Food cart practice causes cancer, Thai health official warns

[The Deerhunter]

What qualifications and degree did this guy have to get that job? The levels of dioxin in tissue paper would surely be nil or below risk if the food was dabbed with it. Plasticisers in cheap poly bags for takeaways and poor grades of non-food-grade polystyrene in food containers scare me. Almost all of Thailand could do with a campaign on not dipping your spoon back into the communal serving dish after i has been in your mouth and not using the serving spoon to eat with & then putting it back in the serving bowl. In areas with high risk of bird flu etc they should be hammering that one.

[Mudcrab]

Dioxins have been identified as cancer-causing elements in human bodies by international cancer research institutions

They certainly have and have been used in herbicides for many years but have been banned for many years worldwide......not so sure in Thailand though.

Think Agent Orange from the American/Vietnam war.

[bkkjames]

If nothing else, I feel a bit better about the deep fried banana I had yesterday.

The guy uses fresh 5 w 40 daily, let's it drip dry when done, sits 2 meters from the road and not a tissue in sight. Next time I may get two orders.

[techboy]

"Other substances in the tissue paper, such as the corrosive sodium hydroxide"

Another incompetent person......You know when there are traces of sodium hydroxide on your food.....specially in amounts that irritate the stomach......

Nothing more funny than a guy calling someone else incompetent and then demonstrating that they don't know their arse from a hot rock.

[Lupatria]

So if this is a real health issue, I'm happy to know breathing in, in Bangkok's notorious traffic is not a matter of health safety.

[ChiTownHustla]

I'm surely beating a dead horse, but the carelessness in reporting by numerous media outlets and ridiculous fear mongering headlines just continues to boggle my mind.

[Andre0720]

Oh God, Oh Buddha,

Something cancerous in the food chain...

[trainman34014]

You have to laugh at these people who come up with this garbage. How many street food vendors will actually read such reports and even if they did how many would change what they are doing ?

I can see it now; street vendors in a panic and rushing into shops asking '' Do you have any blotting papers that has been certified by International standards to be safe for customers ? '' LOL.

[Lee4Life]

Do they really come up with this stuff all by themselves?

As someone earlier pointed out, tissues come into contact with some pretty sensitive areas in people's bodies already. If they really contained such caustic, cancer causing substances then dabbing food with them is the least of our worries!

[Familyonthemove]

There may be tiny levels of dioxin in paper IF it is chlorine bleached - but tissue paper can be bleached by other methods. Dioxin in disposable nappies was a legitimate concern and most reputable manufacturers switched to bleaching methods that don't produce dioxin a few years ago.

But frying food produces much larger amounts of acrylamide anyway and this is another potential carcinogen - so a possible, minute trace of dioxin is not worth worrying about when there's going to be a higher level of acrylamide.

Perhaps they just send out spurious warnings to make it to look like they are doing something?

[rhythmworx]

More chance of getting cancer from over used oil than chemicals in paper.

[Mentors]

How about tons of sugar in most Thai Food?

[sunshine51]

Tissue paper? Isn't that the same type of paper I wipe my backside with?

Same-same...but different.

[3NUMBAS]

the somtam pestle and morter has more nasties lurking on the surfaces than to worry about tissue paper on food ,you see this on TV cookery shows all over the world

[kimamey]

This is clearly total nonsense. What about the practice of using tissue paper to blow the nose, for example, surely the direct contact with the sensitive nasal area by the "dangerous" tissue is much more likely to allow the dioxins directly into the body.

Maybe that's why so many Thais pick their nose with their finger.

[neverdie]

One week it's this and the next week it's that.

[kimamey]

Tissue paper? Isn't that the same type of paper I wipe my backside with?

Who do you think is going to post on here confirming what you wipe your backside with? Unless your other half is a TV member of course.

[kimamey]

One week it's this and the next week it's that.

Next week it will be the 'other'.

[neverdie]

^ what about last week?

Or three weeks from a fortnight ago?

[allan michaud]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

This is clearly total nonsense. What about the practice of using tissue paper to blow the nose, for example, surely the direct contact with the sensitive nasal area by the "dangerous" tissue is much more likely to allow the dioxins directly into the body.

and what about your bum, that's pretty damned sensitive too? Sounds full of shit to me.

[steve73]

I would have thought the biggest risk when eating street food is from the bpla ra (rotting fish sauce) used in some som-tam...

Anybody else seen how they make the stuff up-country... it beggars belief.!

(of course, usually anm hour or so after eating that stuff you need to use the tissue paper for what it was originally intended - unless you're fully adapted to the "gun").

[GAZZPA]

Blimey, I never knew that.

Just imagine, whilst the chef was throwing his wok around and kicking the rats and cockroaches away from around his feet the Thai health officers were concentrating on the use of clean, white tissue paper used in the draining of the food before serving. Realising that clean, white tissue paper may indeed have bleaching agents that can cause cancer.

Talk about wood for the trees.

[Thai at Heart]

What the hell are these people going on about. So, should I blot my mouth with tissue paper?

Just stick to hocus pocus because its a hell of a lot more believeable than when they try to do pseudo science

[worgeordie]

Vendors should therefore only blot food with papers that have been certified by international standards to be safe for customers.

That's it. From now on, only Khaosod for my fish n' chips.

I was thinking on similar lines. Fish 'n 'chips wrapped in newspaper never did us, or our parents, any harm, especially with regard to developing cancer. It's polystyrene that does all the damage. Fish n' chips in newspaper, swamped in malt vinegar and a little salt.... yuummmm.

Edit: I forgot the mushy peas with HP sauce

Also you had something to read while eating your fish and chips.

regards worgeordie

[wilcopops]

Vendors should therefore only blot food with papers that have been certified by international standards to be safe for customers.

That's it. From now on, only Khaosod for my fish n' chips.

I was thinking on similar lines. Fish 'n 'chips wrapped in newspaper never did us, or our parents, any harm, especially with regard to developing cancer. It's polystyrene that does all the damage. Fish n' chips in newspaper, swamped in malt vinegar and a little salt.... yuummmm.

Edit: I forgot the mushy peas with HP sauce

Like I said, my granddad smoked 40 capstan and drank a bottle of whiskey every day of his life until his death....at 42.

[wilcopops]

Tissue paper? Isn't that the same type of paper I wipe my backside with?

...QED there's a big crack in that!

[DekDaeng]

After all these years I was trained by my mum to wipe my arse with toilet tissue. This could infact cause me to get arse cancer...................no Christmas card, birthday card or mothers day will be sent to her from now on!!!!

You mean bastard!

You wouldn't have one, butt for her!

[JohnThailandJohn]

Long-awaited dioxins report released; EPA says low doses risky but most people safe

http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2012/dioxins-report-revealed

[JohnThailandJohn]

Dioxins and their effects on human health

http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs225/en/

[Gonsalviz]

I'll be sure to keep this in mind. Way far in the back of it. So far back I will probably forget about it.