If You Can’t Prove It is SAFE, DON’T use it! (Otherwise known as the Precautionary Principle)

We live in the age of the never-ending pursuit of the NEW.  Technology that was all-the-rage just a year ago now seems antiquated and oafish.   Every day we see amazing discoveries and breakthroughs that yield a mind-numbing array of never-before-seen, substances, gadgets, and theories.  Yet in our relentless pursuit of all things NEW, we might want to examine if they are actually BETTER than the old, especially when it comes to our health.  More specifically, when it comes to putting things in our bodies, perhaps it is better to stick with the things that nature intended us to consume rather than the infinite varieties of “food like substances” available.  At least,  that is, until they have been adequately tested.

The oversight that the average person relies on to protect their health is not nearly as robust as we all would like to believe.  Every year, hundreds of new chemicals and substances are introduced into our daily lives, and our government is virtually powerless to stem this flow.  What is more, public agencies do not have the legal basis or authority, nor the resources to review and test all of these new concoctions.  The result of a system ruled by industry is the ALARMING fact that, ”…of the more than 80,000 chemicals in use in the U.S., only five have been either restricted or banned. Not 5 percent, five. The EPA has been able to force health and safety testing for only around 200.”   So we essentially have some testing that has been done on approximately 0.25% of the chemicals in use.  via Chemical Controls: Scientific American. (READ FURTHER FOR MORE DETAIL).

I WILL SAY IT AGAIN… ONLY 200 OF THE 80,000 CHEMICALS IN USE TODAY HAVE BEEN TESTED FOR SAFETY!  And you thought there were controls in place!

In deference the the age-old Precautionary Principle, we should not be using the balance of the 80,000 chemicals in our food supply, since they have not been proven safe.  PERIOD.  END OF SENTENCE.  However, given the fact the the oversight agencies responsible for safe-guarding our health are ignoring this basic principle, it is up to us as consumers to demand foods products that do not contain these untested and unproven additives.  When we make better choices for ourselves and our children, we are voting against the use of these untested additives.  And you can be certain that industry will give us the real foods we are demanding if are enough “VOTES”.   Since so many of our “FOODS” are full of these potentially dangerous chemicals and substances, I say LEAVE THEM OUT!