Author Topic: not just coastal fires (Heavy metals in root crops)  (Read 1883 times)

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rahab

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not just coastal fires (Heavy metals in root crops)
« on: October 12, 2020, 06:30:34 PM »
Something strange happened to me last week.

It was Thursday and I was cutting up an organic onion to put in my salad.  I had the distinct impression to put the pieces in the microwave.  In my mind, I protested thinking, you know I don't use microwave for food!  Silence.  So, I spread the chopped onion out on a flat plate and put them in the microwave for 1 minute.  To my shock and surprise about 25 flames sparked up from the onion pieces.  Arcing like crazy!!  That meant that there was metal on the onions.  I quickly discarded the onion down the disposal.  I suspected my utensils thinking they were aluminum instead of stainless steel.  I gathered them all up and threw them out.  Then I found a couple of knifes that I knew were old, not made in China, saying stainless steel stamped on them. 

I cut up another onion and spread it out on the plate and put it in the microwave like before and put only 20 seconds on the microwave.  20 flames of fire arcing up over the onions and sparking!!  I called my husband to witness and he was amazed.  I told him what I had done. 

Threw that one down the disposal too.

Now I'm suspecting the ONION has metal in it.  Chopped up another.  The outside did not spark and fire.  Chopped up the inside of the onion and yes it sparked and fired up.  down the disposal with another. 

Then I thought to get a video of this.  So I prepared another onion and guess what?  No sparks!!  That figures. 
I threw the only one left out.

Bought a new bag and checked label to be sure it was not from that location. 

Today put chopped up onion in microwave and only one small area sparked flames.  I discarded that part and ate the rest.
Something is going on!!  I don't know what.

This it does tell me, that onions are a great absorber of metals!  But how are they growing them, where are they growing them?
 
I have only green onions in my deck garden and they did not spark.

I'm thinking of trying conventional onions and see what I get next. 

any thoughts?



I thank God for warning me of this!!

Richard Myers

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Re: not just coastal fires
« Reply #1 on: October 12, 2020, 11:08:39 PM »
Amazing story! Thanks for sharing Rahab. Here's what I know about heavy metals in food. I am sure there is more to the story, but this will help you make some decisions as to what you eat.

Sometime around 1980 I was sitting next to the University of California farm advisor for our county at a Rotary meeting having lunch. He did not know I was an organic gardener. He told me that organic farmers using sewer sludge for fertilizer were killing people who ate their root crops. He then explained that there were heavy metals in sewer sludge and that the root crops picked up the heavy metals from the soils fertilized with sewer sludge. Then those who ate the those root crops with the heavy metals were going to destroy their livers. In the last 40 years I have kept this in mind.

I quit buying organic food when I realized manure from sick animals was spreading disease. Organics today are not grown in sewer sludge, but most is grown in animal manure, blood meal, and bone meal which makes it dangerous. But, sewer sludge appears to being used widely on American farms. I believe this is one reason why so many are having problems with wheat. Apparently many wheat farmers in a particular region were using New York sewer sludge on their large wheat farms. It was only in the last four or five years that I realized who widespread the use of sewer sludge is in the US. There are fertilizer products that are made from sewer sludge that you would not know that it is made from sewer sludge.

Not eating food grown in China is a very wise decision. But, I no longer believe that food being grown here is much safer than China grown food. Between sewer sludge and glyphosate being sprayed on many crops just prior to harvest, I believe we are going to have to rely to a great extent on our own grown food. We were told that it would be good if we moved to the county on a few acres where we could become food sufficient. How many have heeded that counsel? There is still time to walk in the light of God's love and grace.

One last thought about crops and the soil in which they are grown. We know now that we have animals that carry spongiform diseases in America. Cows (mad cow disease, sheep and goats (Scrapie), and deer and elk (Chronic Wasting Disease). It has been shown that the manure from these animals infects the soil for at least 13 years in the case of sheep. Not sure how long with the other animals, but I am sure we will find a similar situation. It only takes a small amount of the prions to infect and there is no cure. And we know about the children that died from eating Jack in the Box hamburgers infected with E. Coli. How about the child that was infected from drinking fresh made apple juice from apples picked up from the ground where cattle had been grazing? It is past time to consider where our food comes from.

Hope this helps Sister rahab.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: not just coastal fires
« Reply #2 on: October 12, 2020, 11:10:43 PM »
By the way, rahab, you might like to know that heavy metals are known to be a concern in soil. Farmers can reduce the heavy metals in their soil by growing root crops.  :(
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

rahab

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Re: not just coastal fires
« Reply #3 on: October 14, 2020, 05:09:13 PM »
thank you for your insightful replies !!! 

Richard Myers

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Re: not just coastal fires
« Reply #4 on: October 15, 2020, 09:31:00 AM »
Thank you for sharing rahab. I am going to test my onions in my microwave. And, since I am juicing carrots regularly, I will test them also!!   Hope I don't burn the house down.  It would be good to know who was growing those fiery onions. There must be some law regarding how much heavy metal can be in food.    Maybe not since there is no law on how much cancer causing virus can be in cows milk.  :(


The FDA monitors levels of metals and other elements in food and food contact surfaces to inform and enforce FDA rules and guidance. The FDA tests for metals and other elements through the Total Diet Study; the FDA’s Toxic Elements in Food and Foodware; and Radionuclides in Food compliance program; and through targeted sampling assignments. Sampling assignments may be conducted in response to reports of elevated levels of toxic metals or other elements in certain foods or to focus on a specific food, food additive, or specific food group (such as foods commonly eaten by infants and toddlers).

Metals Tested for in FDA’s Total Diet Study
Metals with Daily Intake Requirements    Metals that are Harmful to Health
Calcium, Chromium, Copper, Iron, Magnesium, Manganese, Molybdenum, Potassium, Sodium, Zinc    

Aluminum*, Antimony*, Arsenic, Barium*, Beryllium*, Cadmium, Lead, Mercury, Silver*, Strontium, Nickel, Thallium*, Uranium, Vanadium

*Tested in bottled drinking water only
   FDA Source

Notice that some are only tested in bottled water, not soil or food?  And, my guess is that testing in response to concerns about high levels may be the general rule for most soil growing food crops. On the other hand, the USDA is the main agency in the US that would be regulating the growing of food. And the EPA would also be involved.

From the USDA website:

Applicators of industrial waste or sludge must abide by the regulatory limits set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  USDA source

Yes, knowing that heavy metals contaminate soil and is harmful, they allow sewer sludge to be used on farm land. And, they also know that leafy greens and root crops can pick up heavy metals.
Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

Richard Myers

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Re: not just coastal fires (Heavy metals in root crops)
« Reply #5 on: October 15, 2020, 10:30:42 AM »
Renaming sewer sludge keeps you from knowing you may be buying it for your garden.  "Bio-solids" is a common name, but there are other names also.

"....the effort to rebrand sludge as biosolids has largely been successful. Although some is still incinerated or buried in landfills, today more than 50 percent of America’s sewage sludge is spread on land." source

What to do with the sewage waste?   The cheapest plan is to put it on farm land. Those who have the sewage are the ones who have a problem in getting rid of it.  Here is an example of what we must contend with. This is a professional group contributing to the EPA's information on regulating sewer sludge on farm land. By their name, Water Environment Federation (WEF)  you would think their interest is environmental, but this is not so.

A GuuiiddeettooUUnnddeerrssttaannddiinnggBBiioossoo lliiddssIIssssuueess


Biosolids recycling is a safe practice when done in accordance with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) regulatory program (40 CFR Part 503) for biosolids as well as often stricter state requirements.  Studies by EPA, the Water Environment Research Foundation (WERF) and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) have demonstrated that the beneficial land application of biosolids poses a negligible risk to human health and is becoming consistently and increasingly safer.  The Water Environment Federation (WEF) and NACWA agree that additional research on biosolids application is necessary and will always be necessary to continue improving the biosolids application process, just as further study is required on much more widely used fertilizers such as manure and others.   

Who is the WEF?


The Water Environment Federation (WEF) is a not-for-profit technical and educational organization of 35,000 individual members and 75 affiliated Member Associations representing water quality professionals around the world. Since 1928, WEF and its members have protected public health and the environment. As a global water sector leader, our mission is to connect water professionals; enrich the expertise of water professionals; increase the awareness of the impact and value of water; and provide a platform for water sector innovation.

Previously called the Federation of Sewage Works Associations (1928), the Federation of Sewage and Industrial Wastes Associations (1950), and the Water Pollution Control Federation (1960); the name was changed to the Water Environment Federation in 1991 to reflect an expanded focus of non-point and point sources of pollution.
  Water Environment Federation

Jesus receives His reward when we reflect His character, the fruits of the Spirit......We deny Jesus His reward when we do not.

rahab

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Re: not just coastal fires (Heavy metals in root crops)
« Reply #6 on: October 16, 2020, 01:47:04 PM »
thanks for the valuable information!!!  buyer beware

update:

Just bought conventionally grown onions from Peru and NO ARCing fires in my microwave!!

Glen McCluskey

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Re: not just coastal fires (Heavy metals in root crops)
« Reply #7 on: October 17, 2020, 03:11:50 AM »
Hi Rahab, I know you as "Nb" on Early SDA, and I am known as "refulgent" there.

I can't say whether the vegetables you are using have heavy metals in them.

But there are more mundane possible reasons for the sparking, and you can read some of the explanations by looking at the hits that show up with this Google search:

   onions spark microwave

rahab

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Re: not just coastal fires (Heavy metals in root crops)
« Reply #8 on: October 17, 2020, 07:17:18 PM »
okay thanks for identifying yourself.... 

It's interesting that some of the same things prepared the same way arc and some do not. 

Saw a vid someone sent me about exploding fire grapes.  So if this were so, wouldn't all grapes do the same thing? 

So I happened to have some grapes.  Tried them and no plasma explosion happened.  In fact, nothing happened except they got hot..... Do people lie on the internet? 

Loving my Peru onions.

Tested some organic fruit and it sparked.... blueberries, mango, and strawberries.     A different set from a different store did not arc. (same fruit)

Had some frozen peas.  Microwaved them, nothing..  got hot is all.


The question I have now is what metals are in there....?   Aluminum, mercury.... others?  What metals are in this sewage sludge being put on the crops?


Glen McCluskey

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Re: not just coastal fires (Heavy metals in root crops)
« Reply #9 on: October 18, 2020, 03:45:59 AM »
In answer to your question, there are a set of variable factors.

One example would be the power setting of the microwave.

Another would be the natural mineral content of the food.  For example, raw onions have copper and potassium in them, and both metals are good electrical conductors.

A third factor that comes to mind is the water content of the food.  For example, I believe that raw onions are at least 85 percent water, which is an electrical conductor.

We've all had the experience of picking out what seems like choice produce at the natural foods market, and then when we get home and slice open the item, we find that it's dried out, and inedible.

The idea is that what happens in a microwave depends on a variety of factors, and I expect that several more factors could be identified.