> I would have to say there's more parts per million in your food than you
> think.... don't fool yourself,we're being low dosed to death in the name
> of production, and big brother is not going to tell you that ,you would
> have to pay for private testing.
I don't think you are nuts. I think we all know that quality control is
done on a probability basis and that there have to be problems that slip
through. Nonetheless, emphasis has changed from simple inspection after
production to using preventative procedures *as well as* the traditional
follow-up sampling. You may recall the debate here on BEE-L about HASSP a
decade back. Then it was the future, and now it is the present. It is
still coming to US beekeeping, but it is well accepted by the advanced honey
exporting nations as being essential for credibility.
Personally, I am sure there are borderline case where the inspectors look
the other way, but I would be interested in knowing where to look for the
contamination you suggest, because I know there 1,000 investigative
reporters who could find the cash for the tests.
Many question the allowable limits in foods. Are they too high? Are they
too low? Obviously some gets into our diet. Do we know enough about these
substances to know how much is too much?
There is a problem with testing, too. At least in the past, has been not
only that tests are expensive and variable in reliability, but one has to
know in advance what to look for and to recognize it when found.
An example would be a test for tylosin. Suppose a test finds zero or almost
zero tylosin. Does it discover the metabolites, which happen to be much
longer-lived and possibly more potent?
At any rate the discussion here is not whether there are poisons in our food
and the food our bees eat, but rather whether the dose is lower and more
predictable in man-made diets than in natural forage.
---
Note: when at EAS, I ventured into a Wal-Mart and bought a new computer. I
had my eye on the netbooks, and went to buy the basic Acer One, but found
they now have a 2GB.250GB Vista Basic model for $348. That is what I am
using. I am very impressed. It is as fast as a bigger unit, has very bright
and detailed screen -- 1366x768, wireless, and all that we expect. (no DVD
or CD, tho'). It is the size and weight of a medium-sized book,
The reason I mention this is that the keyboard is good, but a little small,
and the spellchecker is not 100%. That is my excuse for the bad spelling
lately. Rating in the unit 10 out of 10, tough. My other machines are
history.
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