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Huffington Post - Leslie Hatfield, Posted January 27, 2009 | 01:47 PM (EST)
Our Melamine: There's Mercury in High Fructose Corn Syrup, and the FDA Has Known for Years
Maybe Jeremy Piven didn't get mercury poisoning from fish at all -- according to the results of a new study released by the Institute for Agriculture and Trace Policy (IATP), the actor may well have been sickened by soda or candy or anything that contains high fructose corn syrup, which, if you eat processed food in this country means, well, just about anything.
Foodies and nutritionists alike have been griping about high fructose corn syrup for years, and the industry has responded with an "astroturf" campaign and a level of secrecy generally reserved for military officials or secret societies (see Corn Refiners' Association president Audrae Erickson's stonewalling performance in King Corn).
Of course, I wouldn't want to show my hand either, if the making of my product could be described as the undertaking of a "small Manhattan Project" (see eye-glazing production info here). But as it turns out, the HFCS industry has been hiding some major skeletons in its closet -- according to the IATP study (pdf), over 30% of products containing the substance tested positive for mercury.
What makes this news truly shocking is not just that the manufacturers of high fructose corn syrup would put consumers' health at risk, but that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) knew about the mercury in the syrup, and has been sitting on this information since 2005.
Here's the connection, according to the IATP press release (pdf): The IATP study comes on the heels of another study, conducted in 2005 but only recently published by the scientific journal, Environmental Health, which revealed that nearly 50 percent of commercial HFCS samples tested positive for the heavy metal. Renee Dufault, who was working for the FDA at the time, was among the 2005 study's authors. In spite of Dufault's involvement in the study, the FDA sat silent on this one for three years, and in fact last August, allowed manufacturers to call the sweetener "natural."
Here's how the mercury gets in there, according to Janet at the Ethicurean:
How did the heavy metal get in there? In making HFCS -- that "natural" sweetener, as the Corn Refiners Associaton likes to call it -- caustic soda is one ingredient used to separate corn starch from the corn kernel. Apparently most caustic soda for years has been produced in industrial chlorine (chlor-alkali) plants, where it can be contaminated with mercury that it passes on to the HFCS, and then to consumers.
And more from the press release:
"While the FDA had evidence that commercial HFCS was contaminated with mercury four years ago, the agency did not inform consumers, help change industry practice or conduct additional testing."
And on why this matters:
"Mercury is toxic in all its forms," said IATP's David Wallinga, M.D., and a co-author in both studies. "Given how much high fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the FDA to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply."
In China, heads might roll over a scandal like this one, at least if the country received global attention for its allowing corrupt health officials' greasy palms to come before, um, public health.
Of course, in this country, the FDA's "neck" is safe. But what about the health of American consumers? Let's see the Corn Refiners' Association try to spin this one.
Originally posted on The Green Fork.
This story was copied in full to this post; however, here is the link to the story:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leslie-hatfield/our-melamine-theres-mercu_b_161334.html
Comments
T.V. commercials? Now another answer when those corn advertisements ask,"What do they say about corn?"
How utterly depressing.
*Barf* Was that eloquent? When I read about the list of what PRODUCTS heavy metals are in, I was shocked and alarmed. Now heavy metals are in SAD food too? Rank!!! This redoubles my enthusiasm for yurt living, a place safe from years of toxic paints, metals, offgassing (an old apartment building). I can't WAIT to begin my yurt project! Seriously. I might be closer to my dream now, than ever before - because it sounds like i'll have help making it happen. Sometimes my yurt permaculture dream is the only thing that keeps me from shutting my door in anger and refusing to go out into the world of automobiles, artic oil drilling, destruction of wildlife reserving, redwoods logging, etc etc.
I know I sometimes don't live in the real world, but I'm honestly shocked that anybody consumes some of these mainstream "foods."
I don't think I've had a real soda in 15 years. You couldn't pay me to drink one.
Even Michelle Obama made these comments on the campaign trail...
Wow thanks for the article! I knew there was something wrong with corn syrup...
Those ridiculous commercials on TV backing up corn syrup...[not word for word but the one kind I have seen most is:]
"Want a popsicle?"
"..no that has corn syrup in it."
"What about corn syrup?"
"..... ..."
"That it is made out of corn and is natural?"
Lol, well what about mercury dimwit?
If everyone was too healthy than the health insurance and hospitals wouldn't be making so much money.
They give you toxic medicine that has side effects and you go back for other medicine to treat that side effect and the cycle goes on and on and on. Granted some medicines are great...but how did they get in that state anyhow?
They keep it secret for a reason. Money. What was that word?.... Oh, SOPHISTICATED scamming. They scam you but we don't know until the one in the background observing tells you right in our face.
If you guys seen the adorable movie Wall-E, there is no other simpler way of portraying how the government is controlling people. We should be glad we no better.
They are literally poisoning us, they know it and no-one is doing anything serious about it! What shocks me the most is that when you talk to SAD people and try to explain why you stay away from these products they look at you as if some weird alien has just disembarked on planet earth.
The way people are portrayed in those corn syrup commercials is pretty much dead-on accurate, don't you think? Babbling idiots. Look, people have been warned for years about this stuff. Years. If they want to insist on stuffing their faces with sugar and crap, they deserve to get every disease handed to them. Mercury? Oh, goodie. That'll rot what is left of their brains. The more retarded people get, the more secure I feel in this world. Let 'em eat all the sugar, fat and mercury they want.