The Survive and Thrive Boomer Guide

Eating organic food for a week can reduce pesticide levels in the body, study shows

I’m a big proponent of organic foods. My dad, Minor H. Slingsby, died of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. He was a farmer. I didn’t know non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma was linked to pesticide exposure when my dad was diagnosed with the disease. None of his doctors in Central Washington state said anything about it. I learned about the connection when listening to a National Public Radio story. It said the children of farmworkers were being diagnosed with high levels of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma because they were in fields sprayed with pesticides with their parents.

I buy most of my food at my local food co-op, with as much as possible of it being organic. I have immune system problems, so organic food is helpful to me.

This recent study adds to the evidence of how organic food benefits people.

A study done at the University of California found that eating organically-grown food for one week can significantly reduce the levels of pesticide in the body. Researchers found the levels of toxins decreased by an average of 60.5 percent after six days of eating organic food.

Zippo recalls Ronson tech torches due to fire hazard

Zippo is recalling about 660,000 Ronson tech torch auto starts in the United States and about 98,000 in Canada.

The Ronson tech torch can continue to produce a flame after the activation trigger is released to the off position, posing a fire hazard.

Zippo has identified 36 reports in the U.S. of the Ronson tech torch continuing to operate after being turned off, including one report of minor property damage. No injuries have been reported.

How the meat industry pressures federal regulators for less inspection, which compromises the safety of the food supply – Part 2

This is the second article in a three-part series on meat inspection. The article was written in 1984 and submitted to The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Washington, where I worked as a consumer food columnist, but it was never published. I’m posting the article on my blog to show that the meat industry has been pressuring federal regulators for decades to reduce inspection by government inspectors.

Article 1 in the series, “How the Meat Industry Pressures Federal Regulators for Less Inspection, Which Compromises the Safety of the Food Supply – Part 1,” describes my tours of Washington Beef’s slaughterhouse in Toppenish and processing plant in Union Gap.

Article 2 includes interviews with those who favor and oppose the new USDA inspection procedures.

Trump administration repeals a clean water law, putting the drinking water for millions of Americans at risk

On Thursday, the Trump administration finalized its plan to repeal the Waters of the U.S. rule or WOTUS – an Obama-era rule that prohibits the dumping of industrial and agricultural pollution into sensitive waterways that provide tap water for more than 117 million Americans.

The repeal of the rule will remove protections for many small streams and wetlands, which were put in place in 2015. The rule determines which streams, rivers, and lakes are protected from pollution by the federal Clean Water Act and extends protection for millions of acres of wetlands that filter drinking water.

Small streams are where big rivers start, and the best science confirms that dirty streams lead to even dirtier rivers, said Craig Cox, senior vice president for agriculture and natural resources for the Environmental Working Group. Millions of Americans drink water directly connected to 234,000 miles of small streams that will now be unprotected as a result of the repeal.

Consumer Reports replies to Impossible Foods’ criticism of its article on the company’s beef substitute burger

Photo: Sarah Stierch

On Monday, I went with a group of colleagues to a local restaurant for a meeting. The menu said you could get an Impossible Burger for $2 more in any of its burger options. Knowing I was going to post the Consumer Reports reply to Impossible Foods’s article about them, I wanted to try one. However, I was told the Impossible burger wasn’t available. The company hasn’t been able to keep up with production to meet all the new demand. Disappointing.

Here’s the Consumer Reports statement on Impossible Foods’ beef with its critique:

In response to Consumer Reports’ recent article “Meat Gets A Makeover” focusing on plant-based alternatives to traditional beef burgers, Rachel Konrad – Impossible Foods’ PR chief – published an inflammatory and misleading attack on the motivations and methods behind our coverage of the safety of a key ingredient in the Impossible Burger. Oddly enough, she seems out for blood about an article that very fairly compares several plant-based alternatives based on taste, safety, and environmental impact.

Processed meats cured with natural ingredients just as harmful as those cured with synthetic ingredients, Consumer Reports tests show

The terms “Uncured” and “No Nitrate or Nitrite Added” shouldn’t be allowed to be used on labels for meat processed with nitrates or nitrites from natural ingredients, such as celery powder, the Center for Science in the Public Interest and Consumer Reports told the U.S. Department of Agriculture Wednesday. The groups urged the agency to revise its rule because the labels are misleading and may give consumers the false impression that these products are healthier.

Tests of deli meats by Consumer Reports show the labels are misleading. Consumer Reports tested 31 packaged deli meats – name brands and store brands – including chicken, ham, roast beef, salami, and turkey. It’s tests showed that nitrates and nitrites, which have been linked to cancer, are found in processed meats labeled “Uncured” or “No Nitrates or Nitrites Added” at similar levels to those prepared with synthetic curing agents such as sodium nitrite.  

“The ‘Uncured’ and ‘No Nitrate or Nitrite Added’ labels could make people think these meats are healthier, but our tests show they are not,” said Charlotte Vallaeys, senior policy analyst at Consumer Reports. “Deli meats carrying these labels pose the same health risks as traditionally cured meats because the nitrate and nitrite levels are essentially the same.”

How to reduce the amount of plastic you eat

That’s right, you read it correctly. Humans, like animals, are eating plastic. We’ve all read about dead animals found filled with plastic, but it’s important for humans to realize that they, too, are consuming plastic.

I recently wrote about how to reduce the amount of plastic we use in our lives. A Consumer Reports article, “How to Eat Less Plastic,” alerted me to the fact we need to go a step further and take a look at how much plastic we’re eating.

Research is just beginning on how many tiny particles of plastic people consume. One research review calculated that by eating, drinking, and breathing, the average American ingests 74,000 to 121,000 microplastic particles every year, with even more ingested if bottled water is consumed regularly, according to the article.

States sue EPA over pesticide that harms children

Six state attorneys general filed a lawsuit Wednesday in federal court against the Trump administration’s Environmental Protection Agency for continuing to allow chlorpyrifos, a pesticide that harms children’s neurological development, to be used on food. The states are challenging the EPA’s decision, because it hasn’t made a determination, as is required by law, that the pesticide is safe.

“Chlorpyrifos is extremely dangerous, especially to the health of our children,” said New York Attorney General Letitia James. “Yet, the Trump Administration continues to ignore both the science and law, by allowing this toxic pesticide to contaminate food at unsafe levels. If the Trump EPA won’t do its job and protect the health and safety of New Yorkers, my office will take them to court and force them to fulfill their responsibilities.”

Scientific evidence shows that even small doses of chlorpyrifos can damage parts of the brain that control language, memory, behavior, and emotion. Studies have found that exposure to chlorpyrifos impairs children’s IQs.

Trump brags about his administration’s environmental accomplishments while he repeals important safeguards

At White House event Monday, President Donald Trump touted his administration’s environmental record while at the same time repealing the Clean Power Plan, which had put the first national limits on carbon pollution from power plants.

Trump’s touting of his administration’s pristine environmental record is nothing short of nonsense, said Allison Fisher, outreach director for Public Citizen’s Energy Program.

“Trump has the worst environmental record of any president in history, which is hardly a surprise for an administration that has installed a coal lobbyist as head of the Environmental Protection Agency and an oil and gas lobbyist to run the Department of Interior,” said Fisher. “Trump’s repeal of the commonsense Clean Power Plan and Clean Car standards are proof of that.”

Think fireworks safety this Fourth of July to avoid injuries and deaths, the CPSC advises

For years, I’ve written about the dangers of fireworks approaching the Fourth of July. And, for years, kids keep getting their fingers blown off and sustaining other injuries and even dying.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced Wednesday that at least five fireworks-related deaths were reported in 2018 – all associated with reloadable aerial devices.

“CPSC works year-round to help prevent deaths and injuries from fireworks, by verifying fireworks meet safety regulations in our ports, marketplace and on the road,” said Ann Marie Buerkle, CPSC acting chairman. “Beyond CPSC’s efforts, we want to make sure everyone takes simple safety steps to celebrate safely with their family and friends.”

Injuries

There were about 9,100 fireworks-related, emergency department-treated injuries in 2018, with 62 percent of them occurring during the month surrounding the Fourth of July. During that period, firecrackers were the number one cause of injuries, making up for 19 percent of the estimated injuries.  For children under 5 years of age, sparklers accounted for more than half of the total estimated injuries.