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    Re: 'No health problems with chlorinated chicken' - Govt's chief scientific adviser Archived Message

    Posted by walter on August 29, 2019, 11:10 am, in reply to "'No health problems with chlorinated chicken' - Govt's chief scientific adviser "

    Thanks Mary

    Good commentary here, and a link to a dispatches programme
    https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2019/jun/03/the-truth-about-chlorinated-chicken-review-an-instant-appetite-ruiner

    "Chlorinated chicken is an emotive subject, and a slightly misleading one: as disgusting as it sounds, the chlorine itself is not the problem".

    1) The problems the chlorine is aimed at redressing - due to lower US standards than EU
    2) The chlorine

    1) From the Guardian link

    "... The problem is that the practice of chlorine washing (though sometimes other chemicals are used) is said to be a poor substitute for the hygiene measures that should take place earlier in the processing chain, but, in the US, are not legally required. For this reason, chlorinated chicken has been banned from the EU for 22 years. If and when Brexit happens, the UK may well be obliged to accept chlorinated poultry as part of any separate trade deal with the US. Agricultural exports are a priority for US negotiators – it would be difficult to make an exception for chicken.

    EU rules put limits on flock densities and transport times, with a view to preventing the spread of salmonella and campylobacter, both of which can cause food poisoning and possible death. In the absence of such regulations, American poultry processors address hygiene concerns at the end of the process by rinsing all the chicken in chlorine before packing. This kills 90% of the harmful bacteria present in the poultry – the question is whether that is enough. It sounds to me as if it isn’t.

    “You don’t need that many bacteria to form an infectious dose,” Professor Bill Keevil from the University of Southampton told Quilton. “Even 10% surviving is a risk factor.” In his lab they have bottles of a branded medium for growing pathogens – called Salmonella Plus. I wonder if we import that from the US.
    "
    2) Risk from the chlorine

    A big topic, would require lots of digging; partly as there are so may chlorine products and uses. Some knowledge of chemical classifications would help - ah well, never mind.

    Short spadeful below

    This study found a doubled rate of bladder cancer
    Bladder cancer and exposure to water disinfection by-products through ingestion, bathing, showering, and swimming in pools. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17079692/

    " Several epidemiological studies suggested an association between the risk of bladder cancer and the exposure to trihalomethanes (THMs), the main disinfection by-products (DBPs) of chlorinated water."
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21389011

    Good survey for the hardy: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4642182/
    "There are 2 cohort studies and 10 case-control studies using various indicators of exposure to CxDBPs or exposure to chlorinated surface water. Among the case-control studies, 8 suggested an association with bladder cancer, with significant ORs for men ranging from about 1.4 to 2.5."

    Might return to this but can't do it now

    This picture here reveals an issue 3) - loads and loads of strung-up dead birds that have had no life.
    https://theconversation.com/chlorine-washed-chicken-qanda-food-safety-expert-explains-why-us-poultry-is-banned-in-the-eu-81921

    Quorn do passable meat substitutes, one of which contains no animal products.

    Walter

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