Wednesday, June 8, 2011
Various things could have been detrimental to my health !?
In the past few weeks, a massive toxic food scandal in Taiwan has been rocking not only Taiwan but also other Asian countries like Malaysia, China and Hong Kong. Although the scandal isn't widely reported in Japan, a lot of people in these other countries have been paying considerable attention to it since they are very familiar with imported Taiwanese foodstuff. According to the news, it was first discovered that a well known major beverage company used a toxic-additive (DEHP) in their productions for more than 20 years. Then, it turned out that more than 200 food manufacturers in Taiwan were using the toxic-additive. A Taiwanese friend expressed despair in his recent blog, muttering that, unlike Japan and America, there are no laws to severely punish these manufactures in Taiwan and China.
When I heard of the news, I was sure that the toxic-additive was stored in my body since I lived in Malaysia, Hong Kong and China for seven years in total. However, I think that it's not a big matter since I suppose that my health has been damaged by various additives, pesticides, pollution and things like this. Actually, when I was a child, economic growth was the first priority in Japan. In some areas, the air was highly polluted. I don't think that the issue of whether or not food additives, chemicals and pesticides are detrimental to your health was given as much attention as now. While I lived In the aforementioned three Asian countries, many things would make me realize that I was living surrounded by things which could harm my health. These days, in discount shops in Japan, I often sense that cheap imported products are emitting a certain kind of chemical odor which I was very familiar with when I was in China. As cheap bentos have increased due to the sluggish economy, I've been wondering if enough attention is being paid to the safety of food. On top of that, we inevitably have to pay attention to radioactive substances released from the Fukushima plant.
Anyway, I sometimes wonder why my great grandparents were able to live until 100 something years old despite living during the turbulent times. They never suffered from serious disease and died of old age. It's been said that people who lived through wars and a hard time after World War Ⅱ are very tough both physically and mentally. I'm sure that this is a reason. Other than this, I think that I can find another reason in their living environment. I'm wondering how many people between their 30s and 50s can live long without being assisted by advanced medical technology.
