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Lead in Mexican Candy

Lead in Mexican Candy. By Katie Miller May 2004. LEAD (Pb). -dormant in Earth’s crust until unleashed by drilling, mining, or manufacturing -no smell, no taste -stays in environment; does not break down -makes body think it is calcium so absorbed by bones

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Lead in Mexican Candy

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  1. Lead in Mexican Candy By Katie Miller May 2004

  2. LEAD (Pb) -dormant in Earth’s crust until unleashed by drilling, mining, or manufacturing -no smell, no taste -stays in environment; does not break down -makes body think it is calcium so absorbed by bones -EXPOSURE old lead-based paint, bare soil, drinking water, food, ceramics, dyes

  3. Lead Poisoning • ~434,000 children ages 1-5 poisoned yearly • Lowlevels—reduced IQ, behavioral problems, memory loss, weak muscles, stunt growth • Highlevels—kidney problems, seizures, coma, death • Swallowed lead absorbed in small intestines • 15% soft tissue, 85% bones • May be permanent if absorbed by bones, released into blood stream over time • Some lead damage is irreversible

  4. LEAD: AFFECTS ON THE BODY Nervous System -Delays mental development, Impairs hearing/speech, lowers IQ Liver -Inhibits ability to produce proteins Kidneys -Unable to remove lead from body; may cause failure or damage Reproductive System WOMEN: stillbirth, miscarriage, irregular cycles MEN: reduced sperm count -Interferes w/ body’s production of hemoglobin, disrupts Flow of oxygen causing anemia Bloodstream Bones -Stores lead for years, slowly releasing into blood; For pregnant women, lead is mistaken for calcium and sent to the developing fetus

  5. STATISTICS -California Health Dept aware of problem since 1993, although just made public on April 25, 2004 -1 in 4 samples tested high in lead -112 different brands have already tested at dangerously high lead levels -despite dangers, little has been done to correct problem; Mexico denies the lead levels in the candy

  6. WHY and HOW is lead incandy!?! -Middlemen and farmers weigh down the bags w/ materials to increase profits -some things found in bags of ground chili: -car battery connector, rocks, nails, ball bearings, dirt and other debris -23 of 25 chili samples contained lead from 0.3 ppm- 4 ppm (CONTINUED…)

  7. at 3 ppm lead, a child only needs 2 grams of chili to be considered dangerous • 5 chili mills tested all had very high levels of lead in Mexican states of Zacatecas, Aguascalientes, Jalisco and Michoacan • 79% of candy testing high for lead content contained chili as its main ingredient • therefore, chili powder is main culprit for lead contamination in the candy

  8. Common Candies… with high lead counts… Lucas -1.18 ppm, tested high 18 out of 31 times Bolirindo (Tamarind) -tested positive 18 out of 35 times Vero Mango -tested high 9 out of 38 times

  9. Testing -1 gram each sample placed in centrifuge tube w/ deionized water and nitric acid -allowed to sit while heating until liquefies -filtered and placed into Graphite furnace atomic absorption spectrometer -heated to 1600° to measure lead content

  10. Metals Analysis of Bulks Sample Data from candy • Final Report • First Reported: 11/07/03 Lab Number Result Analyte Sample # Reported Limit 3050B/7421 0.5 Pb 38 0.2 3050B/7421 < 0.2 Pb 39A 0.2 3050B/7421 2.6 Pb 39B 0.5 3050B/7421 < 0.2 Pb 40A 0.2 3050B/7421 7.0 Pb 40B 3.0 3050B/7421 < 0.2 Pb 41 0.2 3050B/7421 < 0.2 Pb 42A 0.2 3050B/7421 1.0 Pb 42B 0.6 3050B/7421 < 0.2 Pb 43A 0.2 3050B/7421 1.0 Pb 43B 0.5 3050B/7421 < 0.2 Pb 44 0.2

  11. Testing in Southern California 180 Samples of Candy and wrappers tested -14 tested at high levels 1.2 1.0 0.8 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.0 Part Per Million Pb content Federal Regulatory Concern 0.5 ppm California’s level Of concern 0.2 ppm

  12. Concluding Facts… -Unfortunately, little has been done to solve this serious problem -Too high of a cost to clean and label every bag of chili -Farmers can’t afford to take necessary steps to insure safe handling/processing techniques -Many U.S. states (especially CA) have taken action, but it is difficult to fix the problem Typical market where lead filled candy is sold

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