Man-made toxins are found in even the best diets
Pastor Dale Morgan
The Times September 21, 2006
*Man-made toxins are found in even the best diets*
By Lewis Smith, Environment Reporter
TRACES of a cocktail of toxic chemicals linked to cancer and foetal
deformities are being eaten even in the healthiest of diets.
Man-made pollutants and chemicals were found in every one of 27 food
products, including staples such as bread and eggs, that were tested by
experts. In further tests carried out by WWF, formerly the World Wide
Fund for Nature, every one of 352 people who provided blood samples over
the past five years was found to be contaminated with toxic chemicals.
All the contaminants found in the samples were at low levels, well
within legal limits, but there are serious fears for long-term health.
None of the contaminants in the quantities detected is thought to pose
an immediate, direct risk. There is concern among toxicologists,
however, that even at low concentrations the chemicals may represent a
serious risk when they mix together in the body.
The eight man-made contaminants, some of which have already been banned,
have been linked to many medical conditions. Foetal health and hormone
disruption are the most frequently linked effects on health and others
include cancer, asthma, allergies, heart disease, diabetes and obesity.
The tests were carried out as part of a WWF campaign to persuade the EU
to ban various man-made chemicals or introduce stiffer regulations on
their use. The chemicals found in the food were organochlorine
pesticides, polychlorinated biphenyls, brominated flame retardants,
perfluorinated chemicals, phthalates, organotins, alkylphenols and
artificial musks.
All are or have been used in everyday products such as food packaging,
saucepans, electrical wiring and computers. In Britain 15 food types,
including meats, dairy products, honey and olive oil, were tested and
all contained at least two types of contaminant. Twelve foods from
Finland, Sweden, Poland, Italy, Spain and Greece also showed traces of
pollutant.
Paul King, the director of campaigns for WWF-UK, said: “Because of
decades of inadequate legislation, even healthy diets are exposing us
all to potentially harmful chemicals, and nowhere near enough is known
about the long-term effects. While each item of food we tested is
probably safe to eat on its own, taken together over long periods the
food we eat contributes significantly to our body burden of chemicals.”
Elizabeth Salter Green, head of the WWF-UK toxics programme, said: “Our
food is contaminated, our air is contaminated and our bodies are
contaminated. Something is desperately wrong here and we need to resolve
the problem.”
She called on the EU to introduce strict controls on the use of
chemicals when it meets to vote on new laws next month.
“If the new legislation is not effective in controlling harmful
chemicals, our generation will leave behind a legacy of health problems
and pollution to the people and wildlife of the world,” she said.
The study by the WWF was welcomed by Andreas Kortenkamp, of the London
School of Pharmacy, University of London, who is investigating the
potential “cocktail effect” of contaminants in the body. “We need to
know more about these chemicals so that we can give scientific
assessments of their possible health effects,” he said.
However, John Hoskins, of the Royal Society of Chemistry, said: “Having
contaminated the world we have to live with it. I’m not at all concerned
with the findings. We can’t do anything about the contamination. There’s
no point in hand-wringing as the WWF do because we can’t get rid of this
from the environment. What we are working for is stopping further
contamination.”
The Food Standards Agency said: “The levels don’t pose health concerns
because they are well below the levels set for daily intake. Adverse
reactions are unlikely.”
# An alternative to white sugar that is about to become more widely
available could help slimmers to lose weight (Valerie Elliott writes).
Agave nectar, a honey-like liquid derived from the same plant as
tequila, is 25 per cent sweeter than sugar. More importantly, it helps
to burn rather than store fat and is thought to reduce the craving for
sweet foods. Its high fruit sugar content is absorbed by the body more
slowly than white sugar, and does not need insulin to break it down.
Agave nectar, which can be used in tea and coffee and to bake with, is
usually sold in health food shops but Tesco is about to become the first
big supermarket chain to stock it.