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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 -EXPOSURE old lead-based paint, bare soil, drinking water, food, ceramics, dyes Lead Poisoning - ~434,000 children ages 1-5 poisoned yearly - Low levels—reduced IQ, behavioral problems, memory loss, weak muscles, stunt growth - High levels—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 LEAD: AFFECTS ON THE BODY Nervous System -Delays mental development, Impairs hearing/speech, lowers IQ -Inhibits ability to produce proteins -Unable to remove lead from body; may cause failure or damage Liver Kidneys Reproductive WOMEN: stillbirth, miscarriage, irregular cycles System MEN: reduced sperm count -Interferes w/ body’s production of hemoglobin, disrupts Bloodstream Flow of oxygen causing anemia -Stores lead for years, slowly releasing into blood; For pregnant women, lead is mistaken for calcium and sent to the developing fetus Bones 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 WHY and HOW is lead in candy!?! -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 • 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 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 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 Metals Analysis of Bulks Sample Data from candy • Final Report • First Reported: 11/07/03 Lab Number 3050B/7421 3050B/7421 3050B/7421 3050B/7421 3050B/7421 3050B/7421 3050B/7421 3050B/7421 3050B/7421 3050B/7421 3050B/7421 Result 0.5 < 0.2 2.6 < 0.2 7.0 < 0.2 < 0.2 1.0 < 0.2 1.0 < 0.2 Analyte Pb Pb Pb Pb Pb Pb Pb Pb Pb Pb Pb Sample # 38 39A 39B 40A 40B 41 42A 42B 43A 43B 44 Reported Limit 0.2 0.2 0.5 0.2 3.0 0.2 0.2 0.6 0.2 0.5 0.2 Testing in Southern California 180 Samples of Candy and wrappers tested -14 tested at high levels 1.2 1.0 0.8 Federal Regulatory Concern 0.5 ppm 0.6 0.4 California’s level Of concern 0.2 ppm 0.2 0.0 Part Per Million Pb content 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