Thursday, October 18, 2012

Europe Worries about Health Hazards of Cheap Food from China

Know where your peanut products come from?  Children fall victim to bad food because too few parents ask that question. Why? Should parents be concerned? 

Peanut/Salmonella and Fungal Meningitis outbreak worry USA, while:  
Europe Worries about Health Hazards of Cheap Food from China

Many Germans only realized how much of the food on their plates is harvested and produced in China when thousands of schoolchildren in eastern Germany were afflicted with diarrhea and vomiting two weeks ago in an epidemic thought to have been triggered by Chinese strawberries contaminated with norovirus.
Read more: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/europe-worries-about-health-hazards-of-cheap-food-from-china-a-861406.html

Children are more likely to be poisoned and injured more severely by bad food, food additives, and food products because of their size and that they eat more per pound than adults.  For infants and young children the cost of bad food may result in permanent injuries and death.  As the above article illustrates, imported food can be tainted with laced with dangerous levels of pesticides, fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics, and foreign and toxic chemicals. 

How can parents tell if food or food served by eateries are safe for their children?  Should they be informed if the food came from countries, like China, known to export tainted food?   Zhou notes in the article above
that farmers used to eat the same foods they sold. But now that they are aware of the harmful effects of pesticides, fertilizers, hormones and antibiotics, they still produce a portion of their farm products for the market and a portion for their own families.
Some thoughts for discussion:
  • The cost of food is ever escalating.  Parents are increasingly turning to cheaper food or eating in cheaper eateries to feed their family.  But is the cost savings worth the price of injury or killing our children? 
  • Consumers, including parents, and restaurant owners do not know where the food was grown or farmed.  When questioned, they may look on the label, but sometimes after having served the food to children.  What is the best way for consumers to know the origin of food, food additives, and food sources?
  • Should restaurant owners that cater to children be held to stricter government regulations?  
  • Do regulations insure safer food if taxpayers do not insist and persist that their government provide funding for oversight and  enforcement?



Tuesday, October 16, 2012

Peanut butter recall expands to 76 products on salmonella fears - latimes.com

Peanut butter recall expands to 76 products on salmonella fears - latimes.com:

The peanut butter recall that started this past weekend with a salmonella-linked product sold at Trader Joe’s has now been expanded to dozens of peanut, cashew and almond butters, according to producer Sunland Inc.

The New Mexico-based company manufactured and packaged the Trader Joe’s Creamy Salted Valencia Peanut Butter that regulators have since connected to 29 salmonella illnesses in 18 states, including California. Read more at: http://www.latimes.com/business/money/la-fi-mo-peanut-butter-recall-salmonella-20120925,0,5686659.story
Also:  Red Vines black licorice recalled due to high levels of lead

4 million Bumbo baby seats recalled after infant skull fractures
600,000 Mr. Coffee brewers recalled after 61 suffer burns
Follow Tiffany Hsu on Twitter and Google+
 Children's EPA asks: Did you know about this?  Could the CDC use a better system, or more funding to inform consumers, especially for items used or eaten by children?

The Café Near You Might Be Using 'Green' Plastic. Is That an Oxymoron? | OnEarth Magazine

The Café Near You Might Be Using 'Green' Plastic. Is That an Oxymoron? | OnEarth Magazine:
  But plastic made from crops introduces a new set of environmental problems. Food service suppliers don’t make their own plastic -- they buy it, wholesale, from a company called Natureworks. Natureworks is owned by multinational agribusiness giant Cargill; its plant-based plastic, branded Ingeo, is the only game in town for eco-plastic goods. That means the corn inside each “eco-friendly” plastic cup was grown with stiff pesticides and gas-guzzling combines. Still, according to Natureworks, “Ingeo results in 60% less greenhouse gases than the oil-based … plastic it replaces.”

Read more at: http://www.onearth.org/blog/green-plastic-sustainable-disposable

HUH? Children's EPA Dir. Nancy Swan asks,
  • "Which do product is more likely to harm your child's health? Pesticides and industrial waste? Or greenhouses gases?"
  • Are we making healthier choices for our children or are they being made for us as a sales promotion? 
  • What choices would you like to see offered in school cafeterias and child eateries?
Your chance to weigh in -

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Toxic leak in South Korea sickens thousands, ruins crops - CNN.com



Toxic leak in South Korea sickens thousands, ruins crops - CNN.com:
Thousands of people in the area have been affected by the blast at the chemical factory on September 27, which killed 5 people and injured 18 others at the time.

The exact cause of the explosion, which involved 8 tons of hydrofluoric acid, is still being investigated, according to authorities. But the blast spread toxic vapor from the acid -- which is used for tasks like metal cleaning and rust removal -- across the surrounding area. Read more about this story:  http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/09/world/asia/south-korea-toxic-leak/index.html?iref=obinsite
  • Can a similar explosion and injuries happen in the U. S.?  Yes.  
  • Do US courts and politicians aid in covering up harmful environmental and chemical exposures and injuries? Yes.  
  • Are Presidential candidates Barack Obama and Mitt Romney exposing need for reporting environmental and chemical exposure and injuries in the U. S., especially involving injuries to children? No. 

Read more about this story:  http://www.cnn.com/2012/10/09/world/asia/south-korea-toxic-leak/index.html?iref=obinsite

Woman Loses Stomach After Drinking Liquid Nitrogen Cocktail | NewsFeed | TIME.com





 Martini shaker

Teen Loses Stomach After Drinking Liquid Nitrogen Cocktail | NewsFeed | TIME.com

Dry Ice (Liquid Nitrogen) has many uses in medicine and food preparation because of its ability to instantly freeze objects at lower temperatures. 

Dry Ice is also used at Halloween because it gives off a spooky, smoking, appearance.  Would a child consume liquid nitrogen through inhaling or ingestion?  Quite possibly.  A child can also get hurt by touching dry ice.  The EPA and CDC have warned that children can be harmed by chemicals more quickly than adults because their organs are still growing and they consume for air per pound.
Group of children dressed up in Halloween costumes trick or treating
Perhaps the EPA and CDC need to warn the US public about dangers of using dry ice in Halloween decorations and where children can be harmed.
 The UK Food Standards Agency released a statement warning consumers to exercise caution when consuming cocktails made with liquid nitrogen because of the human body’s inability to deal with the chemical’s cold temperature.

Why Liquid Nitrogen Is Dangerous | Healthland | TIME.com

Why Liquid Nitrogen Is Dangerous | Healthland | TIME.com
Halloween decorations often include a spooky, "smoking" cauldren containing dry ice made of liquid nitrogen. 
 View detailsBut do people drink it as well?  How dangerous is liquid nitrogen, especially around children?  Children can be harmed at lower levels and duration of exposure to dangerous products and chemicals.  Would a child be tempted to drink it?  Possibly.
Recently, an 18-year-old British teen named Gaby Scanlon made news when she underwent an emergency gastrectomy — the surgical removal of part of the stomach — after drinking a Jagermeister cocktail made with liquid nitrogen at a bar in northern England.



Four Conditions Responsible for Most Pregnancy-Related Infections | Healthland | TIME.com




Four Conditions Responsible for Most Pregnancy-Related Infections | Healthland | TIME.com: Pregnancy-related infections are one of the leading causes of death among pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries — but most of these infections are treatable and preventable, researchers say.
Read more: http://healthland.time.com/2012/10/10/study-four-treatable-conditions-cause-most-pregnancy-related-infections/?xid=newsletter-healthland

Meningitis Outbreak Toll: 137 Cases, 12 Deaths | Healthland | TIME.com


View details

Meningitis Outbreak Toll: 137 Cases, 12 Deaths | Healthland | TIME.com:
Officials have tied the outbreak of rare fungal meningitis to steroid shots for back pain. The steroid was made by a specialty pharmacy in Massachusetts. At least one contaminated vial was found at the company.

Mom’s Exposure to Mercury Linked to Kids’ ADHD Symptoms | Healthland | TIME.com

Mom’s Exposure to Mercury Linked to Kids’ ADHD Symptoms | Healthland | TIME.com: The health risks of mercury exposure are well documented, and the harms for still-developing fetuses are particularly concerning. Now, the latest study finds that kids who were exposed to more mercury in the womb were more likely to show problems with attention and hyperactivity and other symptoms of ADHD at age 8.

Dwight Eschliman / Getty Images 











                                                                                      Dwight Eschliman / Getty Images