Predictable (predicted in fact). Dunno why they say Environmental Health Watch is shadowy. They're campaigners, hard to campaign when you're being shadowy. And, um, they're in Ohio, not southern California. "Environmental Health Watch could not be reached for comment." Full contact information on their website. Maybe it was lunchtime.
http://www.ehw.org/ Environmental Health Watch Well, I'm sceptical about all this, but this kind of reporting doesn't help much. Keith http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/16717/story.htm Planet Ark : American French fry under attack by Californian group USA: July 5, 2002 LOS ANGELES - Should the great American French fry be carrying a health warning? The nation's top French fry sellers - McDonald's and Burger King - have been targeted by an environmental group in health-conscious California under state laws that have been used against makers of products ranging from crayons and dental braces to fishing tackle and penile implants. The fast food giants this week described the legal action as ludicrous and frivolous, saying it was far too early to say whether a substance recently found in fries - and other fatty fried foods - can cause cancer. The substance at issue is acrylamide, which can cause cancer in animals, and which triggered a worldwide food scare earlier this year when Swedish scientists reported finding high levels of acrylamide in carbohydrate-rich foods such as potato chips. An emergency session of the World Health Organization last week said acrylamide was a cause of concern, but much more research was needed before drawing firm conclusions and making recommendations to the public about their eating habits. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said last week it was too early to determine the public health impact of acrylamide. The shadowy southern California group Environmental Health Watch quickly fired off notices of intent to sue McDonald's and Burger King under California's 1986 Proposition 65 law, which requires manufacturers to withdraw or label products containing potentially toxic chemicals. "To single out one or two companies so quickly is inappropriate. We think the lawsuits are frivolous and totally ludicrous," said Burger King spokesman Rob Doughty. ENVIRONMENTAL GROUP CHASTISED AS 'BOUNTY HUNTING' McDonald's said in a statement that flooding Californians with labels related to all baked and fried foods "would undermine the purpose of Proposition 65 by devaluing labeling in general." Doughty said Burger King was carrying out detailed research into acrylamide but did not yet have enough information about the substance to know what action, if any, to take. He noted that acrylamide was also found in coffee, certain types of bread and water. "We think a group charging off to create a lawsuit about something which is not fully known is both inappropriate and confusing to the public," Doughty said. Environmental Health Watch could not be reached for comment. But it was one of five so-called "bounty hunting" groups chastised by the California state attorney general for flooding his office with thousands of Proposition 65 notices. The voter initiative was passed in 1986 to address growing concerns in California about exposures to toxic chemicals in drinking water and the environment. Proposition 65 warning notices appear in businesses ranging from dry-cleaning establishments to parking lots and gas stations throughout California. But some small consumer groups have been accused by business attorneys of "legalized extortion" for seeking quick financial settlement against manufacturers in exchange for dropping potentially financially crippling lawsuits. McDonald's, Burger King and the California attorney general have 60 days to reply to the notice of intent to sue. The attorney general's office said it was looking into the matter and would make an announcement in the next few weeks. Story by Jill Serjeant REUTERS NEWS SERVICE ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> Will You Find True Love? Will You Meet the One? Free Love Reading by phone! http://us.click.yahoo.com/ztNCyD/zDLEAA/Ey.GAA/FGYolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Biofuels list archives: http://archive.nnytech.net/ Please do NOT send "unsubscribe" messages to the list address. To unsubscribe, send an email to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
