There was a time, in the not so distant past, when bone broth was seen as the best food on the planet. People would boil down grass fed chicken bones for 20 to 40 hours thinking that disintegrating poultry bones would bring the richest nutrition ever consumed. Yet, no one ever mentioned the toxic metals in animal bone broths! Be aware that lead is one of the many metals in the bones of all poultry.

Two very good articles are found on https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. Also the Center for Agriculture, Food and the Environment has a Soil Lead Fact Sheet.  This article is mostly based on a three reports.

Lead is naturally present in all soils. It generally occurs in the range of 15 to 40 parts lead per million parts of soil (ppm), or 15 to 40 milligrams lead per kilogram of soil (mg/kg). Pollution can increase soil lead levels to several thousand ppm. The major cause of soil lead contamination in populated areas is the weathering, chipping, scraping, sanding, and sand-blasting of structures containing lead-based paint.

Diet-wise, the greatest contribution to the lead intake of children and their parents may be dairy. However, the most concentrated source may be wild game shot with lead-containing ammunition.

Due to the nature of the contamination process, lead in soil may be very unevenly distributed. Lead arsenate resides in old orchards closely reflect the location of sprayed trees. Consider these factors carefully when sampling. If the purpose of testing is to establish the extent of play area contamination, combined several small, randomly spaced samples from the top 1- to 2- inches to create one sample for testing. If the concern is for lead uptake by garden vegetables, combine several vertical slices from the top 6 to 8inches of soil to create a sample.

Soil lead becomes a health risk when directly ingested or inhaled as dust. Garden produce, which has accumulated lead in its tissue or has soil particles adhering to it, can also be hazard if eaten. Lead poisoning is a particular concern for young children (under the age of six) because their rapidly developing bodies are very sensitive to the effects of lead, and their play tend to increase exposure.

DANGERS IN PROTEIN POWDERS

Adding protein powder to a glass of milk or a smoothie may seem like a simple way to boost your health. After all, protein is essential for building and maintaining muscle, bone strength, and numerous body functions. And many older adults don’t consume enough protein because of a reduced appetite.

But be careful, a scoop of chocolate or vanilla protein powder can harbor health risks. Registered dietitian Kathy McManus, director of the Department of Nutrition at Harvard – affiliated Brigham and Women’s Hospital, says “I don’t recommend using protein powders except in a few instances, and only with supervision.”

WHAT IS PROTEIN POWDER?

Protein powders are powdered forms of protein that come from plants (soybeans, peas, rice, potatoes, or hemp), eggs, or milk (casein or whey protein, chicken and beef). The powders may include other ingredients such has added sugars, artificial flavorings, thickeners, vitamins, and minerals. The amount of protein per scoop can vary from 10 to 30 grams. Supplements used for building muscle contain relatively more protein, and supplements used for weight loss contain relatively less.

WHAT ARE THE RISKS?

There are numerous risks to consider when using a protein powder. Among them:

• A protein powder is a dietary supplement. The FDA leaves it up to manufacturers to evaluate the safety and labeling of products. So, there is no way to know if a protein powder contains what manufacturers claim. You can, however, contact the companies you want to buy their products from. They will tell you what standards they follow and with what companies they test their products through.
• We don’t know the long-term effects. “There are limited data on the possible side effects of high protein intake from supplements,” McManus said.
• It may cause digestive distress. “People with dairy allergies or trouble digesting lactose (milk sugar) can experience gastrointestinal discomfort if they use a milk-based protein powder,” McManus points out.
• It may be high in added sugars and calories. Some protein powders have little added sugar, and others have a lot (as much as 23 grams per scoop). Some protein powders wind up turning a glass of milk into a drink with more than 1,200 calories. The risk: weight gain and an unhealthy spike in blood sugar. The American Heart Association recommends a limit of 24 grams of added sugar per day for women and 36 grams for men.

Earlier this year, a nonprofit group called the Clean Label Project released a report about toxins in protein powders. Researchers screened 134 products for 130 types of toxins and found that many protein powders contained heavy metals (lead, arsenic, cadmium, and mercury), bisphenol-A (BPA, which is used to make plastic), pesticides, or other contaminants with links to cancer and other health conditions. Some toxins were present in significant quantities. For example, one protein powder contained 25 times the allowed limit of BPA.

How could protein powder contain so many contaminants? The Clean Label Project points to manufacturing processes or the existence of toxins in soil (absorbed by plants that are made into protein powders).

Not all the protein powders that were tested contained elevated levels of toxins. you can see the results at the Clean Label Project’s website (www.cleanlableproject.org).

We purchase protein powders by Ancient Nutrition. I know this company well. I wrote to this company. Their response was as follows:

“We believe in providing quality products to our customers that are safe and effective. We adhere to a rigorous quality program that includes testing the identity, purity, potency, and composition of all our products. We build our formulas to use only quality ingredients and only use manufacturers that follow Good Manufacturing Practices, otherwise referred to as being cGMP compliant. As part of our quality program, we are committed to regular testing. To that end, our products undergo testing for heavy metals to ensure that our products meet all applicable safety and disclosure requirements, including that the company does not have any obligations under California 65 or any other applicable regulations. We also test for microbial and pathogens to ensure that our products are completely safe.”

Proposition 65, officially known as the Safe Drinking Water and Toxic Enforcement Act of 1986, was enacted as a ballot initiative in November 1986. The proposition protects the state’s drinking water sources from being contaminated with chemicals known to cause cancer, birth defects or other reproductive harm, and requires businesses to inform California about exposures to such chemicals.

Proposition 65 requires the state to maintain and update a list of chemicals known to the state to cause cancer or reproductive toxicity.