Guest guest Posted April 7, 2001 Report Share Posted April 7, 2001 DIOXINS IN FOOD Dioxins are the most toxic substances ever produced by man. These byproducts of industrial processes are found in the environment, and are said to be extremely carcinogenic. In 1999, the World Health Organization held a dioxin conference in Geneva, Switzerland, and determined that 90% of Dioxins ingested by humans come from milk and dairy products and meat. The Polish journal " Rocz Panstw " reported (1999, Volume 50;3): " Dioxins are highly toxic by-products of many industrial processes, e.g. chemical and municipal waste incineration or production of chlorophenols. These compounds penetrate the environment via air, water and soil and are then incorporated in food chains. The major source of human exposure (90% of total exposition) is consumption of a wide variety of common foods (meat, fish and dairy products) containing small amounts of Dioxins. Food contamination with dioxins leads to enhanced accumulation of these compounds in human tissues to the extent of exceeding acceptable level. " It should be no surprise that the higher one eats on the food chain, the more concentrated Dioxins are in the flesh of those who sit atop that food chain. On March 11, 1938 UPI reported: " Dioxins are the most deadly substances ever assembled by man...170,000 times as deadly as cyanide... " Who ingests the highest amounts of Dioxins, then? Breastfeeding infants, whose moms are meat eaters and milk drinkers. A study published in the April, 2001 issue of the Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health presents an ongoing study by Dr. Arnold Schecter and his colleagues to determine the extent and effect of Dioxin exposure. Schecter, working at the University of Texas School of Public Health, has determined that Americans are getting 22 times the maximum Dioxin exposure suggested by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from their food. Nursing infants receive between 35 and 65 times the safe dosage. Schecter identifies meat and dairy products as the biggest culprits. Simultaneous to Schecter's work, a group of European scientists have been testing butter for levels of organic pollutants. Scientists at the University of Lancaster have discovered that Dioxins remain in fat. Butter is pure fat. What better way to gauge mankind's pollution problem? Scientists have the ability to test samples of butter, by region, to determine flows of Dioxins. Will the Environmental Protection Agency test dairy products in America? They may find something that politicians and dairy producers would rather not know. To eat Dioxins, or not eat Dioxins. That is the question. In an effort to limit Dioxin exposure, Ben & Jerry's ice cream company started using Dioxin-free packaging. This was a nice first step. Unfortunately for them, Steve Milloy, author of junkscience.com tested samples of Ben's ice cream for Dioxins. Here's what the Detroit Free Press published on November 8, 1999: " The level of Dioxin in a single serving of the Ben & Jerry's World's Best Vanilla Ice Cream tested was almost 200 times greater than the 'virtually safe [daily] dose' determined by the Environmental Protection Agency. " Ben & Jerry's promotional material makes this claim: " The only safe level of Dioxin exposure is no exposure at all. " Take seriously the January 1998 report in the Journal of Animal Science: " The lipophilic nature of Dioxins results in higher concentrations in the fat of animal and fish products, and their excretion via milk secretion in dairy cattle may result in relatively high concentrations of Dioxin contamination in high-fat dairy products. " Robert Cohen http://www.notmilk.com Learn about MILK from A to Z: http://www.notmilk.com/milkatoz.html PLAY 2O QUESTIONS: http://www.notmilk.com/notmilkfaq.html Dioxin in Food Scientists Find 22 Times the Recommended Maximum Level in Food The Associated Press March 30, 2001 ....Meat and dairy products are considered the biggest sources. Dioxins concentrate in animal fat, and the best way to avoid them is to eat more fruits and vegetables. " This is just one more reason for having less animal fats in our diets, " Schecter told the Houston Chronicle in today's editions. " Blood samples from pure vegans, who consume no animal products, show that they have less dioxins in their bodies than average Americans. " ... http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/dioxin010330.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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