C-Force by Chuck Norris

Q: Chuck, I enjoyed your article a while ago about the potential hazards of inorganic arsenic levels in apple juice produced in foreign countries. Now I hear the U.S. is having troubles with other contaminants in orange juice. — "Craving Citrus" in Cape Coral, Fla.

A: Just this past week, CNN reported that according to a letter dated Jan. 9, the Food and Drug Administration learned that "an unspecified juice company had found low levels of fungicide in its own products, as well as orange juice and concentrate made by competitors."

The orange juice contamination stems from a 2011 crop in Brazil, the world's largest orange producer. The fungicide found in trace elements in the orange juice is called carbendazim, which has actually been used for more than two decades to fight mold that grows on orange trees. It is legal in Brazil and other countries, but it is classified as an "unlawful pesticide chemical residue" under U.S. law. Carbendazim's only approved use as a fungicide in the U.S. is to treat nonfood items such as ornamental trees, textiles and paints.

The fact is that the U.S is getting more and more of its fruits and vegetables from other countries, and most of them neither preclude nor limit pesticides. Dr. Oz reported that apple concentrate comes from up to seven countries — 60 percent of it imported from China alone. CNN reported that the U.S. imports roughly 25 percent of oranges used to make orange juice, most of it from Brazil. The FDA says U.S. fruit and vegetable imports are now almost half of the U.S. food supply.

As with electromagnetic fields, low levels of pesticides tested in individual imported citrus may be considered harmless by the FDA; but we must consider the cumulative amounts of trace pesticides being poured into us from a host of products lining our grocery, from coffee and corn to sugars and syrups. The omen in orange juice, indeed the sign in citrus, is that carbendazim is only one illegal pesticide being allowed within our borders and bodies.

Researchers are saying there are many other inadvertent negatives of the onslaught of so many pesticides, including the catastrophic declines in honeybee populations, termed "colony collapse disorder." Bee pollination is a lucrative business and a critical constituent to high-value crops — including apples, cherries, almonds, pumpkins, cranberries, blueberries and watermelons — but what would be the long-term effects if bee colonies were to be wiped out by pesticides?

Dr.

The Bee also noted, "(Beekeepers) raise special concerns with neonicotinoids, a class of systemic pesticides that is taken up a plant and expressed through the plants through which bees then forage and pollinate. ... Threats to pollinators, especially commercial honey bees, concern the entire food system."

I'm grateful that U.S. health regulators are beginning to test all incoming shipments of oranges, but that isn't enough. Despite this fungicide contamination news, Brazilian companies are determined to continue to export their carbendazim-laced oranges. Christian Lohbauer — spokesman for CitrusBR, which represents Brazil's four main orange juice producers — told Reuters, "Any shipment (of orange juice) will test positive (for carbendazim). I don't know what is the level that (the U.S.) will decide is the maximum level. Our interest now is that juice keeps entering the United States."

Because the orange juice infection of fungicide is still under investigation and the U.S. hasn't banned Brazilian oranges from import or recalled contaminated orange juice from grocery shelves, buyer beware! Just because the FDA isn't alarmed by low-level toxicities from pesticides within our borders doesn't mean that we should be duped into putting them in our bodies.

If you purchase oranges or orange juice, first read the labels and investigate from where the citrus originated. According to Reuters, brands such as Tropicana and Minute Maid may use a mix of juices originating from Brazil and the U.S. So for the time being, at least until we hear the fungicide fiasco is cleared, we definitely should bow out from buying Brazilian oranges and orange-based juices.

This is yet another perfect example of why my wife, Gena, and I and other health enthusiasts encourage everyone to buy local and organic, always, and, where it's possible, to grow produce and juice it.

For a more holistic medical approach, Gena and I recommend Sierra Integrative Medical Center (http://www.SierraIntegrative.com), in Reno, Nev. The people there are pioneers in integrative medicine. They blend the best of conventional medicine with the best alternative therapies.

Write to Chuck Norris (info@creators.com) with your questions about health and fitness. Follow Chuck Norris through his official social media sites, on Twitter @chucknorris and Facebook's "Official Chuck Norris Page." He blogs at http://chucknorrisnews.blogspot.com. To find out more about Chuck Norris and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

COPYRIGHT 2012 CHUCK NORRIS

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