Transcript Slide 1

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