Apples, Arsenic, and Risk - Part 18: The China Syndrome

Russell H. Greenfield, MD writes:

Dr. Oz and his staff have performed their own investigation into this matter, and they, too, found high levels of arsenic in some apple juice products. The findings raise significant health concerns for us and for our children, and have generated incredulousness that this could happen in our country.

After everything I have read on this topic, a theme began to take shape. A theme that may help answer the question I asked in my last post: Where is the connection being missed by these well educated professionals?

Let's see if you can pick it out:

"...in our country."

"...the US government put a stop to the use of inorganic arsenical pesticides years ago. The same action, however, has not been taken by other countries, such as China, which just so happens to be the major source of apple juice products found in American stores. Chinese farmers, including apple farmers, still may use pesticides containing arsenic." (1)

"More and more food comes into our country from foreign soil each year, but the FDA is able to inspect only a small and woefully inadequate percentage of the products reaching our shores before they reach our store shelves and then our plates. Why? Because funding for the FDA is consistently on the chopping block in Washington, DC. It is this fact that merits our anger." (2)

"Also, request that they apply pressure to improve Chinese agricultural practices, both for our safety and their own population." (3)

"Look for the country of origin on your apple juice label. You’re likely much safer drinking a product that comes only from the United States." (3)

"Go organic when possible. Organic apple juice comes from apples that are, by definition, not treated with harsh pesticides." (3)

"For the past decade, most concentrate has come from China. Concerns have been raised about the possible continuing use of arsenical pesticides there, and several Chinese provinces that are primary apple-growing regions are known to have high arsenic concentrations in groundwater." (4)

"Currently there's an alert for increased surveillance of apple concentrate from China and six other countries "where we have a suspicion there may be high levels of arsenic in their products," says FDA spokeswoman Stephanie Yao. But in fiscal 2010, the agency conducted physical inspections of only 2 percent of imported food shipments." (4)

"The fact is that the U.S. is getting more and more of its fruits and vegetables from other countries, and many of them do not preclude or limit arsenic in their pesticides or even their water supplies as the U.S. does. Oz reported that apple concentrate comes from up to seven countries; 60 percent of it is imported from China alone." (5)

Notice somethin'?

What would a nerdy public health blogger do with that theme?  Hmmm, I wonder what was found in the samples collected and analyzed by Consumer Reports?  Let me be clear here, I am writing this BEFORE I have crunched the numbers.  My initial observation is that we will not see any difference in the amount of arsenic from country to country.  I hope so, because I have a really good song to use to make my point!

Okay, back.  Here is what I found (mean value):

Source: Consumer Reports

Interesting....

Looks like the apple juice from China has less inorganic arsenic than that from the USA.  I wonder what that means?  Well, here is what I think, lets look at these two statements:

"The fact is that the U.S. is getting more and more of its fruits and vegetables from other countries, and many of them do not preclude or limit arsenic in their pesticides or even their water supplies as the U.S. does. Oz reported that apple concentrate comes from up to seven countries; 60 percent of it is imported from China alone." (5)

"For the past decade, most concentrate has come from China. Concerns have been raised about the possible continuing use of arsenical pesticides there, and several Chinese provinces that are primary apple-growing regions are known to have high arsenic concentrations in groundwater." (4)

If arsenic pesticides are no longer used in the USA, and apple-growing regions of China have high arsenic concentrations  then we would expect the apple juice from China to have more arsenic than the USA, not less.  In fact, look at the concentrations Consumer Reports found.  I have ranked them from highest to lowest.

Source: Consumer Reports

You know the terrible thing about looking at the data that is reported?  It sometimes makes you have to admit that your assumptions have been wrong.  We assume that foreign apple juice is bad because they don't have our standards.  But when you look at theirs compared to ours, that's not what the data shows.

But the data does show something.  It shows that arsenic is in all apple juice and it looks like the country it comes from plays little into the concentration.  Which makes me wonder what that organic apple juice ol' Chuck Norris wants us to drink contains?

So if it's not arsenic pesticides putting the arsenic in our apple juice (if it is, and we don't use it, that does not bode well for us) where is it coming from?

Enter the word "ubiquitous."


Next Post: Apples, Arsenic, and Risk - Part 18: Like Dysentery, Only Sweeter.


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