the ascension of man, part 5

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72" x 48" @ 240ppi; part 5 of my digital painting series, the ascension of man. If you have not already done so, please check out part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4.

This go-round is all about additives. These are substances that are added into our foods and supplements. Not all are necessarily harmful. Not all are even legal in the United States (though most are legal, while some are banned by other countries).

If you read through the list, you'll find that many things are familiar. You probably will not know how to pronounce many of these chemicals. You will be horrified at some items and wonder what kind of person would even think to add some of these items into food products. Some of these are not intentially added, but are found "naturally occurring" in some foods (like Mercury in fish) due to pollution, while other items leach into food from their packaging.

Here's the kicker. Of all the potentially toxic items in this list, the demographic that is most at risk is children, due to the type of diets most parents allow and the quantities of certain types of food and drinks that most kids consume.

Many of these items are used in quantities that measure in parts per billion (ppb). That seems pretty minuscule, until you realize that some of these can harm or kill you in only slightly larger amounts.