In a masterful piece of investigative reporting, the New York Times describes today how unregulated Chinese chemical companies have shipped tons of deadly diethylene glycol (anti-freeze) around the world mislabeled as food/pharmaceutical grade glycerin, killing thousands of people in at least seven countries.
In fact, by the time the diethylene glycol wound up in countries ranging from Panama to India and Bangladesh, the manufacturer's name had long been removed from the containers, and falsified test results had been added stating that the contents were 99.5% pure glycerin. Instead, the drums contained almost pure diethylene glycol with several contaminants.
In at least one drug poisoning incident in Bangladesh, doctors estimate that thousands, or even tens of thousands of people were killed after taking a fever medication made with diethylene glycol rather than glycerin. In a more recent incident in Panama, hundreds of people were killed after drinking cough syrup made with diethylene glycol.
The article at the New York Times is very well written and I recommend that everyone read it carefully, and then think about how many foods and pharmaceuticals they and their families consume without any idea where the ingredients in those products came from. The USDA and FDA currently only test a minuscule fraction of the foods and drugs sold in the US.
China is giving us a firsthand look at what happens when America exports unregulated capitalism to the rest of the world. Republicans and Libertarians alike believe that capitalism can be self-regulating in the absence of government oversight. China and other developing capitalist countries prove this notion completely false.
Republicans and Libertarians want to further deregulate American industry while simultaneously dismantling oversight agencies such as the FDA and the USDA. If they can't eliminate these agencies, they will de-fund them and staff them with corporate cronies.
It is likely that the recent revelations about tainted pet food and now tainted pharmaceuticals are just the tip of the iceberg. The diethylene glycol contamination from China has been going on since at least 1992 without being disclosed to the general public. It seems very likely that many more such incidences of food and drug contamination have gone unreported as yet.
It is also interesting to note that glycerin is a common ingredient in certain pet foods and that diethylene glycol causes kidney failure as in the case of the recent pet poisonings. It would be useful, I think, for the FDA to test tainted pet foods for the presence of this toxic solvent.
Republicans and Libertarians beware of what you wish for, you just might just reap the “benefits” of unregulated capitalism in your child’s next bottle of cough syrup.
Dr. John Moffett is an active research neuroscientist in the Washington, DC area, who has published articles on the nervous and immune systems. Dr. Moffett is also the author and webmaster of the political opinion website www.Factinista.org, and is a Managing Editor at OpEdNews.com.
Republicans are not the only ones guilty of selling us out
As a registered democrat I feel it is important to say that I am putting my country before my party. Hillary Clinton (new world order democrat who attends Bilderberg meetings) has stated that she is accepting corporate funding for her campaign and that she isn't taking money from the public.
John Edwards is Council on Foreign Relations and they ARE new world order so I won't be voting for him.
Nope, I won't be voting for any candidate who hasn't signed a legal document to abolish the Federal Reserve System and put our money back on the gold (or silver less manipulatable) standard. I want a candidate who will fight the North American Union I have not seen ONE democrat touch this issue, Once the fed is gone the IRS is esentially free to go (they won't have to collect interest for the Fed any more).
Which candidate is REALLY going to stand up for America???? My money is on Ron Paul and so is my vote.
America Freedom to Facsism is an excellent DVD in which Mr. Paul also exposes the current police state and the REAL ID roadblocks which will happen (papers please) in May 08 if we don't stop the REAL ID Act from taking effect. Mr. Paul Opposes Real ID as well as the current police state. I can't imagine why the New World Order promoting international bankster owned media isn't giving him any attention. HMMM
It isn't about red or blue it's about America's funeral. Sorry guys but this time this democrat's voting for Ron Paul.
by
tiffane (3 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 17 comments)
on Tuesday, May 8, 2007 at 12:59:48 AM
And America ships lies and DU and lead around the world labelled as 'democracy', which has killed hundreds of thousands of people, with millions more in their sights.
Come off it, you hypocrites.
by
amazin (30 articles, 0 quicklinks, 7 diaries, 359 comments)
on Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 11:58:21 AM
There is nothing hypocritical about not wanting to be poisoned -- by diethylene glycol or DU -- or anything else from individual or corporate gangsters who are not subject to proper regulation and standards by incompetent or corrupt governments. These problems are related.
by
Blue Pilgrim (0 articles, 3 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 998 comments)
on Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 1:50:28 PM
Let me get this straight, because my government does things that I vigorously disagree with, I am a hypocrite for complaining when other countries do even worse?
What kind of logic is that… Republican “faith-based” logic?
John
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John R Moffett (78 articles, 14 quicklinks, 2 diaries, 588 comments)
on Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 4:24:20 PM
Under the new religion of free trade and globalization some sacrifices have to be made so that corporate profits can continue to rise. You must remember that we are now slaves to the markets and that the markets must be free to operate as they see fit, unless something happens to hinder profits occurs then we can intervene.
I think that if Adam Smith were alive today he would reassure us that its just human life and human life is just a form of capital to complete necessary tasks so that business and trade can continue in its natural free state.
If you still feel upset about the poisoning I suggest you get down on your knees and pray to the great invisible hand of the markets and ask forgiveness for your sins. The invisible hand sometimes gets angry and has to make sacrifices which are necessary for profit continuation. You must learn to trust the invisible hand and be willing to give up all your worldly goods so that the economy can continue its glorious task of stewardship for all mankind. Remember ask not what the great markets can do for you but what can you do for the great markets. That means be willing to work for much less and borrow and spend all you can to help fuel the great markets.
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Gary Denson (2 articles, 0 quicklinks, 1 diaries, 193 comments)
on Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 3:40:43 PM
Free markets would be fine if they didn't replace products with cheap junk. I had a calculater that was about 20 years old. My agency gave me a new on for Christmas about 2 years ago. It stoped working already. I brought a new one Texas instraments, I opened it and it didn't work. 3 years ago I brought 5 coffee makers before I found one that worked. I'm not going to spend money on junk any more. I will go to goodwill and buy something that once upon a time was made in America.
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beccy (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 87 comments)
on Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 4:58:43 PM
I have to question what else are we bringing in with our imports that are cheaper. What diseases, bugs and other such things come along with the package. Baby bids with lead in them is the latest I heard of.
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beccy (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 87 comments)
on Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 4:49:52 PM
.We must shut down trade with China immediately. I have enough T shirts and cheap shoes to make do with for bit. The only way they will heed our message is to shut them down. All you neocons look at your grandchildren and imagine if they took a med with antifreeze in it. It is not a pleasant death. Painfull, slow and usually irreversible.
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cluelessfl (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 184 comments)
on Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 5:03:06 PM
I know the feeling but let's be reasonable. Trade is good as long as it is fair trade. We should stop imports from China's food and medical-related industries until they get their act together - but let's take a deep breath and show that we can be level-headed. And to say China just makes t-shirts and junk is to miss the reality. Every American ought to come to China and see for themselves what we are up against and then get busy improving our competitiveness.
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Jay Casey (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 2 comments)
on Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 9:33:28 PM
You are right about everything except the part about America exporting its "unregulated" capitalist system. America had nothing to do with creating the Wild West capitalist system in China. The system here was created by the Communist Party - or better yet, allowed to be created by China's natural capitalist citizens - in a vacuum of laws. In fact, if the US had anything to say about it - we would prefer some rules, I mean rules that are enforced. US corporations are taking advantage of the non-system created by the Chinese dictators but our corporations and our country did not create the messy capitalism of today's China. I think very few businesspeople actually want unregulated mayhem. Businesspeople like stability, predictability, and evenly enforced rules. That is not China.
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Jay Casey (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 2 comments)
on Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 9:22:30 PM
China has sold out long ago. It sold out with the "breaking of the iron rice bowl" in 1987. International corporate conglomerates from the U.S., Japan, Taiwan, Germany, United Kingdom, France, etc. have taken control. Just as long as these so called joint ventures pay a big enough bribe, they can do whatever they want.
I am surprised how little foreign journalist know about China. They should begin by spending a month or so in Shenjin just across the border from Hong Kong and get to know these foreign conglomerates that own and operate tens of thousands of sweat shops. There are no rules or regulation. If you can pay the bribe, you can get contractors (sleazy slime) to round up slave labor that frequently work for nothing. Start with the battery factories. Workers don't last long there. They fall ill and die after a few months.
Those who own and/or manage these sweatshops live in the Hong Kong Territory. You can meet the worst at Lantau Island. Guys with some gimick to manufacture on the cheap. They come from all over the world, mainly America and make every conceivable sort of stuff. There are no quality control experts to check their junk.
China is a neo-colony owned by the international conglomerates.
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eagleeye (0 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 24 comments)
on Sunday, May 6, 2007 at 11:05:31 PM
I think it is some terrorist who is working for the Bush people who put Chinese labels on the packages, to keep the people on edge about foreign trade. Chinese are not out to do harm to America by any means, it is Americans battling Americans using foreigners as their excuse to invade, terrrorize, and spread their fear. It is Americans who shut down American factories and eliminate jobs for Americans so they can get the cheap labor from developing countries. so they can buy the stuff dirt cheap and more that double their profits. Who created Saddam and Iraq are the same Republican cronies who are still prying open more battle fields, more battle plans, and chemical factories around the world. Remember Bophal India? Blame China....think again.
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Dom Jermano (20 articles, 0 quicklinks, 40 diaries, 934 comments)
on Monday, May 7, 2007 at 3:49:43 AM
This comment has been flagged and is awaiting review by the editors -
Reason: Other
WITH ALL DUE RESPECT TO THE NY TIMES... I HAVE SUBMITED THE FOLLOWING TO THE NY TIMES AS WELL AS THE WASHINGTON POST: (THIS HAS FALLEN ON "DEAF EARS") THE USDA, EPA AND FDA IS WELL AWARE OF THIS.
*Melamine is a strong organic base with the chemical formula with the IUPAC nametriazine--triamine. Melamine is a metabolite of cyromazine, a pesticide.
I HAVE FOUND THE FOLLOWING:
cyromazine (melamine) use in California 2005 (insect growth regulator, insecticide):
MANUFACTURER & REGISTERED PRODUCT NAME
*Syngnta crop protection, Inc.
-Armor insect growth regulator
Registered Uses in the U.S. for Armor insect growth regulator
Uses
Insect growth regulator , Sex attractant or feeding stimulant
Pests
Sciarid mushroom flies (larvae)
Crops and Locations
Mushroom compost
*Syngnta crop protection, Inc.
* Citation insecticide
Registered Uses in the U.S. for Citation insecticide
Uses
Insecticide , Miticide
Pests
No pest , Dipterous leafminers , Shoreflies , Fungus gnats
