| Bloody Toxins! Food Packaging May Cause Cancer |
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| Written by Kiki Hubbard | |
| Saturday, 09 August 2008 | |
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Here's one more reason to frequent your local farmers market this summer and eat less packaged food. The LA Times reports that the packaging of many food products contains a chemical that the EPA lists as "potentially carcinogenic." In typical EPA fashion, the agency wants businesses to voluntarily eliminate its use by 2015. Virtually no one escapes this chemical. Studies show that 98 percent of Americans (including 100 percent of newborns) test positive for the chemical in their blood, known as perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA. PFOA is also used in Teflon pans and Gore-Tex clothing. The industry says people shouldn't be concerned about cancer, since the studies were based on animals and not humans. Yet, according to Bill Walker, vice president of the Environmental Working Group, "There's never been a chemical found that affects animals but has no effect on humans." Makes sense, doesn't it? Californians may enjoy a peace of mind (read: less PFOA in their blood) if Senator Ellen Corbett is successful in passing SB 1313, which would ban PFOA in food packaging sold in California by 2010. As for the rest of the country, we can only hope that companies see the value in a precautionary approach to the chemical and volunteer to remove PFOA from their products. Source: LA Times Comments (3)
  written by Joanna, August 12, 2008
"There's never been a chemical found that affects animals but has no effect on humans." Perhaps, but the risk posed by any chemical is highly dosage-dependent. A chemical that affects rats might well be deleterious to humans too, but if the rats are harmed only by a relative dose thousands of times what we can expect, we're probably still ok.
written by OrganicGirl, August 13, 2008
Humans are not exposed to just one or two. They are exposed to hundreds of chemicals and in researching, they don't take that into consideration. There is a reason people are getting sicker and at younger ages. Cancer is just one of the issues. Autoimmune diseases that were not even heard of 100 years ago are now at epidemic levels.
The deniers can keep up their toxic lifestyles. The rest of us shouldn't have to be subjected to it though. We should be entitled to health environments and not be forced to have to risk our health so someone else can profit.
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It's true what our moms said...we are what we eat. In fact, it's truer than they thought. What I eat doesn't just affect me anymore, it affects all of us.
Unfortunately, the story of food can sometimes be complicated. But envirovores help each other out...which is why this blog will be bringing you news, tips, and information about food and the environment every step of the way.
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As for
"There's never been a chemical found that affects animals but has no effect on humans."
, well, straight of the top of my head, I can think of a large group of chemicals that do; hormones.
But that's beside the point really.
If PFOA DOES cause cancer, then if 98% of americans have PFOA in their blood, that would mean that 98% of americans have cancer.
I think that went on a bit long, but basically my point is, that there isn't a big cancer scare due to this, as you are making out.
The REAL problem is that PFOA is bioaccumulative (can't be broken down by the body) and so builds up inside you.
So even if PFOA use is stopped, the levels of it in people wont actually go down, it's just they wont get any higher.