Receiving Valentine's Day Chocolates could melt a woman's heart. But what can you say when you will know that these chocolates are mixed with toxic metals?
The recent revelations that chocolates could contain heavy metals was revealed by As You Sow, a an Oakland nonprofit consumer group that claimed that some of the popular brands use toxic metals violating California's Proposition 65 Toxic Warning Law.
On Wednesday, the consumer group conducted independent laboratory studies that have found that out of the 42 chocolate varieties, there are 26 that displayed content of high levels of lead or cadmium, which are regarded as unsafe for consumption, Take Part reported.
The chocolate watchdog has tested brands Hershey's, Ghirardelli, Godiva, Mars, See's, Whole Foods, Green Lindt, and Black's to be positive of heavy metals. This means your Valentine's Day Chocolates could have contained lead or cadmium in high content that are alarming and dangerous to your health.
Food Safety News reported that some of the brands samples exhibited up to 5.9 times higher than safe harbor limits for lead. Some also contain cadmium levels as high as 8.2 times the allowable limit.
It's just after Valentine's Day and Chocolates are notably the best selling products in the occasion.
Eleanne van Vliet, As You Sow's director of toxic chemicals research said that no one expects heavy metals in their chocolate. "We hope to convince chocolate manufacturers to remove heavy metals from their products," stated Danielle Fugere, As You Sow President.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that lead can cause neurological damage in children. Sean Palfrey, Boston University School of Medicine professor of pediatrics and public health said that no amount of lead indigestion is safe for children. Lead exposure is cumulative and builds in the body.
The confectioners association revealed that an average American consumes chocolates twice a week citing 85 percent of men and 89 percent of women are chocolates lovers.
