Thursday, September 15, 2011

Like Apple Juice? Like The Arsenic That’s In It?

   Recent product safety tests commissioned by the New York consumer advocacy group, Empire State Consumer Project, showed high ass levels of arsenic in a sample of Mott’s brand apple juice to be more than 5 times the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s legal limit for safe drinking water. Apple juice, a favorite of many, is especially given to children and the very old; so if we don’t kill you when you’re a baby, we’ll get you on your way out.

Arsenic is a natural substance and can be found naturally at very low levels in soil, plants and drinking water, and most people in the world are exposed to minute amounts of this naturally-occurring arsenic without serious consequences. However, factory pollution and repeated agricultural use of animal poisons and pesticides containing arsenic can cause water and soil to become contaminated with levels of arsenic well above the natural norm.

The EPA limits arsenic in drinking water to 10 parts per billion; the Empire State Consumer Project tests revealed one sample of Mott’s juice to contain 55 parts per billion of arsenic — well above the EPA’s “safe” level for water. Chronic exposure to sub-poisonous levels of arsenic has been linked to an increased risk of skin cancer, lung cancer, liver damage and birth defects in children.

Many U.S. distributors of apple sauce and apple juice — including some organic brands and many brands that are marketed directly to children — source some or all of their apples from Chinese orchards. China is the world’s largest apple producer and controls an estimated 80% of the world’s apple export market. So what the hell are all of these farms in the USA growing these days if most of our fruit comes from China? Oh that’s right instead of fruit and vegetables; a lot of farms you drive by in places like Allentown Pennsylvania and Missouri grow Puppies; so instead of corn on the cob, Ma and Pa Kettle are breeding poor animals, with the mother dogs kept in cages their whole life breeding babies until they die. Some dogs get rewarded by getting let out of their cages to get shot in the head when their “growing season” is over. I guess that’s the reason why the barn is always painted red; hides blood stains.

So what do you do? Stop drinking apple juice? I think it's a good idea to read your juice labels. I dont' think i'd drink any juice not made in the USA knowing this information; maybe it’s best to buy only organic or just drink water with fruit juice in it. So if you have kids and they have only one juice a day, the levels of arsenic won’t be too bad; but what if you have a child who loves to have their “Juicy Juice” or “Cuddle Bear Juice,” 3 or 5 times a day?

Dr. Mehmet Oz, the host of "The Dr. Oz Show," aired a segment Tuesday on his popular TV show about high levels of Arsenic in Apple Juice. Dr. OZ wondered why the FDA hasn't set a limit on arsenic in apple juice.

The FDA fired back at Dr. Oz on both its website and Facebook page, saying there is some arsenic in apple juice, but most of it occurs naturally and is safe and delicious.

Dr. Oz countered that claim, saying even adults need to be careful.

Zachary Adam Cohen-My Fox NY reported, Cohen a noted strategist and local foods advocate, agreed. He said trying to figure out where the apples in your juice come from is especially tough. He said a lot of processed food labels won't say where the ingredients are grown and picked. So I guess in the end it’s up to us to decide what’s safe or not.

The FDA states that the apple juice is fine and we always want to believe everything the government says right...right?

I wonder how many servings of apple juice the employee’s of the FDA give their children?

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