2
Monday, July 11, 1977
University Daily Kansan
FDA says McDonald's glasses have too much lead
From the Kansan News Service
Although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not ordered a recall of "Glasses to Go," Lawrence children will no longer by taking home the brightly colored glasses from McDonald's, 901 W. 23rd St.
Massachusetts public health officials said Friday that the paint in the cartoon figures on the McDonald's promotional glasses is being tested for acceptability under federal health standards.
FDA tolerances allow no more than one half part of lead for every million parts of food. John T. Walden, assistant FDA commissioner for public affairs, said yesterday that tests conducted by the Massachusetts health department showed
lead content up to eight or ten parts per million.
WALDEN SAID, "THE FDA is not raising any红 flag at this time. We have no indication of an acute health hazard, no indication of people being threatened."
Therney Lindsay, manager of McDonald's of Lawrence, said Saturday, "We're no longer distributing the glasses here in Lawrence. The promotion has been canceled for all stores in the greater Kansas City area."
The FDA, which has ordered further tests on the glasses, as well as glasses from other food chains, said yesterday it had found that an infection could have migrate when the glasses were washed or
when they came in contact with the acid from citrus juices.
THOMAS SPITTLER, A CHEMIST for the Environmental Protection Agency, (EPA), said Sunday that he believed the hazards, if any, would be posed by old glasses. The glasses he tested included some from his own home that were several years old. Lead is unlikely to chip off a new, fresh glazed glass, he said.
"As the glasses wear through repeated use, the lead paint does wear off and is much more exposed to teaching." Spitter recommends that users wear glasses for 10 or 15 years until they break."
Jonathan Fielding, Massachusetts public
neath commissioner, said Friday that tests by his department and the EPA showed lead content up to 18 times the legal limit in the painted glasses.
Fielding urged parents to stop using the glasses and to put them out of children's reach. He said he had no direct evidence of cases in children who had used the glasses.
Joyce Adams, physician at the KU Medical Center Poison Control Center, in Kansas City, Kan., said that lead question could be fatal for young children.
According to the Poisindex, the center's poison reference, lead paint can cause permanent damage to the brain, central nervous system or kidneys, but also can
Jerry Arkebauer, a spokesman for Owens-Illinois of Toledo, producer of some of the glassware, denied Friday that the glasses posed any health hazard.
appear in behavior changes such as irritability or lethality, loss of ability or excitability,
ARKEBAUER SAID THAT THE decorating process, in use for decades, had not had any previous adverse effects on persons using the glasses.
David Knock, deputy health commissioner for Massachusetts, said Friday that the pain, which was near the lip of the glass, could prove dangerous to children who chewed it off, particularly if it were combined with other sources of lead.
Kinloch said about 24 million to 60 million
painted glasses had been produced for national distribution by McDonald's in the past five years. He said he did not know if lead was a problem with all the glasses.
MCDONALD'S CORP. HAS DISPUTED the accuracy of the tests. A spokesman for the hamburger chain called yesterday that the company has decided to suspense distribution of the glasses.
Paul Keough, EPA spokesman, said yesterday that Spitfire had found high concentrations of lead on containers from sources other than McDonald's.
Lindsay said she did not know how many "glasses to Go" had been sold in Lawrence.
"We want to be sure the glasses are sate
we resume the promotion," she said.
Food additives are chemical,but so is nature
By DEENAL KERBOW
Staff Writer
Editor's note: A senior Carter administration farm official recently told Congress that the U.S. Department of Agriculture would be vigilant in its efforts to prevent the largest chemical contamination and to provide the most nutritious food possible.
However, the official, USDA Deputy Secretary John C. White, also said, "We are the farmers' advocates and we don't intend to shirk our responsibilities to them."
The following is the first in a series of articles concerning the "chemical contaminants" to which White referred. This article will deal with what additives are; tomorrow's will explain functions of food additives.
Chemistry is the key to understanding human nutrition and human nature, according to Peggy Kohl, vice president for affairs. General Foods Corporation.
In her book, "Today's Food and Additives," Kohl says, "Scientists have learned that everything from our memories to our emotions has a chemical base. By changing the chemistry of the brain, they can manipulate the memories and emotions it stores. Similarly, by altering the chemistry of food, scientists can add to its
mutitive value, extend its storage use,
enhance its task or otherwise change it
by modifying it.
Kohl's research indicates that the consumer's fright of the word "chemical," when used with the word "additive," is unfounded.
ACCORDING TO DAISY E. ATKINSON,
extension specialist at Kansas State
University, a food additive is simply, "A
substance or mixture of substances other
than a basic foodstuff, that is present in a
process such as the production,
processing, storage or packaging."
Atkinson says, in "Food Additives at
the Home," that food additives are
certain chemicals.
"The air we breathe and the food we eat are chemical in nature," she says. "Some food additives are obtained from the food itself. Others are manufactured in the laboratory, making available a much larger supply at a lower cost."
And, Timothy Larkin, special assistant to the commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, has said that some chemicals in natural foods not only have no known nutritional benefits, but are highly toxic.
Kohi said, for example, that the potato contains, among its 150 different chemicals, a highly toxic compound called solanine. She said the substance is found primarily in the green peas and eyes of the potato and is the deepest poison of the nighthandle plant.
"THEERE IS NO SCIENTIFIC REASON to believe that naturally-occurring substances in foods are more or less safe than man-made substances," he said.
Kohl said, "A potato lover who ate his entire yearly potato quota at one sitting (about 119 pounds) would ingest 9,700 grams of solanine—enough to kill a horse."
But, she said. "Does this mean that we are playing Irish rillete every time we eat a potato? Of course not. But potatoes are the chemicals produced entirely by nature."
APRICOT JAM CONTAINS CYANIDE,
shrimp contain arsenic, and kale, cabbage
and charroiled steaks contain cancer-
causing agents.
She also said that some minerals, mea-
netic and metallic salts could be very toxic in
excessive exposures, but that they were
essential to the diet in trace amounts.
She said people didn't get sick from these poisons because the amounts ingested were too low.
Kohl said that man had used additives to favor, spice, preserve and treat his foot for the last 40 years.
Skeet fired; no charges pending
The three commissioners voted unanimously to fire Sket, who had been convicted of arson.
Although Alfred Skeet, county maintenance supervisor, was fired by Douglas County commissioners Thursday, the county attorney's office has said that no violation had been caused because the statute of limitations has been broken on the most serious of the allegations.
Whittenight said that Skeet was fired on the basis of evidence turned up during a county attorney's investigation made at the commissioners' request.
THE EVIDENCE, WHITENIGHT SAID,
was very clear and because Skeet had
denied the allegation, he said, "I felt like we
were being led to."
Peter Whitenight, commission chairman, said last week that one particular instance in which Skeet allegedly accepted personal compensation for performing services with county equipment for an organization was the case of the late Mark Whittenight did not identify the organization.
That evidence, along with knowledge of prior activities the commissioners obtained, indicated that Skeet had abused his position with the county for some time, and the commissioner noted that the weight of the evidence was sufficient not to simply issue a reprimand to Skeet.
SKEET, WHO APPEARED BEFORE the commissioners after he had been instructed Wednesday to consider the matter and return with his decision, expressed the desire to remain on the job. He told the commissioners "I feel I owe them (the county) nothing . . . you have nothing to fire me for."
The accusations made against Skeet, Whitenight said, dated back several years equipment, personal use of county equipment, and unauthorized possession for services provided as a county employee, unauthorized activities on county property, unauthorized vehicle and unauthorized disposal of county property.
Skeetalso said he felt "like we've been tried and convicted by the newspapers."
Financing...
From page one
to 40 per cent of the loan. For owners of multi-residential housing, such as apartments, up to 20 per cent of the loan can be allotted for general improvements.
The selection of a contractor to make improvements, providing the homeowner is granted a loan, is the next step in the process.
Goddell said the loan applicant could choose his own contractor or let his agent handle the loan.
"It's legal for a homeowner to do his own work," he said. "but I have a policy against it unless it works."
He also said that most homeowners were not fully aware of all building codes and
All work that is to be done must be specified in detail in a written contract. Gooddell said two to four meetings between the homeowner, HUD inspector and contractor were usually required to iron out all contractual details.
In doing that, he said, there is less confusion and misunderstanding on the part of the three parties involved when it comes to doing the actual work.
zoning ordinations that must be met to obtain final approval of each project.
If, in the process of rehabilitation, the homeowner wants to make a change in improvements or desires additional improvements, Goodell said, an official document is written and additional costs, if any, are added to the overall project costs.
TONIGHT: The SUA FILMS, "Lovejoy's
Nuclear War" and "Nuclear Reaction in
Wyhl," will be at 7:30 in Woodruff
Auditorium, Kansas Union. Admission is $11
On Campus
TOMORROW: A KANSAS COUNCIL ON ECONOMIC EDUCATION will be at 10 a.m. in the International Room, Kansas Union. A meeting to LEARN BICYCling BASICS, will be at by the M. Oread Bicycle Club, will be at by the South Park. The meeting is open to the public. BACYLY ArtISTS will be at 6 p.m. in Swarthout Recital Hall, Murphy Hall.
Rabbit
WITH THE REAR SEAT DOWN.
MORE LUGGAGE SPACE THAN A CADILLAC FEETWOOD'S TRUNK.
Bob Hopkins'
Volkswagen Inc.
2562 IOWA
Whitenlight disagreed and said that many of the details hadn't been discussed and that the situation had been handled properly. After the vote was over, Blinken held.
...but you abused the privilege of your position with the county. I know you honestly feel you didn't do anything, but the Board (of commissioners) and I feel dif-
WHITENIGHT SAID THAT THE abuse of privilege could not exist and when it was discovered, "it's got to be purged . . . it's going to will be dealt with in a similar manner."
After the vote was taken, Whitenight told Skeet he was 'sorry' it has taken this course.
Another incident Skeet was involved in, Whitenight said, was the giving away of rodeo gates and chats that the county might have sold at auction.
Whitenight said there were several instances of reprimands to Skeet in the past 2½ years that he had served on the commission. One instance was for the removal of chairs from the fairground for use at a club meeting.
Whitenig said there was no evidence that Skeet had received kickbacks from firms doing business with the county, but Skeet had accepted money for work that "shouldn't have been done or done as a normal county function."
She said that pemican, a pioneer dish,
was probably the first convention food
"It kept for a month or more on frontier voyages," she said.
Pemmican is dried meat that is pounded into mush with fat, sugar and acid berries, or bread dough.
Kohl said that frontier housewives used additives and preservatives extensively, but that the processes they used destroyed nutrients and caused deficiency diseases.
She said, however, that modern processes of additive use allowed seasonal foods to be prepared.
"CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES GRACE New England tables," she said, "while seafood caught off the coast of Maine was served on a platter, complete, oven-read meal served in Oregano."
But, she said, "Despite this multiplicity of beneficial uses, additives are subject to more confusion and misinformation than any other substance in everyday use."
Kohl said that sugar salt and corn sweeteners were consumed more than any other additives—in fact, she said that these foods have a weight of eight of all food additives used in America.
Rabbit
AS MUCH HEAD
AND LEG ROOM
AS SOME
MEDIUM-SIZED CARS.
Bob Hopkins'
Volkwagon Inc.
2562 IOWA
FILMS
NUCLEAR REACTION IN WYHL (1975)
We Write All Risks
Automobile Insurance
—and
Gene Doane Agency 824 Mass.
LOVEJOY'S NUCLEAR WAR (1974)
Color. Monday, July 11, 7:30 p.m. $1.00
Woodruff Auditorium Kansas Union
EVOLUTION OF THE AMERICAN INDEPENDENT FILM
IMAGES (1972)
A collection of experimental/
underground films including films by
MAYA DEREN BEAK,
STAN BEREN BEAM,
LIELIE,
and STAN VANDERBEK.
Wednesday, July 13, 7:30 p.m. 85 Min.
$1.00
Written and directed by ROBERT ALTMAN Cinematography by DAVID MELVEY USZANNAH YORK (Work) Best AcePress July, 15th, 7:30 p.m. Color $125
150 STYLES Athletic Shoes
1527 W. 6th, Lawrrence 842-4311
- Speedo Swimwear
919 Massachusetts
Ph. 841-2995 Lawrence
BankAmericard Master Charge
- Tennis Clothing
- Warm-Ups
- Lettered T-Shirts
· Shorts • Socks
DISCOVER US! DAAGWUD'S
7th Spirit Club The Lawrence Opera House
EVERY WEEK
Every Monday: A Stormy Monday with the Lee
McBee Blues Band
Every Wednesday: Acoustic Folk Jam
Daagwud Family Night (2 for 1)
Every Thursday: Daagwud Student Night
(½ price on subs]
Every Day: 7th Spirit Happy Hour from 4 p.m. till 6 p.m. SPECIAL EVENTS
SPECIAL EVENTS
July 11: Lee McBee Blues Band
July 13: Kansas Folklo Center Acoustic Folk Jam
July 12-14: Les Goering in the 7th Spirit Cellar
July 15: Pott County Pork and Bean Band
July 22-23: Cornell Hurd and the
Hollywood Hot Pants Orchestra
Aug. 4-6: The Twang Brothers
THE ENTERTAINMENT CENTER
OF LAWRENCE! 7th & MASS.
Refer to our calendar every HOPE TO SEE
MONDAY YOU SOON!
Mondo Hot Pants Orchestra Aug. 4-6: The Twang Brothers