|
A report released by the Pesticide
Action Network North America and Commonweal finds that Americans
can experience up to 70 daily exposures to residues of a class of
toxic chemicals known as persistent organic
pollutants (POPs), including such chemicals as DDT and
dioxin, through their diets.
The report, "Nowhere to Hide: Persistent Toxic Chemicals in
the U.S. Food Supply," analyzes chemical residue data collected
by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and finds persistent
chemical contaminants in ALL food groups.
Exposure to POPs has been linked to serious
diseases and developmental disorders, including:
- Breast and other types of cancer
- Immune system suppression
- Disruption of hormonal systems
In the United States, many of the chemicals responsible for contaminating
the food supply have been banned. However, other countries continue
to manufacture and use the chemicals, and their residues are carried
across the globe by air and water currents and precipitation. "U.S.
consumers have a right to know that chemicals banned in this country
years ago continue to contaminate their food," said Kristin Schafer
of Pesticide Action Network.
The group's evaluation of POP residue data yielded startling findings,
including the following:
- Virtually ALL food products are contaminated with POPs that
have been banned in the U.S., including baked goods, fruit,
vegetables, meat, poultry and dairy products.
- It is not unusual for daily diets to contain food items contaminated
with three to seven POPs.
- A typical holiday dinner menu of 11 food items can deliver thirty-eight
"hits" of exposure to POPs, where a "hit"
is one persistent toxic chemical on one food item.
- The sample daily meal plans used in the study were each found
to deliver between 63 and 70 separate exposures to POPs per day.
The top 10 POPs-contaminated food items, in alphabetical order,
are as follows:
| Butter |
Popcorn |
| Cantaloupe |
Radishes |
| Cucumbers/pickles |
Spinach |
| Meatloaf |
Summer squash |
| Peanuts |
Winter squash |
The two most pervasive POPs found in food are dieldrin
and DDE.
- Dieldrin is a highly persistent
and very toxic organochlorine pesticide banned since the late
1970s.
- DDE is a breakdown product
of DDT, which has been banned in the US since 1972.
The data obtained from the FDA shows that levels of contaminants
in food are often at or near the levels found by the federal government
to cause public health concern. In addition, recent scientific studies
have discovered that exposure to miniscule
levels of POPs at crucial times in fetal and infant development
can disrupt or damage human hormone, reproductive, neurological
and immune systems.
"These chemicals pose clear and present dangers for the
nation's consumers," said report co-author Sharyle Patton
of Commonweal.
CLICK
HERE to view the Pesticide Action Network's "Nowhere
to Hide" report and also browse their website
for lots of excellent information on pesticides or call them at
(415) 981-1771. For more information about the health effects of
POPs, contact Dr. Ted Schettler, MD, MPH, of the Greater
Boston Physicians for Social Responsibility or call them at
(617) 536-7033.
| 