Healing Our World: On the Edge

By Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D.

Still Lazy After All These Years
The Myth of Product Safety

Sometimes this layer of air is full,
full of a fog that is the source
of many destructive and barren creatures,
that destroy and damage the Earth,
rendering it incapable
of sustaining humanity
-- Hildegard of Bingen

Political leaders, state and federal agencies and the courts will often tell us that a pesticide or chemical is safe and approved, even though citizen activists will present mountains of evidence to the contrary.

Where do these people who have been charged with protecting our health and safety get their information? Upon close examination, it becomes clear that when it comes to the approval of chemicals in the United States, the fox is truly guarding the hen house.

Breads may contain potassium bromate (Photos courtesy U.S. Department of Agriculture)

Probably the most deceptive list is the Generally Recognized as Safe or GRAS list. The name alone should make you suspicious.

Created in 1958 by the Food and Drug Administration as part of the revised Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938, the GRAS list started out with about 700 chemicals ranging from food additives to preservatives. This legislation required that the FDA approve all food additives before they are used in food.

But there are two fatal flaws in the way this legislation is implemented. First, the manufacturer of the proposed substance provides safety information to the FDA. In most cases, unless there has been evidence that the substance has been causing problems, the FDA does not conduct any tests of its own. Under current procedures, a manufacturer may simply say that use of a food substance is "generally recognized as safe."

Chemicals are not required to be proven safe before they are allowed on the market. A manufacturer simply has to say it is safe.

The second flaw in the legislation is that it exempts substances that were in use prior to 1958 from testing requirements. Thousands of substances have never undergone testing programs.

Here are some of the food additives on the approved GRAS list. They should be avoided at all times.

Sodium Nitrite, Soldium Nitrate
These preservatives have been linked to cancer in many studies, yet they are used widely to preserve meats.

Saccharin
This sweetener that is 350 times sweeter than sugar has been linked to bladder cancer. Even the FDA tried to ban it, but the powerful diet food industry applied pressure to get it taken off the list of cancer causing substances.

Potassium Bromate
Used to increase the volume of bread in commercial baking, this additive has been linked to cancer. In 1999, the Center for Science in the Public Interest petitioned the FDA to ban potassium bromate. The Food and Drug Administration has urged the bakery industry since the early 1990s to voluntarily quit using potassium bromate, and many bakers have done so. The chemical has been banned in Britain and Canada, and California declared it a carcinogen in 1991.

Red Dye #3
In a 1983 report by the Food and Drug Administration, a link was shown to thyroid tumors in rats. The FDA’s recommendation that the dye be banned was overruled by pressure from the Reagan administration.

Blue Dye #2
Although studies suggested this dye caused brain tumors in mice, the FDA approved it for use in many products including pet food, beverages and candy.

Acesulfame-K
This artificial sweetener is used around the world. Animal tests were poorly conducted, but some suggested a cancer link. The soft drink industry exerts extreme pressure to keep this chemical untested and on the market.

Bacillus Thuringiensis (Bt)
This bacterium is the active part of a bio-pesticide approved for use on organic food crops and is used in aerial spraying programs to combat the gypsy moth and other insect pests. But studies clearly show that spores from this bacillus have made scores of people ill. No long term studies exist on the effects of this bacteria which, in its purified form, can remain in the soil for years.

And the list goes on and on ...

The testing programs of the EPA are just as suspect. They also rely on chemical manufacturers to supply testing information. Scores of chemical pesticides that have been approved for use have been found to be cancer causing over the years. Sadly, the agency waits until people are harmed before embarking on a testing program.

Processed meats contain sodium nitrite and/or sodium nitrate

The myth of product safety must be challenged once and for all. No longer can we allow our governments to take such risks with our health.

If we refuse to buy products containing any ingredients that have not been proven to be safe, we may force agencies to shift their focus from business health to public health. If you are not sure of an ingredient, don’t eat it or use it.

Don't feel comfortable when you hear that something is FDA or EPA approved. In fact, question it more.

RESOURCES

1. There are over 3,000 substances that are “approved” for use in food. See this daunting list at http://vm.cfsan.fda.gov/~dms/eafus.html

2. See a list of additives by the Center for Science in the Public Interest for help in deciding what to avoid at http://www.cspinet.org/reports/chemcuisine.htm

3. Keep track of food issues from the Pure Food Campaign at http://www.purefood.org/index.htm

4. Keep track of organic food issues from the Organic Farmers Marketing Association at http://web.iquest.net/ofma/

5. Earthsave International will help you understand vegetarianism at http://www.earthsave.org/

6. The chemical sweetener aspartame is harming people all over the world. Keep track of this toxic substance from the Aspartame Toxicity Info Center at http://www.holisticmed.com/aspartame/

7. Read about the effects of pesticides on health at http://www.chem-tox.com/

8. Report adverse reactions to products to the FDA. Learn how at http://www.fda.gov/opacom/backgrounders/problem.html

9. Find out who your elected representatives are and e-mail them. Tell them it is time to put public health above business success. If you know your Zip code, you can find them at http://www.visi.com/juan/congress/ziptoit.html or you can search by state at http://www.webslingerz.com/jhoffman/congress-email.html. You can also find your representatives at http://congress.nw.dc.us/innovate/index.html

{Jackie Alan Giuliano, Ph.D. is a writer and the Environmental Education Programs Manger and the Manager of Discovery Park for the City of Seattle Department of Parks and Recreation. He can be found in his new home in Seattle, reading ingredient labels. Please send your thoughts, comments, and visions to him at jackie@healingourworld.com and visit his web site at www.healingourworld.com}