Originally published August 24 2014
What would you like the Health Ranger to test next in our ICP-MS mass spectrometry laboratory?
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
(NaturalNews) As you probably already know, I've used the ICP-MS instrumentation in the Natural News Forensic Food Lab to discover and publish extraordinary findings about heavy metals. We were the first to publish findings about the heavy metal tungsten in rice protein; we documented lead and cadmium in some cacao powders; we warned about high levels of lead in ginkgo biloba herbs grown in China; and recently we published very popular results about the ability of water filters to remove heavy metals.
But my question to Natural News fans and readers today is: What would you like me to test next?
Think about it: I've got a million-dollar private laboratory and plenty of nitric acid and argon gas to run it. The ICP-MS instrumentation is accurate down to 1 part per billion for many elements. I'd like to know what YOU think we should do next with this technology?
Please post your comments below this article, and I'll review them to decide what to do next. Here are some ideas and possibilities of what we can do with this technology:
Possibility #1) We can test more foods, supplements, spices or liquids for heavy metals contamination. For example, I've already seen some results of high lead contamination in low-grade calcium supplements.
Possibility #2) We can test more water filters for their performance capabilities at removing heavy metals.
Possibility #3) We can test nutritional supplements (multivitamins) for their mineral content to see if they really meet their label claims.
Possibility #4) We can test heavy metals in the air by capturing air samples with HEPA filters, then running the filter material through the lab.
Possibility #5) We can test physical matter from animals (such as dog hair) or plants (such as tree leaves). Technically, we can even test human hair as I've done with my own hair. (But we aren't going to be offering commercial testing services to the public because that's already covered by Doctors Data.)
Possibility #6) We can test garden fertilizers and soil amendments for heavy metals. I've actually already tested several, and there are some serious contamination issues in certain fertilizers.
Possibility #7) We can test water samples taken from downstream of industrial plants, or coal-fired power plants, etc. We can also test soil, snow, grass, etc., from different regions. This could possibly be used to help research the effects of chemtrails, for example.
Possibility #8) I am theoretically able to test my own sweat, urine, hair and blood, but we are not able to offer such testing to anyone else for all sorts of legal and ethical reasons. However, there is no law against me testing my own body fluids, and this could be an interesting way to study the effects of certain activities or detox supplements if I'm willing to make myself a human guinea pig. It might be interesting, for example, to test my hair before traveling on a commercial flight, then testing my hair after the flight to see if human hair picks up any contaminants from the cabin air.
What we already plan to test
Keep in mind we're already testing survival water filters such as Pro Pur, Big Berkey, Doulton and others. Those results should be released shortly.
I've also decided I'm going to test camping filters -- the kind you manually pump to filter the water. Right now I'm in the process of purchasing these filters to get ready for the testing. (Yes, we spend thousands of dollars on purchasing products that we test. Nobody sends us these filters for free...)
I'm also thinking seriously about testing garden fertilizers in time for the spring planting season in the Northern hemisphere. From what I already know, people are quite literally dumping lead and other toxic heavy metals on their home gardens through the application of store-bought fertilizers. I would like to publish a full results page of the heavy metals content for popular fertilizer brands.
What else would you like me to test? Submit your suggestion below and I'll consider it!
What we cannot test
The Natural News Forensic Food Lab tests for elements only. We do not have the instrumentation to test for complex molecules such as glyphosate, BPA, pesticides or active herbal constituents. Also, we are not a DNA / RNA lab, so we cannot test foods for genetic material.
We can only test for element composition from the table of elements. Unfortunately, the halide column of elements is not possible for us to test. Those include Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine and Iodine.
Why can't we test for halides? It's a complex answer. With a lot more effort, we actually could. But the way our ICP-MS is set up now, this is too costly and complex to reasonably pursue. Perhaps in the future we can achieve this testing, but not the way our instrumentation and sample introduction system is currently set up. On the good side, we are using a Glass Expansion Niagara Plus sample introduction system which greatly minimizes exposure of the sampling cone to both acids and the samples themselves. This has been a godsend in terms of testing stability and instrument uptime (you don't have to clean the cones as often). It also saves a fortune on argon consumption. If you're curious about the Niagara Plus, you can view the details here.
Exclusively from Natural News
Isn't it extraordinary that we have this technology at our fingertips? Even to this day, some people still can't believe I'm running a private mass spectrometry laboratory. They think you have to be a PhD at a university in order to understand this technology.
It's true that most people who operate this ICP-MS instrumentation have PhDs, but the laws of physics, it turns out, don't care whether you work at a university, the FDA or a private research organization. As long as the laws of physics keep working, anyone with sufficient knowledge and training can run ICP-MS analysis of samples. If you want to see a good overview video of ICP-MS instrumentation, check out this video from Bruker.
I just happen to be really, really dedicated to this scientific exploration of what's in our food and supplements, which is why I spent months in training and self-study to learn how to operate this technology. Once I had the knowledge and know-how, it didn't take long to leap to the forefront of world research in this specific area, since no one else seems to be interested in finding out what's really in our food and supplements.
Today, the Natural News Forensic Food Lab is in the process of achieving ISO 17025 certification (a lengthy process). We conduct extremely accurate testing of elements that most other labs won't even touch: cesium, uranium, strontium and so on. In fact, when we first announced our findings of tungsten in rice protein, rice manufacturers had to call dozens of labs around the world just to find another lab which could test for tungsten. (It requires some exotic acids which tear apart glass nebulizers. You have to use high-end ceramic nebulizers to pull it off...)
Today, everyone realizes the Natural News Forensic Food Lab is the leading private laboratory in the world when it comes to independent, reliable testing of food contamination, water filter performance and more. No one else -- not the FDA and not any university -- is doing what we're doing: testing off-the-shelf products and releasing full results to the public for free.
That's why your suggestions on what we should test next are so valuable! I will review your suggestions below and use them to decide what we should pursue next. If you want to review the table of elements to help you decide what to suggest, check out www.WebElements.com
Here's what that page looks like:
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