dropped (downer) cows shouldn't be processed for human consumption. BSE (mad cow) is not affeced by cooking...
neither does irradiation.
re meats used in the National School Lunch Program safe? Yes. USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), by specification, does not allow beef that is mechanically separated from bone with automatic deboning systems, advanced lean (meat) recovery (AMR) systems, or powered knives for any commodity programs. USDA procurement specifications for beef specifically prohibit the use of meat from downer animals - animals too sick or injured to walk.
posted
Reading a book right now called "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan. I am still in the 'Corn fields of Iowa' but I know it also has a section on beef.
I'm only 60 pages in and I would already refer it to any friend who I thought might be interested. It gives you a very new perspective on what it is you are eating and the politics that have shaped American agriculture.
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quote:Originally posted by The Bigfoot: Reading a book right now called "The Omnivore's Dilemma" by Michael Pollan. I am still in the 'Corn fields of Iowa' but I know it also has a section on beef.
I'm only 60 pages in and I would already refer it to any friend who I thought might be interested. It gives you a very new perspective on what it is you are eating and the politics that have shaped American agriculture.
What's the "dilemma"? I'm a purist, so dilemma to me connotes equally unsatisfactory choices, fwiw...
-------------------- Nashoba Holba Chepulechi Adventures in microcapitalism...
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and when they burn the feilds? the dust and soot and smoke spreads for miles...
Paraquat
Paraquat is the trade name for N,N'-Dimethyl-4,4'-bipyridinium dichloride, a viologen. Paraquat is used as a quaternary ammonium herbicide. It is dangerously poisonous to humans if swallowed. Other members of this class include diquat, cyperquat, diethamquat, difenzoquat, and morfamquat. All of these are easily reduced to the radical ion, which generates superoxide radical that reacts with unsaturated membrane lipids.Herbicide use
The compound is one of the most widely used herbicides in the world. It is quick-acting, non-selective, and kills green plant tissue on contact. It is redistributed within the plant but does not harm mature bark.
Being a herbicide, paraquat protects crops by controlling a wide range of annual and certain perennial weeds that reduce crop yield and quality by competing with the crop for water, nutrients, and light.
The key characteristics that distinguish the non-selective contact herbicide paraquat from other active ingredients used in plant protection products are:
* Paraquat is non-selective, which means it kills a wide range of annual grasses and broad-leaved weeds and the tops of established perennial weeds. * Paraquat is very fast-acting. * Paraquat is rain-fast within minutes of application. * Paraquat becomes biologically inactive upon contact with soil.[3] In the United States, paraquat is available primarily as a liquid in various strengths. It is classified as "restricted use," which means that it can be used only by licensed applicators. As with many chemicals, caution must be exercised during use.
In the European Union, paraquat has been forbidden since July 10th 2007.
it's not even the worse stuff they use..
like i said? you don't want to know...
you know it's bad when your termite guy is nick-named Twitchy
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quote:All of these are easily reduced to the radical ion, which generates superoxide radical that reacts with unsaturated membrane lipids.
jeez...I'm behind the curve. As I was getting out of reporting about this stuff, I thought this entire class of compounds was being shelved. Guess they merely restricted 'em a lil bit.
Pure insanity...
what about phenols? They got slammed, right?
[ February 18, 2008, 03:02: Message edited by: T e x ]
-------------------- Nashoba Holba Chepulechi Adventures in microcapitalism...
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quote:All of these are easily reduced to the radical ion, which generates superoxide radical that reacts with unsaturated membrane lipids.
jeez...I'm behind the curve. As I was getting out of reporting about this stuff, I thought this entire class of compounds was being shelved. Guess they merely restricted 'em a lil bit.
Pure insanity...
what about phenols? They got slammed, right?
basically? the question in your quote means the leaves fall off...
as for the phenols?
2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) is a common systemic herbicide used in the control of broadleaf weeds. It is the third-most widely used herbicide in North America and the most widely used herbicide in the world.
the Chesapeake Bay is DEAD, people blamed the farmers, but the final nail in the coffin was companies like CHEMLAWN...
the stormdrains in suburbia drained the lawn chemicals straight to the bay...
it was kinda hard to 'splain to people what they were/are doing... people didn't want to believe their green lawns were toxic.
i was there fishing the mouth of The Bay the first year the bluefish refused to enter it....
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posted
we were raising exotic birds and animals with an eye toward working with zoos as a private "breeding compound"... somehow we stumbled into the genetic engineering stuff and began to learn how genetic modification can and does dramatically reduce the need for pesticides and weed killers.
there is an irrational fear of genetic engineering but not one of spraying millions of pounds of poison directly onto our foods?
the sad part is that people actually beleive they can wash it off by rinsing it in their sinks....
the "good news" is that we do produce much more and basically safer foods.. we just need to keep improving our systems...
the downside to not using pesticides and antifungals is that people get poisoned from "natural organic products" (see aflotoxins) all the time...
find the balance... and keep it.
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posted
Agent Orange was a 50-50 mix of two chemicals, known conventionally as 2,4,D and 2,4,5,T. The combined product was mixed with kerosene or diesel fuel and dispersed by aircraft, vehicle, and hand spraying. An estimated 19 million gallons of Agent Orange were used in South Vietnam during the war.
The earliest health concerns about Agent Orange were about the product's contamination with TCDD, or dioxin. TCDD is one of a family of dioxins, some found in nature, and are cousins of the dibenzofurans and pcb's.
The TCDD found in Agent Orange is thought to be harmful to man. In laboratory tests on animals, TCDD has caused a wide variety of diseases, many of them fatal. TCDD is not found in nature, but rather is a man-made and always unwanted byproduct of the chemical manufacturing process. The Agent Orange used in Vietnam was later found to be extremely contaminated with TCDD.
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