Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

Although these almonds are labeled "Whole Natural", Blue Diamond pasteurizes these nuts with PPO (Polypropylene Oxide), a chemical used in the production of antifreeze and hydraulic fluid, and a known carcinogen. Propylene oxide was once used as a racing fuel, but that usage is now prohibited under the US NHRA rules for safety reasons. It has also been used in glow fuel for model aircraft and surface vehicles, typically combined in small percentages of around 2% as an additive to the typical methanol, nitromethane, and oil mix. It is also used in thermobaric weapons, and microbial fumigation. According to the EPA, short-term exposure to PPO has caused eye and respiratory tract irritation, and skin irritation and necrosis. It's also a mild central nervous system depressant and causes inflammatory lesions of the nasal cavity, trachea, and lungs. In animal studies, PPO causes neurological effects and tumors, leading EPA to classify it as a class B2 carcinogen, and California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, and Massachusetts to list it on their state right-to-know registries as a known carcinogen. If you are eating almonds for the health benefits, DO NOT purchase these almonds. There are companies that only use steam pasteurization for their almonds, and although they are more expensive, organic raw unpasteurized almonds can be found on Amazon.