http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56923
Monday, July 30, 2007
Latest China scare: Don't eat the ginger
Traces of hazardous pesticide found on imports of fresh
herb
WASHINGTON ? In the latest of a long line of scares over food
imports from China, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration and the
California Department of Public Health are warning the public not
to eat fresh ginger from that country.
Certain batches of ginger, commonly used in Chinese and Japanese
dishes, were found to be contaminated with traces of a hazardous
pesticide called Aldicarb sulfoxide. The pesticide can cause humans
to be poisoned within the first hour of exposure.
Ingestion of foods contaminated with low levels of aldicarb may
cause flu-like symptoms (nausea, headache, blurred vision), which
disappear quickly, usually within five or six hours, according to
the California agency. At higher levels of ingestion,
aldicarb-contaminated food can also cause dizziness, salivation,
excessive sweating, vomiting, diarrhea, muscle stiffness and
twitching, and difficulty in breathing.
The ginger has been found in Albertson's stores and Save Mart
stories in Northern California.
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So far, there have been no reports of illness as a result of
consumption of the imported ginger. Individuals who may have
consumed the ginger and are experiencing adverse health effects
should contact their health care providers immediately, according
to the California agency.
Scandals over Chinese food exports unfit for human consumption have
been breaking around the world ? making a major impact on the
country's economy and fragile psychology.
Following the pet food poisoning that killed or maimed an estimated
39,000 cats and dogs in the U.S., WND embarked on an investigation
of other Chinese imports. What it has found to date:
Foods imported for consumption by American humans may be, in some
cases, as dangerous as the pet food. A WND study found the vast
majority of imported foods rejected as unfit for human consumption
by the Food and Drug Administration are from China. FDA inspectors
report tainted food imports intended for American humans are being
rejected with increasing frequency because they are filthy, are
contaminated with pesticides and tainted with carcinogens, bacteria
and banned drugs.
China, the leading exporter of seafood to the U.S., is raising most
of its fish products in water contaminated with raw sewage and
compensating by using dangerous drugs and chemicals, many of which
are banned by the Food and Drug Administration.
The deadly contaminant found in Chinese-made toothpaste ?
diethylene glycol ? is a solvent used in antifreeze that killed 107
Americans when it was introduced in an elixir 70 years ago.
A resurgence in lead-poisoning cases in U.S. children is being
linked to Chinese imports ? toys, makeup, glazed pottery and other
products that contain significant amounts of lead and are being
recalled by the CPSC on a regular basis.
Imports from China were recalled by the CPSC twice as often as
products made everywhere else in the world, including the U.S.,
showed a WND study of 2007 government reports.
The rising cost of fireworks, almost all of which are made in
China, as well as safety concerns and human rights concerns about
the conditions of those manufacturing the products resulted in a
decrease of Independence Day displays in the U.S.
WND revealed there are currently no safety standards established
between the U.S. and China on food, drugs and other imports. As a
result of WND's series, members of Congress began working on
setting new standards.
WND revealed how China is shipping to the U.S. honey tainted with a
potentially life-threatening antibiotic as well as adulterating
exports with sugar.
The scandals are having a major impact on Chinese society,
too.
"The food security problems have impeded Chinese agri-products and
food many times in international trade, and damaged our national
credibility and image," Sun Xianze, director of food safety
coordination at the State Food and Drug Administration, said at a
weekend seminar.
"The occurrence of food safety incidents or cases not only affects
the healthy development of the whole industry, but also may impact
upon economic and social stability."
