hi all
ok,my tongue cancer was caused by my smoking for over 40 years so i guess i was a good candidate for it,but,there are a lot of people on here diagnosed with oral cancer who have never smoked or drank eccessivly,so i have been wondering would washing fruit especially apples grapes and pears or any fruit that you can eat without peeling have contributed to oral cancer.we dont really know what is sprayed on our crops and i can't count the amount of times i have gone into our local friendly greengrocers and tried a couple of grapes before buying as its something i always did to see which grapes were sweeter.i used to just eat an apple without washing it(unless it was sticky)pears too.i now wash all fruit and i have been encouraging my grown up children and my grandchildren to make sure they wash any fruit they eat.do you think there may be something in my theory?love to all shirl xxx

I think you are onto something, however there are so many pesticides, artificial flavourings, colourings and chemicals in general in everything we use from after shave and perfume to washing up liquid we could be getting these nasties from anywhere! I often think that my coffee consumption brought on my tongue cancer but who knows? I dont drink much and have never smoked..i think its natural to try and find something to blame.

I would recommend washing fruit as the use of pesticides is well known. There was a woman on the radio a couple of years back who was talking about how she stripped all artificial products and chemicals out of her life. She believed that by doing so she finally beat cancer ( she had been diagnosed a number of times), unfortunately i cant remember her name or the name of the book!! Not much help really

gordon

Hi Shirl

It is odd that you should post these thoughts as I too have been wondering about this.

I also wash my fruit and veg, not so much of the pesticide side of things (after all, there isn't a lot that you can do about it when the "toxins" are deep inside the fruit/veg) but because of the substance that that cover each item in.

There are a couple of answers to this situation:

We could grow our own stuff. A bit impracticle for some but well worth it when you taste the difference in home grown and shop bought.

We could stop buying fruit and veg which is brought in from abroad. This would lessen the need for it to be covered in a protective wax for it's (gawd knows how long) journey from the far flung corners of the globe.

Do we really need tasteless strawberries from foreign climes in the middle of December? Do we really need to import foreign apples when we grow the finest tasting apples in the world here?

I see this problem as being caused by the supermarkets who have NO INTEREST WHATSOEVER in the consumer. They pray at the altar of the almighty dollar and answer only to their shareholders.

Truthfully, how would you feel if there were no local shops at all and your only option were the multi-national AsdTescoBurysOpMart? Your only choice at this places is whatever THEY want you to choose.


That day is nearer than you think!!

Hi! All,
I have given thought to this subject as well and think "How long have they been subjecting us to chemical sprays and such on our "FRESH ???" produce. It is too late to start growing our own fruit trees as they take years to produce and with our water restrictions we can't even produce a good stand of vegies without the water police on our backs.
Having never smoked I had always put the blame on the people that worked around me before I got sick, and when it comes to it there is no reason not to consider the possibilities that all the preservatives and chemicals that are used willy nilly on what we eat it's little wonder that the increase in Cancer is or can not be blamed on the need to preserve our food.
The major coops over here (Coles,Woolworths,walmartETC) are all starting to reduce the stock of known brand items for their own brand items and generic brands that they can make a greater profit from (Bastards).
I have read where it is better to wipe the fruit or vegetables over with a damp cloth as this way it doesn't allow excess moister to get into the fruit ETC, just a thought.
Trev

Ain't it the truth Big Ray.
I believe everything you say about the multi-nationals however I think as a race, we have to take on some of that blame ~ after all, we all expect what we want, when we want it hence the provision of out of season fruits and vegies.
We are the same down here, not happy about imported goods.
The Riverland area of our state is renowned for beautiful citrus fruits however orchards are being ripped out all over because we have oranges being imported from California. I won't buy them! Mind you, our drought is also a contributing factor in the trees being pulled out. AND in the end, I dont' think anyone will be worrying about what Deborah is or isn't buying ~ she'll be rolled over by those busy people rushing to get whatever is their whont for that day!
Friends of ours are farmers and when the genetic modification debate opens up again, they say they don't know why people get so worked up about it. If they knew what goes into the soil and what is sprayed on the crops to ensure the best, we would all realise that what we are eating is already modified to a degree anyway, and that's well before anyone sprays the preservatives on.
One day on a deserted planet, a pocket of survivors will begin to unravel the puzzle that explains just how Earth met it's demise.........
Keep smiling
Deborah
We're about to head out on an outing ~ before it's too late.

Hi Deborah

The GM crop issue you raise is an interesting one. Down in Devon there is a rather popular and famous organic farm concern (now going nationwide) called Riverford Farm. Although the owner may have the greatest intentions of maintaining his organic credentials, I wonder just how organic it actually is. I remember a few years ago, about a mile away from his farm, there was a massive GM crop experiment done. I just wonder how much of his crop was cross contaminated by wind, insects and wildlife?

The GM debate is an interesting one as we only hear what the governments of the world want us to hear, much the same as nuclear power etc.

My mind harks back to history when the tobacco companies ruled governments, even more than they do now, and the public were told of the "health giving properties" of cigarettes. It just makes me wonder what other untruths they force feed us day after day.

I'd like to feel that we are a little more enlightened these days and don't take anybodies word for things, whether it be health services, governments or whatever.

Multi-nationals rule the globe, not governments. We need to make a stand and reclaim some sanity for the world. We have to start somewhere, after all, where would all the worlds mighty oak trees be if they chucked it all in as acorns??

Victor Meldrew

PS I know you don't get the "Victor Meldrew" reference Deborah, so here is a clip... http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=T9cR8OTkcdo

Oh, Deb!

We Californians often buy citrus fruit from Central America!

Right now I have a lemon tree, a mandarin orange tree and my neighbor has grapefruit. All the trees are hardy and require little maintenance other than trimming and using a citrus food twice a year. Nothing is sprayed nor are there any other chemical additives. Where I live we very rarely have frosts so I've never had to cover the trees but I seem to remember my parents doing so years and years ago.

You can't necessarily depend upon the package labeling: what might grow and be picked in one country (or state) is processed and boxed in another and that country is what's shown on the box.

What we have here are lots of 'artisan' fruits and vegetables, produce that is grown locally for local sale only, without pesticides, etc. I never knew there were so many varieties of heirloom tomatoes and how good they could be until this new movement became more and more popular. As with wine, our best wines are from small vineyards and aren't exported. While living in England I was somewhat amused at what passed for premium California wines.

There's also a Localvore movement (Localvores are people committed to eating foods grown within their local food shed), but as usual these products are more expensive than the massive field grown produce. Prince Charles was here a few years ago extolling organic farming, and he's right of course. Problem is that it's so expensive and not all organic farms maintain the high standards that they claim. I think some of it is advertised the same way quack medicine is.

Prince Charles Visits San Francisco Bay Area

Having said all this, I totally agree with you. I have no idea what's being injected into our cattle, sheep, hogs, turkeys and chickens, let alone what's been sprayed on our produce. I wash everything throughly, but as you said, who know how much seeps inside?

Mimi

I do worry about the chemicals on and in everything, and I do my best to buy organic when I can. I always peel apples when I have a knife with me, and I try not to eat too many processed foods. I think organic and local produce are good for all kinds of reasons, not least our health.

HOWEVER. One of the things that seems to contribute to many kinds of cancers is poor diet, and not enough fruit and veg. I don't know they assess impact of diet in the increase of incidence of mouth cancers, and I don't know how the risks balance out of pesticides versus poor nutrition. Many people (not in any way implying anyone here) do abuse their bodies and their teeth when young, and poor diet and dentition can be contributors to mouth cancers. But I understand dietary factors are very hard to measure in cancer studies, and it's good to be aware of chemical risks and make informed choices about food...

Hi Big Ray
I tried without success to open the link you sent. I think I may know the character now though. I might have seen an episode or two ~ or at least parts of it. Was there an episode involving an engagement ring and a dog????

In relation to the organic farming. I think there is very little chance of true organic farming unless it's on an island far enough from the mainland that the birds and bees from the GM farms can't get to it. Like all things, we must all take responsibility for the state of our own affairs and do what is right for us personally. After all, no-one (govt or otherwise) is going to care about us the way we should care about ourselves. That's not just in relation to the food we eat but life generally. These days it isn't my fault if I trip over my own feet, but someone/thing elses and man do they have to pay! All a bit sad really.

Hi Mimi
How lucky you were to have a visit from HRH! He has quite a name as a gardener etc, hasn't he.
We have a mandarin tree and an orange tree. The mandarin is coming along OK but the orange is struggling. I think they need more water than we are giving them and I'm pretty hopeless when it comes to the whole fertilising thingy!
When we all rebel against the multi-nationals and become supportive communities again ~I'll do the knitting ~ someone else will have to do the gardening if my community is to stand a chance!!!

I hope you all have a great week-end.
Love from OZtralia
Deborah

Hi Deborah

I am sorry you couldn't open that link. If you Google "One Foot In The Grave" (the show's name) you may be able to find some clips that way.

You are so right about the litigious society we live in and I blame a lot of it on the Septic Tanks (no offence meant to our US viewers). The trend for suing the pants off of anything that moves does seem to be an American invention. This seems to have led to the explosion in the Health & Safety sector. To me H&S only exists to stop people from suing employers etc and not from ernestly educating people.

UKgirl...you have got me running scared. The thought of you going around with a knife secreted about your person gives me the vision of you being a homicidal hoodie. Please allay my fears!

Hey, Ray,

No offense whatsoever - I can't stand it either and it just won't go away. An awful lot of the meaningless lawsuits are thrown out by the courts before there is a hearing - can you imagine how frivolous they must be?

One totally frivolous lawsuit that didn't get thrown out was where the plaintiff (a judge!) sued his dry cleaner for $54 million.

Pants Lawsuit

Quote:

"The D.C. administrative law judge who sued his neighborhood dry cleaners for $54 million over a pair of lost pants found out yesterday what he's going to get.

Nothing.

Hardly a surprise, the verdict was nonetheless a media spectacle of the first order.

Journalists from around the world descended on a strip mall in far Northeast Washington for one more news conference and a last look at the place where it all began between the proprietors of Custom Cleaners, Soo and Jin Chung, and a judge named Roy Pearson."

End quote

What amazes me is that this cost the taxpayers money to go through the courtroom sham. (Pretty silly of me to be amazed though. After paying for the Bridge to Nowhere Alaska I shouldn't be surprised any longer.)

The Chungs' legal costs are discussed in the article.

Mimi

Hi Mimi

My sister lives in Salt Lake City and told me a cracker of a story. A man once sued Winnibago because he crashed his vehicle. It transpired that whilst out driving on his own, he put the camper in cruise mode and went in the back and put the kettle on to make a hot drink and, obviously, the vehicle came off the road. This resulted in the company putting a warning in the handbook about not leaving the driving position whilst the vehicle is in motion.

People like that should be put down due to the fact that they constitute a public menace!

Ray

Hehe... Big Ray - Yes, I am one of the new breed of 30-year-old 5'3" white female graduate hoodies, stalking the wilds of Hampshire. Beware our scary knife-wielding ways!

Eeek...Hampshire is off my list of places to visit!!

Hi Ray

I just read the story your sister told you, and all I can think is that we Americans are of extremely questionable intelligence. After all, it was one of us who burned herself with McDonald's coffee, resulting in the perceived need to put warning labels (Contents may be hot) on their cups. Oh, that and our soon-to-be-former president.

Julia