this post was submitted on 09 May 2024
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[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 92 points 1 year ago (4 children)

The fact that there needs to be a bill to stop companies from poisoning babies is just fucking depressing.

[–] over_clox@lemmy.world 39 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Ah, but they didn't even say stop, they said limit...

🤦‍♂️

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I think 'limit' is fine as long as that limit is under levels safe for infant consumption. It's probably not possible to make baby food entirely free of heavy metals because they're basically everywhere. But it is possible to make them with heavy metals under a specific safety threshold.

[–] xmunk@sh.itjust.works 8 points 1 year ago

Getting to 100% in anything is really fucking hard - some shits occasionally going to go wrong and that's unavoidable.

[–] VelvetStorm@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Fun fact there is no safe limit of lead to eat. It's a forever metal so once it is in you it never leaves and will only continue to hurt you.

[–] numberfour002@lemmy.world 6 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It’s a forever metal so once it is in you it never leaves and will only continue to hurt you.

Citation desired. All references I'm seeing explicitly state that lead is eventually excreted in urine and feces.

[–] LustyArgonianMana@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

In bones, lead can take 25-30 years to leave the body. Actually, this is true of many types of heavy metal poisoning (and radiation, eg radium), and bone loss as we get older tends to release these compounds. This is part of why they believe there's a delay with ALS and Alzheimers between when you ingest heavy metal and when you actually develop symptoms.

In older adults, the primary source of lead exposure can be endogenous. Excretion of lead is relatively slow, and accumulation is common [31]. During early and middle life, lead is sequestered in the bones, where it replaces calcium in the hydroxyapatite structure [32]. The skeleton contains 70–95% of the body burden of lead where lead can remain for decades [32], which can be exploited for exposure assessment research. Adults experiencing loss of bone mass via osteoporosis release lead into the bloodstream. In older adults, 40–70% of blood lead can be attributed to previous body stores [32]. Lead that entered the body during previous periods of high exposure can become biologically active decades later.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7454042/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0161813X20301352

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well then it's too bad we can't possibly entirely remove lead from the food chain.

[–] LustyArgonianMana@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

If we limited use of fossil fuel vehicles on farmland, that would help a lot. The exhaust from tractors along with the bits of tires left in fields etc all put heavy metals in our food supply. As it is, almost all farmland in the US needs bioremediation to reduce heavy metals in their soils.

[–] disguy_ovahea@lemmy.world 18 points 1 year ago

What’s more depressing is that there have been 2,291 bills and amendments addressing ingredients in baby food since 1951. They range from limits on toxins to excessive additives and sugars. Most fail at introduction thanks to the lobbying power of Nestlé, who owns Gerber.

Business ethics require legislation in the US.

https://www.congress.gov/search

[–] xmunk@sh.itjust.works 13 points 1 year ago

Hey, if baby consumers didn't want heavy metals in their food they'd chose a competitor - the market has signaled that its in favor of poison. /s

[–] motor_spirit@lemmy.world 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well tbf have the babies submitted a compelling case through the proper channels? Maybe they can peacefully assemble to make a difference.. that's how christians have won their battles

[–] wolfeh@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Nobody expects the Spanish ~~Inquisition~~ peaceful Christian demonstration!

[–] SatansMaggotyCumFart@lemmy.world 36 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The free market should be free to choose how much heavy metals are in it.

[–] Gork@lemm.ee 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Baby Formula! Now with 12% less Lead than the leading brand!

[–] SatansMaggotyCumFart@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

What about that one with 50% more lead, but you don't mind trading a couple of your baby's IQ points for those sweet savings?

[–] Gork@lemm.ee 6 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Hmm that's a tough trade-off. More developmental disabilities, but is the Value™ really there to justify the decreased cost?

If children wanted higher quality food they would go out and make their own money.

Mine are broke so they'll eat what I feed them.

[–] Son_of_dad@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Tbh kids these days need to learn a thing or two about heavy metal

[–] zaph@sh.itjust.works 23 points 1 year ago

limit

Thanks so much.

[–] macarthur_park@lemmy.world 20 points 1 year ago (3 children)

This is ridiculous! Now how are babies supposed to get their recommended daily value of lead and cadmium?

[–] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 10 points 1 year ago

I don't know, but if you take them to Russia and teach them to say "fuck Putin," they'll get their recommended daily dose of polonium.

[–] Norgur@fedia.io 8 points 1 year ago

I will not let them take my babies daily intake of arsenic and mercury away!

[–] Son_of_dad@lemmy.world 3 points 1 year ago

Without led in their system, how are we going to develop the next generation of psychopaths and right wing voters?

[–] Treczoks@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago (1 children)

TIL in the US they need an extra law to limit harmful substances in (baby) food. Normal people would call this "common sense", but it seems to be rather uncommon in the US.

[–] DragonTypeWyvern@literature.cafe 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The FDA was supposed to just be regulating this as their job already. I'm not sure why they need a specific law, but I'm just going to assume the answer is Reagan.

[–] LustyArgonianMana@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

If the FDA, FTC, USDA, EPA, Depts of Transportation, and CDC wanted to guarantee and check their work, we’d have universal healthcare. And in fact I think that’s exactly the legal argument for why the government should be FORCED to provide us healthcare - how else would we be able to catch (and class action sue for) large community-wide health hazards such as:

-asbestos in baby powder

-lead and heavy metals in vitamins and supplements

-consistency of dosing in medications

-Deaths from auto accidents when we should be having trains

-Deaths from contaminated eggs, meat, milk from bird flu or other pathogens

-Products that are blatant lies/false

-Companies leaking chemicals into water supplies

-Lead in water supply

-Heavy metals in water supply& in crops, from exhaust from cars and bits of tires

-imminent looming climate change

Gee, I wonder why corporations are scared of us getting healthcare?

[–] card797@champserver.net 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

When CEOs of these companies go to prison it will stop.

[–] Aradina@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Prison doesn't stop them. They'll just sacrifice a scape goat and apply a new guy.

[–] Raxiel@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Have we tried sending them to prison though?

[–] catloaf@lemm.ee 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I am genuinely surprised that this isn't already in place for all foods. We've known about the harm they cause for a very long time.

[–] AceSLS@ani.social 10 points 1 year ago

Well, there is a simple reason for that

It's called money

[–] ChaoticNeutralCzech@feddit.de 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Was it introduced by Biden? If so, it's dead on arrival as conservatives will do anything to prevent him from getting a win.

[–] Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago

Klobuchar, Krishnamoorthi, Duckworth, and Cárdenas. All Democratic senators.

It was originally put forth by Krishnamoorthi late last year.

[–] arockinyourshoe@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago
[–] jordanlund@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago

Limit implies they will still have some allowable amount which is insane!

[–] Kolanaki@yiffit.net 4 points 1 year ago

opens jar of Gerber

Led Zeppelin starts playing from the jar

[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 4 points 1 year ago

I feed our baby junks of lead to go straight to the source. It’s working well.

[–] AnUnusualRelic@lemmy.world 4 points 1 year ago

Great. What are we going to do with them now?