So now there's a salomon shortage.

 

Salmon shortage.

 

Huh - never made the connection.

 

They fed the poisoned pet food to the salmon.  Did they expect them to bark or something?  Lord....Hu's running this country anyway?

 

SSDD

Welcome Back.

What a long strange trip it's been.

 

 

 

 

From the CDC:

IOW, use GLASS kitchenware, most especially for microwaving - do NOT use plastic.  Do not let plastic bottles containing bottled water get heated.

Environmental Phenols

Reference

Calafat AM, Ye X, Wong LY, Reidy JA, Needham LL. Urinary Concentrations of Triclosan in the U.S. Population: 2003-2004. Environ Health Perspect 2008 Mar;116(3):303-7.

Abstract

Background: Triclosan is a synthetic chemical with broad antimicrobial activity that has been used extensively in consumer products, including personal care products, textiles, and plastic kitchenware.

Objectives: To assess exposure to triclosan in a representative sample aged 6 years and older of the US general population from the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES).

Methods: We analyzed 2,517 urine samples using automated solid-phase extraction coupled to isotope dilution-high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry.

Results: We detected concentrations of total (free plus conjugated) triclosan in 74.6% of samples at concentrations of 2.4-3,790 µg/L. The geometric mean and 95th percentile concentrations were 13.0 µg/L (12.7 µg/g creatinine) and 459.0 µg/L (363.8 µg/g creatinine), respectively. We observed a curvilinear relation between age and adjusted least square geometric mean (LSGM) concentrations of triclosan. LSGM concentrations of triclosan were higher in people in the high household income than in people in low (P < 0.01) and medium (P = 0.04) income categories.

Conclusions: In about three quarters of urine samples analyzed as part of NHANES 2003-2004, we detected concentrations of triclosan. Concentrations differed by age and socioeconomic status but not by race/ethnicity and sex. Specifically, the concentrations of triclosan appeared to be highest during the third decade of life and among people with the highest household incomes.

Full Text

The full text of this publication is available from:
Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP)

For More Information...

Fact Sheets

• Triclosan
  PDF 36KB

 

More from the CDC:

There is concern about formaldehyde in the FEMA trailers.

How about the formaldehyde and air quality of new construction in Louisville Kentucky?  Or Ashland Chemical where one cannot breathe for two days after driving through the myre of smog, black clouds and pollution?  As long as the wind blows towards West Virginia, it's ok.  But let it touch Lexington Kentucky once, and Lexington Lawyers will be all over you, my friend.

 

CDC Takes Action on Indoor Air Quality-Related Health Concerns of Displaced Gulf Coast Residents

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) provided either mobile homes or travel trailers to displaced Gulf Coast residents who had lost their homes in the hurricane. Residents of these trailers and mobile homes have raised concerns about air quality in the trailers and the occurrence of respiratory and other symptoms resulting from exposure to formaldehyde or other respiratory irritants among residents of the mobile homes. CDC has been working with FEMA to investigate the health concerns of those living in the trailers and mobile homes and to take action to protect residents’ health.

Preliminary Formaldehyde Testing Results Released

On February 14, 2008, CDC released preliminary results from testing that found higher-than-typical indoor levels of formaldehyde in the travel trailers and mobile homes. For more on the preliminary test results, go to CDC Releases Results of Formaldehyde Level Tests.

A team composed of a U.S. Public Health Service (USPHS) Commissioned Corps officer and a FEMA representative notified study participants of the results in February 2008, with personal visits and a hand-delivered letter. The Commissioned Corps took on this work at the request of CDC.

To directly address the concerns of other interested individuals regarding formaldehyde exposure, CDC representatives were available at 15 public meetings held in Louisiana February 25-28 and in Mississippi March 3-6, 2008. Over 900 individuals attended these events.

For Assistance

People living in FEMA trailers who are concerned about the level of formaldehyde in their trailers and the possible health risks of contact with formaldehyde should seek appropriate assistance.

• For concerns about conditions in your trailer, contact FEMA at 1-866-562-2381 (TTY 1-800-462-7585).
• For concerns about medical problems that you think may be related to the trailer, talk to a doctor or other medical professional.

 

Other Public Health Activities

In addition to testing for indoor air levels of formaldehyde, CDC’s public health activities include:

• Reconvening a panel of experts to identify and advise on health issues that could be associated with long-term residence in temporary housing units, such as travel trailers.
• Assessing formaldehyde levels across different models and types of unoccupied trailers to identify the factors that reduce or heighten those levels. This assessment also involves identifying cost-effective ways to reduce or lower formaldehyde levels and concentrations in temporary housing environments
• Planning a long-term study of children who resided in FEMA trailers and mobile homes in Mississippi and Louisiana.

 

What Is Formaldehyde?

Formaldehyde is a common chemical in our environment. Sources of formaldehyde in the environment may include:

• Household sources, such as fiberglass, carpets, permanent press fabrics, paper products, and some household cleaners,
• Manufactured wood products used in new mobile homes,
• Cigarettes and other tobacco products, gas cookers, and open fireplaces,
• Smog

Exposure to low levels of formaldehyde may cause irritation of the eyes, nose, throat, and skin. It is possible that people with asthma may be more sensitive to the effects of inhaled formaldehyde.

Would these concerns emimate to the trailers built in Sedona Arizona by the Hyatt as well?

Selenium - it's what's for dinner tonight.

 

Selenium toxicity in animals and it's causes - and yes, it does migrate up the food chain right to the top.

http://www.ext.colostate.edu/PUBS/natres/06109.html

Selenium toxicity in humans - where does it come from?

http://www.pesticideinfo.org/Detail_Chemical.jsp?Rec_Id=PC41175

Also in many over the counter and prescription drugs, anti-dandruff, anti-fungals, etc...

This is what Selenosis will do to a human: http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=39069

Ask your Doctor.  He'll tell you it's stress.


What is Selenium?

CAS#: 7782-49-2

Selenium is a naturally occurring mineral element that is distributed widely in nature in most rocks and soils. In its pure form, it exists as metallic gray to black hexagonal crystals, but in nature it is usually combined with sulfide or with silver, copper, lead, and nickel minerals. Most processed selenium is used in the electronics industry, but it is also used: as a nutritional supplement; in the glass industry; as a component of pigments in plastics, paints, enamels, inks, and rubber; in the preparation of pharmaceuticals; as a nutritional feed additive for poultry and livestock; in pesticide formulations; in rubber production; as an ingredient in antidandruff shampoos; and as a constituent of fungicides. Radioactive selenium is used in diagnostic medicine.

Related Resources for Selenium

• Case Study in Environmental Medicine (CSEM)
  Self-instructional publication designed to increase primary care provider's knowledge of a hazardous substance in the environment and to aid in the evaluation of potentially exposed patients.
  
-->
• CERCLA Priority List of Hazardous Substance
  Prioritization of substances based on a combination of their frequency, toxicity, and potential for human exposure at National Priorities List (NPL) sites.
  
• Minimal Risk Level (MRL)
  Intended to serve as a screening tool to help public health professionals decide where to look more closely.
  
• Medical Management Guidelines(MMGs)for Acute Chemical Exposures
  Publication intended to aid emergency department physicians and other emergency healthcare professionals who manage acute exposures resulting from chemical incidents.
  
• National Report On Human Exposure To Environmental Chemical (NCEH) Fact Sheet
  Spotlight of an environmental chemical based on CDC’s Third National Report on Human Exposure to Environmental Chemicals.
  
-->
• Public Health Statement
  Summary about a hazardous substance taken from Chapter One of its respective ATSDR Toxicological Profile.
  
• ToxFAQ
  Fact sheet that answers the most frequently asked questions about a contaminant and its health effects.
  
• ToxFAQ: Chemical Agent Briefing Sheets (CABS)
  Briefing sheets that provide current and relevant scientific information on specific high profile chemicals. 
  
• ToxGuide
  Quick reference guide providing information such as chemical and physical properties, sources of exposure, routes of exposure, minimal risk levels, children's health, and health effects for a substance.
  
-->
• Toxicological Profile
  Succinctly characterizes the toxicologic and adverse health effects information for a hazardous substance.
  

Two conversations about salmon Shortage.
------------------------
Chamila
http://www.singhalaya.blogspot.com

Nutro Announces Dry Cat Food Recall:

http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/unleashed/2009/05/pet-food-company-nutro-announces-recall-of-dry-cat-food.html

 

L.A. Unleashed --> « Your morning adorable: Looking cute for a treat | Main Pet food company Nutro announces recall of dry cat food 10:55 AM, May 28, 2009 Pet food company Nutro has announced a recall of dry cat food sold in the U.S. and 10 other countries, including Canada, Mexico, Japan and Israel.  The cause of the recall, Nutro says, was a production error that caused incorrect levels of potassium and zinc to be used in the affected food.  Nutro dry cat food that bears a "best if used by" date falling between May 12, 2010 and Aug. 22, 2010 should be returned to the retailer for a refund or exchange.  "Two mineral premixes were affected" by the error, which was made by a premix supplier, according to a statement on Nutro's website. "One premix contained excessive levels of zinc and under-supplemented potassium. The second premix under-supplemented potassium."  The company says it has received no consumer complaints about adverse health effects on cats who ate the food, but cautions owners to watch out for symptoms including reduced appetite or refusal to eat, weight loss, vomiting and diarrhea.  (ConsumerAffairs.com dismisses the claim that no complaints were received, saying that it has logged more than 800 complaints about Nutro's food from pet owners.)  Owners of at-risk cats, such as those that are pregnant or already in poor health, should check with their veterinarian. Nutro's moist cat food, cat treats, and dog food (dry or moist) are unaffected by the recall.  For a full list of affected products, see Nutro's website or call                (800) 833-5330         between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Central time. -- Lindsay Barnett Photo: Justin Sullivan / Getty

http://www.veterinarypracticenews.com/vet-breaking-news/2009/06/17/chemnutra-pleads-guilty-to-two-of-27-charges-in-melamine-case.aspx

 

ChemNutra Pleads Guilty to Two of 27 Charges in Melamine Case

ChemNutra Inc., a Las Vegas-based ingredients broker, pleaded guilty on June 16 to federal charges of distributing tainted wheat gluten that led to the mass pet food recalls of 2007.

ChemNutra and its owners, Sally Qing Miller and her husband, Stephen Miller, each pleaded guilty to one count of selling adulterated food and one count of selling misbranded food.

They were originally charged with 13 misdemeanor counts of introduction of adulterated food into interstate commerce, 13 misdemeanor counts of introduction of misbranded food into interstate commerce and one felony count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud.

Sentencing hearings for ChemNutra and the Millers have not yet been scheduled. Under federal statutes, the Millers are each subject to a sentence of up to two years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine of up to $200,000 and restitution. ChemNutra is subject to a fine of up to $400,000 and restitution.

Attorneys representing the defendants said in a joint statement that the Millers, ChemNutra and the government have agreed that probation and a fine were an appropriate sentence for the strict liability misdemeanors.

“The Millers and ChemNutra look forward to putting both this case and this tragic matter behind them and hope that today’s enhanced awareness of food safety issues will prevent this from ever happening again,” said attorney Robert Beccera, who represented Sally Miller, a Chinese national, and ChemNutra.

The charges stem from a February 2008 indictment that alleged ChemNutra imported more than 800 metric tons of melamine-contaminated wheat gluten from China between Nov. 6, 2006, and Feb. 21, 2007, then sold the product to various pet food manufacturers. Melamine has no approved use as an ingredient in human or animal food in the United States. It is typically used to create products such as plastics, glue and fertilizer.

Two Chinese companies — Xuzhou Anying Biologic Technology Development Co. and Suzhou Textiles, Silk, Light Industrial Products Arts and Crafts I/E Co. — were also indicted. The indictments alleged Xuzhou intentionally added the melamine to make the wheat gluten’s protein level appear higher. Suzhou Textiles, an export broker, is alleged to have mislabeled the tainted product with an incorrect product code not subject to food inspections in China.

In 2007, pet food manufacturers recalled more than 150 brands of dog and cat food nationwide after pets that ate the tainted food began experiencing health problems. Thousands of cats and dogs reportedly died as a result.

According to the U.S. attorney’s office, ChemNutra and the Millers have admitted — by pleading guilty — that the melamine was substituted wholly or in part to make the wheat gluten appear to be of greater value than it was. They also admitted that the labeling of the wheat gluten was false and misleading, because the wheat gluten was represented to have a minimum protein level of 75 percent, which it did not. The labeling was also false and misleading, because the melamine was not listed on the label as an ingredient, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

“Millions of pet owners were impacted by the pet food recall in 2007,” Matt Whitworth, acting U.S. attorney for the western district of Missouri, said in a statement. “The conduct of these defendants in violating federal health and safety hazards caused the deaths and illness of thousands of family pets, as well as anxiety among dog and cat owners across the country and economic harm to many pet food manufacturers.”

This is what Chem Nutra is looking at as far as sentencing goes:

 

Federal prosecutors will recommend that the Millers be sentenced to three years of probation and each fined $5,000. They will recommend a $25,000 fine for the corporation.

Sentencing will be scheduled after a pre-sentence investigation is completed.

The plea agreement does not require any restitution payments because ChemNutra was among the defendants in a $24 million class-action settlement stemming from the tainted food.According to the indictment, one Chinese company allegedly used the substance melamine as an inexpensive additive to bolster the apparent protein content of the wheat gluten. Melamine can cause kidney failure when ingested and is not approved for human or animal consumption.

The second Chinese company was accused of improperly labeling the tainted material so that it would not have to be inspected by Chinese authorities before being exported.
ChemNutra imported the wheat gluten and sold it to companies that manufactured canned and pouched wet pet food, which was sold under numerous brand names.
At the time of the indictments, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration had received reports that indicated about 2,000 cats and 2,200 dogs may have died as a result of eating the melamine-tainted food.

 

According to this:  http://ocpets.freedomblogging.com/2009/06/16/two-plead-guilty-in-tainted-pet-food-scandal/

 

Not a bad gig for them.  That's justice in America. 

 

 

Here is the Dept. of Justice's News Release on it last month:

 

NEWS RELEASE

OFFICE OF THE UNITED STATES ATTORNEY

WESTERN DISTRICT OF MISSOURI

 

MATT J. WHITWORTH

 

Contact Don Ledford, Public Affairs ● (816) 426-4220 ● 400 East Ninth Street, Room 5510 ● Kansas City, MO 64106

www.usdoj.gov/usao/mow/index.html

 

JUNE 16, 2009

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

BUSINESS OWNERS PLEAD GUILTY TO DISTRIBUTING

TAINTED INGREDIENT USED IN PET FOOD

 

THOUSANDS OF PETS SUFFERED ILLNESS, DEATH

THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES

 

            KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Matt J. Whitworth, Acting United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced that a Nevada company and its owners pleaded guilty in federal court today to distributing a tainted ingredient used to make pet food, which resulted in a nationwide recall of pet food and the death and serious illness of countless pets across the United States in 2007.

 

            “Millions of pet owners were impacted by the pet food recall in 2007,” Whitworth said. “The conduct of these defendants in violating federal health and safety standards caused the deaths and illness of thousands of family pets, as well as anxiety among dog and cat owners across the country and economic harm to many pet food manufacturers.”

 

            Sally Qing Miller, 43, a Chinese national, and her husband, Stephen S. Miller, 56, both of Las Vegas, Nev., along with their company, Chemnutra, Inc., pleaded guilty before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Maughmer this afternoon to some of the charges contained in a Feb. 6, 2008, federal indictment, and agreed that the conduct charged against them in the remaining counts could be considered by the court as relevant conduct and used against them at the time of sentencing.

 

            “The FDA’s Office of Criminal Investigations acted aggressively in 2007 to investigate Chemnutra,” said Margaret A. Hamburg, M.D., Commissioner of Food and Drugs. “Today’s announcement reflects our continued commitment to investigate and prosecute companies and individuals that violate the law and endanger the public’s health through illegal conduct.”

 

            Chemnutra is a company that buys food and food components in China and imports those items into the United States to sell to companies in the food industry. Sally Miller is the controlling owner and president of Chemnutra; Stephen Miller is an owner and chief executive officer of Chemnutra. Each of the three co-defendants pleaded guilty to one count of selling adulterated food and one count of selling misbranded food.

 

            More than 800 metric tons of tainted wheat gluten was imported by Chemnutra and the Millers into the United States from China in at least 13 separate shipments, with invoices totaling nearly $850,000, between Nov. 6, 2006, and Feb. 21, 2007. Those shipments of wheat gluten were tainted with melamine, an unsafe food additive. Chemnutra and the Millers received the melamine-tainted product at a port of entry in Kansas City, Mo., and then sold and shipped the product to their customers across the United States, who used it to manufacture various brands of pet food.

 

            By pleading guilty today, Chemnutra and the Millers admitted that melamine was substituted wholly or in part for the protein requirement of the wheat gluten so as to make it appear the wheat gluten was better or of greater value than it was. They also admitted that the labeling of the wheat gluten was false and misleading because the wheat gluten was represented to have a minimum protein level of 75 percent, when in fact it did not. The labeling was also false and misleading because melamine was not listed on the label as an ingredient.

 

Pet Food Recall

 

            Pet food manufacturers recalled more than 150 brands of dog and cat food across the nation in 2007, following reports of cats and dogs suffering kidney failure after eating the affected products. There is no coordinated national tracking system to monitor the number of pet deaths. However, consumer reports received by the FDA suggest that approximately 1,950 cats and 2,200 dogs died after eating pet food contaminated with melamine.

 

Melamine Contamination

 

            Wheat gluten is the natural protein derived from wheat or wheat flour, which is extracted and dried to yield a powder of high protein content. Pet food manufacturers use wheat gluten as a binding agent in the manufacture of certain types of pet food to thicken pet food “gravy.”

 

            Melamine has a number of commercial and industrial uses, but it has no approved use as an ingredient in human or animal food in the United States. Melamine can be used to create products such as plastics, cleaning products, counter tops, glues, inks and fertilizers. Mixing melamine with wheat gluten made the wheat gluten appear to have a higher protein level than was actually present.

 

            Under federal statutes, the Millers are each subject to a sentence of up to two years in federal prison without parole, plus a fine up to $200,000 and an order of restitution. ChemNutra is subject to a fine up to $400,000 and an order of restitution. Sentencing hearings will be scheduled after the completion of presentence investigations by the United States Probation Office.

 

            This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Gene Porter and Joseph Marquez. It was investigated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigation and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

 

****************

This news release, as well as additional information about the office of the United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, is available on-line at

www.usdoj.gov/usao/mow/index.html

Report scrutinizes FDA’s work in 2007 pet food recall

Send us feedback about this article

September 10, 2009
By: Jennifer Fiala
For The VIN News Service


More than two years after the largest pet-food recall in history, federal investigators maintain that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) did not do its job properly. 

What’s more, FDA lacks the statutory authority to impose recalls and penalize companies for recall violations — a lack of power that worked against the agency in 2007, as officials attempted to crack down on melamine-laced pet food products now linked to the deaths and illnesses of thousands of dogs and cats. 

The assessment comes from the Office of Inspector General’s (OIG) audit of FDA’s role in the 2007 pet food recall, a scandal that involved 60-million containers of pet food in the United States, most manufactured by Menu Foods Limited and sold under 95 brand names. The report, requested by Iowa Sen. Tom Harkin, chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, makes a series of recommendations for strengthening FDA’s recall authority and improving its effectiveness in monitoring food recalls. 

The 2007 pet food crisis, with recalls spanning from March 16 to April 26, has been labeled one of North America's largest consumer-product recalls. Approximately 89 percent of the products in 16 recalls were manufactured by Menu Foods, the largest maker of wet and dry pet food in North America. 

One major problem with FDA's regulatory system, writes Inspector General Daniel R. Levinson, is that “The ultimate responsibility for removing the contaminated pet food rested with Menu Foods and its distributors and retailers." 

“Nevertheless, FDA’s lack of authority, coupled with its sometimes lax adherence to its recall guidance and internal procedures and the inadequacy of some of those procedures, limited FDA’s ability to ensure that contaminated pet food was promptly removed from retailers’ shelves,” the report contends.

The OIG audit highlights deficiencies in FDA’s system to alert and protect the public from contaminated food products by revisiting the 2007 recall in which high levels of melamine were found in wheat flour imported from China. Since the pet food crisis, the public has called on FDA to do a better job of inspecting imported food ingredients and has expressed concern about an apparent lack of regulation that many believe led to the deaths of so many pets. 

Last year, consumers advocacy groups further criticized FDA when the agency found “trace levels” of melamine in baby formula yet maintained that levels of the industrial chemical were low enough that such formula was still safe to consume. These alleged missteps are highlighted in the Feb. 4 Journal of the American Medical Association, in which an article takes aim at FDA for not quickly establishing limits for melamine found in food products as well as the agency’s apparent lack of testing for the chemical even after news surfaced that melamine-tainted milk sickened more than 50,000 Chinese children and led to four deaths. 

During the pet food crisis, FDA’s Dr. Renate Reimschuessel, a veterinarian and biologist, discovered that melamine and related chemicals, when absorbed into the bloodstream, formed crystals in the kidneys of animals, causing damage that often resulted in serious illness and death. Previously, scientists had rejected the idea that melamine was contaminating pet food because they thought that the chemical was non-toxic. 

FDA has responded to the OIG report by supporting all of its recommendations and agreeing, at least in principle, with its critique of the agency. Signed by FDA’s Principle Deputy Commissioner Joshua M. Sharfstein, the response begins by describing the 2007 recall as a “complex and multi-faceted investigation that involved not only recalls, but also development of new regulatory science and novel approaches to public health protection efforts.” 

He admits that FDA’s “limited resources” were no match for a recall of unprecedented size and scope.

“FDA’s experience in this incident also has provided the agency with important lessons that will apply in the future, including implementing processes to improve coordination with states in the context of large recalls.” 

One such development could be the FDA’s new Reportable Food Registry, built as mandated by the Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act of 2007 (FDAAA).

The electronic portal went live Sept. 8, and is designed to allow industry to alert FDA quickly when there is a reasonable probability that an article of food will cause serious adverse health consequences. According to FDAAA, which amends the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, U.S. facilities that manufacture, process or hold food for consumption now are required to report food- or feed-product safety incidences via the portal within 24 hours after determining that their products might sicken or kill animals or people. 

Failure to report is a felony violation. 

In addition, the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Health and Human Services announced yesterday that the agencies launched a new site designed to provide the latest on food safety and recall information, which will include pet-food products. 

The new food safety Web site allows consumers to sign up to receive news alerts from across all government agencies that deal with food safety. According to FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg, the site also will be a “clearinghouse for information on the latest FDA rules and guidance.” function expandNews() { document.getElementById("MiscContainerDiv").style.display = ""; }

Yet another pet food recall:

http://www.wane.com/dpp/news/national/local_wane_washington_FDA_cat_food_recall_200910201428

 

FDA recalls Premium Edge cat food

Updated: Tuesday, 20 Oct 2009, 4:05 PM EDT
Published : Tuesday, 20 Oct 2009, 2:33 PM EDT