Petrochemicals: The Real Weapons of Mass Destruction, Part III: The High Cost of Fake Food

[Rebecca]

The amount of energy needed to produce the millions of pounds of toxic chemicals that we consume in the form of processed foods is ENORMOUS. In return we reap cancer, obesity, heart disease and destruction of the environment. On the other hand if we consume plain, fresh, unprocessed foods using sustainable agriculture and animal products from grass-fed animals, we reap health for ourselves, our pets and our planet.

Which do you choose?

We have already discussed the fact that the human body is not designed to assimilate artificial petrochemicals. This is COMMON SENSE. We do not commonly eat paint, rat poison, anti-freeze, brake fluid etc., but we seem to have no problem with ingesting the same toxic chemicals in our favorite foods, and beverages, or inhaling them in scented products, or rubbing them into our skin to be absorbed into the body. ALL MAN-MADE CHEMICALS ARE TOXIC, FOREIGN SUBSTANCES WHICH CAUSE DAMAGE TO US AND OUR ENVIRONMENT. There are no exceptions. If it is not found in nature, it is a foreign substance. There are plenty of natural poisons too, natural doesn’t necessary mean safe.

Pesticides, insecticides, herbicides, fumigants, and fungicides all contain petrochemicals. One way we ingest petrochemicals in food is from pesticides. Many widely used pesticides are classified by the EPA as probable or possible causes of cancer in humans; and many are known to cause damage to the nervous, reproductive and immune systems in laboratory animals. EPA pesticide regulations do not take into consideration potential chronic health effects from low-level exposures that do not cause immediate and obvious harm. The EPA also ignores potential combined effects from exposure to more than one chemical at a time. Current regulations do not consider exposure to vulnerable populations such as children and the immune-compromised.

Dairy products, apples, bananas, broccoli, cantaloupes, and carrots have among the highest rates of petrochemical residues

Chemicals from the petroleum manufacturing process enter our bodies through the foods we eat, especially meat and dairy products from feedlot and drylot animals. Chemicals such as pesticides and antibiotics tend to accumulate in milk and in animal flesh and fat. However, the meat and milk from GRASS-FED animals is safer, higher in nutrition and omega 3 fats, and also far less likely to carry e coli.

Coal tar and petrochemicals are the sources of the artificial colors that go into our foods, and these artificial coloring ingredients in the food supply contribute to all sorts of health problems, the most notable of which are the symptoms diagnosed as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), a behavioral pattern often brought on by Yellow #2 food dye. Children are being fed these chemicals in such large quantities that they begin to have nervous system malfunctions that ultimately are misdiagnosed as ADHD, learning disabilities, or violent behavior.

Processed foods contain fragrances that are supposed to mimic real food. Diacetyl, a chemical that gives microwave popcorn its buttery flavor and aroma, also causes serious lung disease when heated and inhaled frequently. Diacetyl is being phased out of microwave popcorn, but not before many popcorn factory workers were permanently disabled by inhaling it.

Soda bottles, water bottles, peanut butter jars, and cooking oil bottles are made with PET: (polyethylene terephthalate) which migrates from the plastic containers to the contents:

Milk jugs, plastic bags, and yogurt cups are made with HDPE: (High-Density Polyethylene) which also migrates into the food that comes into contact with it.

Water bottles, salad dressing bottles, cooking oil bottles, mouth wash bottles, meat wrap, babies’ teething rings, pacifiers, nipples and toys contain PVC: Polyvinyl Chloride which leaches plasticizers (lead, cadmium, mercury, phthalates and the carcinogen, diethyl hexyphosphate)

Produce bags, and food storage containers contain LDPE (Low-Density Polyethylene)

Bottle caps, and drinking straws are made from PP: Polypropylene.

Meat trays, foam take-out food containers and foam cups as well as foam packing materials contain PS: Polystyrene.

Almost all food cans are lined with bisphenol A epoxy resin (sealant) and industry studies confirm that BPA is in canned foods and beverages. Studies of laboratory animals or cultured human cells have shown exposure to bisphenol A can cause neural and behavioral changes, precancerous growths in breast and prostate tissues, early onset puberty and other effects at very low doses. In addition, bisphenol A crosses the placenta and has been found in amniotic fluid and umbilical cord tissue, showing that there is no prenatal protection from a mother’s exposure.

The Environmental Working Group tested 97 cans of name-brand fruit, vegetables, soda, and other commonly eaten canned goods.

Of all foods tested, chicken soup, infant formula, and ravioli had BPA levels of highest concern. Just one to three servings of foods with these concentrations could expose a woman or child to BPA at levels that caused serious adverse effects in animal tests.

For 1 in 10 cans of all food tested, and 1 in 3 cans of infant formula, a single serving contained enough BPA to expose a woman or infant to BPA levels more than 200 times the government's traditional safe level of exposure for industrial chemicals

British researcher David Melzer, M.B., Ph.D., of Peninsula Medical School in Exeter, and colleagues measured the BPA found in the urine of 1,455 adults between the ages of 18 and 74 years, using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) which was gathered in 2003 and 2004. Dr. Melzer and his team found that average BPA concentrations, adjusted for age and sex, were higher in those diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. In fact, even a slightly raised BPA concentration was associated with a 39 percent increased risk of having cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Those with the highest BPA concentration had nearly three times the odds of heart disease and 2.4 times the risk of diabetes when compared with those with the lowest levels. What's more, higher levels of BPA concentrations were also associated with abnormally elevated levels of three liver enzymes.

The non-stick coating on cookware also contains petrochemicals which leach into food. Researchers tested the milk from 45 different nursing mothers for two different varieties of perflourinated compounds (PFCs): perfluorooctane sulfonate (PFOS) and perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), also known as C8. PFOA is used in nonstick coatings such as Teflon, while PFOS is an ingredient in stain-resistant fabric.

PFCs were found in the milk of every woman tested, at an average concentration of 131 billionths of a gram of PFOS and 44 billionths of a gram of PFOA per liter.

If we take a good look at all our “convenience” foods it may become apparent that they are no longer so convenient, especially when they are destroying our health, and ultimately life on this planet.

[Emett]

Nicely written article!  If one tries to go "zen" on this topic, the questions and concerns could make even a holy guru insane with anger.  What about the energy and processes of extraction for the raw materials, and pollution from the production facilities of materials like PVC?    (Don't research that unless you really want something to make you nuts.)   How are these things normal in our daily lives?

[Emett]

Hi, OMG! Telfon and bleach, still everywhere.  At least some facts are starting to come out.  Look at how the awareness of BPA has increased!

AND, more [current] proof you and your facts were so right: 

Suppressed Study: The EPA Underestimated Dangers of Widespread Chem...

Thank again for your live-saving articles!  This matters.    F* cancer!    :(