Beware & Protect Yourself 01 (May 08 - Dec 08)

[kennynah]

it being a "protect yourself" thread...

[winston]

California warns about candy from Mexico and Malaysia laced with lead
By Lisa Fernandez
Mercury News

Health officials sent out a warning today about candy from Mexico and Malaysia that are laced with lead and could cause severe medical problems.

The culprits are: Huevines Confitados Sabor chocolate imported from Mexico and Ego Hao Jin Bang candy imported from Malaysia.

Tests conducted by the California Department of Public Health found levels of lead that could cause health problems, and officials say consumers should simply throw away the candy.

Recent analysis of this candy determined that the Mexican chocolates contained as much as 0.20 parts per million of lead, and the Malaysian candy contained as much as 0.73 ppm of lead.

California considers candies with lead levels in excess of 0.10 ppm to be contaminated, according to a statement put out by the health department. Lead is especially harmful to babies, young children and developing fetuses, and can result in learning disabilities and behavioral disorders that could last a lifetime. Pregnant women and parents of children who may have consumed this candy should consult their health care provider to determine if medical testing is needed.

Huevines Confitados Sabor chocolate is manufactured by Confitados Finos Del Bosque in Mexico. It's egg-shaped and has a hard white coating with brown speckles surrounding a chocolate interior.

The candy is approximately one inch long and comes packaged in a clear plastic bag containing 250 pieces. The bag shows a bird sitting inside a broken eggshell on the front of the package. The word "Huevines" is written in large white letters on the front of the package and "confitados sabor chocolate" in brown letters.

Ego Hao Jin Bang, manufactured by Kee Wee Hup Kee Food Manufacture in Malaysia, is a brown-colored candy wrapped in purple-reddish foil with silver ends. Approximately 45 of the foil-wrapped candies are packed into a clear plastic 4.2-ounce bag with the word EGO in pink letters in the top left corner.

Consumers who find either of the products for sale are encouraged to call the CDPH Complaint Hotline at 1-800-495-3232.

[winston]

Japan wants answers amid new Chinese dumplings scare

Japan called Wednesday for a swift resolution of a health scare involving Chinese dumplings as it emerged that several people had fallen ill in China after eating the same product.

The latest food poisoning cases in China appeared to cast doubt on Beijing's assertion that the dumplings at the centre of the incident in Japan early this year were contaminated with pesticide after leaving the country.

"A lot of time has passed (since the incident in Japan). I thought this needed to be settled as quickly as possible. But currently, Chinese authorities are continuing their investigation," Prime Minister Yasuo Fukuda said.

Ten people suffered pesticide poisoning in December and January in Japan after eating the frozen dumplings imported from China, while thousands more complained about feeling ill.

A Japanese foreign ministry spokesman said Beijing had informed Tokyo that Chinese people who ate dumplings also fell ill in June.

"It is true that food poisoning caused by dumplings occurred in June in China," he quoted the Chinese government as saying.

As for Japan, "we need to continue investigating this issue, including any possible link between the incident and the food poisoning in Japan," he said.

Fukuda will discuss the issue of food safety when he meets Chinese President Hu Jintao and Premier Wen Jiabao in China on Friday, said the top government spokesman, Nobutaka Machimura.

Japan was notified of the incident by Chinese authorities in early July before the Group of Eight summit took place in northern Japan, Japanese media reports said.

The dumplings that caused the illness in China are believed to have been distributed even after the manufacturer halted production at the Chinese factory and recalled the products, the reports said.

The Chinese who ate the dumplings were "seriously ill," the Yomiuri daily said, although it was unclear exactly how many people had gotten sick.

The dumplings contained the same pesticide that was found in those in Japan, the reports said.

In the Japanese case, police have said the pesticide was found inside bags of dumplings that were packaged and sealed in China with no punctures or signs that chemicals seeped in from the outside.

[mojo_]

Be careful, folks!

Processed meat consumption results in 67% increase in pancreatic cancer risk, says new research

by Mike Adams

Consuming processed meats increases the risk of pancreatic cancer, says new research conducted at the University of Hawaii that followed nearly 200,000 men and women for seven years. According to lead study author Ute Nothlings, people who consumed the most processed meats (hot dogs and sausage) showed a 67% increased risk of pancreatic cancer over those who consumed little or no meat products.

But researchers failed to accurately identify the culprit responsible for this increased risk of pancreatic cancer, says one author. The true cause of the heightened cancer risk is the widespread use of a carcinogenic precursor ingredient known as sodium nitrite by food processing companies, says nutritionist Mike Adams, author of the just-published Grocery Warning manual at: http://www.TruthPublishing.com/GroceryWarning.html

Nearly all processed meats are made with sodium nitrite: breakfast sausage, hot dogs, jerkies, bacon, lunch meat, and even meats in canned soup products. Yet this ingredient is a precursor to highly carcinogenic nitrosamines -- potent cancer-causing chemicals that accelerate the formation and growth of cancer cells throughout the body. When consumers eat sodium nitrite in popular meat products, nitrosamines are formed in the body where they promote the growth of various cancers, including colorectal cancer and pancreatic cancer, says Adams.

"Sodium nitrite is a dangerous, cancer-causing ingredient that has no place in the human food supply," he explains. The USDA actually tried to ban sodium nitrite in the 1970's, but was preempted by the meat processing industry, which relies on the ingredient as a color fixer to make foods look more visually appealing. "The meat industry uses sodium nitrite to sell more meat products at the expense of public health," says Adams. "And this new research clearly demonstrates the link between the consumption of processed meats and cancer."

Pancreatic cancer isn't the only negative side effect of consuming processed meats such as hot dogs. Leukemia also skyrockets by 700% following the consumption of hot dogs. (Preston-Martin, S. et al. "N-nitroso compounds and childhood brain tumors: A case-control study." Cancer Res. 1982; 42:5240-5.) Other links between processed meats and disease are covered in detail in the Grocery Warning manual.

Adams wrote Grocery Warning to warn consumers about the toxic, disease-causing ingredients found in everyday foods and groceries. "There are certain ingredients found in common grocery products that directly promote cancer, diabetes, heart disease, depression, Alzheimer's disease, osteoporosis and even behavioral disorders," Adams explains. His Grocery Warning manual covers them all, teaching readers how to prevent and even help reverse chronic diseases by avoiding the foods and food ingredients that cause disease.

According to Adams, consumers can help reduce the cancer-causing effects of sodium nitrite by consuming protective antioxidants before meals, such as vitamin C and vitamin E. But no vitamin offers 100% protection. The only safe strategy is to avoid sodium nitrite completely.

Adams especially warns expectant mothers to avoid consuming sodium nitrite due to the greatly heightened risk of brain tumors in infants. Parents are also warned to avoid feeding their children products that contain sodium nitrite, including all popular hot dogs, bacon, jerkies, breakfast sausages and pizzas made with pepperoni or other processed meats. "Sodium nitrite is especially dangerous to fetuses, infants and children," says Adams.

Sadly, nearly all school lunch programs currently serve schoolchildren meat products containing sodium nitrite. Hospital cafeterias also serve this cancer-causing ingredient to patients. Sodium nitrite is found in literally thousands of different menu items at fast food restaurants and dining establishments. "The use of this ingredient is widespread," says Adams, and it's part of the reason we're seeing skyrocketing rates of cancer in every society that consumes large quantities of processed meats."

Some companies are now offering nitrite-free and nitrate-free meat products, which are far healthier alternatives, but those products are difficult to find and are typically available only at health food stores or natural grocers. Consumers can look for "Nitrite-free" or "Nitrate-free" labels when shopping for meat products. They can also purchase fresh meats, which are almost never prepared with sodium nitrite.

The new research on processed meats points to a chemical toxin as the cause of the increased cancer risk. A heightened cancer risk of 67% is "gigantic," warns Adams. "This is clearly not due to macronutrient differences. This is the kind of risk increase you only see with ingredient toxicity. Something in these processed meats is poisoning people, and the evidence points straight to sodium nitrite."

[kennynah]

chomp...chomp.....(eating maling lc with bread now)....

sorry, u were saying ?

[blid2def]

After a while, I f-care a lot of these warnings liao. I mean - is there anything that can be eaten at all these days if you go by all these studies? I think maybe they should have warning labels on all canned foods, non-organic food, etc. like they slap on cigarette packs.

[mojo_]

My sis-in-law has a 5 yr old basset hound that she had been feeding commercial dog food (in tin cans).

One day the dog became very sick. She brought it to the vet and it had to stay in the doggie hospital. It got even worse as it's immune system was very weak and it was catching germs from the other sick animals. To the point where she had to consider putting it away.

Then somehow she decided to change it's diet to leftover regular cooked food. Amazingly the dog soon recovered. Even the vet was surprised! True story...

[blid2def]

LOL... yah lah should have taken fresh food from start - cheaper.

Well, I've no concerns with either sorts of food - as usual, everything in moderation. Take fresh food but everytime deep fry also die.

[kennynah]

i guess.....uh......maybe.....both of u are right....damn....i duno...

[mojo_]

... after taking Ma Ling in Beijing