Originally Posted by lunakat
I saw this the other day in the School Nurses Office. Its from Orange County Register in CA from August of last year, but It's still important. BTW, some Mexican folk remedies, such as azarcon or greta, also contain lead.
PART ONE:
HIDDEN THREAT
Mexican candy - a seemingly harmless indulgence - can contain a poison that is especially dangerous to children.
Orange County Register Article
When I used to live in Yuma Arizona (5 Minutes from the Mexican Border), the candy in the clay pottery was ever so popular. The Americans cross the border and buy it in bulk, bring it back to the states and sell them in their shops. The tourists fall in love with the creativity and quickly buy it and so on.
I have heard about this since I was a little girl. Despite all the warnings, people continue to smuggle it across the border and selling it to the children and adults. In that particular area, most of the Mexican restaurants still cook their beans and soups in giant hand-made clay pots covered with "greta", and obvioudly nothing is being done to change this. They claim that the food acquires a better and more authentic taste when using those traditional pots.
I was just there for a few weeks this past December, and nothing has changed. All you see is signs and television ads warning about the candy and pottery which contains high levels of lead, but like I said no one seems to care.
If you cross the border, every restaurant or kiosk you go to is cooking "something" in the so-called "hoyas de barro" (Clay Pots). Yet the Americans, Tourists, and the public in general seem to "forget" and eat there anyways.
Bottom line.....it is up to each individual to contribute some responsibility and aid in this bad situation
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