July 18, 2013

A chemical compound used in agricultural insecticides caused the deaths of at least 23 students in the Indian state of Bihar. The children fell ill shortly after eating free school lunches, according to an official from the hospital where autopsies were conducted on the victims. At least 20 other students from the school who also consumed the insecticide-tainted food remained hospitalized. The chemical, one of a number of chemicals called organophosphorus compounds, was probably either in the food ingredients or the cooking oil used to prepare them, Indian officials said.

At a news conference, the Bihar State Education Minister said the school’s cook had reportedly complained to the headmistress because newly purchased cooking oil looked “discolored and dodgy.” However, the headmistress insisted that the cook use the oil, which, the minister said, had been supplied by a store owned by the headmistress’s husband.  The headmistress and her husband have fled the town of Dharmasati Gandaman, where the poisonings took place, and are being sought by police.

Bihar state is in northeastern India. (World Book map; map data © MapQuest.com, Inc.)

In Dharmasati Gandaman, protesting parents and hundreds of villagers armed with poles and sticks demolished the school’s kitchen, blocked streets, and locked railway gates, bringing train traffic to a halt. Police vehicles were also set on fire. In the nearby city of Chhapra, a crowd torched a bus and damaged private property. News reports indicated that children in other schools were refusing to eat the lunches provided under the government program, which supplies food for about 120 million children in 1.2 million school districts in an effort combat hunger. The program has often been criticised for lax food safety standards.

Additional World Book articles:

• Food poisoning
• India
• Pure food and drug laws

September 4, 2012

Organic food may be no healthier to eat than nonorganic food, researchers at Stanford University announced today in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine. Organic food is grown or raised using environmentally and animal-friendly farming methods, with the application of little or no synthetic fertilizers, pesticides, or other artificial chemicals to plants.

After reviewing more than 200 studies of the content and associated health gains of organic and nonorganic foods, the scientists concluded there was no real difference in nutritional content. They did conclude that organic food was 30 percent less likely to contain pesticides. However, they found that pesticide residue in the vast majority of nonorganic food did not exceed allowable limits set by U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Department of Agriculture regulations.

Organic livestock must be fed chiefly organically grown feed, without medicines called antibiotics or artificial growth hormones. (© Jacob Kearns, Shutterstock)

The studies were of two types: comparing the health of people who eat organic foods with those who do not; and comparing the levels of nutrients, bacteria, fungus or pesticides in eggs, fruits, grains, meats, milk, and vegetables. The organic and nonorganic fruits and vegetables contained similar amounts of vitamins. The milk contained the same amount of protein and fat.

While the researchers found no clear benefits to consuming organic foods, they noted that more research is needed. The studies they investigated generally did not uncover the environmental effect on food or how it affects human health. The studies also only followed people for a relatively short period of time, generally two years or less.

Additional World Book articles:

• Health foods
• The Battle Against the Bugs (a special report)
• Food and Drug Safety and the FDA (a special report)

Jan. 5, 2012

A previously unknown parasitic fly found in dead and dying honey bees in northern California may be a major culprit in a mysterious condition that has ravaged honey bee colonies in the United States. This condition, known as colony collapse disorder (CCD), was first detected in 2006, when beekeepers in the United States began reporting that large numbers of bees were mysteriously abandoning their hives. Studies revealed that the bees had died away from their hives. By 2012, CCD had been blamed in the deaths of millions of honey bees. Scientists have found evidence that pesticides, mites, a fungus, or a virus that causes honey bee wings to develop abnormally may be involved in CCD.

The parasitic fly, Apocephalus borealis, lays its eggs in the bees’ abdomen. Several days later, the infected bees fly from their hives at night. Scientists have found some of the infected bees still alive but in a zombie-like state. The insects were walking in circles, with no sense of direction, and soon become unable to stand up. Scientists aren’t sure whether the bees are leaving their hives under the control of the parasite or are being kicked out by their hive-mates, who may be sensing that something is wrong. Other parasites are known for their ability to control the behavior of the creatures they infest. The bees may also be leaving on their own to prevent their hive-mates from becoming infested. After the bees die, newly born fly larvae crawl from their neck. A. borealis also infects and kills bumble bees and paper wasps. Scientists believe it is very likely that the parasitic flies spread to honey bees from bumble bees.

A bee covered in pollen sips nectar from a flower. The bee will leave some of the yellow pollen grains at other flowers it visits, pollinating them. Many flowers rely on insects for pollination. © Steve Hopkin, Taxi/Getty Images

Bees are among the most useful of all insects. They pollinate many fruit and vegetable crops, which provide about a third of the human diet. In the United States, bees pollinate more than 130 crops, with a yearly value of $15 billion. These crops include apples, nuts, soybeans, and squash.

Additional World Book articles

• Back in Time (Biology 2007)
• Frisch, Karl von
• The Latest Buzz About Honey Bees (a Special Report)