California Bypasses Science To Label Coffee a Carcinogen (undark.org)

travers_r writes: Superior Court Judge Elihu Berle affirmed last week that all coffee sold in California must come with a warning label stating that chemicals in coffee (acrylamide, a substance created naturally during the brewing process) are known to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. But judges, journalists, and environmental advocates fail to recognize the critical difference between probably and certainly, which fuels the inaccurate belief that cancer is mostly caused by things in the environment. From a report at Undark: "IARC is one of the leading scientific bodies in the world, and it is also one of several expert panels on which California relies for scientific opinions in such cases. The IARC has concluded that while there is sufficient evidence to consider acrylamide carcinogenic in experimental animals, there is insufficient evidence for carcinogenicity in humans. Therefore, its overall evaluation is that 'acrylamide is probably carcinogenic to humans.'
[...]
Leading experts, in fact, believe that roughly two-thirds of all cancers are the result of mutations to DNA that are caused by natural bodily processes, not exposure to environmental chemicals. This is quite the opposite of the prevailing belief among the public that most cancers are caused by exogenous substances imposed on us by the products and technologies of the modern world. It's this belief -- this fear -- that prompted voters to pass Proposition 65 in 1986. It was a time when fear of hazardous waste and industrial chemicals was high, when chemophobia -- a blanket fear of anything having to do with the word 'chemicals' -- was being seared into the public's mind."

Comments

Re:Say what now?

[Known Nutter]

What has essentially happened here is that acrylamide has been added to the list of chemicals covered by Prop 65.

The Prop 65 signs that were already in place... they stay. Places that represent a significant exposure to acrylamide (coffee shops) will be adding Prop 65 warning signs.

I'm not clear whether or not labels will need to be added to individual containers, but I seriously doubt that.

Re:Say what now?

[HornWumpus]

Do you live in CA?

I doubt it. The signs are EVERYWHERE. Post office, restaurants, bars, stores, businesses, offices, fire stations, city halls etc etc etc. Have been for years. I suppose it's possible you live in CA and have just been ignoring the signs for so long you no longer 'see them'.

Signs are cheap. How sure are you that you don't have something containing something on the ever growing list? Sure enough to bet your business against a $2 sign? That's one shitty pot ratio.