We're Fruc'ted.
Study finds high fructose corn syrup contains mercury. Read the Washington Post article HERE. Note the sentence below, "Mercury is toxic in all it's forms." Except vaccines, we've been assured by AAP, CDC and O-F-F-I-T.
"Mercury is toxic in all its forms. 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 [U.S. Food and Drug Administration] to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply," said the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy's Dr. David Wallinga, a co-author of both studies.
(Dr. Wallinga is a graduate of The U. of Minnesota medical school and holds a Masters from Princeton University (alma mater of our own Mark Blaxill.)
Children of the Corn...LMAO!!!
Kim, some of your pictures are way too appropriate.
It's funny how the FDA knew about this in 2005....and this report is just now coming out....
I wonder who's covering who's butt? And the vaccine thugs say it is impossible to keep something like that quiet...
Posted by: Craig Willoughby | January 29, 2009 at 03:58 PM
Please consider commenting over on a new Huffpo piece on this by Paula Crossfield - Food Policy Writer, Managing Editor of Civil Eats.
“One More Link in the Mercury-High Fructose Corn Syrup Chain: Autism”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-crossfield/one-more-link-in-the-merc_b_162202.html
Posted by: jruch | January 29, 2009 at 01:03 PM
No, no, NO...
It is not the HFCS per se but the glufosinate in the GMO corn. The glufosinate is structuraly similar to glutamic acid. GLUFOSINATE functions as a mock neurotransmitter and endocrine disruptor. Excess glutamates, (gluten and casein are VERY high in glutamates, BTW) contributes to excitotoxicity, A process whereby the neurons are excited to death.
Remove all sources of GMO corn, excess glutamates, MSG, aspartame, and it alleviates ASD symptoms, depression, anxiety and promotes clarity of mind. Corn is in salt, packaging, ethylene gas on produce, wax on produce, citric acid, ascorbic acid, vitamins, etc. It is in vitamin enriched foods as carriers, like milk for instance.
Corn is everywhere. I doubt this is happenstance. Google glufosinate and do your own research.
GMOs, MSG, aspartame keep the flames from the vaccine damage smoldering.
You can chelate and supplement forever but you MUST DO THE GROUND WORK by strict removal of these toxins, watching iron intake, keeping blood sugar level stabilized, eating organic, unprocessed foods to help cool off and stabilize the immune system so that you can set the stage for recovery. NATURAL ANTIVIRALS LIKE OLIVE LEAF EXTRACT HELP KEEP THE VIRUSES IN CHECK.
Try to eat foods that are low in arginine, high in lysine to keep the herpes virus in check.
The US gov't patent on mycoplasmas admits that these mycoplasmas they created for germ warfare cause many common autoimmune diseases. Research Dr. Shyh Lo and mycoplasma patents.
Posted by: Handthatrocksthecradle | January 29, 2009 at 10:00 AM
Even if HFCS contained 0 mercury, it is probably produced from genetically modified corn, and should be avoided.
Boycott all GM foods.
http://www.responsibletechnology.org/GMFree/CampaignforHealthierEatinginAmerica/index.cfm
Posted by: anonymous | January 29, 2009 at 09:11 AM
http://www.democracynow.org/
Dr. Wallinga interviewed by Amy Goodman Thursday, January 29, during concluding segment of Democracy Now.
Live streaming 8-9am
Repeat streaming 9-10am
Video available following day
(Interestingly, Obama mentioned as sponsor of unpassed Senate bill last year banning use of mercury in HFCS production)
Posted by: anonymous | January 29, 2009 at 09:06 AM
Thankfully we do not eat any of this - but most people do.
I love how it is safe in vaccines, but not everything else.
What an ignorant statement.
The tipping point is coming people.
Keep up the good work Kim and Dan!
Knowledge is Power.
Posted by: Cassandra | January 29, 2009 at 08:03 AM
Thank you Kim!
You guys rock!
PS. You are so creative with titles and photos!
Posted by: Erika | January 29, 2009 at 12:12 AM
I, err, fructosed up a little on units notation below. The maximum potential average daily load from the worst sample is 28.6 micrograms, not mg. Still not good.
Posted by: jruch | January 28, 2009 at 11:28 PM
First, "we're fruct'd" is hilarious.
Second, Marion Nestle, of www.foodpolitics.com, has this to say:
I agree that mercury in any form is unlikely to be good, but I have no idea whether such low levels do measurable harm. For one thing, these studies did not compare the amounts of mercury found in HFCS to those typically found in foods that do not contain HFCS. My guess is that most foods contain low levels of mercury because mercury is prevalent in air, water, and soil, especially around coal-burning power plants. Also, soft drinks are the major sources of HFCS in American diets, but these were found to be relatively free of mercury. This is puzzling.
Hmmm. Comparing groups of things that *do* have something in them to groups of things that *don't*...
What a novel idea.
So sensible.
Posted by: gigimama | January 28, 2009 at 09:37 PM
Is MSM going to pick up on this??? Or are they going to slide under a rock and let the world pass by like they do with Vaccines...
Posted by: CamJam | January 28, 2009 at 08:04 PM
Love the title and the photo as well! Thanks for all you do every single fruct-in day!
Posted by: Heidi | January 28, 2009 at 07:16 PM
This is a repost of an email a friend received from Quaker Oates regarding mercury in HFCS. I posted this incorrectly the first time:
"We appreciate you sending us information about the studies done on high fructose corn syrup.
The health and safety of our consumers is our highest priority. We are confident that Quaker continues to meet the stringent government and industry standards set for food companies.
Quaker products continue to meet the quality and safety standards that our consumers have come to know and expect from us for more than 130 years.
Based on our initial observations of the Environmental Health study, we are concerned that the methodology and assumptions relied on in the study are critically flawed and that their purported findings are insufficient to support their claims and to warrant alarm.
Quaker has a robust supplier assurance program in place, which meets the rigorous standards for food companies as set forth by government and industry organizations.
We appreciate your interest in Quaker Oats products"...
Geri
Quaker Consumer Relations
Posted by: Gatogorra | January 28, 2009 at 05:00 PM
I dream often of creating our own little 'commune' of sensory-friendly stores, inclusive schooling, wholesome organic food, non-toxic environment etc., etc. We'd also have our own government (call me a seceder if you must) and imagine this - our community would thrive! The dome part wasn't part of my plan but I can roll with that!
Posted by: Amy in Idaho | January 28, 2009 at 04:46 PM
EDIT:
Sorry, let me elaborate. I was not found to be allergic to fructose, the natural sugar occurring in most fruits and honey. HFFC, being a corn product, along with corn sweetener, corn syrup, etc, was the allergen.
Posted by: Josh Day | January 28, 2009 at 04:37 PM
High fructose corn syrup is no joke.
Back in the mid eighties I had severe learning problems/behavior issues. Would not make eye contact and hated being touched. Could not read at all or interact outside the home. Loud noises above the sound of a normal conversation was like a freight train in my ears... I still remember what it was like being in a gym during a basketball game, and the sound of people clapping and cheering. It was like what I imagine the front lines of war to be like.
I was taken to an allergist and was found to be highly allergic to ALL corn, fructose, soy, and a bunch of other things. This made eating hell for more than a decade as any food item containing any of the allergens was forbidden to me. And corn syrup is in EVEYRTHING. Why use sugar or other sweeteners when the government subsidizes corn production and pays the industrial farms to pump this stuff out at ridiculous volumes?
Oh, and Kim... "we're fruct?" Love it!
Posted by: Josh Day | January 28, 2009 at 03:52 PM
This was posted on a blog by a mom/midwife..
High fructose corn syrup is CAUSING autism. Around 12 months we begin feeding our children “table food” which is loaded with HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP. This toxin poisons the developing brain and reverses language and learned behaviors. The child retreates into it’s own world. No more eye contact or physical contact is desired. Even some of our “junior” baby foods and formulas contain HFCS. Again, we are poisoning the developing brain. HFCS is NOT a sugar nor is it NATURAL. It is a CHEMICAL. Our bodies do not understand how to metabolize this chemical, so our livers convert it into fat(obesity skyrocketing rates) and it clogs our brains with left over metabolites (the left over stuff). Get this stuff out of your diet. It is killing americans with obesity, heart disease, diabetes, non-alcholic fatty liver disease and AUTISM rates at 1 in 90 kids. This is scary. The FDA NEVER tested HFCS nor will it. They are “sleeping” with the corn industry. No one is protecting us. The corn industry LIES and says it is JUST LIKE SUGAR, yes a 30 step chemically altered substance is “sugar”?? I don’t think so!!! You can’t make this at home, nor can you grow it!! Don’t eat it ever again and tell parents of babies to watch labels, you would be shocked at the huge number of foods and beverages which contain this “chemical”. Good luck……
Posted by: Amy the Nurse Midwife | Sep 24, 2007 8:36:53 PM
Posted by: Kathy Blanco | January 28, 2009 at 02:55 PM
Interesting. I fear the place will be a sensory nightmare though. I work in cleanrooms and HEPAs are LOUD. The lighting too, seems tough. I hope they've though of that. So hard to do the right thing..
Posted by: Jack | January 28, 2009 at 01:56 PM
As I have said all along, and I am sure all of you know, not just vaccines is causing the mercury load, amalgams, HFCS, coal plants, fish, fertilizer sludge etc. A mother with amalgam fillings could be giving her baby in utero, ten times more mercury than the vaccines. That said, why aren't we also not targeting these food industries, dental associations, food growers (fertilizers and use of malathione which contains mercury salts), and polluters for this epidemic? I know some say that would make our argument weaker, and or it would not be focused on the one agent we commonly know about. One wonders however, why we haven't widened this circle, and protested/sued them, just as much as vaccines and their chronie industrialists? Even having a city with fluoride in the water, increased more chances of a very pourus blood brain barrier, if not, allows a chuck full aluminum into our bodies?
Did you know, when mother is mercury toxic, who the chelator is? HER BABY. The baby is the chelator. This is why some moms report "feeling great" during pregnancy, not only is her mercury being reduced by pure innocence, but also her autoimmune system is stablized for a time...this may explain why my first has autism, my second and third don't because I had them in rapid fire after my first and probably had a reduced mercury load at that time, then waited for my fourth, and accumulated more mercury (I think I had more dental work done), and she has autism. God, did I have amalgams, fourteen in total, and yes, we loved tuna sandwiches. All of them are out now/chelated...and miraculously, many of my MS/CFS are gone...hmmmmmm?
Sometimes I wonder if I should sue the whole lott of them, twould that not be a grand and glorious scene? Chicken of the Sea, Mr Farmer, THE ole crazy dentist and ADA, Kraft Foods, Mr Keep the lights on with Coal, etc etc...I can dream can't I? I wonder how much of a law suit would fetch? I would love to get my due...and my kids...alas, it is but a dream...
Posted by: Kathy Blanco | January 28, 2009 at 01:26 PM
The toxin-free dome is coming -- and it's in Pittsburgh. Check out article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/08132/880873-52.stm
Posted by: Jack's Dad | January 28, 2009 at 11:41 AM
“Are you crazy?”
There are many troubling aspects to this story. One is that AT LEAST ONE FEDERAL EMPLOYEE HAS BEEN SITTING ON THIS INFORMATION SINCE 2003.
The good news is that Obama has been all over this
“In response to a 2005 Chicago Tribune series about mercury hazards, then-senator Barack Obama introduced legislation that would force chlorine plants to phase out its use or shut down. One plant in Wisconsin later vowed to switch to a mercury-free process by this year, leaving four others - in Georgia, Ohio, Tennessee and West Virginia - that still use the older technology.”
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/jan/27/high-fructose-corn-syrup-mercury
Chlorine and the caustic soda used in corn syrup production are produced in the same process.
This study needs to be verified, but at the high end the population wide mercury load is alarming – 28.6mg of mercury per day per American – EVERY DAY. From the abstract:
“The samples were found to contain levels of mercury ranging from below a detection limit of 0.005 to 0.570 micrograms mercury per gram of high fructose corn syrup. Average daily consumption of high fructose corn syrup is about 50 grams per person in the United States. With respect to total mercury exposure, it may be necessary to account for this source of mercury in the diet of children and sensitive populations.”
http://www.ehjournal.net/content/8/1/2
From the study:
“In 2003 the EPA reported in the Federal Register that on average approximately seven tons of mercury were missing from each plant in the year 2000”
http://www.ehjournal.net/content/pdf/1476-069x-8-2.pdf (complete study)
“Vulcan Chemical submitted this mercury balance sheet to the Wisconsin DNR in 2003 with their wastewater discharge permit re-issuance application. This information led to the realization that mercury residue may be found in all products produced by the mercury cell chlor-alkali industry.”
But don’t worry. The industry and doctors are already assuring us in eerily familiar language that everything is ok.
“This study appears to be based on outdated information of dubious significance. It is important that Americans are provided accurate, science-based information," Audrae Erickson, president of the Corn Refiners Association, said in a statement. "They should know that high-fructose corn syrup is safe."
Last night a doctor was interviewed on a local news channel commented “it may be a bit overblown” and that consumers should not worry.
The chlorine industry is a little more believable. ‘In another statement, the Chlorine Institute said: "It is conceivable that measurable mercury content can be found in high-fructose corn syrup regardless of how it is processed." ‘
From
http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2009/jan/27/high-fructose-corn-syrup-mercury
No wonder they tell us not to worry about flu shots. Reminds me of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
Sundance Kid: I can't swim.
Butch Cassidy: Are you crazy? The fall will probably kill you.
Posted by: jruch | January 28, 2009 at 11:36 AM
High fructose corn syrup was mentioned in one of David Kirby's Huffington Post pieces back in March 2008. I guess government "researchers" have known for a while all the mercury our children are being exposed to. Geez, what's left to eat - it's all poison.
Posted by: Maggie | January 28, 2009 at 11:36 AM
Gatogorra-
Did your friend get coupons with that letter? The standard just take our word for it and while you're at here's a coupon to buy more of our mercury laden food. Just follow the other sheep....bah!
Btw, sign me up for that dome living. I just got my son's porphyrin test back and it ain't pretty.
Posted by: Kecia | January 28, 2009 at 10:58 AM
"The use of mercury-contaminated caustic soda in the production of HFCS is common. The contamination occurs when mercury cells are used to produce caustic soda."
Turns out they use mercury in the manufacture of vaccines and then claim the mercury is chelated out leaving trace amounts. Isn't that exactly the same thing as the above? Except of course for the fact that we are injecting the mercury into the bloodstream.
Then they wonder why the rate of autism hasn't gone down!!
Posted by: Same difference | January 28, 2009 at 10:41 AM
Dr. David Wallinga should be declared a national treasure. He's testified on methylmercury toxicity before the Minnesota Legislature. The IATP website is a wealth of information on toxins in food.
The scientific community is recognizing mercury's causal role in autism, despite obfuscation by the CDC. Note this quote by the study's lead author, Renee DeFault, a former FDA scientist:
"'Environmental mercury exposure via food, water and air is a threat to sensitive populations -- those who may not be able to effectively metabolize mercury (autistic children and the elderly).
"'Sensitive populations may be bioaccumulating mercury and this leads to neurological effects,' she said in an e-mail."
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/38430359.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMEaPc:UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU
Posted by: nhokkanen | January 28, 2009 at 10:03 AM
Sign me up for the AOA organic, toxic-free dome. I assume it will be "sensory-friendly" as well?
Posted by: Jack | January 28, 2009 at 09:08 AM
The Minneapolis Star ran two interesting stories on the corn syrup scandal.
In "For first time, trace amount of mercury found in corn syrup,"
http://www.startribune.com/lifestyle/health/38430359.html?elr=KArks7PYDiaK7DUHPYDiaK7DUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU
ConAgra spokeswoman Stephanie Childs said, 'You would have to eat more than 100 pounds of ketchup each day to even come close to reaching the EPA's safe exposure level.'
Someone from General Mills complained about "the science behind the report, saying it didn't identify which form of mercury was detected and that parts per trillion of mercury can be found in water, soil and plant and animal tissue."
Another industry rep said that "food plants no longer use the mercury-containing ingredients that caused contamination in the past."
However the study noted that "four plants in Georgia, Tennessee, Ohio and West Virginia still use the 'mercury-cell' technology that leads to contamination. A fifth plant in Wisconsin has begun converting its plant to use mercury-free agents."
These comments sound a lot like the arguments about mercury in vaccines. The amount is minimal. Mercury is no longer used in vaccines. There's no evidence of harm.
Companies are on the defensive:
General Mills said that the mercury amounts were "well below any concern level set by either U.S. or international regulatory bodies."
Kellogg: Our products are labeled in accordance with FDA regulations.
Target said they look to the Food and Drug Administration to provide guidance on the safety of food additives and ingredients.
Kraft: All of the ingredients we use are approved and deemed safe for food use by regulatory agencies, including the US FDA.
Sounds like the industry is going to pass the blame for this on to the FDA. With all the other scandals involving this regulatory agency, it'll hardly be noticed.
The Star also ran the piece, "How much is too much mercury?" in which
http://www.startribune.com/nation/38430564.html?elr=KArksLckD8EQDUoaEyqyP4O:DW3ckUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aULPQL7PQLanchO7DiUss we're told about mercury.
When it comes to the established safe amount of elemental mercury, the type discovered in high fructose corn syrup, it's "0."
It will be interesting to see if the industry starts to produce the studies to show that this is also a "safe" form of the second deadliest element on Earth.
Anne Dachel
Media editor
Posted by: Anne Dachel | January 28, 2009 at 08:56 AM
Seriously, does anyone want to create an AOA organic, toxic-free commune under a dome. Then we can say Fruc'ted to the rest of the world.
Thanks Big Brother for once again watching over us (cough...cough)
Posted by: Jenni Byrd | January 28, 2009 at 08:51 AM
Well, that is certainly going to confound any sort of study of mercurcy in vaccines (I simply just can't reliable spell thimerasol).
It kills me to think about how many people could be trying so hard to recover their child and not having sucess and then find out they were pumping them full of more mercury with every coca-cola.
Organics are worth the money. The CSA membership too. You can't trust anything else.
Posted by: Jack | January 28, 2009 at 08:23 AM
You guys rock when it comes to the titles of the articles. We just want the truth--and you do everytime!
Thanks, Cathy
Posted by: Cathy Jameson | January 28, 2009 at 08:06 AM