Document QMXK3wJM66Y3mJy0DweYOXxw8

STATESMAN Inside CdiMi--------------- *Sf 2 Lett's.-----------------Ng 4 <yj Sl^O*v.SE^s/?J <979 /s fcoo' safe? Chemical tests may miss much By LONvrt R05FVWALD The IdaM JU'nnM The food * vour ne'ncemtor cJ*d con*.g-n poison. ! m-ght h*v* Seen bypassed in random rupee'ions that ere used * ideo-ity Ionic substances. Or it may contnm an unhealtkful dose of one el ff chemicals chat <*rusts cannot detect m fond, but * * ch ar? '?:' w use io rifr'eu:furw. ; * ar greMl'it (W'Wi'y, How :s rKe averse? Ar-crxar. whose or'y interne :cn with Hi*fw>l is le unwrap it. drop it in a po* and swallow it. gome to tell whether ht* next meal m'Rot a* h last? Las* Ju'y and August at least If milium eggs believed focor-am vary* >-** emuunts of PCBs were sold m 'O-'Ho. !vah and California b*`o*w the !eNi. substance was (.-rceve-ed m a soot check at a Utah chicken S:nurhterhcnive. .">.;r:re those 2 momhs. peopleateihe innocent look- rr* eggs without realizing what was in them. L.ver the egg-eating public learned me pnunbly con'amed a oil' i-rieCiert ea'ied pe'y* ch'-j-trc-.d b.p'*ouls. which has ci - - j hir4 de'ects and sirfi O.'j-e trt Jaho'a'ory iriej!i, and *v\t \ ^:^>?cied r couvag cancer in Hu-a-.v Secuvvag en a vet unidentified dny n June, thePCB* spreadquickly tHrouj.it tN food chaw, from cH:ckc ns to *ggs to snips and f'sw't' STr*Horry cakes- m2 months fme. be`.*e a '.'uh tvjuiry mpec'n >e-: -if.-d thesut*' ante Aug. J. i^n* v>v **? cu-Mamma'icet. which rwicvd ."H. Ymvhrh. C*- tfonua. V.rmesoit. In-a a"d posnbly ether states, could have been pre vented by faster meat inspection*. C-he*x wvy the pmWetn was me di"miter. tru nt the reporting d the PCTs. B wewii insjec'irei of the af- 'et~J amr-jis and d*rrf>cat*on of FTP* i" sb toe's. -< 4's t'.|*wt by Seme we- 'Jr. sessii'n'** m-pnr. 'ant* of tha* i.me fv-ri-.d. sine*- on a--.V iona! * weeks (visaed Pnfpie *t*ree .vs* the puVic leamad of the contamination Sept. 12. No matter where the Warn* tans, the PC8 netdeet reminds us such contammoftnrs can and do occur fre quently. de^ite qualgy control ef forts in th afte-math. food officials shared some thoughts on th* safety of what America cats. Food has teen subject ta federal and vote inspection smen Corgi us posted the M-oi and Poultry Inspec tion Act of I&6. Today fresh meat and produce are tested in several we w There are 8.5*1 federal meat in spector* stsl'oned at slaughter housrs across the country. Thirty states have their own mspectort in addition to the federal inspectors, who handle all meet brand for hitersta'e commerce. Routine irtspec'inn. performed at packmg and slaughter plants, covers all fresh food* crossing sure 'ires. (Inspect*.* is voluntary for food re naming within a state ) Federal meet ... d produce talcec- tlon remains a primitive process. Meal and poultry inspectors manu ally exameie the heart, lungs, kidnew liver, ertm'is and meet of each s'n'ucHrered ammal as it moves through a packing `ouse Fruit*. vrRi".h!c>s end eggs ate examined in th^samc wav. The i S3A soys en'y I percent of all ment fat's routine inspection But some foods have an addi'kmnl hurdle to overcome. They are also tested for S chemtea's called 'resi dues.'' Residues, including PCB*. DOT. anubiofc* and sulpha, trust J.Vl *#'-ew esvabished 'evels to pans inspection Rescue tests are done a* packing plants on random. compu er >e`<- cion bests Fleets are tested any where from twice a year te twice a mo*"h. The PCBs in the recent centamma- tun were detecied tn a Fmvo. Ciah pou"r> s'augh'er pi*v .-n on* mch rar-dom ic per*ermi< July 4. the firs* <ha* Md been aken mere ta mor than j mor.' hs. Some wert'ered whether PCBs mu*d have gone undwecied <f <he plaM had aoi bean scheduled for the rendcr-i gmp'mg And could the con- tarn.ra'tori have occu-rtxl. to' not been detected, before July S' Yes. sad L'SDA Food Ssfe'y and Quah y Services head Caro1 Tucker Foreman, to both questions. Fereman. 'ormer director of the Con sumer Federation of America and a Irecurv critic of fond production me'H-vs, fee's the PCB tnculert po-nts up (he inadequacy of residual tesrina. ' "We know our residue deteet'on ete*em wi t very good. What you're meing this week ta an esampir," Foreman said. She said the agency ta concerned about (he ft chemicals it can i dn- inct ivvcrw n('ica*a t)m't say much >b'sjt those subatanenj. wh c* tnCud* pesticiifes and animal man:- ceewa. e*repi to note rhe hazard poard by them depends on the dose recnud Others argue the random system worked *e:i in the PCB case. *d that contam nation* occur too infre quently to Justify the cost'y propoai- non of testing every atumai slaugh tered. "it showed the system worked, and we were able to ock it up on a random basis." said Dr. Ranald Pr.-cka. Field Operafons Director for the USDA Vent and Poultry m- tpection division in Washington. But hnjcha agreed. " Just haven't !*cited that point in science end iwchnelngy tu amure every animal <s residue free." Restdues have become n metegv !ng pmrtta with hitrgeoni~c Cheme cal -^se m modem mdverv While sci ence hat made sir<de rowanJ key ing food diwie-'re*. Forvr- m vys (he-nral proiireration crea-ee a di lemma -4 food quality ran'ret "W'e check very wet for d>server* !hor don't occur verv often, but wr don't check ve*y wet! for thaso prob lems which are twcommg more of a concem," she said. Because of the sp^d and complex ity of food production lodny. food problems are both less i'keiy to occur and more danpeious when ihey do. By hasiemrg food >h*ough processr-p. p'ocluce"} dccrea.se the chance of sooiimg. Pmh'etrw are mo-e I keiy to be sewted Cecauv the food a scrutinize-d at every s>aje. Yet. food is distributed so quickly and hHo i many far-nsichmg chin- nets that ;* hard tb m the spread tf a problem. Yet. Foreman suggest* the reel danger :* is t*om VT "ji'ooms." iho-e pesiicid-s. w-.*",.-r* and sulphas t ha- are not d^rciab** For the tun* bcn*. :h- uedctccigb> chemicals ar*i-^wi"xl But the USDA m iryi-g to inwhs its deteetter in irclud'* ;he exur*eg chemical-,, and h-.-pes :o <f*.- ^ stamaneoust^stv "W'C have Ic hive van.- no d tests so we can d-tect p-cMe-rs ,i-tf sop lood products from gvif-2 anv further." Foreman said " Thecu-re^t ,_,`-DA poiicyrg"s tor Increasing rc iance on private cr>m- pg*vm to do m-jc-H cf ih te*:-c. That seems like a pood .;~i corvd- mng ihe fact CampN.-:,'* dr.?, pp. perdge Farms ad Swf. to. de tected PC6f from the cuirmr ctavihmmation. "Otr iRspections are mere gent than IH* snverr,^^. #rt<J | ismk >ji fmd ma* 'hrr-4i*rvu, >, fond mdusiry." (n-cr-*-Ts S^>ke*i-!an icv.- e.-mtwch "W*-m yoa've cf eu-i'ny image ip m-intam you have to p'i tr* g grnfur: ihgie'a>hiis*hgr quauiv." MON* oilost