Federal regulators should do their jobs

Headline in the Aug. 11 Herald: “Fire retardant found in salmon.” The subheading to the same article asserts that “The chemical, which can stunt brain development in children, has been found worldwide.”

Fire retardant and mental retardation? I would say that is really connecting the dots. The researchers who found this correlation are to be commended. Perhaps they should have been sent to Iraq to search for WMD — although it’s never too late.

PBCs are one thing, but PBDEs are another. Can you imagine what North Korean Leader Kim Jong II would do if he found polybrominated diphenyl ethers in his gogigyeopbbangs (the North Korean version of the hamburger)? At least a PBDEed salmon burger contains heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids. (Come to think of it, a PBDEed salmon burger might also retard heartburn, which could be an important negotiating point should American fast food companies seek to market salmon gogigyeopbbangs in Pyongyang.)

Of course, one shouldn’t dismiss polychlorinated biphebyls lightly just because they have been banned for decades. PCBs together with mercury can cause serious neurological disorders in infants and young children. The problem is that the appropriate federal regulatory and state agencies need to do their jobs. Congress, in particular, might do its job by significantly limiting the cash flow from the corporate coffers to those politicos with oversight authority over our regulatory agencies.

Free speech is one thing, but freedom from social responsibility is another.

David N. Houghtaling

Everett

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