Government fails to educate public on carcinogens in food

I have communicated with several members of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) Media Relations Office over a considerable period of time concerning my interest in conducting an on-the-record interview with administrators or scientists in the National Center for Environmental Health on the subject of carcinogenic persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the U.S. food supply.

During the course of these communications I have carefully explained that I am not seeking information on POPs. I have made it clear that I am seeking an interview with National Center for Environmental Health personnel for the purpose of creating a public record of the failure of the CDCP to conduct public educational outreach on POPs exposure reduction. After this considerable series of communications, the CDCP Media Relations Office continues to deny my interview request.

Many nations have now ratified the Stockholm Convention on POPs. The United States has not ratified this international instrument for change. I have worked to educate the public concerning POPs exposure reduction since the mid-1990s. It is outrageous that the CDCP chooses to not educate the public on the subjects of POPs contaminants in the U.S. food supply and strategies to decrease exposure in 2010.

I want to confront the CDCP on its choice to spend a large amount of money and employee time on educating Americans about sanitizing their hands in public places at a time when the CDCP is making no effort to educate on the subject of carcinogenic POPs in the foods that nearly everyone eats.

The only explanation of the failures described above is the existence of controlling influences of chemical, manufacturing and food industry corporations over the federal government. The failure of the federal and state government health agencies of the United States to educate the American public upon the subject of pollutant carcinogen exposure reduction is possibly the most egregious of any outcome of corporate control over government. There are many Americans who have developed cancer and died needlessly because government is failing to fulfill its mandate to protect the public health.

People can only avoid chemical substances that they have obtained knowledge of concerning what the name of the chemical is and where the chemical exists in the environment. With this much information, people will figure out for themselves how to avoid exposure.

Donald L. Hassig

Colton

The writer is director of Cancer Action NY.