Autism Diagnoses Rise Among U.S. Children, CDC Finds

[proverbialwisdom]

17. Here, from 2009.

Last edited Wed Mar 20, 2013, 03:20 PM - Edit history (1)

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/leslie-hatfield/our-melamine-theres-mercu_b_161334.html

...But as it turns out, the HFCS industry has been hiding some major skeletons in its closet -- according to the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) study (pdf), over 30% of products containing the substance tested positive for mercury.(For working link, search http://www.iatp.org/search/node/HFCS )

What makes this news truly shocking is not just that the manufacturers of high fructose corn syrup would put consumers' health at risk, but that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) knew about the mercury in the syrup, and has been sitting on this information since 2005.

Here's the connection, according to the IATP press release (pdf): The IATP study comes on the heels of another study, conducted in 2005 but only recently published by the scientific journal, Environmental Health, which revealed that nearly 50 percent of commercial HFCS samples tested positive for the heavy metal. Renee Dufault, who was working for the FDA at the time, was among the 2005 study's authors. In spite of Dufault's involvement in the study, the FDA sat silent on this one for three years, and in fact last August, allowed manufacturers to call the sweetener "natural."

See: http://www.ehjournal.net/content/8/1/2

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"Mercury is toxic in all its forms," said IATP's David Wallinga, M.D., and a co-author in both studies. "Given how much high fructose corn syrup is consumed by children, it could be a significant additional source of mercury never before considered. We are calling for immediate changes by industry and the FDA to help stop this avoidable mercury contamination of the food supply."

http://www.ehjournal.net/content/8/1/2
Mercury from chlor-alkali plants: measured concentrations in food product sugar
Renee Dufault1*, Blaise LeBlanc2, Roseanne Schnoll3, Charles Cornett4, Laura Schweitzer4, David Wallinga5, Jane Hightower6, Lyn Patrick7 and Walter J Lukiw8

http://www.iatp.org/documents/table-a-total-mercury-detected-in-55-brand-name-foods-and-beverages-high-in-hfcs
HOME » ISSUES » DOCUMENTS » IATP REPORTS
Table A: Total Mercury Detected in 55 Brand-Name Foods and Beverages High in HFCS
By IATP
Published January 26, 2009

http://images.huffingtonpost.com/2009-01-27-1476069x82.pdf
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/paula-crossfield/is-high-fructose-corn-syr_b_161331.html