3 ms·

When I hear 'food safety expert' in the US, it kind of makes me curious. I decided to search for an image of our expert, playing the favorable odds I suppose, a

When I hear 'food safety expert' in the US, it kind of makes me curious. I decided to search for an image of our expert, playing the favorable odds I suppose, and was not surprised: http://tobecofoodsafety.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/bill-marler-025_filtered.jpg http://tobecofoodsafety.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/04/bill-... There's a giant elephant in the room when it comes to healthfulness in the US. Our life expectancy has actually be going down, even when it was already relatively mediocre - lower than even some places like Chile and Costa Rica. Mortality rates from 8 of the top 10 killers, heart disease in particular, have been increasing alongside our waistlines. Many of the things we try to use to explain this, such as less physical lifestyles (or, equivalently, the rise of the internet) don't really mesh well. These changes are happening everywhere around the world, in many instances to a greater magnitude than the US, but what is happening to the US is fairly unique among developed nations. It seems to imply that something we're doing, or consuming, that we think is healthful - most likely is yielding unforeseen consequences that we haven't quite pin pointed yet. This is further emphasized by the fact that this trend is something that is often confined by borders. For instance the Czech Republic is rapidly headed towards its own issue here, yet it borders Poland, Germany, Austria, and Slovakia - none of whom are facing similar issues in spite of running the gamut among things like socioeconomic status. Is it the water? Well, probably not. But I think having people who are happy to be guinea pigs here is a good thing for everybody. They get what they want, some entrepreneurs make a few bucks, and in the end we all learn a bit more. An anecdote I particularly like is of the discovery of penicillin. It took years for it to be accepted, even after the discoverer shared and published his findings. And I think a big part of that is that people instinctively felt that using a product from blue-green mold that emerges on rot to try to treat sensitive vulnerable infections was pretty much obviously idiotic - except it wasn't. With things like vaccines people 'going their own way' can hurt others. In this case, that's not true. Well excepting medical costs if they end up hospitalized, but given the costs of these bottles - I suspect these individuals will disproportionately already have health insurance plans that will not leave society picking up their tab. So in the end, nobody really loses. If you don't think it's a good idea to drink it, don't. I won't - but I'm quite curious to see what happens to those that do!

deleted 9y ago
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kurthr 9y ago
They can get and spread Giardia. It's fairly common and that would be bad. Even the other strange diseases they could communicate to a family member or immuno-compromised co-worker isn't a small deal either.
- indubitable 9y ago
  My cynicism towards 'health experts' is not unjustified. The wiki page on giardiasis [1] gives a good overview of some data. Some random snippets: - According to a review of the literature from 2000, there is little evidence linking the drinking of water in the North American wilderness and Giardia - Treatment is not always necessary as the infection usually resolves on its own - It can result in weakness, loss of appetite, stomach cramps, vomiting, bloating, excessive gas, and burping. Wiki gives about 300,000,000 people with giardiasis. The article mentions 4,600 needed hospitalization. So a hospitalization rate of 0.000005 with the typical consequences being gassy and having the shits for a few weeks. Being afraid of this sort of stuff is simply irrational. Another datum I left off is that 3-7% of Americans already currently have it. There may be a reason for concern about 'natural' water, but this certainly does not seem to be it. [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardiasis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardiasis
  - kurthr 9y ago
    You have clearly never had Giardia or it seems known anyone who has. I have, and let me say that it gives you a deep and terrifyingly intimate knowledge of your bowels, the places available to relieve yourself, and the contents of your excrement. You can spend many hours each day in wonder and awe. Note that although you can live untreated you will become a vector for the disease... it may be that an immune response will allow it to pass in a few days (if you've had it several times before), but you can still pass it on to others. Often symptoms last for several weeks or months unless treated with flagyl (typical treatments last 1-2 weeks). It is quite bad for your liver. Many of the livestock around the world have it (or other parasites). I don't want to be near anyone else who has any of them, and I think immuno-compromised, elderly, children or pregnant women would be rationally quite afraid.

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

kurthr 9y ago

They can get and spread Giardia. It's fairly common and that would be bad. Even the other strange diseases they could communicate to a family member or immuno-compromised co-worker isn't a small deal either.

indubitable 9y ago
My cynicism towards 'health experts' is not unjustified. The wiki page on giardiasis [1] gives a good overview of some data. Some random snippets: - According to a review of the literature from 2000, there is little evidence linking the drinking of water in the North American wilderness and Giardia - Treatment is not always necessary as the infection usually resolves on its own - It can result in weakness, loss of appetite, stomach cramps, vomiting, bloating, excessive gas, and burping. Wiki gives about 300,000,000 people with giardiasis. The article mentions 4,600 needed hospitalization. So a hospitalization rate of 0.000005 with the typical consequences being gassy and having the shits for a few weeks. Being afraid of this sort of stuff is simply irrational. Another datum I left off is that 3-7% of Americans already currently have it. There may be a reason for concern about 'natural' water, but this certainly does not seem to be it. [1] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardiasis https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Giardiasis
- kurthr 9y ago
  You have clearly never had Giardia or it seems known anyone who has. I have, and let me say that it gives you a deep and terrifyingly intimate knowledge of your bowels, the places available to relieve yourself, and the contents of your excrement. You can spend many hours each day in wonder and awe. Note that although you can live untreated you will become a vector for the disease... it may be that an immune response will allow it to pass in a few days (if you've had it several times before), but you can still pass it on to others. Often symptoms last for several weeks or months unless treated with flagyl (typical treatments last 1-2 weeks). It is quite bad for your liver. Many of the livestock around the world have it (or other parasites). I don't want to be near anyone else who has any of them, and I think immuno-compromised, elderly, children or pregnant women would be rationally quite afraid.