The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is warning Whole Foods customers not to consume a line of organic raw almonds due to elevated levels of hydrogen cyanide (prussic acid/formonitrile – chemical formula HCN). Hydrogen cyanide is a natural toxic chemical that interferes with oxygen in our organs so it can quickly be fatal, but even in smaller exposure can be damaging to the central nervous system, the cardiovascular system and the pulmonary system. That’s why it has been synthesized for use in chemical warfare. It isn’t just in plants and organic food, it is also created by volcanoes. Strange chelation therapies contain it too, and the World Health Organisation cautions against exposure, including in soil at hazardous waste sites. Luckily they don’t sell hazardous waste soil at Whole Foods stores in San Francisco. But they do sell organic ‘wild’ almonds, so caveat emptor the same way. Read more.