safety Authority, the World Health Organization, the Japanese National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and Health Canada have all found that BPA is safe for use in food packaging applications.  And, in January of 2011 and September of 2012, the U.S. FDA and Health Canada, respectively, affirmed these assessments and once again found that foods in cans with linings that utilize BPA are safe.

BPA has been used for over 40 years to further ensure the safety and quality of food and beverages, including as a protective coatings for cans and the metal closures for glass jars. Can linings are necessary to protect public health.  Without them, interaction between the metal and the can contents over time eventually leads to corrosion and contamination of the food from dissolved metals and possible microorganisms.

Ensuring the safety of our products – and maintaining the confidence of consumers – is of great importance to us.  Product safety is the foundation of consumer trust, and we are committed to ensuring our products are safe. 

Del Monte 

Del Monte Foods’ top priority is the quality and safety of our products. For more than 40 years, BPA has been approved by the FDA – as well as other global regulatory agencies – for use in food contact applications, and can coatings containing BPA have played an essential part in food preservation.

Currently, the can linings of a majority of our canned food products contain trace amount of BPA. Del Monte is constantly evolving to meet the needs and preferences of our consumers. In response to growing consumer and customer preference, we are working closely with can manufacturers and suppliers to explore BPA-free can lining alternatives. In fact, we have already transitioned to BPA-free linings for some of our tomato, vegetable and fruit products where the new linings have been proven safe and effective.

Given the critical safety role that can linings play, any replacement for BPA must first pass rigorous safety and quality testing before we will accept it for use in our products.

The American Chemistry Council

ACC is America’s oldest trade association of its kind, representing companies engaged in the business of chemistry—an innovative, $760 billion enterprise that is helping solve the biggest challenges facing our nation and the world.

We want to provide you with the following points about the lab tests you shared with us on BPA exposures:

• For the adult participant (NBC News' Andrea Canning), the urinary BPA values throughout the test are low and all are within the normal range reported in population scale studies conducted by CDC.
• Although precise intakes cannot be calculated from urine spot samples, the range of values reported indicate that BPA intake throughout the test, including the so-called “pile-on” period is more than 500 times below the safe intake limit established by government bodies such as EFSA.
• The single values reported for the three children are all lower than most of the adult values and indicate that BPA intakes for the children are all very low, likely more than 1000 times below the safe intake limit established by EFSA.

Also, in case you find it helpful we wanted to provide some information regarding the study conducted in Dr. Rissman’s lab.  That study tested a single dose of BPA that is roughly 10,000 times higher than typical human exposure -- extremely high doses, as opposed to the Teeguarten study which tested doses similar to real-life exposures in humans. The relevance of Dr. Rissman’s findings to human health is unclear.

As to the lab results you shared on Andrea’s exposures to a few phthalates, all the levels of exposure are well-below established safe limits as set by the government.  During the time Andrea subjected herself to the “cleansing” phase, the levels of exposures fell even lower, so one could draw the conclusion the levels that are of no concern at the beginning were even lower during the cleansing phase.

Government Reviews of Scientific Evidence

“To assess the safety of a chemical’s use, government scientists look to the full weight of all the scientific evidence, not to any one, small sample-sized study.

 “We understand it can be concerning to hear that we have traceable, miniscule exposures to chemicals from our daily lives, and that is why it is important for consumers to know that government scientists around the world review the full weight of scientific evidence when making regulatory decisions about the safe exposure levels to chemicals. As CDC explains, exposure does not equal harm.”

Weight of Scientific Evidence on BPA “Government scientific bodies around the world have come to the consensus that the scientific evidence supports the safety of BPA in food contact materials and other consumer products. These bodies include: the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Japanese National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and the World Health Organization.”

Endocrine activity and BPA

“Most relevant to actual, real-world safety of BPA is the recent, robust research funded by the EPA and conducted by scientists at the government’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Food and Drug Administration. Consistent with previous human and animal studies, the Teeguarden et al. study indicates that, because of the way BPA is processed in the body, it is very unlikely that BPA could cause health effects at any realistic exposure level. Based on the study’s results, BPA human exposure levels are so low, “people’s exposure may be many times too low for BPA to effectively mimic estrogen in the human body.”

 Phthalates

“Phthalates have established a very strong safety profile during the 50 years in which they have been in general use and there is no reliable evidence that any phthalate has ever caused a health problem for a human from its intended use.  A vast body of scientific evidence shows us that phthalates break down within minutes and are quickly eliminated from the body. Scientists have now developed very sensitive tests that can find a millionth of a gram or even less of a chemical or its metabolites in blood or urine. As CDC explains in great detail, exposure does not equal harm.”

Colgate Palmolive 

We call your attention to the response provided to Dateline by American Cleaning Institute Feb 15 that provided comment on this topic and highlighted some potential issues with your report.

If you plan to make reference to Colgate Total, we hope you will include these facts: Colgate Total is the only toothpaste that has undergone the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s rigorous review process and the only toothpaste that is both approved by the FDA and accepted by the American Dental Association as safe and effective. The safety and effectiveness of Colgate Total is supported by more than 80 scientific studies involving 19,000 people, including a five-year clinical study completed in 2012.

Coca-Cola Company

Our top priority is to ensure the safety and quality of our products and packaging through rigorous standards that meet or exceed government requirements.  If we had any concerns about the safety of our packaging, we would not use it.

While we are very aware of the highly publicized concerns and viewpoints that have been expressed about BPA, our point of view is that the scientific consensus on this issue is most accurately reflected in the opinions expressed by those regulatory agencies whose missions and responsibilities are to protect the public’s health.

The consensus repeatedly stated among regulatory agencies in Australia, Canada, Europe, Germany, Japan, New Zealand and the United States is that current levels of exposure to BPA through food and beverage packaging do not pose a health risk to the general population.

Our Company will continue to take our guidance on this issue from national and international regulatory authorities, and we will take whatever steps are necessary, based on sound scientific principles, to ensure that any package technology is safe for our consumers.

U.S. Food and Drug Administration

FDA’s assessment is that the scientific evidence at this time does not suggest that the very low levels of human exposure to BPA, phthalates or triclosan are unsafe.  FDA is actively engaged in the scientific and regulatory review of all of these chemicals and has determined that BPA and phthalates are safe as currently used in FDA-regulated products. In addition, FDA is currently reviewing the safety of products containing triclosan. FDA will take appropriate action if scientifically valid information indicates that any of these chemicals are not safe as used in FDA-regulated products.

It is important to understand that the presence of these chemicals in urine does not necessarily translate into an adverse effect on the body.  For example, scientific studies find that BPA is rapidly metabolized and excreted in urine, and therefore its presence in urine does not mean that BPA remains in the body after ingestion.

Additional Background:

We urge Dateline to explain to their viewers that detecting a chemical in urine is only part of the story and does not fully address potential human health effects.  Dateline should clearly communicate this to their viewers to avoid misunderstandings that are not supported by the science.

BPA is found in certain food packaging materials and certain other consumer goods (e.g., compact disks). 

Phthalates are a group of chemicals that can be found in FDA-regulated products, such as certain food packaging and cosmetic products, as well as other consumer products that are regulated by other agencies. FDA’s monitoring of cosmetics on the market indicates that with the exception of diethylphthalate (DEP), phthalates are no longer commonly used as cosmetic ingredients. FDA has reviewed the safety and toxicity data for phthalates from a variety of sources, including the National Toxicology Program and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and these data have not established an association between health effects and the use of phthalates in cosmetic products.

Triclosan is an ingredient found in certain FDA-regulated products, including toothpaste, antiseptic soaps, and cosmetics. A close examination of emerging science that suggests potential new public health concerns, as well as changes in patterns of use for antiseptic products, have lead FDA to engage in a scientific and regulatory review of this ingredient. At this time, FDA does not have evidence demonstrating that the use of triclosan in FDA-regulated products should be restricted or banned.

American Cleaning Institute

The American Cleaning Institute® (ACI - formerly The Soap and Detergent Association) is the Home of the U.S. Cleaning Products Industry® and represents the $30 billion U.S. cleaning products market.  ACI  members include the formulators of soaps, detergents, and general cleaning products used in household, commercial, industrial and institutional settings; companies that supply ingredients and finished packaging for these products; and oleochemical producers.  ACI (www.cleaninginstitute.org) and its members are dedicated to improving health and the quality of life through sustainable cleaning products and practices

FOR RELEASE – February 15, 2013

American Cleaning Institute Response – Dateline NBC segment on Triclosan

Antibacterial ingredients, including triclosan, used in over-the-counter products like antibacterial soap are regulated under the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Tentative Final Monograph for Over-the-Counter Healthcare Antiseptic Drug Products.

FDA also has in its hands scientific data showing a distinct germ killing benefit of antibacterial soaps containing triclosan.

Additionally, agencies in the U.S. and abroad have affirmed the safety of triclosan. 

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) completed a very thorough review of the ingredient in a 2008 regulatory decision that formally re-registered triclosan for its use in EPA-regulated products. 

Assessments of the potential impacts of triclosan on human health demonstrate that the use of triclosan in various products does not increase risks of harm, including for infants, children, and workers.

A 2012 preliminary screening assessment of triclosan by Health Canada and Environment Canada reiterated that triclosan-containing products are safe for consumers to use.

It’s regrettable that Dateline is relying upon test procedures set-up by activists who rely on junk science and publicity stunts to try and scare consumers about a safe and beneficial ingredient. The gimmicks that the representatives of Environmental Defence Canada present have been discredited by research experts in their own country (http://www.nationalpost.com/opinion/columnists/story.html?id=cd7425d1-0501-40f7-a885-9910cd654a32&p=2).

In 2012, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued a triclosan fact sheet summarizing findings of its national biomonitoring report, that said “finding measurable amounts of triclosan in urine does not mean that the levels of triclosan cause an adverse health effect.” (http://www.cdc.gov/biomonitoring/Triclosan_FactSheet.html). 

Triclosan has been – and continues to be – one of the most researched and reviewed healthcare and consumer product ingredients.  It is used safely and effectively as a part of common sense hygiene routines in homes, hospitals, doctors’ offices, day care centers, nursing homes, and countless other office and institutional settings.

Antibacterial products and their ingredients have stood the test of time through extensive research and testing. It’s unfortunate that attempts are made to distort the safety of these products and ingredients contributing to better health.

Campbell’s

Dateline admits in the explanation of this exercise, “we cannot say with certainty what caused the presence of those chemicals in their systems”. 

Also, your note advised that your information suggests that while Campbell’s may phase out BPA in cans in the future, that phase out has not yet begun. We’d like to correct your statement, as the phase out has begun.  We have already started using alternatives to BPA coatings for some of our metal packaging and have millions of cans in market with BPA alternatives in the lining. And we’re working to phase out the use of BPA in the linings of all of our canned products.

Just as a last point, Dateline’s reporting focuses on V8 vegetable juice consumed from a metal can.  All of our packaging is safe.  If you use a product photo please make sure it is the one that was consumed because, for consumers who want choices, we have a range of V8 products in bottles and juice boxes (aseptic cartons) that do not use BPA-based coatings.

 Our position on BPA:

BPA is widely used in metal food packaging to help preserve and protect food and maintain its nutritional value and quality. We believe that current can packaging is one of the safest options in the world. In fact, every regulatory body in the world has affirmed the safety of BPA in the levels found in canned food packaging.  Campbell has been following the conversation about BPA, and we recognize that there is ongoing debate about its use. The trust we’ve earned from consumers for over 140 years is paramount to us.  Because of this, we have already started to phase out the use of BPA in the linings of our canned products.

These statements to Dateline NBC from First Alert and Kidde is part of the Dateline report on smoke detectors from Sunday, March 24th, at 7pm/6c.

Statement from First Alert on part 1 of Dateline NBC's report on smoke detectors 

September 14, 2012

Fire experts from the National Fire Protection Association, the National Institute of Standards, Underwriters Laboratories, and the U.S. Consumer Products Safety Commission – based on extensive testing – have concluded that either photoelectric or ionization technology provides adequate escape time in most fires.  Because different technologies are more sensitive to different types of smoke particles, for maximum protection, First Alert and fire experts recommend that you use both photoelectric and ionization smoke alarms – or dual sensor smoke alarms –on every level or the cost of dual alarms.  IN that event, either technology provides adequate time to escape in most fires.

FIrst Alert products are subject to rigorous internal testing on a frequent basis.  We also meet or exceed standards set by the American national Standards Institute (ANSI) / Underwriters Laboratories.  The ANSI/UL's standards result from stringent, independent testing and input from various interest parties, including fire services and governmental agencies.  That testing – and the resulting standards – are what consumers should look to in judging product quality.

FIrst Alert, along with the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) and fire services around the country, strongly recommend the following:

• Every home should have a smoke alarm on every level of the home and every bedroom to provide the earliest possible warning
• Batteries in smoke alarms should be checked every month and replaced at least every six months
• Smoke alarms should be replaced entirely at least every ten years
• Keep fire extinguishers in the kitchen and other locations throughout the home
• Every family should have an escape plan and practice it once a year

If your alarm sound, leave the residence immediately.  Do no re-enter until fire officials say it is safe.

Statement from First Alert on part 2 of Dateline NBC's report on smoke detectors 

March 6, 2013

First Alert smoke alarms meet or exceed ANSI / UL standards, including the ANSI / UL standards dealing with alarm sound levels. First Alert manufactures and markets a wide variety of smoke alarms including alarms with voice and location capability.

The National Fire Protection Association credits smoke alarms with helping reduce fire-related fatalities in the U.S. by over one-third in the last ten years. Having a properly installed and working smoke alarm in your home increases your family’s chance of safely escaping a fire by up to fifty percent.

• Because smoke alarms may not awaken all individuals, BRK Brands, Inc., the makers of First Alert smoke alarms, recommends:
• Install smoke alarms on each level and in each bedroom of your home.
• Replace the batteries every six months and test your alarm weekly to make sure it is working properly.
• Plan an escape route with your family and practice it at least twice a year
• Allow children to master fire escape plans and practice before holding a fire drill.
• It is recommended that you hold a fire drill while family members are sleeping in order to determine their response to the sound of the smoke alarm while sleeping and to determine whether they may need assistance in the event of an emergency.

If your smoke alarm sounds, follow your family escape route, get out of the house as quickly as possible, and call the fire department. Do not attempt to fight the fire. 

Statement from Kidde on part 1 of Dateline NBC's report on smoke detectors 

Smoke alarms save lives. According to the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA), the number of U.S. home fire deaths has been cut by about half since the mid-1970’s, when smoke alarms first became widely available.  

A fire’s very nature makes it unpredictable.  Because no one can know when a fire will occur or what type of fire they will have in their home, virtually every recognized fire authority and safety expert – including NFPA, the U.S. Fire Administration (USFA), Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Underwriters Laboratories (UL) – recommend having both photoelectric and ionization alarms for optimal protection against flaming and smoldering fires.  Kidde supports and states this recommendation on its packaging, website and in its owner's manuals.

Kidde offers photoelectric and ionization smoke alarms as well as a dual-sensor alarm that combines both technologies in one unit.  All three can be found at home improvement stores and other retailers nationwide, or online.  In addition, every Kidde smoke alarm – regardless of technology - must pass identical tests in order to meet the current smoke alarm performance standard, UL 217.

Knowing the difference between alarm technologies can help consumers to make an educated decision on alarm placement.  However, regardless of technology, a home that does not have enough working smoke alarms is still underprotected.  It is vital that families have working smoke alarms on each floor, outside of sleeping areas and inside each bedroom.  Families must also practice an escape plan, so they know what to do when the alarm sounds.

For more information on smoke alarms and fire safety, visit www.kidde.com. 

Statement from Kidde on part 2 of Dateline NBC's report on smoke detectors 

As the leading manufacturer of residential fire safety products, Kidde reviews industry data, trends and scientific studies in order to advance technology and create solutions to further protect people and property from fire and related hazards. The National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) reports nearly two-thirds of residential fire deaths occur in homes without smoke alarms or no working alarms, mainly due to dead or missing batteries. Prompted by this data and research showing the potential benefits of a long-life sealed-in battery, Kidde introduced the first UL-listed line of sealed-in lithium battery smoke alarms in November 2012. These alarms provide continuous protection for a decade and eliminate the need to replace batteries. 

One version of Kidde’s new Worry-Free alarms contains a pre-recorded voice in addition to the temporal beeping pattern. The alarm is recommended for installation in bedrooms, as research conducted nearly 10 years ago by Dr. Dorothy Bruck at Victoria University in Melbourne, Australia, concluded that using a recorded voice or low pitch signal may be more effective at waking children ages 6 to 15. Kidde has offered a combination smoke/carbon monoxide alarm with a pre-recorded voice [available in hardwire or battery-power] for nearly ten years. The voice clearly states ‘Fire, Fire’ and with a combination alarm also states ‘Warning, carbon monoxide!’ if CO is detected.

Dr. Bruck’s study reviewed parent- and pre-recorded voices. Kidde decided to use a pre-recorded voice as the company believes that a life safety product should be ready for use when it is removed from packaging without requiring additional programming. 

Scientists and researchers at Nationwide Children’s Hospital and other agencies and associations play an invaluable role in keeping America’s families safe. The testing standards to which Kidde’s smoke and carbon monoxide alarms are listed (UL 217, UL 2034) often evolve based on research findings. Kidde continually monitors these and other fire-related studies to identify ways to incorporate these results into its new technology and products. 

In addition, Kidde urges all families to install smoke alarms throughout the home, inside and outside of sleeping areas, and to practice an escape plan so that everyone knows what to do in the event an alarm sounds.

Learn more about smoke alarms and fire escape plans, as part of the Dateline NBC report from Sunday, March 24th, at 7pm/6c.

Smoke Alarms 101 (courtesy of the National Fire Protection Association)

• Have a smoke detector in every bedroom and outside each sleeping area (e.g. hallways) 
• Test smoke detectors monthly 
• Replace detectors every 10 years 

Fire Escape Plans 

• Find two ways out of your house 
• Pick a meeting place outside. 
• Make sure house number can be seen from street 
• Make and practice a fire escape drill 

For more information, please visit the National Fire Protection Association

For fun and useful fire safety tips for chidlren, please visit Sparky.org

The smoke alarm in your home could mean the difference between life and death. But did you know that some alarms may not work fast enough in certain fires to get you to safety? What is really in your everyday household products like shampoo and toothpaste? Have you ever stopped to think about just how much information about you is available online? Dateline investigates and the answers are shocking.

Also on Sunday, Dateline’s Chris Hansen reports on a world-wide FBI manhunt for a most unlikely Top Ten Most Wanted Fugitive, Jason Derek Brown. A one-time Eagle Scout and Mormon missionary, Brown is the primary suspect in a 2004 Phoenix murder 

Photos sent to us by #DatelineTime winners. Want to be included? Tweet your photos to us using the hashtag!

What would you do if you won the lottery? Meet people whose dream of winning the jackpot became a reality. One woman has already lost almost half of her millions; one couple is reluctant to spend any money at all; and another lucky couple has visions of sharing some of the winnings with others. While each of their situations is unique, they all have the same fear: losing it all. “Dateline” asks real estate mogul Donald Trump to share his advice on how to handle their instant fortune wisely.

Natalie Morales reports It Could Happen to You  on Sunday, March 3rd, at 8pm/7c. 

A romance as intense as Jodi Arias and Travis Alexander’s couldn’t possibly last forever. But how did it lead to one of the most-followed murder trials in years? Josh Mankiewicz reports Along Came Jodi on Friday, March 1st, at 8pm/7c.

Olympic track star Oscar Pistorius was famous and adored, but in an instant, everything changed. “Dateline” tells the astonishing story of the murder case against the ‘Blade Runner’ that has shocked the world. Keith Morrison reports new and exclusive details, exploring the public and private lives of both Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp, the girlfriend he shot to death.  Life and Death In the Fast Lane airs Friday, March 1st, at 9pm/8c.