Too Many Toxic Chemicals Making Their Way into Food

Too Many Toxic Chemicals Making Their Way into Food Neil Wagner Arsenic. Mercury. Pesticide residues. These toxins make their way into food, but experts continue to disagree over how much of a health threat they pose. A new study from UC Davis and UCLA concludes that people — particularly preschool children — are being exposed to too many of these toxins at concentrations that have been determined to be unhealthy. The study also offers several ways for concerned people to lower their exposure to these toxins, ranging from the relatively simple strategy of eating less meat and dairy but more fruit and vegetables to buying organically grown milk and produce. The most disturbing finding was that pre-school children were the age group with the highest exposure to six of the 11 toxic compounds looked at in the study. Of the eleven toxic compounds studied, benchmarks (exposure levels considered safe) were exceeded by all children for arsenic, dieldrin, DDE and dioxin. And benchmarks were also exceeded by over 95% of preschool-age children for acrylamide and by 10% of preschool-age children for mercury. These compounds have been linked to cancer, developmental disabilities, birth defects and other adverse medical conditions. While there is some uncertainty about what constitutes a safe exposure level for these toxins, there is broad agreement that they're much more dangerous to children because of their lower body weight and developing brains and nervous systems. The study used data from a 2007 study called SUPERB, which surveyed households in California about their dietary habits, including 207 pre-school age children (2-4) and 157 school-age children (5-7). The researchers were able to tease out estimates of exposure levels to various toxins by concentrating on consumption of only 44 foods, those known to be extremely high in a particular toxin. For example, when it comes to mercury, you don't need to know dietary information on all mercury containing foods, just major sources such as tuna, to build a good estimate of a person's mercury exposure. It is notoriously difficult to pinpoint a safe level of exposure for many contaminants that end up in food. For one thing, the experiments that might establish safe levels are almost always unethical and cannot be conducted. The researchers looked at levels of eleven toxic compounds: three metals (arsenic, lead and mercury); three pesticides (chlorpyrifos, permethrin and endosulfan); four persistent organic pollutants (dioxin, DDE, dieldrin and chlordane); and the neurotoxin and suspected carcinogen acrylamide which is found in cigarette smoke and certain foods cooked at high temperatures, like potato chips. Perhaps the most disturbing finding was that pre-school children were the age group with the highest exposure to six of the 11 toxic compounds looked at in the study. It is notoriously difficult to pinpoint a safe level of exposure for many contaminants that end up in food. For one thing, the experiments that might establish safe levels are almost always unethical and cannot be conducted. This is one reason that there's so much bickering among scientists over whether foodborne toxins do or do not present a major health threat. Avoiding Exposure For people who are concerned about exposure to toxins in food, the researchers offer several strategies to lower exposure. About the simplest strategy is to eat a varied diet. This helps prevent accumulating too much toxin from a single food group. A much more proactive strategy is to buy organic produce. Even studies that question the usefulness of switching to organic produce agree that organic produce is much less likely to be contaminated with pesticides. The researchers found particularly high pesticide contamination in thirteen types of produce: tomatoes, peaches, apples, peppers, grapes, lettuce, broccoli, strawberries, spinach, dairy, pears, green beans and celery. Buying organic produce is one way to lower pesticide exposure in a single stroke. The researchers also suggest lowering meat consumption and switching to organic milk as ways to lower exposure to persistent organic pollutants like DDE, which tend to accumulate in animal fat. Probably the easiest way to lower acrylamide exposure is to avoid or minimize eating potato chips, tortilla chips and French fries. The researchers also think their study results should cause both industry and consumers to think long and hard about current food policy — how we grow our food and the approval process for chemicals of questionable toxicity. The persistent organic compound DDE comes from DDT that was sprayed as an insecticide decades ago. DDT use was banned in the U.S. 40 years ago, but we're still dealing today with the consequences of having sprayed so much of it. How many similar compounds are we introducing into the environment now that will continue to keep on giving in decades to come, even if their use were to cease today?

How to Be Indispensable

How to Be Indispensable By Jonathan Fields I was recently talking to a COO at a public company about our comparative experiences hiring people. Him, on a giant scale. Me, on a micro-scale. And, what became clear to both of us was... Scale aside... There is a single quality that is so rare, when you find someone who has it, you'll do pretty much anything to bring that person on board and keep them happy. And, the thing is, some people cultivate it naturally. But, others, once they realize its power, may be able to build it into who they are and how they operate. So, what do we look for? What is that single quality that makes someone precious and indispensable? Beyond intelligence, loyalty, kindness, respect, discipline, pride, passion and compassion, it's... ...the ability to create. Sounds so simple. But truth is, the vast majority of people spend their lives learning how to follow then execute other peoples' game plans. Fitting their skills, abilities and mindsets into the predefined responsibilities and tasks required by a predefined job. And, that's fine. We need people like that in the world. If that's you and you work with pride and add value and that makes you happy, rock on. But, know too that you regardless of how "hard" you work, you will very likely never be toward the top of the "gotta keep 'em" food chain. Not because you're bad at what you do, not because you don't add value. Not because those around you don't like or even love you. But because there will always be a sea of people lined up to take your job who can do what you do in a similar enough way to make your boss, partner, colleague or collaborator happy. For every creator, there are hundreds, if not thousands, of operators. Which is why, when you're a creator, everything changes. Rather than being the one people ask to carry out a plan, people look to you to create a plan. To solve a problem, to innovate a new idea, product, service or campaign, to see opportunities where everyone else sees barriers, to blaze a new trail rather than follow a well grooved one. And, the thing is, most often it's not about radical departures from the norm or Earth-shattering breakthroughs. What I'm talking about is the ability to create solutions on a daily basis. To understand we're at point A and we need to get to point B, then tap your creative/problem-solving juices to conjure the best possible way to get there. As someone who's steering the ship, that ability is immensely more valuable to me than someone who needs to be told every step from A to B (provided I also have skilled Operators in the pipeline). Because it frees up my own creative juices to focus on other projects, while trusting in another's ability to figure out how to get done what needs to get done. Truth be told, though, there's one person who's even more valuable than the pure creator/problem-solver. And, that's the Creator-Operator--the individual who can not only create anew, solve problems and map out innovative pathways, but also possesses the ability to execute, to bring those plans to life. People who can do both are extraordinarily rare finds, because creation and implementation are very different processes and almost always inhabit different brains and bodies, too. Most peoples' minds just don't function well on both levels. Which is why those folks tend to rise quickly up the ranks and often become entrepreneurs. And, that leaves us with two important questions: Are you a Creator, a Creator-Operator or an Operator? If you're an Operator and you'd like to become more of a Creator, is that "trainable?"

Do Something for Somebody

Do something for somebody, somewhere, while jogging along life's road. Help someone to carry his burden, and lighter will grow your load. Do something for somebody, gladly, it will sweeten your every care. In sharing the sorrows of others, your own are less hard to bear. Do something for somebody, striving to help where the way seems long. And the sorrowful hearts that languish, cheer up with a little song. Do something for somebody, always, whatever may be your creed. There's nothing on earth that can help you so much as a kindly deed.

TEACH YOUR CHILDREN

Teach Your Children Well: How to Develop Successful Kids - Part Two By Mark Morgan Ford Today, I'd like to talk about the most important skills we need to be successful in life. I've been thinking about this subject for several decades. I hope that what I'm about to say will be helpful to you. The Three Mega-skills: Thinking, Writing, and Speaking I've identified about a dozen skills I believe are important to a successful life. Of these, three are fundamental: thinking well, speaking well, and writing well. At some level, every human being can think. But some people, I'm sure you would agree, think better than others. Thinking Well Thinking well means having the capacity to reason. It means being able to assess, analyze, and solve problems. It means being able to create and follow a trend of thought. It means being able to recognize good ideas from bad ones. It means understanding logic. Having the ability to think well gives a person a great competitive advantage. It allows him to solve problems and accomplish objectives quickly and efficiently. It distinguishes him as a smart and capable person. Thinking well is the basis for all of the other important social skills as you will soon see. In thinking about thinking, we must remember that there is a difference between thinking well and intelligence. Thinking well is a skill. Intelligence is a natural capacity. Having a sizable intellect is an indisputable asset. It makes it so much easier to learn how to think well. But it does not guarantee it. The world is full of intelligent people who have never learned how to think well. They grow up to be adults who do not have the intellectual capacity to fend for themselves. They live out their lives dependent on the kindness of others. Thinking well, like any other skill, can be learned. If it can be learned, it can be taught. And that teaching will fall primarily on your shoulders. Government-run schools and many private schools, as well, have neither the interest nor ability to do this. The job is and should be up to you. There are at least three ways you can teach your children to think well. The most important is probably through thoughtful conversation. Taking the time to walk your children through problems and obstacles is invaluable. Asking them questions and questioning their answers is also important. And finally, it is important to encourage them to have their own ideas. Society wants to make us all think alike. You can't possibly be a good thinker unless you have the temerity to think for yourself. The second most important is probably through a good formal education. A good formal education, in my view, is one that emphasizes the liberal arts: literature, language, history, and the arts. Some knowledge of science and mathematics is helpful. But these are skills that are not likely to make you anything more than a successful or celebrated worker bee. The skills you learn in liberal arts teach you how to think. The third way you can teach your children to think well is by exacting a diligent control over their use of computers, video games, television, and access to the Internet, generally. My wife and I unplugged our televisions during the 25 years that our children lived at home. And we banned video games and encouraged our children to "play" games that were educational. Today, there are hundreds of games you can download for free or a few dollars from the Internet. These include fundamental thinking games about discrimination, recognition, sorting, pairing, etc., and more advanced games that focus on skills such as analysis and logic. Speaking Well Another thing I'm proud to say is that our children are reasonably proficient speakers. In my view, speaking well is the second most important social skill. As with thinking well, we need to make a distinction here. Speaking well involves grammar and diction, but these are not as important as the ability to express worthy thoughts concisely and clearly. However good your grammar and diction may be, you can't speak well if have trouble "saying" what you "mean." To become a good speaker, you must practice the skill of speaking concisely. And you must also develop the habit of saying things that are worth saying. It is amazing to me how many college-educated people I meet who can't speak well. They are the people who have good ideas but cannot express them. When trying to express even a modestly complicated thought, they hem and haw and pepper their phrases with expressions like "you know" and "it was like" and so on. Then there are the articulate people who never say anything that isn't shallow or trivial. Having the ability to speak well is such a rare quality that the possession of it will immediately separate you from most other people in the room. It will give you social power that they lack even if they are richer, taller, and better looking than you are. How do you teach your children to speak well? Again, the most important way is by speaking well yourself. A child's first and most frequent exposure to the skill of speaking is with his parents. Small children absorb the intricacies of language like sponges. If you want your children to have this second most valuable social skill, then speak thoughtfully when you speak to them and expect them to do the same with you. You can also encourage your children to speak well by insisting they take courses that involve speaking in school. These would be primarily the liberal arts courses but also any courses for which you can't get a grade simply by checking off boxes. And thirdly, there is the Internet. There are dozens and dozens of applications available that will improve one's vocabulary and grammar. As I said, these are not the most important elements of speaking well, but they help. Writing Well The third most important social skill is writing well. Writing may seem to have become less important in the age of instant messaging, but writing short communications is still writing. And as your child enters into the world of work, writing well will become an increasingly valuable skill. Having the ability to express him or herself well in memos, business letters, proposals, personal notes, and so on is a very powerful skill. Writing well is dependent on speaking well, and speaking well is dependent on thinking well. So if you educate your children to think and speak well, it will be quite easy to teach them to become good writers. Again, writing well is the skill of expressing worthy ideas concisely and clearly on paper. Writing well demands some additional facilities beyond those of speaking well, but for the most part, if you can speak well, you can also write well. The most important way you can teach your children to write well is to insist that they spend some amount of time writing every day. You might encourage your children to write letters to an out-of-town relative or find a pen pal through one of the supervised pen-pal sites on the Internet. Thinking, speaking, and writing well are the three most important social skills. If your children learn these, they will be set for life. They will have the ability to analyze problems, find solutions for them, and thus be seen as problem solvers. They will be able to stand out in any social group (at work or outside of work) by their abilities to express good ideas concisely and clearly. Plus, if they acquire good manners, they won't have to pay the cost of treating other people badly.