Letter to Editors: No more porky pies
Dear Editor, It’s official – going veggie is safer and healthier… This week saw all Irish pork products recalled from stores after the discovery of toxic substances called dioxins in slaughtered pigs. Dioxins are known as persistent organic pollutants or POPs. These harmful chemicals don’t break down easily and are widespread in the environment. However, most animal foods contain dioxins anyway. The government states that: “They are generally present at low concentrations in most foods, especially fat-containing foods such as milk and meat.” This is because they are lipophilic (fat-loving) compounds that accumulate in fat.
Dioxins are implicated in heart disease, cancer, infertility and can harm developing foetuses by disrupting the development of male babies’ reproductive organs. They were the primary ingredient in Agent Orange, the defoliant sprayed over Vietnam and which has produced an appalling legacy of cancers and other diseases, miscarriages and birth defects. The best way to avoid dioxins is to avoid animal foods and go veggie!
For a free information pack contact the Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation, Top Suite, 8 York Court, Wilder Street, Bristol BS2 8QH or call 0117 970 5190 (Mon-Fri 9am-6pm). Dr Justine Butler Senior Health Campaigner Vegetarian & Vegan Foundation 8 York Court Wilder Street Bristol BS2 8QH Tel: 0117 970 5190 Email: justine@vegetarian.org.uk www.vegetarian.org.uk www.safetyofsoya.com
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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