"Arsenic"; that word conjures up all kinds of murder mysteries. In all the old books and movies, it seemed that arsenic was the poison of choice. The name itself gives its nature away, it was derived from the ancient Greek "arsenikon" which meant "potent". It was used to describe arsenic trioxide which can be lethal at 100 milligrams which is about a fifth of a teaspoon. Since it is tasteless and odorless, it made one of the most frequently used homicidal poisons in history, and of course, in fiction. So, do you want some arsenic with that?
Well, of course you don't but you may getting it anyway. We get it in our food supply. Do you eat any rice? A lot of the U.S. rice crop is grown in fields that contain arsenic-based pesticides once used on cotton crops. The pure element arsenic can and does mix with many compounds, some organic and some inorganic. (Organic means containing carbon and inorganic would be everything else.) And guess what? It doesn't take much to start causing trouble. And even in an amount comparable to one drop in a swimming pool over time can cause deadly affects, like cancer, etc.
It used to be that the health officials only worried about arsenic in drinking water, but now, they are finding it in a lot of our food. The really scary part is that it is showing up in jars of baby food. We sure have poisoned our Earth, haven't we? I sure hope I haven't ruined your appetite. I am getting hungry, so will have to go get my daily dosage of arsenic. Now, you all have a great day, you hear?
So why do we allow Con Agra and Monsanto, and Kraft and Nestle, and all the giant corporations continue to put poison on our fields, and genetically modify our plants and seeds. I just don't understand it.
ReplyDeleteFollow the money trail, when nothing else makes sense.
DeleteIt's in potatoes too.
ReplyDeleteWe have to eat something, but it seems nothing is really pure.
I suppose that the older the Earth gets the more homogeneous everything will become.
DeleteI read a lot of "murder mysteries"... and if I remember correctly, a person can get used to eating a bit of arsenic a day... then get in real trouble when they don't have it.... like drug withdrawal or something. Wonder if we're building up our own tolerances by all the foods we eat that contain it? Doesn't sound good, no matter what!
ReplyDeleteIf we keep building up immunities, I wonder what our diet will be in another 100 years. Maybe I don't want to know.
DeleteNow you've given this chronic worrier something else to worry about!
ReplyDeleteYou must be relate to my wife, she worries about everything.
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