FLAME RETARDANTS IN OUR FOOD!



So reads the latest headline in a daily newsletter from Care2 that I subscribe to. Just when I thought I had just about everything covered re eating healthy, now I see we have to be concerned about "flame retardants" (like tens of thousands of other chemicals corporations have introduced into our environment over the past many decades) .

Its become clear to me over the past years the FDA, whom we all (or at least I did) believed were the "guardians" of all foods and drugs deemed fit for human consumption, has been bought by big Corporations, we simply can't count on them to protect us. As regards flame retardants, coming on the heels of the largest oil spill like EVER, and their use of billions of tons of flame retardant (well don't quote me on that volume, I'm just making a point). OF COURSE the introduction of these toxic chemicals are going to affect sea life, the very source of so many of the foods we like to eat. And of course its not just BP, but other leaks worldwide that continue as we speak, contaminating our oceans.

And when I say I have "just about everything covered", who am I kidding??? I simply mean I like to think I am a very "aware" citizen who has come to realize, long ago, we have to be very careful and take responsibility for our own health care and consumption of the foods that define that. We eat little meat, I grow an organic garden every summer, we eat lots of fresh produce from supermarkets year round, that I always wash well in a vinegar/water solution, I buy organic brown eggs from a neighboring farm (2 miles away) from chickens that roam free and are grain fed, I use and have used for about 2 decades, a Brita water filter....need I go on??? However we do like Salmon and I generally always buy wild Alaska salmon...though I do keep a stock of canned salmon in my pantry that is canned in Alaska but is not doubt "farm raised" rather than wild.

But once again, I see I need to add more precautions to my list, as it seems "even in small quantities, some of the gases emitted from flame retardants have been found to interrupt the transfer of nervous impulses from the brain to the heart and lungs, effectively shutting down the central nervous system. Not surprising when you know that some of the gases emitted from flame retardants are considered more than one thousand times more toxic than carbon monoxide".

If you are interested in pursuing this subject you can also find lots of online articles regarding food and furniture contamination by flame retardants, such as an article in December 2010, "Butter Contaminated by PBDE Flame Retardant", an article from July 2009, "The food industry uses plastic pallets made with the toxic chemical Deca [a PBDE] to store certain fruits and vegetables." Theres enough out there, science and investigations, to entertain you for some time. AND hopefully make you more aware going forward, and more "active" in holding the FDA accountable. Yeah, like thats going to happen.

SO here are some tips from Care2's site ~

1. Limit your consumption of fish like rainbow trout, Atlantic salmon, sausage, cheese, butter, and milk.
2. Choose organic foods as much as possible.
3. Detoxify your body at least once or twice per year.
4. Choose an organic cotton or natural latex mattress when you purchase your next mattress.
5. Choose natural furniture as much as possible since PBDEs are often sprayed on sofas, chairs, and other furniture. Furniture made with natural fabrics are becoming more common and more cost-effective.
6. Eat a diet high in fiber. Fiber binds to many toxins to eliminate them from your body.
7. Drink plenty of water to help your kidneys flush out toxins.
8. Limit your meat consumption. Chemicals become more concentrated as they find their way up the food chain. If you eat meat, choose organic as much as possible.
9. Write or call your federal and state/provincial government authorities asking them for tighter controls on harmful chemicals like PBDEs. It is time for the US Food and Drug Administration, Health Canada, and other agencies worldwide to wake up and smell the chemicals.
Adapted from The Brain Wash by Michelle Schoffro Cook.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/flame-retardants-in-your-food.html#ixzz1ASW24QCK

Chemicals: Noxious substances from which modern foods are made. ~Author Unknown