Finally we have concrete scientific proof from the New York Times science section that natural and green families are just being hysterical when they become concerned about things like hot dogs, Bisphenol A (BPA), plastic bags, the melting polar ice caps, and non-local food. All of these things are completely safe and have little environmental impact. Ugh…this article is ridiculous. It basically pokes fun at all these VALID concerns by likening them to the concern that you might be sucked into a wormhole. I really can’t believe they posted this drivel under Science!
Hot dogs – Anyone who has read this blog for any length of time probably knows I think hot dogs are the lowest form of crap there is. Why? Hot dogs are packaged with a preservative called sodium nitrite. In the 1970s the US government decided that sodium nitrite was not safe since many studies had shown a disturbing link to cancer. The government moved to ban it from all foods available on the market but lobbyists hired by food companies stepped in and played hardball….they won and sodium nitrite is served up to us regularly in deli meats, hot dogs, and bacon. These products are often linked to colon cancer. I was a big time bacon eater for years…many meals consisted only of bacon, and I ended up with colon cancer…coincidence?
The author Tierney also claims that the grilling-creates-carcinogens belief is also bunk. I believe this to be false also. Grilling changes the cellular structure of foods and according to the The National Institute of Health, Dept. of Health and Human Services, grilling does in fact create cancer causing chemicals. Just another reason to go raw.
Local Foods – Tierney claims that eating local is no better than eating foods shipped over long distances…cause one study said so. This study analyzes imported lamb and sheep farming from an area with good conditions for raising sheep to an area where this type of farming has some disadvantages…not kiwi…the fruit the author mentions. So this one study about lamb products nullifies common sense? Local foods that do not have to travel far to your plate will mean less greenhouse emissions….this is simple math.
Plastic Bags – Tierney suggests that plastic bags are getting an unfair rep. They are in fact no worse for the environment than paper bags. This is neither here nor there to me. Where is the mention of reusable cloth bags??? Most eco conscious people who protest plastic bags are NOT using paper…they are using cloth…but I think that fact was intentionally glossed over for this article.
BPA in plastic bottles – Tierney claims that “experts” have repeatedly declared this chemical safe. Well, I think just as many “experts” have also spoken out against BPA in recent months and they weren’t funded by chemical/plastic companies. Tierney says that the dosage is what makes the poison and that BPA is not being dolled out in dosages that make it poisonous. He neglects to mention though that BPA is not only found in plastic bottles…it is also in baby formula cans, teethers, cups, plates, plastic utensils, and toys. What about the cumulative exposure? He also neglects to mention that our most vulnerable citizens (babies and children) are the ones getting these multiple doses.
And furthermore….puhlease…everyone knows that wormholes present a very REAL and iminment danger…duh! Please quit your day job Tierney. ;)
