Press
Release - 10th December 2002
Minister Manto, Please protect us!
Today, groundWork again calls on Minister of Health, Dr Manto Tshabalala
Msimang to take the necessary steps to make our homes safer.
We note that Dr Msimang has recently announced her intentions to make it compulsory
for alcoholic drinks to carry health warnings, similar to those
used on tobacco products. We urge Dr Msimang not to stop there,
but to go further and make it a requirement that there are health
warnings on other products which are daily consumed or used by
young children and pregnant women.
Tartrazine, MSG, aspartame, saccharin, sulphites and nitrites are just some
of the toxic substances freely added to South African foods, whilst
their use is either banned or restricted in other countries because
of their proven toxicity.
Some of the health effects linked to the ingestion of foods containing the
above-mentioned additives are: hyperactivity, ADD (attention deficit
disorder), asthmatic attacks, thyroid tumours, chromosomal damage,
cancers, epilpetic seizures, Alzheimers and Parkinsons diseases,
and even death. For example, in the USA the use of sulphites (a
preservative) has been outlawed from most fruits and vegetables
following at least a dozen fatalities linked to sulphites. All
of the deaths occurred amongst asthmatics. In South Africa sulphites
are still added to dried fruits, fruit squashes, dehydrated vegetables
amongst other foodstuffs.
Also in the USA, cooldrinks containing the artificial sweetener saccharin carry
health warnings stating: "Use of this product may be hazrdous
to your health. This product contains saccahrin which has been
determined to cause cancer in laboratory animals."
Yet in South Africa saccharin is used in many foodstuffs including, diet drinks,
pototo chips (fruit and chutney flavours), fruit squashes to name
but a few.
Similarly, there are many cosmetic products and household cleaners containing
substances which are toxic to humans, in particular young children,
which are sold without any kind of health warning. For example,
Baygon has been linked to childhood leukamia in Scotland, some
air fresheners contain cancer causing chemicals, and a chemical
found in most bubble baths has been linked to cataract formation
and possible blindness.
Even worse is the fact that in South Africa babies' toys and teethers ("dummies")
are permitted to contain phthalates which are reproductive toxins,
banned from children's products in other countries.
"Our Minister of Health espouses a doctrine of preventative care, and
yet is doing nothing to protect the South African public from
a wide-range of very serious health problems, some of which are
fatal", says Linda Ambler of the environmental watchdog organisation
groundWork.
We accordingly call on her to pass regulations that will make our foods, cosmetics
and household cleaners safer for use. We are calling for the following:
1. The elimination of toxic chemicals from our foodstuffs, cosmetics and household
products.
2. Health warnings on all household products and foodstuffs containing potentially
toxic chemicals, with special warnings for pregnant women and
young children.
3. The compulsory listing of all ingredients in all foodstuffs,
household chemicals and cosmetics. |
