Heralding in a new era of food safety, President Obama has formed a
Food Safety Working Group to "upgrade our food safety laws for the 21st century".
The appointments of former NYC health chief, Margaret Hamburg as new FDA commissioner and Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore’s health commissioner, as deputy were praised by the American Health Association. The [hopeful] approval from Congress of $1 billion in funds to regenerate a formerly impotent FDA and the Agriculture Department’s new rules banning all sick or disabled cattle for consumption, is another example of President Obama’s forward thinking in an effort to undo past wrongs.
“There are certain things only a government can do”, Obama said. “And one of those things is ensuring that the foods we eat, and the medicines we take, are safe and do not cause us harm.”
If some of the more paranoid, aluminum-foil-hat crowd fear this is yet another example of Big Brotherism, then all I can say is: We’ve been too long without this Brother.
Showing posts with label FDA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label FDA. Show all posts
March 16, 2009
January 8, 2007
Adieu To Another Toxic Pesticide
As of September, 2006, the FDA (in its infinitely circumspect wisdom) has ordered the phasing out of existing inventories of Azinphos-methyl (AZM) by September 30, 2012. Over this time period and at two-year intervals, specific crops will be ordered AZM-free. After all....you don't think the producers of this poison would have totally agreed to this if they had to take a loss by yanking it off the market completely and immediately? AZM Phaseout
The oganophosphate pesticide has been deemed (by the FDA braintrusts) to pose health risks to farm workers, pesticide applicators, and aquatic ecosystems. Something which organic and anti-chemical protagonists have been urging and proclaiming for years. Sadly, the full ban won't take effect for another five years, but...it's something, and this way the poor chemical companies can still turn a profit from their remaining inventories and have that much more time to think of an safer alternative, which they've probably known of for years anyway. Do you think they really care if during the remaining five-year phaseout those people exposed to the pesticide develop symptoms of toxicity? Like getting wounded on the day of armistice and all's fair in love, war and toxic chemicals. Or so they'd have you believe.
The oganophosphate pesticide has been deemed (by the FDA braintrusts) to pose health risks to farm workers, pesticide applicators, and aquatic ecosystems. Something which organic and anti-chemical protagonists have been urging and proclaiming for years. Sadly, the full ban won't take effect for another five years, but...it's something, and this way the poor chemical companies can still turn a profit from their remaining inventories and have that much more time to think of an safer alternative, which they've probably known of for years anyway. Do you think they really care if during the remaining five-year phaseout those people exposed to the pesticide develop symptoms of toxicity? Like getting wounded on the day of armistice and all's fair in love, war and toxic chemicals. Or so they'd have you believe.
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