Add to Your "Must Do" List and Save a Life

The EPA surprised health advocates yesterday by proposing to ban carbofuran on both domestic and imported food.  That's good news for all of us.  Carbofuran is one of the most toxic insecticides still in wide use and poisons our food supply and our drinking water.  EPA is accepting comments for 60 days on the proposed ban and needs to hear your voice that this is a good thing.  Carbofuran's manufacturer, FMC, has vowed to fight the ban.

Of course EPA is an agency run by lawyers and not known for making public comment an easy task.  So here's a sample letter with all of the relevant docket numbers and authority codes. Just click here to download the letter.

About 1 million pounds of carbofuran are used in the U.S. each year and it's even more widely used outside of the U.S.  What's more, studies showed that when birds wandered into a field sprayed with carbofuran, 84% of them died . . . yet we allow farm workers to be exposed to this same chemical as part of their work!

As health advocates, we need to raise the noise level on this issue.  The Washington Post did a half page story, but its gotten scant coverage elsewhere.  The New York Times today only did a small blurb.

So make this a "must do" and save a life.  Write today to the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and let them know you support the proposed ban of carbofuran.

Needle in a (Jalapeño) Stack

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has found the source of the salmonella outbreak in the U.S. that sickened hundreds of people.  FDA inspectors found a jalapeño pepper from a distribution center in McAllen, Texas that was a genetic match with the outbreak serotype, Salmonella Saintpaul.  Talk about finding a needle in a jalapeño stack!

There’s been a lot of frustration about the 15 weeks it took to examine tomato and pepper producers and to identify this outbreak source.   What has not been talked about is what a gargantuan task this was for the FDA.  There are over 10 million tons of tomatoes grown in the U.S. alone each year and over 125 million tons worldwide.

It’s time for lawmakers to give the FDA the budget it needs to do its job.  The Senate Appropriations Committee just last week approved a $325 million increase for the FDA after years of budgetary neglect and it needs to become law.  As consumers we also need to recognize that we can never be 100% protected.  However, we can reduce risk by making safe food practices, like safe storage and washing fresh fruits and vegetables, a part of our daily routine.

And as a lover of my salsa, I want to say a word of thanks to the FDA inspectors and scientists that rarely get thanks, but have dedicated their lives to protecting the public’s health and this week found a needle in a jalapeño stack.