McCadmium Happy Meals

Date: 2010.06.22 | Category: Alternative Media | Tags:

McCadmium Happy Meal

McDonald’s latest social experiment in fast food corporate media tie-ins and profit margin maximization has resulted in the accidental poisoning of the public at large. It sort of reminds you of that big gooey mess floating around in the Gulf of Mexico doesn’t it? What does it take to make a $2 drinking glass with Shrek characters on them? That is a pretty easy question if you look to the Orient where the enslaved population is willing to make anything for a meager wage whether it is the hottest smartphone by Apple or American flag decal that you can place on the rear window glass of your mighty SUV.

It’s really no surprise that cadmium has wound up in the Shrek commemorative drinking glass sold by Mickey D’s. If you look to China where all or most of our recycled electronics are shipped to be recycled and the exotic and poisonous materials are extracted and recovered. It is no surprise that cadmium is one of things that shows up on our fast food palate. I did a little of my own research on cadmium and found it is a component of the old cathode ray monitors that most of the public has replaced with LCDs. No one really wonders where those old monitors go but a majority of them are shipped to China for recycling and recovery. This also includes the cadmium in Ni-Cad rechargeable batteries. I can’t say for sure whether or not the batteries are also shipped to China for recycling and recovery, but I wouldn’t be surprised!

Cadmium has always been known to the paint industry for its ability to make brilliant red and yellow hues when its compounds are incorporated in a paint base. The United States government has recently restricted and reduced the amount of cadmium compounds that the paint industry can use. The same measures have also been taken in Europe. China has no such restrictions on cadmium and Chinese manufacturers are known for the frugal use of resources and using anything at hand that it takes to get the job done, so if Donkey, Fiona, or old Mr. Shrek needs a little more brilliant yellow or red in his image cadmium is the ticket to making it look pretty regardless of the toxicity.