Second Prize Works of the First Ningxia Middle School Student Science Popularization and Science Fiction Writing Competition: Top Killers on the Dining Table

Editor: Liu Yuxin Reviewer: Yang Pengbin

Yinchuan Tanglai Middle School, Yinchuan City, 2021 Cui Mengxuan Provincial Second Prize Instructor: Jing Yanyan

The best food in the world is just three meals. "Food is the first necessity of the people" has always been a common saying in the history of Chinese traditional culture. After years of precipitation, it has formed a profound and long-standing "food" culture. In ancient times, there were Su Shi's green floating egg bowl locust bud cakes and red dot ice plate agate fish, and now there are unique insights from all kinds of talents. From fertile alluvial plains to rich rivers and lakes, from cold and barren plains to high-rise cities, Chinese people often say that if you live by the mountains, you can eat the mountains; if you live by the sea, you can eat the sea. Where there is green vitality, there is harmony between heaven and man? With the childhood memory of China on the tip of the tongue, it seems that I will sit at the table again and wait for the gift of nature, but are you really safe at the table? Have you noticed those top killers?

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On September 17, the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television issued a notice prohibiting the use of television and network programs to promote betel nuts and their products. Why do they do this? In the Northern Song Dynasty, Su Dongpo was exiled to Hainan Island and was deeply affected by malaria. He was miserable, so the Hainanese took out betel nuts and said that this was a good medicine and he would get better immediately. Miraculously, Su Dongpo actually got better. But in fact, it was the arecoline in the betel nuts that worked. They make people excited and can also cause cancer. India, the country with the largest consumption of betel nuts in the world, has the highest incidence of oral cancer in the world. Hunan, the province with the largest consumption of betel nuts in my country, has an oral cancer incidence rate 20 times higher than other provinces. This measure can be regarded as a staged victory.

But don't be too happy too soon, because in addition to betel nut, there are actually many invisible killers buried in our lives. The reason why we don't eat betel nut is that it has long been identified as a Class I carcinogen by the World Health Organization. To put it bluntly, a Class I carcinogen is something that will cause cancer if you eat too much, but what is the specific amount? No one can say for sure, it varies from person to person. If there is a Class I, there will be a Class II. Class II is something that may cause cancer if you eat too much. You put them together and compare them, just like a one-variable equation and a two-variable equation, and you will understand it at once. Then you will say that it's okay if it doesn't reach that amount? Not really! Because addiction to this type of substance will lead to more and more betel nut intake. Now there are 116 Class I carcinogens. In addition to the tobacco and alcohol we are familiar with, there are also some air pollutants. It is not realistic for us to not touch any of them, so just touch less! However, there are many invisible killers like betel nut, which are quietly accumulating in your body and will eventually exceed your threshold.

First of all, aflatoxin. It happened in the UK in 1960. One night, there was a thunder and hundreds of turkeys fell down instantly. Then, more than 100,000 turkeys in the southeast of the UK died strangely within two months. Scientists were asked to investigate. After dissecting some turkey bodies, they found that their livers were necrotic and found some toxins in them. Because the liver is a metabolic organ, it means that they may have died of poisoning. Finally, after investigation, it was found that these 100,000 guys had one thing in common. They all ate the same feed, a batch of feed made of moldy peanuts. The case was solved. This is our food, food poisoning. In fact, it is because of aflatoxin, which is a metabolite secreted by Aspergillus flavus and Aspergillus parasiticus under certain conditions. It is highly toxic and highly carcinogenic. So, how powerful is this? Everyone is familiar with potassium cyanide. Its toxicity is 10 times that of potassium cyanide, 68 times that of arsenic, and 101 times that of dichlorvos. Its carcinogenicity is mainly reflected in the occurrence of liver cancer, lung cancer, stomach cancer and other diseases. In daily life, moldy peanuts, corns and cutting boards, although not all moldy, should be avoided. The structure of Aspergillus flavus is quite stable and can only be cracked by heating to 280 degrees. The hypothesis that some people can kill it with their eyes is really a fantasy!

Secondly, the length of Clonorchis sinensis is 1 to 2 cm, but it survives relatively long. The third national survey on the current status of human vital energy in 2018 showed that in the Pearl River Delta region, the infection rate of Clonorchis sinensis in freshwater fish and shrimp due to raw or semi-raw food is 23.36. What does it mean? It is equivalent to saying that there are 50 people in your class, and ten of them are infected with parasites. At this time, someone said that what I eat is artificially cultivated and has no parasites. It is a completely unrealistic idea. What's more, it is said that mustard and vinegar can kill it, and thinner ones can directly cut it to death. Wake up! What can you kill if stomach acid can't kill it? Besides, they are insect eggs, and 27 to 35 nanometers, are you using atomic knife skills?

The saying that illness comes from the mouth is not entirely without reason. In the busy life in high-rise buildings, when you rest from a day's work, please carefully observe these top killers on the dining table around you. They will be late, but never absent. Resist them, starting with me!