LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
CAMP Fitness |
by Rick Moore |
There's a Bug in my Juice!
Hey you, there are bugs in your juice, yogurt, and (to all you drag queens out here) in your eye shadow. Yupbugs. And you may have an allergy to these bugs and not even know it. Hmmm...and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is still trying to decide on a rule that states that food companies have to put on their labels that these bugs are added to the product. When processed and crushed, these bugs give off those rich red or vivid orange colors. The additives have been used for centuries. They are called carmine and cochineal extract and come from a female beetle. These beetles are imported from foreign countries like Peru, Chile, Bolivia, the Canary Islands, and South Africa. It seems the crushed beetle is used as an ingredient in nearly 815 cosmetic preparations. The carmine and cochineal additives produce the red, purple, and pink colors we find in juices, popsicles, face blush, the cherries in fruit cocktail, port wine cheese, artificial crab, strawberry milk, why even caviar as well as many other products. Carmine is even used in Yoplait yogurt. It is listed on the label and General Mills has no intention of getting rid of it. The substances were declared safe in the 1960s by the FDA. Companies said they had not received any reports of adverse reactions from the ground bug parts. Uh-oh! It wasn't revealed until 10 years later that adverse reactions to the additives had actually been reported. Medical reports showed that the additives can cause allergic reactions in some people. Some of those reactions include flushing, hives, eczema, sneezing and even anaphylaxisa severe, sudden allergic reaction that could possibly result in death. Now that is severe! The problem caught the eye of the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI). This watchdog group and several doctors asked the FDA in 1998 to ban the additives (bug parts). They strongly advised the FDA to get rid of the additives for they felt it was an opportunity to protect us from unnecessary reactions. The head of the CSPI urged the dyes be replaced with other artificial or natural dyes that don't elicit the same reaction. The FDA has proposed that by this coming January, companies will list the names of the additives (carmine and cochineal extract). Companies would have two years to change their labeling. The benefit of avoiding the consequences of allergic reaction was estimated at anywhere from 1 million to 26 million dollars. And now that I scared you with allergic additives, I'm going to scare you again. Have you ever taken a plane ride and then a couple of days later come down sick with some ailment that really puzzled you? Well, research has found (as a lot of frequent flyers know) that you can actually contract a bug from airline passengers. Officials from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)and Prevention confirmed that there is a possibility that airline travelers could contract mumps, measles, or even tuberculosis from other airline passengers during flights. Oh, great! "The transmission of diseases during air travel is something we don't know or understand too much," said the Chief of Quarantine and Border Health Services at the CDC. They do believe that there is a risk of transmission. The air circulation systems of planes, long suspected as promoting the spread of disease, are no longer believed responsible for outbreaks. The systems are equipped with sophisticated filtering mechanisms that help prevent the re-circulation of contaminated air. But passengers are at greater risk aboard airliners for the simple reason that they are stuck in confined spaces for extended periods of time with potentially ill seat mates. Now, I ask you. If your seat mate were ill would you move? Many said they would. It is important for people to monitor their own health and defer travel if they are ill. You wouldn't want a co-worker to show up for work sick, infecting everyone there. It's the same situation for airline travelers. In December, the CDC announced it is collecting detailed airline traveler information so federal health officials can warn passengers of potential outbreaks of communicable diseases. The CDC is attempting to maintain a database of traveler information, such as home addresses, emergency contact information, phone numbers, e-mail addresses and even the names of travel companions. Creation of the database is still about two years away. Rick Moore is a personal trainer certified by the American Fitness Professionals & Associates. Visit him at www.ricksfitness.net. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 16, No. 6 June 2, 2006 |