Chemical poisoning

Food may be accidentally contaminated by poisonous chemicals. Lead poisoning can occur if food is exposed to dust containing lead or if food is kept in containers made with solders, alloys, or enamel containing lead.

Zinc, an essential mineral element, is toxic in excessive amounts. Illness was reported in a group of people who drank lemonade made in a galvanized can. The acid of the lemon juice had dissolved out zinc from the can. The discharge of mercury into rivers and oceans can lead to fish contaminated with greater than tolerable limits; poisoning from this source was recently reported in Japan.

Pesticides have sometimes been accidentally mistaken for a food ingredient, or have been ingested by children who had access to them. Pesticides used in excess of regulations are a potential hazard to fruits and vegetables. Careful washing of foods before their use reduces this hazard.

Radioactive fallout

Nuclear testing has increased the amount of strontium 90 and iodine 131 in the atmosphere and consequently in the soil. Cattle may transmit strontium 90 from the grasses they eat to their milk, and plants grown on such soils may also contain radioactive elements. The absorption of large quantities of iodine 131 by the body increases the possibility of thyroid cancer. About four fifths of the strontium 90 is excreted in the urine, but some is deposited in the bones and gonads. A liberal intake of calcium appears to be protective against excessive deposit of strontium 90. The Atomic Energy Commission and the U.S. Public Health Service measure the amounts of radioactive fallout in food supplies from time to time. Presently, the amounts are well below any danger levels.

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GENERAL HEALTH