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Ironite Questions
To the editor: You used scare tactics in your recent article on food fears (“Perils on your Plate,” Jan. 26, 2005). You wrote that Duff Wilson had exposed a lack of oversight on fertilizer manufacturing. It was discovered that hazards such as lead, mercury, cadmium, and arsenic are included in a household fertilizer that you found in a local store. What store, and more importantly, what product?
If you are truly concerned with your readers’ health and safety, you would provide us these details. However, if your true goal is to increase circulation, then continue to exploit the fear of mothers, the elderly, and the uninformed and sponsor a flamboyant and irresponsible approach to news reporting that is known as “yellow journalism.”
Editor’s note: Ironite is the fertilizer that was referred to in the story. Because, at press time, we realized we did not have comments or explanation from its manufacturer, the product name was dropped from the story. Since then, the manufacturer has told the Weekly that studies have shown that the toxic substances in the fertilizer are not “taken up” by food crops in any dangerous quantity, and do not create a health hazard to humans when used properly. However, environmentalists continue to have serious concerns about exposure and contamination.
Claudia Miller, Arlington
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