Lead Tainted Candy From Mexico
It is doubtful that many Native Americans will be or have been affected by the following story but I’m going to run it as a public service.
My local newspaper, The Yuma Daily Sun, is publishing an investigative report in conjunction with its sister paper, The Orange County (Calif) Register on lead-tainted Mexican candy that comes across the border to the U.S, and is sold in Mexican grocery stores along the border as well as in Mexican food sections of grocery chains all over the country.
Part 2 of the report states the source of the lead comes from the ground chili peppers that coat the sweet treat. The poison is mixed into the product during the grinding process not only from dirt, debris at the mill but mostly from the middle man who sells the bulk peppers by the pound to the mill and adds dirt, debris and metals (rocks, nails, ball bearings, car battery parts) to his bags to increase his profit margin.
Some of the tainted candy is so laced with lead that it can cause memory loss, behavioral problems and kidney damage if the sweet treat is eaten regularly.
Chaca Chaca is a brownish red colored apple pulp bar that is coated with salt and chili powder and sold in Mexican border communities. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found excessive levels of lead that could lead to learning disabilities in young children possibly lowering their IQ and adversely affecting their nervous system.
Another toxic treat is Pelon Pelo Rico. Diana Lopez, a 2 year old Anaheim, CA girl began eating the candy in 2000. She ate it for a year before she was diagnosed as a poisoning victim. When lead paint and tainted soil were ruled out as a cause of her illness, Pelon Pelo Rico was taken from her home in 2001 which tested two times higher than the California state guideline for lead.
One candy, Lucas Limon tested high for lead content seven times out of seven tests in federal labs. Other brand names
testing high are Montes Tomy, Limon 7, Pico Diana, Dulces Veros, Serpentina de Tejocote Soft Fruit, Rellerindo Tamarind Candy and chili-based lollipops in different flavors.
“We have a lot more responsibilities than looking for lead in candy.”Jim Waddell, chief of California health department’s Food and Drug Branch was quoted as saying in the Sun’s subhead. Guess it all depends on who is eating the candy, huh Mr. Waddell?
This article has already made one person aware of the dangers of Mexican treats. While I was adding to this story, a friend came to visit. When he asked what I was writing, I showed him a copy of "Lead Tainted Candy From Mexico".
He was stunned by the article as he regularly buys one of the worst offenders, "Lucas Limon" on his frequent trips across the border. "My kids love the stuff. Something has been making them sick to their stomachs. Now I know what it is."
Native Unity - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.
STOP SLAUGHTER OF YELLOWSTONE BUFFALO
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www.wildrockies.org/buffalo
My local newspaper, The Yuma Daily Sun, is publishing an investigative report in conjunction with its sister paper, The Orange County (Calif) Register on lead-tainted Mexican candy that comes across the border to the U.S, and is sold in Mexican grocery stores along the border as well as in Mexican food sections of grocery chains all over the country.
Part 2 of the report states the source of the lead comes from the ground chili peppers that coat the sweet treat. The poison is mixed into the product during the grinding process not only from dirt, debris at the mill but mostly from the middle man who sells the bulk peppers by the pound to the mill and adds dirt, debris and metals (rocks, nails, ball bearings, car battery parts) to his bags to increase his profit margin.
Some of the tainted candy is so laced with lead that it can cause memory loss, behavioral problems and kidney damage if the sweet treat is eaten regularly.
Chaca Chaca is a brownish red colored apple pulp bar that is coated with salt and chili powder and sold in Mexican border communities. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has found excessive levels of lead that could lead to learning disabilities in young children possibly lowering their IQ and adversely affecting their nervous system.
Another toxic treat is Pelon Pelo Rico. Diana Lopez, a 2 year old Anaheim, CA girl began eating the candy in 2000. She ate it for a year before she was diagnosed as a poisoning victim. When lead paint and tainted soil were ruled out as a cause of her illness, Pelon Pelo Rico was taken from her home in 2001 which tested two times higher than the California state guideline for lead.
One candy, Lucas Limon tested high for lead content seven times out of seven tests in federal labs. Other brand names
testing high are Montes Tomy, Limon 7, Pico Diana, Dulces Veros, Serpentina de Tejocote Soft Fruit, Rellerindo Tamarind Candy and chili-based lollipops in different flavors.
“We have a lot more responsibilities than looking for lead in candy.”Jim Waddell, chief of California health department’s Food and Drug Branch was quoted as saying in the Sun’s subhead. Guess it all depends on who is eating the candy, huh Mr. Waddell?
This article has already made one person aware of the dangers of Mexican treats. While I was adding to this story, a friend came to visit. When he asked what I was writing, I showed him a copy of "Lead Tainted Candy From Mexico".
He was stunned by the article as he regularly buys one of the worst offenders, "Lucas Limon" on his frequent trips across the border. "My kids love the stuff. Something has been making them sick to their stomachs. Now I know what it is."
Native Unity - A place for Native American Peoples to solidify their tribes to make a positive impact on the cultural, social, economic and political fabric of American society and a place for non-Natives to better understand the ways of the American Indian.
STOP SLAUGHTER OF YELLOWSTONE BUFFALO
Buffalo Field Campaign
www.wildrockies.org/buffalo
posted by Bobbie Hart O'Neill @ 10:29 AM
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