http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20081016a1.html

Tainted beans from China sicken three

An extremely high concentration of insecticide has been detected in frozen green beans imported from China

The Hachioji health department said it detected 6,900 parts per million of the organophosphate insecticide dichlorvos in the beans, which is 34,500 times the government standard for imports.

The beans were manufactured by Yantai Beihai Foodstuff Co. in Shandong Province and imported by Tokyo-based Nichirei Foods Inc. for sale under the Ingen brand.

This is not Yantai Beihai's first tainted product. The ministry said it also detected unacceptable levels of the insecticide chlorpyrifos in another frozen bean product made by the company in 2002 that was exported to Japan.

A total of 265 tons of the frozen green beans have been imported in the past year. The government is warning consumers not to eat them and asking distributors to halt sales of the product until it can confirm what made the consumers sick. Quarantine offices nationwide have been ordered to halt import procedures for all food products from the Chinese company.

Nichirei said no dichlorvos was used at the Chinese farm that grew the beans or at the plant where they were frozen.

http://edition.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/10/15/japan.beans/?iref=mpstoryview


dichlorvos, an organophosphate?

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts88.html

http://www.epa.gov/iris/subst/0151.htm
In a chronic feeding study (AMVAC Chemical Corp., 1990), groups of beagle dogs (4/sex/dose) were administered dichlorvos by capsule for 52 weeks at dose levels of 0, 0.1, 1.0 and 3.0 mg/kg-day. The 0.1 mg/kg-day dose level was lowered to 0.05 mg/kg-day on day 22 due to the inhibition of plasma ChE noted after 12 days on test material. Capsules were prepared weekly based on the most recently recorded body weight, and stored refrigerated and protected from light. Animals received food and water ad libitum. ...

http://extoxnet.orst.edu/pips/dichlorv.htm

Trade and Other Names: Dichlorvos is also called DDVP. Trade names include Apavap, Benfos, Cekusan, Cypona, Derriban, Derribante, Devikol, Didivane, Duo-Kill, Duravos, Elastrel, Fly-Bate, Fly-Die, Fly-Fighter, Herkol, Marvex, No-Pest, Prentox, Vaponite, Vapona, Verdican, Verdipor, and Verdisol. Trade names used outside of the U.S. include Doom, Nogos, and Nuvan.

Regulatory Status: The EPA has classified it as toxicity class I - highly toxic, because it may cause cancer and there is only a small margin of safety for other effects. Products containing dichlorvos must bear the Signal Words DANGER - POISON. Dichlorvos is a Restricted Use Pesticide (RUP) and may be purchased and used only by certified applicators.

Chemical Class: organophosphate

This stuff is nasty

Even though we ban certain pesticides/chemicals here nothing stops other countries from putting in on their crops/foodstuffs/etc. and exporting it here and to other places. One may think they are safe cause its not used here but buyer beware - the food from someplace else could be loaded with all kinds of banned chemicals, pesticides, insecticides etc. IMO.

It is time to write.  The information about all this has been like war photos for me.  I look, then recoil, but you know you should face things.

I missed this article, maybe on purpose back in 2007 since I like Asian foods.  (I found it when I was searching to see why Thailand banned one of Seattle's main newspapers.

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2003751149_toxicfood17.html
Tuesday, June 26, 2007 - Page updated at 02:32 PM
In Asia, hallmark of cuisine may be witches' brew
By Margie Mason

The Associated Press

HANOI, Vietnam — As Nguyen Van Ninh needles his chopsticks through a steaming bowl of Vietnam's famous noodle soup, he knows it could be spiked with formaldehyde. But the thought of slurping up the same chemical used to preserve corpses isn't enough to deter him.
.........
Formaldehyde, for instance, has long been used to lengthen the shelf life of rice noodles and tofu in some Asian countries, even though it can cause liver, nerve and kidney damage. The chemical, often used in embalming, was found a few years ago in seven of 10 pho noodle factories in Hanoi.

Borax, found in everything from detergent to Fiberglas, is also commonly used to preserve fish and meats in Indonesia and elsewhere. Farmers in various countries often spray produce with banned pesticides, such as DDT.
.........
The problems in Asia are not limited to China. Ice cream and sweets made with the same industrial dyes used for coloring garments have been found outside schools, and farmers have been caught dipping fruit in herbicide, to add shine, a day before going to market.

In India, pesticides often taint groundwater and produce. Coca-Cola and Pepsi have been dueling with a New Delhi environmental group, which alleged it found unacceptable levels of pesticides in soft drinks.
...........
Some countries, such as Thailand, are trying to improve domestic-food safety. In bustling Bangkok, where pots bubble and woks sizzle at makeshift kitchens pitched on sidewalks, markets are issued test kits that can detect up to 22 contaminants.

No one knows the extent of chemical-laced food in Asia or how it will affect public health.

"It might be that you consume it today, but you don't see any effects for 10 years," said Peter Sousa Hoejskov, a food-quality and -safety officer at the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization in Thailand. "Some foods have issues that are developing over a long, long time and others you have an immediate reaction."

China has faced outrage among its own citizens in recent years. Whiskey laced with methanol, a toxic wood alcohol, was blamed for killing at least 11 people in southern Guangzhou. Local media in Shanghai uncovered the sale of phony tofu made from gypsum, paint and starch.

At least a dozen Chinese babies died and more than 200 were sickened with symptoms associated with malnutrition after drinking infant formula made of sugar and starch with few nutrients. In another case, lard for human consumption was made with hog slop, sewage, pesticides and recycled industrial oil.

3cat more people need to know and your posts on other adulterated food stuff would be appreciated I'm sure. The fish now also has embalming fluid in it-ohh that goes right along with the toilet treatment they get too-thanks to db for finding that one. Water with arsenic is that also included in the milk being watered down by any chance?

3cat thx for finding those articles. So sad when your own country has no conscience and you know you consume gawd knows what in the food on a daily basis and also give it to your children. I'm just shaking my head in disbelief that this goes on and those participating in it think its normal way to do business and feed the people.

It sounds like they are thinking this might be someone intentionally contaminating the beans after production:

http://health.yahoo.com/news/reuters/us_china_japan_beans.html

"Japanese police suspect the contamination was deliberate, because the beans were washed and boiled before being frozen, a process that would have diluted the pesticide if it had already been present, broadcaster NHK said....

...Earlier this year, several Japanese were made ill by Chinese-made dumplings that also contained insecticide, but a joint investigation failed to reveal how the contamination occurred. Japanese media speculated that the dumplings had been deliberately contaminated."

Hope they catch all these 'sick' people before they kill or harm anymore people. What is it they do to them over there - KILL THEM or what. Too bad the laws weren't changed here to do the same to those who would do anything like this on purpose IMO.