-Caveat Lector-
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Date sent: Sun, 14 Jul 2002 21:56:14 -0400
Send reply to: Sustainable Agriculture Network Discussion
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From: jcummins <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Subject: [SANET-MG] acrylamide in cooked foods
and the roundup connection
To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
July 14, 2002
Prof. Joe Cummins
e-mail: jcummins@nospam*.uwo.ca
"Acrylamide in cooked foods: The herbicide glyphosate (Roundup)
connection"
Acrylamide is a building block for the polymer, polyacrylamide, a
material used in genetics in molecular biology laboratories as a
matrix for separating nucleic acid components during DNA
sequence analysis and during protein identification. In world at large
polyacrylamide is used in water purification to flocculate suspended
organic matter. Recently the world health organization (WHO) has a
closed meeting to reveal the finding that cooked vegetables had
significant levels of acrylamide (1).
The finding received worldwide notice because acrylamide is a
potent nerve toxin in humans and effects male reproduction, causes
birth defects and cancer in animals. The WHO releases implied that
the acrylamide finding was a surprise and that the pollutant probably
arose from cooking the vegetables (1).
Strangely, none of the WHO releases mentioned the fact that
polyacrylamide is well known to be added to commercial herbicide
mixtures (25% to 30% solutions) to reduce spray drift and to act as
a surfactant (2). The glyphosate (ie Roundup) herbicides of
Monsanto Corporation have been a particular concern because the
herbicide interacts with the polymer(2,3,4). Experiments showed
that heat and light contributed to release of acrymide from
polyacrylamide (2,3) and glyphosate was found to influence the
solubility of polyacrylamide, and care was advised in mixing the two
(4). The evidence seems compelling that acrylamide is released
from polyacrylamide in the environment and certainly cooking
vegetables that had been exposed to the herbicide in herbicide
tolerant crops or in soil preparation for normal crops would
certainly be exposed to polyacrylamide in the soil. Unfortunately,
additives such as polyacrylamide are designated to be trade secrets
in North America and there is no way that the contents of herbicide
used to prepare soil for food crops or to directly treat herbicide
tolerant crops unless (as in the publications listed below 2,3,4) the
makeup of the herbicide formulation is revealed and made public.;
Frankly, WHO's feigned ignorance of the polyacrylamide -herbicide
connection is very suspicious, it is clear that the connection should
have been made public by those responsible for public safety.
Experts independent of the giant herbicide corporations should be
consulted, for a change, by WHO. Realistically , the advocates of
herbicides and transgenic crops seem to have consumed by dark
methods and science journal editors seem to enjoy abusing those
small voices that say life really isn't what the chemical corporations
pretend that it is. Clearly, the acrylamide story seems to show that
public relations has replaced full and truthful reporting in science
journals.
References
1.Weiss,G "Acrylamide in food: Uncharted territory" 2002 Science
297,27
2.Smith,E,Prues,S and Oehme,F. "Environmental degradation of
polyacrylamides:Effect of artificial environmental conditions" 1996
Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety 35,121-35
3.Smith,E,Prues,S and Ochme,W. "Environmental degradation of
polyacrylamides: II Effects of outdoor exposure" 1997 Ecotoxicology
and Environmetal Safety 37,76-91
4.Fischer, K,Kotalik,J and Kettrup,A "Determination of acrylamide
monomer in polyacrylamide degradation studies by high
performance liquid chromatography" 1999Journal of
Chromatographic Science 37,486-94
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