ORGANIC BYTES #61, This Week's Biggest Consumer & Environment News

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This Week's Biggest Consumer & Environment News (Organic

Bytes #61)

 

Food, Consumer and Environment News Tidbits with an Edge!

 

ORGANIC BYTES #61

7/12/2005

 

CONSUMERS BEWARE: TEFLON CAN GIVE YOU CANCER

After ignoring numerous warnings from independent scientists for

years, the " nonstick " chemical used in Teflon has now officially been

categorized as a " likely carcinogen " by the U.S. government's

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). EPA scientists found four

different types of tumors in lab animals exposed to the chemical. The

agency announced it plans to collect millions of dollars in fines from

DuPont, the maker of Teflon, for concealing studies indicating related

health and environmental risks for over two decades.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/foodsafety/dupont070105.cfm

 

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OCA SUPPORTERS TALK & CONGRESS LISTENS

In the last issue of Organic Bytes (#60), the OCA reported that the

EPA was allowing pesticide companies to conduct toxic chemical testing

on low-income Americans. We provided you, our 250,000 rs,

with an action alert to contact your Congressional representatives.

Thanks, in part, to a landslide of thousands of emails and letters

generated by the OCA online community and our allies, Congress voted

last week to place a moratorium on these practices. Congratulations to

everyone who took part in this action!

http://www.organicconsumers.org/Politics/humans070105.cfm

 

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MAD COW USA: SHOOTING THE MESSENGER

In the wake of recent news reports that the government had attempted

to cover-up another case of Mad Cow disease, an internal feud has

erupted inside the USDA. The most recent case of Mad Cow Disease was

detected in a Texas cow that was slaughtered in November of 2004. At

that time, the USDA claimed tests for the disease on the suspect cow

were negative and that the cow was healthy. But several weeks ago,

after a public outcry by the OCA and other public interest groups and

internal USDA accusations of improper testing, USDA Inspector General

Phyllis K. Fong reopened the case and ordered new tests on the remains

of that cow, the results of which turned out to be positive. The USDA

has since admitted that its testing procedures are not stringent

enough, but instead of creating policy that would upgrade testing for

Mad Cow, the agency has begun to focus its energies on attacking Fong.

This week, USDA Secretary Mike Johanns, who was appointed to his

position by President Bush earlier this year, said Fong had no right

to reopen this case and should not have implemented further tests for

Mad Cow disease. According to Johanns, Fong's discovery of the second

case of mad Cow disease in the U.S. is behavior that will not be

tolerated within the agency.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/madcow/coverup070605.cfm

 

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THE GREAT DEBATE OVER CORN-BASED ETHANOL FUEL

Scientist have found that the amount of energy that corn-based ethanol

provides is actually less than the amount of energy it takes to grow

the corn and manufacture the ethanol in the first place. In contrast,

sugar beets produce two times as much energy, and sugar cane yields

eight times as much energy as is needed to produce the ethanol.

Legislation has passed in the U.S. that subsidizes corn-based ethanol

production. Should this legislation be revoked in favor of other types

of biofuels, or should it stay in place to support U.S. corn farmers?

Talk about it in OCA's web forum.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/chat/index.php

 

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THE CANDY DRUG

The candy industry is setting its sights on fitness buffs and kids. At

this summer's largest candy trade show, several new lines of " energy

enhancing " candies were released in an effort to capture a piece of

the $3 billion/year consumers spend on performance boosters. New

product lines included jelly beans packed with 120 milligrams of

electrolytes and taffy pieces containing the equivalent of one coffee

cup worth of caffeine in each bite. " I don't think that the new

products belong in the candy aisle, " said Cynthia Sass, a registered

dietitian and spokeswoman for the American Dietetic Association. " The

use of stimulants is an even greater concern because they can cause

dangerous increases in a person's heart rate and blood pressure. "

Larry Graham, president of the National Confectioners Association,

disagrees, saying the candy industry has every right to " build

healthful benefits into their candy. "

http://www.organicconsumers.org/toxic/candy.cfm

 

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BANNING LOCAL DEMOCRACY

Consumers and farmers in California and New England have been taking

action over the past year to protect their local communities from

genetic pollution by passing local, city, and county ordinances

banning genetically engineered (GE) crops. Cities, counties and

townships that have passed such laws say this regulatory need stems

from the fact that organic farmers and non-GMO (genetically modified

organisms) farmers have been increasingly losing money every year as

GMO pollen from neighboring fields contaminates their crops. In

response to these ordinances, the biotech industry and corporate

agribusiness are striking back with a vengeance. At least 12 states

have recently passed " Monsanto laws " taking away the rights of cities

and counties to ban GE crops. Now legislators in California, the

nation's most important agricultural producer, are responding to the

lobbying power of the biotech industry and are threatening to pass a

controversial law that would take away local rights to regulate GMOs.

The OCA is actively involved in trying to stop these " Monsanto Laws "

from being passed . Get involved:

http://www.organicconsumers.org/ge-free.htm

 

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QUICK TIDBITS

U.S. researchers at the University of Texas Cancer Center say

turmeric, the spice that makes curry yellow, could help fight skin

cancer. Scientists discovered the ingredient interferes with a process

in melanoma cells that leads to cancer. Researchers noted that related

studies show that people with a diet high in turmeric have lower rates

of some cancers. http://www.organicconsumers.org/toxic/curry.cfm

 

Despite protests from conservationists, a Japanese fast food chain has

begun to offer whale burgers. The sandwich is made from deep fried

minke whale meat, a globally threatened sea mammal. Although most

nations have banned whale hunting, Japan claims it must kill the

animals in order to study them.

http://www.organicconsumers.org/toxic/whale.cfm

 

More than 70% of the world's fish stocks are overfished. Confused

about what fish are okay to eat? According to the California Academy

of Sciences, the best fish to eat are " fast-growing, abundant,

sensibly managed, with minimal bycatch and ecological impacts, or with

minimally polluting farming methods. " Download your pocket seafood

guide here: http://www.organicconsumers.org/toxic/seafood-guide.pdf

 

Consumer demand for organic milk has exceeded what organic farmers are

able to supply. In response the Midwest Organic and Sustainable

Education Service has launched a " Help Wanted: Organic Farmers "

campaign to help increase the number of organic dairy farmers.

http://www.mosesorganic.org/

 

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