what tomatoes and shower curtains have in common (MySpace 6/18/2008)

Subject	what tomatoes and shower curtains have in common
DateCreated	6/18/2008 11:24:00 PM
PostedDate	6/19/2008 5:18:00 AM
Body	Witness the recent parade of public health scares in the news ... tomatoes, shower curtains, baby bottles, etc.  Have you been following these stories, particularly for info. to avoid getting sick? Have you been noticing that they often seem to be missing the most critical info? Google News is one of several digests that allows you to read the same story as published in different media. As you read through multiple accounts, you will occasionally encounter a new and different angle - an aspect of the story that may be so significant, that it seems appalling that the other media would omit covering it. What follows is a short list of crucial "missing" parts of popular stories - not secret info - but amazing how often they get left out. (Many readers will know other examples.) E. coli and salmonella from fresh vegetables - Would the media please spend more time explaining how and why our produce is being contaminated by feces? Baby bottles bad for your health? - This topic is so old!  Maybe, just maybe, the bottles are o.k. when they are new. But it's a long known fact that they start leaching harmful substances as they age and wear out. Would the media kindly warn the public to discard milky-discolored baby bottles and similar containers, and caution the public about cleaning them with hot water and harsh detergents? Shower curtains - Is it the vinyl itself or the additives that are problematic? Why do some vinyl products stink real bad, while similar ones don't?  Maybe because some plastics factories add an extra dose of  softeners (to extend shelf-life)?  Food irradiation - Consider these missing story angles: 1 - Do manufacturers see irradiation as a panacea for the current lapses in food sanitation? 2 - Google "evisceration machine," and discover perhaps the main reason why chicken from the supermarket should be thoroughly cooked. 3 - A light dose of radiation may not affect the flavor of meat, but neither does it kill all the bacteria.  A suitable dose will cause a significant and very obvious change in the flavor.