Dioxin

Dangerous levels of dioxin are sourced from eating animal products!

“In a report on dioxin, scientists at the Environmental Protection Agency have concluded that cancer is not the most serious health hazard at common exposure levels.  Of greater concern, the report said, are subtle effects on fetal development and the immune system that may be the result of very low levels of exposure,  The scientists said that most adults and children already have levels of dioxin in their bodies at or near the concentrations that cause fetal and immune system problems in laboratory animals.

Dioxin and its sister toxic compounds, PCBs and furans, are byproducts of heating or burning chlorine-based chemicals through incineration or manufacturing.  Minute quantities fall to the Earth and become part of the food chain through animal fat, milk, cheese and fish, which are the largest sources of human exposure, the summary said.”

     -- from the Commercial Appeal, Memphis Newspaper,
     May 11th, 94, page A2

Beef contains significant quantities of the most toxic organic chemical known - dioxin. This chemical is toxic in the trillionths of grams. (A trillionth of a gram, called a picogram, is one million millionth of a gram. A gram is about 1/30th of an ounce.) Dioxin has been linked to cancer, endometriosis, Attention Deficit Disorder (hyperactivity in children), reproductive systems defects in children, chronic fatigue syndrome, immune system deficiency, and rare nerve and blood disorders. A single hamburger (a little less than 1/4 lb, or 100 grams) contains up to 100 picograms of dioxin.

That is 300 times as much as the EPA says is "acceptable" for a daily dose for an adult!

There are some scientists who say that there is no acceptable dose; they say that any dose can cause toxic effects, because dioxin is a hormone disrupting chemical which changes the functioning of our cells, against which we have no defense. The dioxin comes from microscopic particles of ash from incinerators that have settled on grass and crops eaten by the beef cattle, pigs, and chickens. All farm animals are affected - even herds grown on "all-natural" feed.

     Sources: 1994 EPA Dioxin Reassessment, Dying From Dioxin by Lois Gibbs

Professor Richard Lacey of the University of Leeds has stated that "More than 95% of food poisoning is derived from meat and poultry products".

Pesticide residues in foods include PCB's and dioxins. These are found in highest concentrations in meat, fish and dairy products. Studies have shown these toxic chemicals can be passed on from pregnant women to infants during both pregnancy and lactation and may damage the developing nervous systems. Hall (1992) has stated a vegetarian diet minimizes the risk of contamination.

Reference: 
Hall, R H. (1992) A new threat to public health: organochlorines and food. Nutrition & Health v.8 p.33-43.

As of 2004, it is illegal for women in Greenland to breastfeed their children due to high levels of chemical contaminants that accumulate from their primary diet of fish.  This is attributed to the jet-stream winds from America that are deposited into the Ocean around Greenland.