Dispelling The Mainstream Narrative
The Streets of Baltimore. I don’t think Gram Parsons would like the streets of Baltimore anymore.
A 345k SF office tower in Baltimore sold for $4M That’s a shocking $12 per square foot.
That’s cash on the barrelhead. Unless some poor lender is willing to take a bath on CRE in major metro areas like crime-ridden Baltimore.
By Caitlin Johnstone,
Israel just turned thousands of Lebanese people into involuntary suicide bombers in the name of fighting terrorism.
Israel just turned thousands of Lebanese people into involuntary suicide bombers in the name of fighting terrorism.
At least nine people have been killed and thousands injured in an attack in Lebanon which reportedly involved pagers packed with explosives being remotely detonated around the country, often in civilian areas. An eight year-old girl is reportedly among the dead.
According to The New York Times, unnamed officials from the US and elsewhere are saying that Israel planted the explosive materials in the pagers before they reached Lebanon after Hezbollah ordered them from a Taiwanese manufacturer.
The US is denying any foreknowledge of the attack, but that’s what they always do. We’re always asked to believe that the US never knew anything about attacks conducted by nations like Israel and Ukraine until they read about it in the news, and that their massive intelligence cartel and sprawling surveillance networks never pick up any information and exist for no reason.
Take a look at where people were and who they were surrounded by when their pagers exploded.
Can you see the young child just steps away?
This was an indiscriminate attack by Israel on civilians in Lebanon, and it falls under the West’s supposed definition of terrorism.
We’ve… pic.twitter.com/L68YN6TeZA— Dr. Sabreena Ghaffar-Siddiqui (@sabreenaGS) September 17, 2024
This was a terror attack by any possible definition. If Hezbollah had detonated a bunch of devices held by Israeli forces in public spaces without knowing who was near them when they went off, every paper in the western world would have called it a terror attack. But because it was Israelis targeting Hezbollah (a political party which is part of the Lebanese government and has many civilian members), it’s only being called “explosions”.
“Hezbollah blames Israel after deadly pager explosions in Lebanon,” reads the headline from the BBC.
“Thousands injured in Lebanon as pagers used by Hezbollah explode,” says The Washington Post.
“Exploding pagers belonging to Hezbollah kill at least 8 and injure more than 2,700 in Lebanon,” says NBC News.
No condemnations from western officials. No thoughts and prayers for the victims. No pledges to bring the terrorists to justice. Just the news media going oh wow, some pagers exploded.
Got that, kids? It’s only terrorism when the Official Bad Guys do it. When the Official Good Guys do it, it’s just giving those Bad Guys a sorely needed exploding.
if Hamas, Hezbollah, or any group or person exploded electronic devices in Israel and killed children, it would be described by the entire Western media class as a horrific act of wanton evil sadistic terrorism. Israel does it and it’s seen as an epic based move to be celebrated
— ☀️👀 (@zei_squirrel) September 17, 2024
The unprecedented nature and scale of this attack has raised a lot of concerns from a lot of directions. We all use electronic devices in our daily lives, and weaponizing them at mass scale is naturally going to scare people.
“If it were iPhones that were leaving the factory with explosives inside, the media would be a hell of a lot faster to cotton on to what a horrific precedent has been set today. Nothing can justify this. It’s a crime. A crime. And everyone in the world is less safe for it,” tweeted NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden.
“What Israel has just done is, via *any* method, reckless. They blew up countless numbers of people who were driving (meaning cars out of control), shopping (your children are in the stroller standing behind him in the checkout line), et cetera. Indistinguishable from terrorism,” Snowden also said.
What strikes me watching all this is how gratuitously creepy it is. Israel is so creepy. Everyone already sees them as rapey genocidal baby killers, and then they have to go and commit this weird terror attack in the creepiest way possible and freak everyone out, to no clear and meaningful strategic gain. They’re so creepy they can’t stop themselves from always choosing the creepiest course of action.
Israel is gross.
Source: https://caitlinjohnstone.com.au
In my research into secret societies, I’ve found thinly veiled distractions involving what exactly to call them and the signs of membership. One catchall that is somewhat of a misdirection is to lump usual suspects in with Freemasons; when, in reality, the term “freemasonry” is just too broad.
The Masonic secret society structure was used to mask and organize Illuminism, especially after the Congress of Wilhelmbad in 1782 merged the Masonic lodges with Illuminism and Rothschild Sabbattean-Frankists to carry out Step 1, the French Revolution. But even after Wilhelmbad, there was a break within the ranks.
Adolph Knigge was an organizing Illuminist. Wikipedia states:
In 1780 Knigge joined Adam Weishaupt’s Bavarian Illuminati, and his work with the Illuminati gave the group a great deal of publicity. But in 1783, dissensions arose between Knigge and Weishaupt, which resulted in Knigge’s final withdrawal from the group on 1 July 1784. Knigge stated that he could no longer endure Weishaupt’s pedantic domineering, which frequently assumed offensive forms. He accused Weishaupt of “Jesuitism” and suspected him of being “a Jesuit in disguise” (Nachtr., I, 129).
“And was I,” he adds, “to labour under his banner for mankind, to lead men under the yoke of so stiff-necked a fellow? — Never!”
The split came, in my view, because Knigge didn’t believe in the leveling and inversion of humanity, which is a core tenant of Sabbatean-Frankist Illuminism. In fact, when you read the personal accounts of the leading Illuminists, they are universally nasty people. An excellent example was Karl Marx, who just flat out admitted to being a Satan worshiper in his poetry.
Ted Gunderson (1928-2011) no slouch as a law enforcement expert devoted three decades to going into the rabbit holes of these groups and organizations. Ultimately he used the term satanist to describe an Frankist influenced Illuminist.
Retired FBI Chief Ted Gunderson Revealed Star Chamber Justice System in Dr. Jeffrey MacDonald Case
It seemed Knigge — although initially a fooled pajama person — was one of the good guys. No disciple of the Illuminism-Frankism world view and belief system would write leading books on good manners and etiquette like Knigge did. Wikipedia goes on:
Knigge is best remembered for his book Über den Umgang mit Menschen (On Human Relations), a treatise on the fundamental principles of human relations that has the reputation of being the authoritative guide to behaviour, politeness, and etiquette. The work is more of a sociological and philosophical treatise on the basis of human relations than a how-to guide on etiquette, but the German word “Knigge” has come to mean “good manners” or books on etiquette.
So the difficulty is separating good, well-mannered figures like Freemason Knigge from the nasty Frankist and satanic types. In the photos below, we see the classic Freemasonic hand tucked within the shirt. This is not as common today as in the past.
Which one of these individuals are Satanic Frankists posing as Freemasons? The answer lies in the context of that individual’s actions. Notice Adolph Knigge in the upper right corner of the collage below. And here, directly to the right, is yours truly at age 14 in the 1960s, wearing a beret and engaging in adolescent humor. Yes, busted.
To review, we have misdirection in the terminology used and in the gestures and signals incorporated. The difficulty is that the language among those examining secret societies and organized conspiracies is pretty well established as “Masonic.” When I hear this, it’s not worth the time and energy to deal with. In fact. I used “Freemason” in the titles of the recent three-part series on the topic.
But in reality, it’s Frankist Illuminism. James Billington and Nesta Webster just called it “Illuminism,” a literal anti-civilization, inverted religious belief. Illuminati is sort of a neuro-lingustic programming term for jamming the authoritarian followers and pajama people. But even the great Webster, who made the Frankfurt-Rothschild-Illuminism connection, missed the Sabbatean-Frankism influence. It is interesting to note that observers like David Icke and Candace Owens are now incorporating Frankism into their world view.
Read: Influencers are Infighting over Sabattean-Frankism
The gestures are everywhere, which suggests many public figures are tied into Frankist Illuminism as a force in the world. Here we have Will Smith and Pat Robertson on the front of magazines flashing a lion’s paw hand gesture. And considering that Will Smith regularly cross-dresses in women’s clothes, a thinking person might suspect some Frankist-Illuminism inversion in play. And Smith’s son is even more extreme in behavior. And is Pat Robertson a made man?
And the deliberate and not-so-casual use of the 6 or 666 hand gesture just doesn’t look in context, like an “okay.” That’s the mocking, fooled ya element of it all.
In terms of the epidemic of blackened left eyes among elites and celebrities, one would have to believe these people are the epitome of clumsiness and careless behavior. One also is left to wonder why the vast majority of these bruises involve the left eye. Symbolism, or does it indicate they were punched by somebody right handed? Or does the right eye have unique protection when “accidents” happen?
The 1879, the Freeman’s Journal (out of Ireland) stated, “A black eye is said to be the devil’s mark.”
A bruised left eye has also been referred to as the “Illuminati shiner.” To our eyes, it looks like a very professionally done cosmetic job or an injury done in such a manner as to not cause actual eye damage. As such, black left eyes may be a ritual calling card. An alternative theory holds that this is a control mechanism delivered by handlers to keep these individuals in line.
It has been said that getting a black left eye is part of a cult/Illuminism high-level initiation ritual in which the pledge must “eat pain” in order to become more powerful. Are these are high-level cult members climbing higher in the pyramid?
Observably, there seems to be an eye-covering obsession or fad in the entertainment world. Sheer coinkydink? The left eye identifies the individual as a son of Osiris, God of the Dead. Masonic influencers LOVE Egyptian symbology.
Here are some left-eye shiners among the famous that appear professionally administered. Just conjecture?
Your brain is highly energy-dependent, consuming 20% of your body’s energy. Recent studies show a bidirectional relationship between mental well-being and mitochondrial function, with positive experiences boosting cellular energy production
Chronic stress can lead to mitochondrial dysfunction, increasing your risk of mental health issues like anxiety and depression. Breaking the stress cycle is crucial for optimal mitochondrial function and overall health
Strategies to manage chronic stress include regular exercise, consuming healthy carbohydrates, engaging in creative activities, practicing self-soothing techniques, optimizing sleep and maintaining a positive outlook
Diet also plays a significant role in stress management. Consuming healthy carbs can help lower your cortisol levels, while avoiding seed oils high in linoleic acid (LA) is recommended to prevent mitochondrial dysfunction
Rewiring your brain for happiness and cultivating Joy is important. Joy is described as an active pursuit of life’s purpose, distinct from passive happiness, reflecting engagement with life and personal growth
Did you know that your brain is the most energy-dependent organ? It consumes up to 20% of the energy used by your entire body, despite making up only 2% of your bodyweight.1 Your brain regulates your mental and emotional state, so when you don’t produce enough cellular energy, your brain function is severely affected — as a result, you experience changes in your behavior and how you respond to stress.
But did you know that these processes work both ways? According to a recent study,2 your experiences, whether positive or negative, can affect your energy production by changing how your mitochondria work.
The mitochondria are the powerhouses of your cells and are responsible for more than 90% of your body’s energy production.3 I’ve previously discussed how optimizing your mitochondrial energy production can help rewire your brain and allow you to cultivate more Joy in your life. Now, there’s evidence that shows it works the other way as well.
According to a 2024 study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS),4 experiencing positive life experiences can impart changes in the mitochondria, which then boost cellular energy production. Conducted by scientists from Columbia University, the study involved examining the brains of elderly adults who have donated their brains to research postmortem.
For nearly 20 years, the participants also conducted “periodic psychosocial self-assessments”5 — basically, they recorded their mental and social experiences for later analysis.
Through these assessments, the researchers observed a link between the psychosocial experiences of the participants and the amount of proteins in their brains, which the mitochondria need for energy production, noting that “positive psychosocial experiences are linked to greater abundance of the mitochondrial energy transformation machinery, whereas negative experiences are linked to lower abundance.”
According to their findings, the participants who reported feeling happier and more content during their lives had higher amounts of these proteins. On the other hand, those who had bad experiences had fewer proteins.
One factor that shows how this mechanism works is OxPhos (oxidative phosphorylation) protein abundance. Not only are OxPhos reactions essential for mitochondrial energy production, but they also help keep age-related disorders at bay.6 According to a report published in Lifespan.io:7
“In the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a brain area that is involved in executive functions and emotional regulation and is known to be sensitive to psychological stress, this factor showed marked correlation with both positive and negative psychosocial experiences.
The positive psychosocial aspects most associated with increased OxPhos protein abundance were well-being and late-life social activity. On the opposite side of the scale, negative mood and negative life events had the biggest effect sizes.”
Caroline Trumpff, the lead author of this study, notes that this is the first time that subjective psychosocial experiences have been related to brain biology. “We’re showing that older individuals’ state of mind is linked to the biology of their brain mitochondria,” she commented.8
The study authors noted that there are limitations to their findings, as the specific cause-and-effect relationship is yet to be determined. It’s possible that the effect could be the other way around, and that having more proteins in the brain (and therefore better mitochondrial energy production) could be the reason why some participants report being happier and having better mood than others.
However, they noted that the effects could be bidirectional, too, and that “chronic stress exposure directly affects an individual’s mitochondrial biology and subsequently affects their perception of social events.”9 This is entirely possible; in fact, some of the researchers involved in this study also previously published an animal study10 that looked at how mitochondrial activity in different parts of the brain affected stress response.
Published in the journal Nature Communications, the researchers looked at 17 different brain areas of mice that correspond to different behaviors.11 They found that these different patterns of mitochondrial activity account for differences in behavior between individual mice and how they respond to stress.
“This study synergizes with recent work providing the technical and empirical foundation to bring mitochondrial biology into brain-wide, network-based models of neural systems in mammals … Developing a spatially resolved understanding of brain mitochondrial biology will help to resolve the energetic constraints on brain function and behavior,” they said.12
Although the cause-and-effect factor is still not confirmed, one thing is certain — there is a definite link between your mitochondrial health and stress. According to Trumpff, their findings give valuable insight into why chronic psychological stress and bad experiences can be harmful for the brain, saying, “They damage or impair mitochondrial energy transformation in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex [DLPFC], the part of the brain responsible for high-level cognitive tasks.”13
Previous studies showed similar results; for example, a 2022 review published in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews14 found that chronic stress can lead to poor mitochondrial function and can be a risk factor for various psychiatric and mood disorders, including anxiety, depression, autism and schizophrenia.
According to the researchers, being in a state of constant stress can cause “mitochondrial allostatic overload” — this refers to the functional and structural changes that your mitochondria experience, which then leads to “oxidative stress, inflammation, mitochondrial DNA damage and apoptosis.”15
They then highlighted evidence linking mitochondrial dysfunction to mental health issues. For example, in patients with major depression, neuroimaging studies found a reduced energy metabolism in brain areas, including the prefrontal cortex, insula and basal ganglia.
“The evidence presented here suggests that alterations in mitochondrial function do impact on cognitive processes and may be causative linked to the onset of psychiatric disorders such as anxiety, stress-related disorders as well as social interaction deficits in the domain of autism and antisocial personality disorder.
Understanding the connections between mitochondria and cognitive functions could pave the way to next generation approaches targeting mitochondria to alleviate neuropsychiatric conditions, aging and cognitive decline in general,” they concluded.
Stress is a “silent killer.”16 Being constantly exposed to it weakens your immune system, increasing your risk of numerous health issues like heart disease, obesity and cancer.17 In a 2022 survey by the American Psychological Association (APA), 34% of U.S. adults report feeling overwhelmed by stress brought on by multiple factors, such as work, relationships, health issues and financial concerns.18
These studies give better insight as to why stress is so detrimental to your health, as it hinders proper mitochondrial function and affects your cellular energy production. If your mitochondria are not functioning well, no doubt your risk for chronic degenerative diseases will radically increase.
Furthermore, since your brain is the most energy-dependent organ, it becomes particularly susceptible to impaired energy production due to faulty mitochondria. And when cellular energy production decreases, you have less energy overall, including for brain processing. Since your brain regulates your mental state, it can also affect your emotional well-being.
I recently wrote an article about the stress cycle and how you can break free to improve both your physical and mental health. There are three phases to this cycle:
Alarm phase — This is your body’s immediate reaction to a perceived threat.
Resistance phase — This is your body’s attempt to return to a state of balance, either by resisting or adapting to the stressors.
Exhaustion phase — Your body experiences reactions to the stress, including decreased immunity and fatigue. You may also become more likely to experience illnesses, due to stress hormones and cortisol taking their toll on your body.
Everyone will experience stress in their lives — it is unavoidable. What isn’t advisable, however, is chronic and prolonged stress, as it can be highly damaging to your well-being. The good news is there are healthy and proactive strategies that can help you manage stress to keep it from wreaking havoc on your physical and emotional well-being:
Get regular exercise — Being physically active can positively contribute to your physical and emotional equilibrium, mainly because it improves your mood and helps lower cortisol levels, which is your body’s primary stress hormone. According to a 2022 study:19
“Regular physical activity has a positive effect on the central nervous system (CNS) functions, contributes to an improvement in mood and of cognitive abilities (including memory and learning), and is correlated with an increase in the expression of the neurotrophic factors and markers of synaptic plasticity as well as a reduction in the inflammatory factors.”
Being physically active can also promote longevity and reduce the risk of stress-related health complications.20 One of the best low-impact, moderate-intensity exercise you can do is walking outdoors in bright sunlight, which can multiply the benefits, as you also get to optimize your vitamin D levels.
Consume healthy, clean carbs — Your diet plays a significant role in your chronically elevated cortisol levels, and one primary reason is you may not be getting enough healthy carbs.
I’ve been following the work of the late Ray Peat, and one of the foundational health concepts that I’ve radically revised my thinking on as a result is the idea that eating a low-carb diet long-term is the best way to optimize your metabolic and mitochondrial health. It’s not. Your body needs carbohydrates for optimal function.
Your body breaks down carbs into glucose. If you don’t have enough glucose in your bloodstream, your body makes up for it by secreting cortisol. The cortisol breaks down your bones, lean muscles and brain to produce amino acids that are converted by your liver into glucose (gluconeogenesis).
However, elevated cortisol levels can increase inflammation and impair your immune function. As long as you’re metabolically flexible, consuming more carbs will help lower cortisol. But don’t be confused — don’t choose refined sugars and carbs from processed foods. Instead, go for healthy carbs like white rice and ripe fruits.
In addition, I recommend avoiding seed oils, which are loaded with linoleic acid (LA), the most destructive ingredient in our modern-day diet. LA is far worse than refined sugar and is highly pernicious to your health because it prevents your mitochondria from working properly, causing oxidation, inflammation and mitochondrial dysfunction. I recommend reading my article on LA to discover why it is so damaging.
Stay creative and start new hobbies — Engage in activities and hobbies that not only encourage creative thinking, but also provide mental diversions to help rejuvenate your mind and body.21
Painting, writing or even learning how to play a musical instrument can all provide therapeutic benefits by stimulating your brain’s creativity centers and reducing stress hormones. They also increase your feelings of happiness and satisfaction.
Incorporate self-soothing techniques — If you’re dealing with difficult, heavy emotions, self-soothing techniques like meditation may help curb the intensity of stress responses. Practicing controlled nasal breathing slows down your heart rate and lowers blood pressure, activating your body’s relaxation response. To help you build better breathing habits, check out my interview with Dr. Peter Litchfield.
Autogenics is another self-soothing technique, and it involves a series of exercises in which you focus on sensations of warmth and heaviness in different parts of your body to induce a sense of deep relaxation. Developed by German psychiatrist Johannes Heinrich Schultz in the early 20th century, it’s based on the principle that physical relaxation can lead to mental calmness.22
Even crying may help soothe you, as it provides an outlet for pent-up emotions and stress. According to a randomized controlled trial published in the journal Emotions:23
“Crying may assist in generally maintaining biological homeostasis, perhaps consciously through self-soothing via purposeful breathing and unconsciously through regulation of heart rate.”
Optimize your sleep — Getting sufficient, high-quality sleep not only allows you to rest, but also helps repair and rejuvenate your mind and body, enhancing cognitive function and improving mood. It makes you more resilient toward stress.
Make sure you establish a regular sleep schedule and create a conducive sleep environment so you can maximize the benefits of sleep. Exposure to bright light during daytime and complete darkness at night is also essential, as it helps boost your melatonin production.
Practice positive thinking and laughter — Maintaining a hopeful and optimistic outlook encourages your brain to produce stress-busting chemicals. Some of the best activities include mindfulness, spending time in nature and journaling.
I also encourage you to make it a habit to laugh and smile more. Laughter triggers the release of endorphins, your body’s natural stress-relievers, making it a potent antidote to stress.
Being in a state of chronic stress is like living with a dark cloud hanging above you. It casts a gloomy shadow over every aspect of your life. It strains your relationships, messes up with your decision-making skills and ultimately puts your physical and mental well-being in jeopardy. That is why instead of always giving in to stress or stressful situations, I advise you to try the strategies above to rewire your brain for happiness and cultivate more Joy in your life.
One of the key lessons from my upcoming book, “The Power of Choice,” is that life is about creating Joy. I believe there is an important distinction between Joy and happiness. While happiness can be passive, Joy is active — it’s a verb representing the ultimate pursuit and realization of life’s purpose.
You hold the ultimate authority over the experiences you encounter, as they are entirely shaped by your individual choices. If your life lacks fulfillment, then it could be your true Self telling you to make different choices that could steer you toward a more satisfying existence.
I intentionally capitalize “Self” and “Joy” to indicate their deeper, transcendent nature. Self represents unlimited, immortal consciousness, while Joy denotes a profound state of contentment that emanates from within yourself.
Choosing to rewire your brain for happiness can be considered an act of Joy because it reflects an active engagement with life, a pursuit of meaning and a commitment to personal growth. It involves making conscious decisions and taking intentional actions that ultimately lead to happiness and a more fulfilling, satisfying existence.
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By: Mamavation
Mamavation tested 23 popular salt products for heavy metals and microplastics. All products contained detectable amounts of metals, but none exceeded levels requiring California Prop. 65 warnings based on serving size
Aluminum was found in 78% of salt products, with 35% having over 100,000 ppb. Arsenic was present in all products, with 74% exceeding 10 ppb. Lead was detected in 96% of products
Microplastics were present but in such small amounts they couldn’t be conclusively identified. The study categorized salts into “not our favorite,” “better,” and “best” based on contamination levels
Potential sources of heavy metals in salt include natural occurrence, legacy pesticide use, manufacturing contamination, storage methods, air pollution and food additives
The “best” salt products had aluminum under 2 ppm, arsenic 15.27 ppb or less, cadmium 2.56 ppb or less, no detectable mercury and lead 14.99 ppb or less
What are the levels of heavy metals and microplastics found inside your favorite sea salt and Himalayan salt products? This was the question Mamavation community members asked us and we didn’t know the answer, so we sent 23 popular salt products off to an EPA-certified laboratory to find out.
Do you want to know how high the levels of heavy metals and microplastics are in your favorite sea salt or Himalayan salt?
You’ve trusted Mamavation to bring you topics like the safest butter without toxic PFAS packaging, the safest cookware sans PFAS and nanoparticles, and safest water purifiers to filter PFAS “forever chemicals,” now join us for the results of 23 salt products sent to the lab testing for metals aluminum and arsenic, and heavy metals cadmium, mercury, and lead and microplastics.
Disclosure: Scientific reviews were performed by (1) Terrence Collins, Teresa Heinz Professor of Green Chemistry and Director of the Institute for Green Sciences at Carnegie Mellon University and (2) Pete Myers, Chief Scientist at Environmental Health Sciences, Adjunct Professor of Chemistry at Carnegie Mellon University, and co-author of Our Stolen Future.
This post was medically reviewed by Sondra Strand, RN, BSN, PHN. Donations were provided by Mamavation community members. Note that Mamavation has only “spot-checked” the industry and thus we cannot make predictions about brands and products that were not tested in our EPA-certified laboratory.
Products and manufacturing aides can change without notice so buyer beware. This post contains affiliate links, with most to Amazon, which means Mamavation will receive a portion of those sales and we will use that to pay ourselves back for the testing. You can also give a tax-deductible donation to our consumer studies here through Environmental Health Sciences. Thank you!
According to the American Heart Association, the average American consumes about 3,400 milligrams per day of salt, whereas the dietary guidelines recommends we consume less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) of sodium daily. Americans are getting most of their sodium from processed foods, and therefore, if you are cooking and eating your meals from home in your own kitchen, you can greatly reduce those levels.
It’s claimed that “eating less sodium can reduce your risk for high blood pressure, fluid retention, heart disease, stroke, kidney issues, osteoporosis and cancer.” This is why we highly recommend you cook most of your meals from scratch with ingredients that are minimally processed.
But what about the quality of salt you are using? Some metals that are known or suspected toxicants and microplastics are already known to be inside salt but at what levels? This is the question we attempted to answer to help our audience lower their sodium intake while also lowering their intake of heavy metals and microplastics.
Mamavation sent 23 salt products off to an EPA-certified laboratory to test for aluminum, arsenic, and heavy metals cadmium, mercury and lead and microplastics. The good news is no salt product came back with the equivalent levels that would require a Prop. 65 warning based on serving size per day. In addition, no salt product had high enough microplastics that could be conclusively recognized through FTIR testing.
The bad news was all salt products had detectable amounts of the subject metals present. Mamavation has done our best to share with you what our laboratory found so that if you are concerned about clearly toxic or potentially toxic metals inside your salt, you’ll be able to make an educated decision when shopping. Here’s what we found:
The light metal, aluminum, was found in 78% of the salt products — 35% of salt products had over 100,000 ppb of aluminum.
Arsenic was found in 100% of salt products — 74% of salt products had over 10 ppb of arsenic.
Cadmium was found in 70% of salt products — 4% of salt products had over 4.1 ppb of cadmium.
Mercury was NOT found in any salt products.
Lead was found in 96% of salt products.
Microplastics were so minute they could not be conclusively detected and recognized via Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopic imaging for any sample.
[Update: 3 additional salt products were added to this investigation from popular demand on 2/13/24 and the above percentages were not adjusted.]
Federal vs. California Prop. 65 “safe harbor” levels for heavy metals like lead and arsenic — So what levels of lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium are concerning to public health officials? According to the Food and Drug Administration, the levels inside your food that you are allowed to be exposed to are as follows:
Heavy metals as lead (as Pb), should not be in your food or supplements at more than 10 parts per million (ppm)
Arsenic (as As), should not be in your food or supplement at more than 3 parts per million (ppm)
Mercury (as Hg), should not be in your food or supplements at more than 1 part per million (ppm)
Cadmium levels (as Cd) in bottled water should not exceed 0.005 parts per million (ppm)
When it comes to protecting consumers, California has far more stringent health protective levels, but instead of banning products, they require manufacturers to use label warnings instead. California’s Prop. 65 established “safe harbor levels” for most of the heavy metals we tested: arsenic, cadmium, lead, and mercury.
Prop. 65 requires businesses to provide warnings to consumers living in California about significant exposures to chemicals that cause cancer, birth defects, or other reproductive harm.
These chemicals can be in the products they purchase, in their homes or workplaces, or released into the environment. By requiring this information to be provided, it enables consumers in California to make informed decisions about their exposure to these chemicals.
Here are the No Significant Risk Levels (NSRL) and the Maximum Allowable Dose Levels (MADL) established by the State of California for the heavy metals we tested:
Arsenic — 0.06 ug/day (inhalation), 10 ug/day (except inhalation)
Cadmium — 0.05 ug/day (inhalation), 4.1 ug/day (oral)
Lead — 0.5 ug/day level for reproductive toxicity, 15 ug/day (oral) for carcinogens
Mercury — No established levels (and therefore no seafood would require a warning)
Aluminum — No established levels (and therefore no salt products would require a warning)
The most difficult part to understand about Prop. 65 is it’s not about the actual test results. Defendents must prove that the average person would consume enough to the product in a 70 year period to cause cancer or reproductive harm.
If that contaminate is “naturally occurring” like so many heavy metals are in the soil (especially in modern times from agricultural pesticides in the case of arsenic and lead and the myriad other uses of lead such as its now terminated use as a combustion promoter in gasoline), a company can avoid having to provide a warning label.
Therefore, it’s complicated and difficult to understand unless you have good attorneys by your side to explain. But the bottomline is no salt product we tested would require a warning label under the California statute.
Aluminum can come from natural sources as it makes up 8% of the earth’s mass. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers aluminum used as an indirect additive in food “generally regarded as safe.” Thus aluminum compounds are used in many ways in American food production as preservatives, as color dyes, anti-caking agents, or for leavening breads without active yeast.
It’s possible aluminum could be finding its way into salt in various levels as an anti-caking agent, which would help prevent it from clumping. However, not all of these products disclosed the use of aluminum as a food additive if they were using it.
The amount of aluminum from indirect food additives varies from person to person based on what you are eating, however, it’s assumed to be anywhere from 0 to 95 milligrams per day for Americans. The United States does not have any standards for aluminum in food that we could find. We could, however, find tolerable weekly intakes from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) based on the precautionary principle.
Based on the combined evidence from several studies, EFSA has recommended a tolerable weekly intake (TWI) of 1 mg aluminum/kg body weight/week. Thus using EFSA’s estimate, a person weighing 150 lbs. can tolerate up to the equivalent of 68 mg of aluminum per week.
More recently, in 2011, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) reviewed scientific evidence which increased their confidence in the risk assessment, and thus WHO experts established an increased Provisional Tolerable Weekly Intake (PTWI) of 2 mg/kg body weight. This means, according to the WHO, someone who weighs 150 lbs. could safely 136 mg per week.
Because you are also getting aluminum inside other foods like baked goods with flour, beans, condiments, cereals, cheese sauces, root vegetables, and certain seafood, it may be possible, especially for people with bad kidneys, that you could be consuming more than a safe recommendation.
In reflection of the Precautionary Principle, we’ve tested salt for aluminum for you as well to help you make those decisions yourself on where you would like your dietary aluminum to come from.
So how do heavy metals (aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead) find their way into salt? Officially, we are not certain brand by brand, but here are some theories based on how other food products are contaminated:
Naturally occurring — Heavy metals are naturally present in the soil in different concentrations based on the geology of the land. For instance, more cadmium is found in certain soils in South America and less in certain African soils.
This may be why we consistently found higher heavy metals in Himalayan salts vs. most sea salts because Himalayan salt is dug out of the ground mostly in Pakistan, which is also known to have higher levels of Cadmium in the soil.
However, it is to be remembered that Himalayan sea salt is thought to have been laid down in the Permian Epoch more than 250 million years ago so the metal content reflects that truly ancient environment.
Legacy pesticide use — For many decades, heavy metals were added to pesticides as an adjuvants, or were key components of pesticide toxicity such as with lead arsenate used as a pesticide in orchards and can still be found in soils with a history of certain pesticide use. Thus, runoff from farm use could find its way into sea salt.
Manufacturing contamination — Heavy metals can be found in many manufacturing situations, for example, as equipment is used dust from abrasion can contaminate food and personal care products that way. When salt is processed, the manufacturing equipment itself could pose a contamination risk.
Storage — In places where heavy metals are present in the soil, storing and drying certain salts outside can present a contamination risk. Dark chocolate is known to be contaminated this way.
Air pollution — Heavy metals can start as air pollution from manufacturing byproducts from polluted industrial areas and can find their way into other parts of the world through the wind and through bodies of water. For example, mercury originally found in coal is released into the air when coal is burned.
Downwind it falls to the earth and is converted to methyl mercury, which moves up the food chain contaminating fish, including tuna. We were happy to see that mercury was non-detect for all samples of salt.
Food additives — Some food additives could be contaminated with heavy metals, or as in the case with aluminum, could itself be a food additive.
To recap, Mamavation sent 23 salt products to an EPA-certified lab testing for aluminum, arsenic, cadmium, mercury and lead. 100% of salt products had detectable amounts of heavy metals and those levels and types of heavy metals varied. Here’s a couple of notes to consider before reading the raw data:
The laboratory also looked for microplastics by using Fourier Transformed Infrared (FTIR) Spectroscopic imaging. Microplastics were found, but they were not in high enough levels for the test to conclusively recognize what type of microplastics they were
Parts per billion is ppb and parts per million is ppm
1 ppm = 1,000 ppb
MRL means Maximum Residue Levels which meant that the lab could detect some metals, but it was so low they could not measure the exact amount
We divided the 23 salt products into 3 categories according to contamination levels. These levels reflect the overall levels of heavy metal contamination in each product but do not follow specific government recommendations.
[Update: 3 additional salt products were added to this investigation on 2/13/24 and are marked with a ** in the “not our favorite” category.]
Not our favorite salt products — These salt products represented the highest amounts of heavy metals according to our laboratory. Aluminum is reported in the ppm, while other heavy metals are reported in the ppb.
In this category, you will find between 29 ppm to 242 ppm of aluminum, 12.53 ppb to 82.156 ppb arsenic, non-detect to 7.32 ppb cadmium, all mercury non-detect, and between 92.56 ppb to 553.44 ppb of lead.
[Update: We added 3 additional salt products to this investigation from audience popularity and they are at the bottom of this category marked with a **.]
Better salt products — These salt products represent the middle of the road in terms of heavy metals according to our lab. Aluminum is reported in the ppm, while other heavy metals are reported in the ppb. This category has the following levels present: Between 2.154 ppm to 80.468 ppm of aluminum, between 7.39 ppb to 24.14 ppb of arsenic, between non-detect to 0.77 ppb of cadmium, no mercury, and between 45.63 ppb to 84.45 ppb of lead.
Best salt products — These salt products had the lowest amounts of heavy metals. Aluminum is reported in the ppm, while other heavy metals are reported in the ppb.
Here’s how low this category was: All aluminum was under 2 ppm, all arsenic was 15.27 ppb or less, all cadmium was 2.56 ppb or less, all Mercury was non-detect, and all lead was 14.99 or less. MRL means Maximum Residue Levels which meant that the lab could detect some metals, but it was so low they could not measure the exact amount.
Leah Segedie is the President and Founder of Mamavation.com. Mamavation produces award-winning content and independent consumer studies examining the intersection of endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs) and everyday products brought into American households. She’s been referred to by many as “the real FDA.”
Since 2008, Mamavation has been helping everyday moms navigate the grocery store by commissioning consumer studies on food, beverages, personal care products and other such products and thus democratizing science and testing for everyone.
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