A DANGER TO HEALTH

Evening Post, Volume CIX, Issue 36, 12 February 1925, Page 3

A DANGER TO HEALTH

PRESERVATIVES IN FOOD

SUGGESTED CAUSE OF CANCER.

Until checked by legislation, the p'rac-. tice of adding preservatives to foodstuffs ,was becoming increasingly prevalent in.'recent years; but there is scope for'further legislation aY our" 'knowledge'" increases, and, as Wnnd'that substances once deemed to be-harmless may in some cases and under certain' conditions act- '?" P?, ISV, IIS ' declai'es "Stehoacoue" in toe Melbourne "Argus." The idea of having to use chemicals to "preserve " foodstulfs (from putrefaction or fbniieutative changes) may at" first' sight ii'ot appear very dreadiul, .and if- tne sub-, stances so used were perfectly harmless in themselves, and if they were used omy to enable food to Keep/fresh for a longer period; than it.normally would, then this first view might, hold good. But, as-.will be shown later,, many of these preservatives are . actually poisonous., and some, may be fraudulently used to mask bad: food and ;palmvitoft as : good, while,.although they may be relatively harmless in themselves,' it niustnever be'forgotten that they must always .alteri the. digestibility o f, the fcod--stuffs concerned.. If the:preservative.will hinder putrefaction . or; fermentation ib "■■ will also hinder the process of digestion, jUnch- ib dealt with by micro-organisms in th e] intestinal, canal—in other words, it^. makes jt he ; food more indigestible. Rot on y does it render the actual food-. Wwi ?. p T d, *? n'°w Indigestible, but when this food is mixed: with ■.others '"■ during the course of a m^aV ;re.n.ders. th© r •whole meal less easily digested — -■■■- ' "■■ Indeed this constant.-..addition-.of: preservatiyes to our.food has! beer, put fw-: ' ward as/one reason,., and. We say the one reason,, why cancer has been: in--ZTI" 3 -a - rapidly ' arilo"g; civilised ! people, a nd particularly,. for the great increase in cases, of cancer of the alil^entary tract.. .'thiß^lieorf ha correct or not, we. cahnb'f afford to take d^ CnTnV lsks ' and«««e *c should demand that no preservatives be placed in^our foods; and if. any under our FiW™ f 3?^-^ transP^ and:,hand- V img must be. added.that these should be as harmless .as possible" and their quantities clearly, marked- on the- label! ' Fortunately the. Victorian health regulations I are fairly-stnct; hi this respect?, thou-li |.» r »me countries- they',arb striVter; but our regulations .will require'revision and alteration in. the:light of more recent Z : search.- The preservatives allowed to U added to foodstuffs in Victoria- are' boric zo £ Oron/ Om,? ou"ds > sulPl>'tcs, benzoic acid, and salicylic. acid ;■ .and wheu these -an used.they■ must .be noted oa the label to.compy.jvith.thea-eg-ulations. - Bone- (or boracic) Vacid, or boron' com- • pounds are allowed in butter, margarine and concentrated' milk- only ■• and^ st ". not ex-peed,o 5. per.cent. ...^fortunately. V v^e have only recently discovered -that', bone acid-has a cumulutive action W.hea' taken• .laternallyi- and remains- for' af least fi ve _ days in.the system Hfeforea single dose is finallfexcTe^a; hence! if taken constantly.m'foM thij-tissues will never be free from it; Boric acid may cause : gastrointestinal irritation, shown by nausea, vomiting, -and -pwa-. ■- ygi .>:hi.e.,.ui_spme .peoplßJt-cMises-al^. buminurea, acting a 3 a kindr^K. Large doses have been known to causa dent»lwr °mT bI"IS ia food «&i:dentally. lakmg all these' facts' intoZfi e ßl!? nL'ft?- co^tfee appoiited'by the British Minister of Health .. aB recommended that butter. shall contain" ,k> our SbuT Ye/ f >ind-a tliab-^ OUL butter factories will have to bear in,-mind-while bone, acid -is'-not-to; be used "and, Preservatlve for any-iobd in Kng- .. ,-;^| CyKc aC! d banned and nghtly so, when one remembers that it -forms the active principle '.of. most of .the corn n'vCU^' 7h^*M 6 km.;in<l coin are to be iiltcd away,with the fin- - gers! Victoria allows salicvlu-.acid to ba' hi tvT h "f J^ i vi z . ) -iUs^rmht^ ; in- fimt cordmls and syi -up Sj raspberry vnegar, mutation and : coinpounS corV t le 1W SyP ps 'lilHrJ. ui^-1. lemoii'juice,--ale, beer ; -stout,-and in sauces. 'True the average, quantity allowed: is -about ■" two gl -a,ns to the pint br -ne^r- ' theless, salicylic ' acid should- be; fovpid-'

vSnJßliidea are calculated' as sulphur dl- ' oxide, as the commercial sulphides usta!. ally- contain sulphates as well-they are ' *rtffly added.-except B uuce S ,' : and in addition are permitted in g ß > a - " tine.^ummer.or tempei'ancedi'inks,. cider,--1 perry, minced meat, sausage, saveloy sausage, cooked, meat, smoked' or 4il ■■ meat sausage meat, brawn,.,potted meat Sulphites, when given in large: idosps. ■ cause paralysis of the 1 train' 'and ' nervous system, • finally causing stoppage of respiration and of the heart. Ti.ev may also cause gas,tric trouble by the'imtat- ' ing action., of the sulphur dioxide and. , sulphurous.'acid .set free by the action of the gastric juice. However, aulphites. . ' as Ui- as we. know at present, appear ■ t0..----be relatively harmless, ccmpafed With ■ the otherpreservatives mentioned, their chief ; objection is, .when" they, are , used witvmeat, for thejr are sometime!, ,S ed to .freshen up stale meat and-give ib \ a nice, bright red appearance, and maka Kthe meat appear much freshen than- it really. is, and even to'mask' nieat whichi§ '^"y -""fit-• for consumption^ :- The rS™ Commission 1, omthis account 'pro-'*'" hibits^sulphites in.mea'ts'of any /kFrid,' V w th thp single . exception of. sausages! J where-the maximum permitted' is threa <■■ grams sulphur di-oxide,^compared with.,. 0.5> grains per pound in Victoria " l-n f 1?^ 10 a(: id.,accol'dinfe to our present knowledge, is the safest of all tnenre--' servaUves, and is.the only one. permitted F- , „ B T ntlsh .^wmittee in • ■ "soft ™- . "In Victoria it is-permitted insteadl of sulphites wherever they' are allowed, and apart from this optional use - they are not expressly mentioned' ; ...It was mentioned above.ihat boric.acid ■ s..not : excreted ■•at oir ce ;ybu£ take*- af. least Eve days to leave the body,< henco it any food containing t>6Hc acid'iß taVbn x^ere;wiir:b<1 /pA aeS"inSS-: body an amount of boric acid: equal ap-proxima-telv to that contained 'in $ a days' supply 0 £ the food in question We ': get a similar action occurring 'with.' h,^r" VMj all-recent'expenmen-' tal work goes to show lhaf 'food doei not normalh- pass through the body ia 24-bours. the it-has-Lea v digested and the residue excreted will remain for almost a week before finally being excreted under normal condition^ Also we are beginning to discover thafe poisons in very minute ■doses: •winch seem to have no effect; WiU;'.!!'tak'eh for years, have an ill-effectrahd, moreover, tos action, .may; occur years after the poison has Wn stopped. In otherwords, we get a. delayTcJ. cumulative/action Every precaution should be taken, by health authorities to dimmish thV-" amounts of preservatives flowed in fobdstufts.to prohibit the use of salicylio acid and boric acid, entirely, and to'; make berizoic acid or'benzoates coinpul. - f? 1"^;,, 1"! 1?^ of optional,.in the variou'a sol t drinks, wliere sulphites are now "S w» J- P°Pulal' prejudice against soft dnnlcs; sliow.s .that: to 1 fbrne minds the action of sulphites has more than a theoretical effect when taken internally. Apart from prejudice expressed by -"thY name, "soft" drinks are VCI7 apt to giva rise to dian-hoea., though whether tha sulplutes or the acids nsed in .'tKe process of manufacture aie to blame is & ■'/ moot point, ™