Study Links Food Preservatives and Diseases

  • Nitrates and nitrites are found in a lot of foods - like bacon, hot dogs, and pepperoni - as food preservatives (Photo by Renee Comet, courtesy of the National Cancer Institute)

A new study in the Journal of
Alzheimer’s Disease finds a strong
link between some food preservatives
and an increased risk of death from
Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and diabetes.
Rebecca Williams has more:

Transcript

A new study in the Journal of
Alzheimer’s Disease finds a strong
link between some food preservatives
and an increased risk of death from
Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and diabetes.
Rebecca Williams has more:

Nitrates and nitrites are found in a lot of foods we eat: bacon, hot dogs, and even cheese and beer.

The chemicals aren’t there naturally – they’re added as preservatives. And they’re also used in fertilizers.

Dr. Suzanne de la Monte is the study’s lead author.

She says they found a strong connection between higher death rates from Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and diabetes and the increases in our exposures to these chemicals in our food and water since the late 1960s.

“What we’ve identified says this is certainly something I would consider very very important. Are there other things? Probably.”

She says people could be genetically predisposed to these diseases.

But she says long term exposure to nitrates and nitrites could also be playing a role in two ways: whether we get these diseases and how severe they might end up being.

For The Environment Report, I’m Rebecca Williams.

Related Links

No Vaccine-Autism Link

Some parents of autistic kids believe that a preservative used in vaccines is in part to blame for their child’s autism. But Mark Brush reports a new study concludes there is no link between the preservative and autism:

Transcript

Some parents of autistic kids believe that a preservative used in
vaccines is in part to blame for their child’s autism. Mark Brush
reports a new study concludes there is no link between the preservative
and autism:


Pregnant women who are Rh-negative receive a shot to prevent disease in
their developing fetuses. Prior to 2003, these shots contained
thimerosal – a preservative made with mercury.


Dr. Judith Miles conducted a study that found no connection between
thimerosal exposure and autism. The study was published in the
American Journal of Medical Genetics. Dr. Miles says her research is
an important clarification for parents of autistic kids:


“I think it’s still important for parents to know, particularly mothers
who are Rh-negative, not to be concerned that this was something that
they somehow had a part in that caused the autism.”


Thimerosal has been removed from most childhood vaccines in the U.S.
However, it’s still used in the flu vaccine – and it’s widely used to
preserve immunization shots for kids in the developing world.


For the Environment Report, I’m Mark Brush.

Related Links

Old Treated Lumber Unsafe?

A new nationwide test for arsenic in treated lumber contradicts the EPA’s assurances that the wood is safe. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:

Transcript

A new nationwide test for arsenic in treated lumber contradicts the EPA’s assurances that the wood is safe. The Great Lakes Radio Consortium’s Lester Graham reports:


The EPA stated earlier this year that it did “not believe there is any reason to remove
or replace arsenic-treated structures.” The EWG – the Environmental Working Group –
coordinated a testing program of older backyard decks and playsets that use preservative-treated lumber. Consumers bought 263 test kits and sent samples to a university lab. Jon Corsiglia is with EWG.


“Well, the analysis is in direct contradiction to what EPA has been advising folks in that
the analysis shows older decks are leaking arsenic at just as high of levels as newer structures.”


The EWG suggests that people wash their hands after touching the wood, not let children play on the surfaces, and use a plastic table cloth on picnic tables made of treated wood. It also suggests replacing often-touched surfaces such as handrails with other materials.


For the Great Lakes Radio Consortium, this is Lester Graham.

We Are What We Eat

The Food and Drug Administration has recently re-opened the issue of
labeling foods that have been irradiated. As The Great Lakes Radio
Consortium’s Suzanne Elston points out, by focusing the debate on
labeling, were ignoring a much bigger issue: