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# If I Was Made Sick by Cilantro - - I'd Matter - news email 080415 from CHEJ
- URL: https://www.foodconsumer.org/chej_0804150526/
- Published: 2015-08-04T18:25:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-22T16:10:43.000Z
- Description: CHEJ contrasts the swift federal ban on cilantro, tied to hundreds of illnesses, with the response to a girl found to have pollution-related chemicals in her blood, whose parents were told only to keep her indoors. The group asks readers to fund its work with affected communities.
- Author: Food Consumer
- Tags: Chemical, Food Safety, #vivvo-import

Last Monday, the U.S. health officials put a ban on cilantro after finding human feces and toilet paper in south-of-the-border herb fields—a discovery now being linked to hundreds of illnesses. People reacted . . . the government is protecting American’s health.  

While health officials are telling consumers to throw out their cilantro, they are ignoring children being poisoned by corporate polluters. Clearly, there is not equal protection by U.S. health authorities.

 This little girl is having her blood tested for toxic chemicals in her body from breathing air pollution. **Chemicals were found in her blood. However, no alarms were sounded, no warningsand no demands that the polluter stops putting cancer causing chemicals into the air.** 

  
 Her parents were told to keep her indoors. Unbelievable. . . that’s their answer to the problem? This is [why parents of children need CHEJ and you! ](http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=jE%2BscJL%2FppSUW2fKFtZKEOI6EH9L7MeF&ref=foodconsumer.org)   
CHEJ works with communities just likethe one where this child lives. We provide assistance to parents and leaders to demand that responsible authorities treat victims of pollution the same way as they do with food contamination.

 If this little girl was sick from cilantro, public health professionals would be sitting at her parents kitchen table asking, where have you eaten lately, where do you purchase your vegetables, have you eaten cilantro lately and more.

Since her exposure results from chemicals in the environment, health authorities say there is nothing they can do. Adding, if there is an exposure problem then it must be proven. Yet, even when communities have “proven” a cluster of childhood cancers exist authorities respond by saying the cluster could be random and not related.

We can’t do this alone. We need your support to enable us to directly assist communities at risk. [Consider making a contribution of $10, $20 or more to enable CHEJ to respond to the needs of children ](http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=mS65PEsmDx%2B2Vx%2Bse48Br%2BI6EH9L7MeF&ref=foodconsumer.org)being poisoned by environmental chemicals. CHEJ works one-on-one with community leaders to provide critical support, so they can hold health agencies and corporate polluters accountable and stop the poisoning of their innocent children.  
  
CHEJ technical assistance to communities is critical. Our toxicologist can review data, reports and provide the expertise communities otherwise couldn’t afford. With this technical assistance parents have a better understanding of the problems and more power to make their case to stop the pollution or clean up the chemicals.

To hire a Harvard educated toxicologist to assist a communities would costs thousands of dollars a day. This costs is out-of-reach for communities that CHEJ works with. [*You can bring*](http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=IAd7EMrQlLth5ORm5brD%2B%2BI6EH9L7MeF&ref=foodconsumer.org) *that individual community technical assist* to poisoned communities and innocent victims through your support. Won't you please consider making a contribution today? Any dollar amount will help. Show you care about innocent children . . . even when government chooses not to.  
[ Donate Today!](http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=MuHfzHCVJQdJUL2DSmxoHeI6EH9L7MeF&ref=foodconsumer.org)

  
Thank you,

Lois Marie Gibbs

CHEJ Executive Director

[Click here to learn more about the FDA ban on cilantro.](http://org.salsalabs.com/dia/track.jsp?v=2&c=QSwj%2Flu0a9ogx3GBdIiCYOI6EH9L7MeF&ref=foodconsumer.org)